How science can help to eradicate fast food?

scheherazade said:
There are studies that demonstrate a link between eating fast food and depression according to this article in Science Daily. If science can demonstrate the mechanisms of depression by this route convincingly, it is hoped that through education and addressing some of the underlying economic considerations that people will make better dietary choices.



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120330081352.htm
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That would be the hope, but the trend these days is they just legislate away our choices and make those decisions for us. For example NYC making it illegal to sell carbonated soft drinks in sizes larger than 16 ounces.
 
There is much science behind the flavorings added to food, especially fast food. The science behind the marketing of this foods draws upon their emotional appeal and mass media allows that message to be in front of us every waking hour.

There is a "bliss point" for sugar, salt and fat, where they each taste divine, and it took the food chemists only a few years to find that "bliss point".

Another part of loving hyper-palatable products is the concept of 'mouth feel'. This is what the food industry loved about trans fats — they are ridiculously easy to manipulate to give any texture you want. You can have solid, crunchy, flaky, gently flowing or any combination of the above.
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And that's not all. Dr Kessler says that hyper-palatable food products can alter your brain chemistry, to make you addicted to them.

Hyper-palatable products act as rewards. Even if you're not hungry, you'll still keep on eating after you're full. They are almost as "rewarding" as the drug cocaine. Now if you are dealing with stuff almost as "rewarding" as cocaine, you are dealing with an addictive substance. The product gets your attention, it stays in your memory, it changes your mood and it becomes your focus. You begin to spend your time thinking about your next meal.

Your body has a balancing mechanism that tends to keep your body weight constant — it balances the energy in, against the energy out. So if you have a huge lunch, you would normally balance this by having a small dinner — but not if you're eating hyper-palatable foods.

Dr Kessler says that repeatedly eating hyper-palatable products effectively can rewire your brain. Your brain becomes more sensitive, to the point of thinking constantly about eating these rewarding hyper-palatable foods. This is why the food industry advertising uses emotional, rather than nutritional, appeals to promote their products.

Hyper-palatable foods are linked to emotional pleasure. The emotional reward motivates you to repeat the action, over and over (the action of putting the product in your mouth). Eventually the repeated behaviour becomes deeply entrenched as a habit, and results in automatic eating. You eat without enjoyment.
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http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/10/16/3608823.htm

The science of chemistry has been carefully used to manipulate us and it will take a much stronger dose of psychology to get us past our addiction to the convenience of fast foods because this is more than a learned behavior, it is a chemical dependency.

Fast food is cheap to make and highly profitable so one can expect resistance from unexpected quarters to any effort to reduce our dependency on these products.
 
seagypsy said:
That would be the hope, but the trend these days is they just legislate away our choices and make those decisions for us. For example NYC making it illegal to sell carbonated soft drinks in sizes larger than 16 ounces.
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What is of more concern to me is that we have far less choice than we may think because we really have no input into the regulatory process of what goes into most of our food as witness the controversy around GM foods as well as food additives generally regarded as safe. We have greater access to inexpensive food than perhaps any previous generation and we also have an exponential rise in food allergies, auto-immune disease and digestive disorders arising in a younger population, a most disturbing correlation when one looks at various timelines.
 
scheherazade said:
What is of more concern to me is that we have far less choice than we may think because we really have no input into the regulatory process of what goes into most of our food as witness the controversy around GM foods as well as food additives generally regarded as safe. We have greater access to inexpensive food than perhaps any previous generation and we also have an exponential rise in food allergies, auto-immune disease and digestive disorders arising in a younger population, a most disturbing correlation when one looks at various timelines.
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It seems the most logical way to acheive good health is simply self reliance. Know what you are eating by growing it yourself and learn how to cook from scratch rather than living off of "just add water" and "ready in 30 seconds" meals. While I don't disagree with you that our choices are not as great as they seem to be, we at least have the ability to choose lazy and ignorant eating habits over generally healthy habits. What annoys me is, everyone complaining about the FDA but how many people are as proactive about their health as you are. Most want their health handed to them on a silver platter without having any obligation to earn it, then they have the audacity to complain about how the platter is carried.

You are one of the few people that I feel has a right to say anything, because you aren't just speaking out about it, you are living an alternative and teaching it to us by example as well as direct guidance. The FDA isn't forced on any one of us. Our society demands it, then complains. Pathetic if you ask me. No one wants to just be critical thinkers when it comes to diet and lifestyle.
 
You are correct, Seagypsy, in observing that most people don't want to do the work and assume responsibility for their own choice of lifestyle and diet and it is far easier to delegate the task to 'society' through government and regulating agencies. In a capitalist system, profit margin becomes the deciding factor and the market place becomes the testing ground, the main test being will consumers buy it and can it pass the litmus test of 'generally regarded as safe'.

Yet people are individual and tolerances vary widely therefore it is incumbent on the individual to do their own selecting and pay attention to what signals their body is returning in response. On another thread and forum I remarked that it was ironic that most grocery stores also dispense digestive aids and over-the-counter pain and cold medication as if pain, illness and troublesome innards were considered 'normal' for a 'healthy' human being. Nothing could be further from the truth, in my opinion and experience. I have had as mentors persons who in their sixties could outwork most persons half their age and who haven't been ill in years, not even a sniffle, because they eat real food and are active and spend a goodly amount of time out of doors.

Fast food is just one of the problems, as I see it. Anyway, I came home from working the night shift and decided to whip up some 'fast food' of my own. I grabbed some baby spinach at our store and a can of apricots. At home, I drained the syrup off (down the drain) and put the apricots and about 6 ounces of plain, 3%, Balkan style yogurt in a jug blender and liquified it to make a 'dressing'. Nothing else added.

In a bowl, I placed a large handful of washed and dried spinach leaves, poured a couple of ounces of my 'dressing' over, topped with 12 red grapes, halved, 10 pecan halves and a tablespoon of ground flax seed. Takes longer to type than it did to put together, lol. Fast, easy and delicious! Economical also, as I have spinach and dressing enough for at least two more meals and fruit, nuts and ground flax seed are staples in my house.

Spinach-Salad.jpg


Entelecheia, if my posting of some healthy 'fast food' ideas of my own is not where you'd like this thread to go, please let me know or provide a bit more direction of what you have in mind. :)
 
scheherazade said:
You are correct, Seagypsy, in observing that most people don't want to do the work and assume responsibility for their own choice of lifestyle and diet and it is far easier to delegate the task to 'society' through government and regulating agencies. In a capitalist system, profit margin becomes the deciding factor and the market place becomes the testing ground, the main test being will consumers buy it and can it pass the litmus test of 'generally regarded as safe'.

Yet people are individual and tolerances vary widely therefore it is incumbent on the individual to do their own selecting and pay attention to what signals their body is returning in response. On another thread and forum I remarked that it was ironic that most grocery stores also dispense digestive aids and over-the-counter pain and cold medication as if pain, illness and troublesome innards were considered 'normal' for a 'healthy' human being. Nothing could be further from the truth, in my opinion and experience. I have had as mentors persons who in their sixties could outwork most persons half their age and who haven't been ill in years, not even a sniffle, because they eat real food and are active and spend a goodly amount of time out of doors.

Fast food is just one of the problems, as I see it. Anyway, I came home from working the night shift and decided to whip up some 'fast food' of my own. I grabbed some baby spinach at our store and a can of apricots. At home, I drained the syrup off (down the drain) and put the apricots and about 6 ounces of plain, 3%, Balkan style yogurt in a jug blender and liquified it to make a 'dressing'. Nothing else added.

In a bowl, I placed a large handful of washed and dried spinach leaves, poured a couple of ounces of my 'dressing' over, topped with 12 red grapes, halved, 10 pecan halves and a tablespoon of ground flax seed. Takes longer to type than it did to put together, lol. Fast, easy and delicious! Economical also, as I have spinach and dressing enough for at least two more meals and fruit, nuts and ground flax seed are staples in my house.

Spinach-Salad.jpg


Entelecheia, if my posting of some healthy 'fast food' ideas of my own is not where you'd like this thread to go, please let me know or provide a bit more direction of what you have in mind. :)
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Do you have a farm? If so, do you need a family of farm hands? Neverfly and I would love to come learn your ways up there. :p
 
seagypsy said:
Do you have a farm? If so, do you need a family of farm hands? Neverfly and I would love to come learn your ways up there. :p
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At the beginning my father and me planted an orchard. We did it 100% organic, and not bad 'cause we were neophyte!. I ejoyed su much the organic cherimoias, eggfruits, mangoes, avocados, lemons, banana. The taste: just unbelievable, a piece of heaven on earth..., i dont understand why the taste was so superior. Roots: manioc, sweet potato. Bad luck, a forgoten flood hidden rocks under the soil.
My conclussion is the only problem are organic plague control, and overproduction of fruits (ironic for our times):eek:
Now im trying to do the same in my garden, have grapefuit, sweet orange, cherimoia. This time im trying to put in practice my book Getting Started In Permaculture: 50 Practical Projects to Build and Design Productive Gardens by Ross Mars, and Jenny Mars.
The only difficultie is where i live there are not compost sellers, 100% organic seed sellers (Ross teachs comercial seeds have pesticides, they alters the fruit quality), and certified tree sellers (fruitcultors).
 
Is it possible to define unhealthy food? I find it very difficult.
For example, carbonated drinks 0 calories 0 sugar.
As the carbonated drinks try to reach the label of 100% natural, why drink 2 or more sodas per day are considered unhealthy? Which ingredients are considered to be harmful, and why? How science can measure the impact in health of 2 sodas in a year?
 
origin said:
Sorry but I don't think a tofu garlic shake is going to be able to compete with a burger and fries.
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It said recipe for vagenaise (a 100% guilt-free mayonnaise. Almost identical taste), my teacher is the best, so if my translation from spanish was correct you will be able to make a 100% healthy substitute for mayonnaise.
 
As the carbonated drinks try to reach the label of 100% natural, why drink 2 or more sodas per day are considered unhealthy?
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I drink 100% natural iced teas, which taste try to mimic sodas, but i feel they are not real guilt-free beverages, since massive products are impersonal, contains the phantom of secrecy and manipulation
 
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