When eating healthy becomes an unhealthy obsession.

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  #31  
Old 04-06-2013, 06:18 AM
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I think depending on your eating habits they may not be an obsession rather a 'way of life'

I laugh when friends say oh you two can't eat this or that,
(being vegans) of course we can, we chose not to.
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Old 04-06-2013, 06:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Villages PL View Post
The problem with anecdotes is: There are always plenty of anecdotes that can "prove" the exact opposite. Here's a real life example:

My aunt Lucy felt like she had been deprived of candy when she was a child, but she never became overweight as an adult. However, she made up her mind at an early age that she didn't want her children to grow up feeling deprived. So she made it a point to always keep a large bowl of candy in the kitchen and told her children that they could take as much as they wanted at any time of the day.

She had four boys and one, who was a controlled drinker, died at age 60 of liver cancer. The other three are drinkers as well and sport large waistlines. They grew up with poor eating habits because, without proper supervision, they often ate candy right before meals. She, for example, would make a salad and her boys would typically take only a tablespoon of salad with their meals. In addition to the one with liver cancer, another one had thyroid cancer and had his thyroid removed at sometime around his early 20s.

So, in that case, I don't see anything that was gained by being permissive. If anything, they were harmed by the fact that they didn't learn good eating habits as they were growing up.
From other things you've posted, cancer does seem to run in your family, so perhaps their bad luck was due to their genetics? Or environmental reasons if they were raised in what is frequently called a "smokestack environment". I've never heard of sugar causing cancer. Now, perhaps aspertame or other sugar substitutes might be a culprit.....and of course, today's food is loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Everything corn.
Too much corn is not good for one's health in general.

I understand the need to restrict sugary snacks in those with childhood diabetes , however, when our two children were in elementary school there was only one little girl who suffered from that malady. Everyone knew not to give her a candy bar or cookie.

What would Halloween be for children of all ages without their treats????

As Gracie asked, have you ever had children?????

I still remember bringing in huge trays of home made sugar cookies for whatever season it was.....to my kids' classroom...decorated with food colored frosting and cookies shaped to represent either Christmas, Halloween, you name it. They were a huge success. No one gorged on cookies. It was a special treat.

Ditto for their birthday cakes and such........

Any mom or dad who has had children........know that a carrot stick or celery stick or box of raisins, although a healthy snack otherwise, does not spell "celebration".

Ditto, I never restricted juice or milk..........water was not the beverage of choice back in the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's when we had children at home.
Now, we all drink water.......constantly. I also fed all of my kids' friends who were always welcomed in our home..........plus the neighborhood kids. They are all still alive and well with families of their own.

We also did not drive through the fast food drive up window every morning for breakfast, lunch and dinner..........I cooked three meals at home.

Except on school days when they ate the cafeteria food. But they went off with a good breakfast and came home to COOKIES AND MILK.....then a nourishing supper............and maybe cookies and milk again before bed.

I always had a HUGE seasonal fruit bowl on my kitchen island........that they could take from, as they pleased. They still are big fruit eaters......and big salad eaters.
Not to mention big veggie eaters. I deprived them of no foods at all. They learned to make wise choices.

Heavens to Betsy......home baked chocolate chip cookies and milk.
Vermont is the dairy state after all and it's been said we have more cows than people........so more power to the cows.

My two are middle aged adults now with families of their own. They are tall, THIN, and healthy.....and highly intelligent. Never have had cancer or any other serious disease, Thank God. They both have high I.Q.'s.

Their Halloween candy and cookies and milk did not do any harm.
They eat a healthy diet now that goes with "TODAY'S" nutritional standards..........but still give their kids an occasional treat.

It's when one BANS a food substance that it becomes an obsessive thought.

Giving a kid a cookie or candy bar on Halloween is NOT being permissive.
Baking them cupcakes for school birthday parties is NOT being permissive.

Do you know any little children personally?????

Someday, when you are in the mood, I'd be happy to see a list of what you consume for breakfast, lunch and dinner.......plus any healthy snacks throughout the day? When one sets themselves up as a role model, it would be helpful to see the exact menu of choice.

The ones I've known who were so rigid in their eating habits were not necessarily healthy and they are all dead now. One of our favorite beverages is a nice big glass of Sunsweet prune juice with the pulp.
Can't recommend it enough. Regular prunes are good, as well. Raisins too, of course.

I've tried putting my hubby on a "sugar free", "dessert free" regime....by not bringing it into the home (except on special occasions such as celebratory holidays)......well, guess what? He can drive himself to the supermarket and stock up on his favorite ice creams, doughnuts, etc.

He will eat the fruit and yoghurt I put in front of him..........but wouldn't choose that in place of a doughnut. But, I do sneak in all the healthful snacks I can.

But vive le difference. Everyone's viewpoint is valuable. The most boring thing would be for all of us to be clones of each other.
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Old 04-06-2013, 06:43 AM
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I didn't think I would ever say this but that was a good post. It held my interest and parts of it even made me laugh. You mentioned how people would say "there's nothing here I can eat" when actually there was plenty to choose from. Well, I think those people are being somewhat rude and thoughtless to the host who went to a lot of trouble. I haven't been to a wedding reception for several decades but if I did get invited I would not complain about the food. I can't see doing that. It's just plain rude.

I told how I went to the birthday party of a man who was 100 years old. It was free and open to the public. I ate chicken because it was at KFC. And, don't tell anyone, I even had a piece of birthday cake. Having a piece of birthday cake once every 10 years is what I call "moderation".
O.K.....so you do have some redeeming qualities with regard to food consumption.....(said with a smile). Ditto for the birthday cake. I'm happy to hear that....and glad I went back to read some old posts.

Was the KFC good? We are having that for lunch today (huge bucket of the crispy version) with the sides of cole slaw, etc., etc., etc...........just don't feel like cooking as we are beginning some spring chores. Only bad thing about the KFC is it contains ACCENT , another term for MSG. Monosodium Glutamate....a flavor enhanser.

Also, you've mentioned in the past that you've eaten at the Golden Corral.
Isn't that a steak restaurant?????? Or, what exactly is on their menu?

Enjoy your posts, rigid as they might be.....with regard to food or lack thereof. Hard to believe you are of Italian descent. I'll bet the new pope would eat my cooking..........and he is frugal and prefers a simple existence.......I'm going to send him some of my leftover baked ziti....came out very creamy with the excellent ricotta cheese. Vegans do not eat ricotta, correct? Or mozarella?
  #34  
Old 04-06-2013, 06:47 AM
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Vegans do not eat ricotta, correct? Or mozarella?
I know U know the answer to that, it has a 'mother'
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Old 04-06-2013, 06:54 AM
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I know U know the answer to that, it has a 'mother'
Meaning if it has a "face" don't eat it? Like a Vermont cow?
Just teasing.

Our niece shuns all meat and dairy (the dairy because she is lactose intolerant, but also the meat as a slight boycott of her dad's meat business).

Another niece eats dairy in the form of cheese and such, but absolutely no "flesh"....no matter what the animal is.

Both girls chose this way of eating in high school.

So, ricotta cheese has a mother? What about a father?
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Old 04-06-2013, 06:57 AM
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Would you guys eat stuffed zucchini (stuffed with veggies, bread crumbs, etc. no meat) but if it was "held together" with a bit of mozarella before putting into the zucchini "boats".........very yummy, with very little non fat mozarella cheese. Par boil shells, concoct filling, refill boats and then bake in oven. I do the same with eggplant.....but I do add ground sausage meat to that.........eggplant halves; baked.
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Old 04-06-2013, 07:05 AM
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What do U think?
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Old 04-06-2013, 07:07 AM
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I know U know the answer to that, it has a 'mother'
Yep. But no one killed it's mom to get the milk..

I am going to look at my canine teeth in the mirror. I have a terrible feeling they are growing.
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Old 04-06-2013, 08:09 AM
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Gracie, we could get into the teeth not being designed to eat meat, but that would take us into a totally different direction.
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Old 04-06-2013, 12:53 PM
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Since I have moved to the villages and have been exposed to REAL Italian cooking by REAL Italian cooks..THIS German descendant is feeling a little bit of ethnic origin envy. What yummy stuff Italians know how to fix!

Tonight we are having one Italian inspired side. Fresh spinach wilted in hot olive oil that has sauteed garlic in it. Yum.
I have nothing against Italians, after all, I am Italian. But I don't eat any of the standard Italian dishes that you might consider "yummy". I've been living in the villages for almost 14 years and I think I went to an Italian restaurant only twice, and both times I was disappointed.

What does Italian food mostly consist of? It's mostly high in starch, fatty/salty cheeses and fatty/salty meats. How about a big dish of spaghetti with fatty/salty grated cheese and fatty/salty meatballs? That's typical and many other dishes are variations of that. The vegetables are skimpy and merely an after thought.
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Old 04-06-2013, 01:39 PM
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I often wonder if you have children.

When I taught we would have what I called "food moms" who would not allow their child to have sweets when they were sent in for holiday parties. or requested...STRONGLY that holiday parties have snacks like carrots or fruit.

I always knew the food moms loved their children deeply but I always thought that if they allowed a child an occasional sugar treat it would not kill them. Obviously for children with juvenile diabetes, it was a much easier plan. We just didn't have sugary treats EVER...and the same for peanut allergies.

I was faced with deciding if we should not have any food treats at parties, or have only healthy ones which aren't all that ....um...festive.

When I had a food mom which was not every year....I would just say no treats. It was too hard to watch the child who couldn't have the iced pumpkin cookie eat his packet of raisins. Remember, I taught five and six year olds.

We all survived. I wonder what happened to the little ones whose moms were so strict about food?

Were you young enough to be in my class Villages Pl?

When I was growing up, my mom was not one of those strict moms that you described above. I won't bore you with all the details but believe me, I ate my share of processed desserts, which I now will call "garbage".

Basically, I guess you could say that, as a kid, I ate the Standard American Diet (SAD). It included everything that you and others on this board would happily call "moderation". Thankfully, I survived it because I was young.

But she did draw a line when it came to stocking the refrigerator. I, as a young lad, was not in charge of stocking the refrigerator. And now, when I think back to those days, I'm glad that she was an adult with a backbone to set down some common sense rules.

Now, though I'm young at heart, I'm getting older and older and it's a whole new ball game. Whatever life is left for me, I value and want to make the most of it. And the so called "golden years" won't come from eating junk. A poor diet will only serve to hasten or bring on the degenerative diseases of aging.

Remember, it's all about risk. You can say that you and your uncle eat lots of junk and are still healthy. But disease has a way of showing up when you don't expect it, and then it's a surprise, at least it is to most people.

Hope I didn't bore anyone!
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Old 04-06-2013, 01:55 PM
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When I was growing up, my mom was not one of those strict moms that you described above. I won't bore you with all the details but believe me, I ate my share of processed desserts, which I now will call "garbage".

Basically, I guess you could say that, as a kid, I ate the Standard American Diet (SAD). It included everything that you and others on this board would happily call "moderation". Thankfully, I survived it because I was young.

But she did draw a line when it came to stocking the refrigerator. I, as a young lad, was not in charge of stocking the refrigerator. And now, when I think back to those days, I'm glad that she was an adult with a backbone to set down some common sense rules.

Now, though I'm young at heart, I'm getting older and older and it's a whole new ball game. Whatever life is left for me, I value and want to make the most of it. And the so called "golden years" won't come from eating junk. A poor diet will only serve to hasten or bring on the degenerative diseases of aging.

Remember, it's all about risk. You can say that you and your uncle eat lots of junk and are still healthy. But disease has a way of showing up when you don't expect it, and then it's a surprise, at least it is to most people.

Hope I didn't bore anyone!
When I picture you. I picture you short and very thin.
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Old 04-07-2013, 03:27 AM
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I have nothing against Italians, after all, I am Italian. But I don't eat any of the standard Italian dishes that you might consider "yummy". I've been living in the villages for almost 14 years and I think I went to an Italian restaurant only twice, and both times I was disappointed.

What does Italian food mostly consist of? It's mostly high in starch, fatty/salty cheeses and fatty/salty meats. How about a big dish of spaghetti with fatty/salty grated cheese and fatty/salty meatballs? That's typical and many other dishes are variations of that. The vegetables are skimpy and merely an after thought.
The Italian diet of olden days , when my grandmother and aunts cooked it, as well as my dad, was very HEAVY on the vegetables. They ate meat sparingly. The cheese was their source of dairy. I recall fondly all of the wonderful "vegetarian soups" and they didn't even know they were eating a vegetarian lifestyle for the most part..........bean soups, lentil soups, vegetable soups.......simple green salads every day........eggplant, zucchini, you name it............plus they grew their own tomatoes and green peppers..........ate FRUIT for dessert "except on holidays".........ate NO BUTTER on their wonderful Italian bread. I don't recall anyone in my dad's family being obese. They were all THIN.

My dad ate walnuts, chestnuts, pears, cantalupe, oranges for DESSERT.

Everything was prepared from scratch in those days. NO PROCESSED FOODS.

Also, they made their own wine..........so no sulfites were added.
Fruit of the vine is supposedly good for your arteries and such......

Sure, if you are going to "choose" anchovies, pepperoni, salami, etc. rather than the daily preparation of home made bean and lentil soups, then you would get the salt..........but those were used for flavorings more than "snacks".

All ethnic groups had a type of preserved summer sausage or salty meat which they "put up" against hard times or winter approaching.........using meat scraps or what have you.

P.S. I totally forgot to mention all the "greens" I grew up on.......such as ESCAROLE, SPINACH, BROCCOLI, GREEN BEANS, romaine lettuce, chicory in soups, parsley, etc...........probably more than I can think of so early in the a.m. Plus lots of veggies like zucchini, tomatoes, green and red peppers, carrots in everything.....eggplant but no corn. I don't ever remember eating corn at my grandmothers............although the polenta was made of cornmeal.

Below link is just for "fun" ..........the huge roast beef does NOT belong with the Italian veggies. Use right downward arrow on screen to keep scrolling down...........
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...bles&FORM=IGRE
In a nutshell, they did eat a lot of vegetables...........so perhaps they were ahead of their times and “knew” what was healthy.
They also ate a lot of seafood, as I recall.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/...MATTER,00.html
Here is a modern version of the old “Escarole and Bean Soup” I grew up on. Very few kids would eat this today........
Back “in the day” they didn’t use Progresso canned cannelini beans..........but used dried beans they soaked overnight. This is a shortcut recipe.
Lentil soup is also yummy with spinach or other greens in it.............it’s easy to make with the dried lentils...........again, we grew up with lentil soup.

The Italian kids in high school , who didn't do the cafeteria meals.......would come in with huge eggplant parmesan sandwiches made by their moms for the working brothers and dads to take to work.
No fast food in those days.........or else, peppers and egg sandwiches........potatoes and egg sandwiches, or tuna salad (NO MAYO) Italian style which is with red wine vinegar, diced onions, garlic, etc.....
Everything had lots of garlic in it............which is good for you.

The Asian culture also knew the value of garlic and other herbs as medicinals........as did the Italians..........so I'd say these cultures were ahead of their times.......ahead of the pharmaceutical companies.

Last edited by senior citizen; 04-07-2013 at 04:40 AM. Reason: Added the green veggies
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Old 04-07-2013, 07:48 PM
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When I picture you. I picture you short and very thin.
Well, I'm lean and muscular but I don't consider myself to be short. I'm about average height. My parents were taller than their parents and I grew taller than my parents. Those of you who are not tall, be thankful because tall people on average live shorer lives.

When people came here from Europe (or wherever) they grew taller and taller because they ate more and more animal protein. Being tall is good if you work for a large corporation because you'll be more likely to get promotions over those who are shorter. Not to mention the fact that women like tall men. But that's where the advantage ends. The odds are against tall people living to advanced old age. And this may be part of the reason why women usually outlive men. Women on average are shorter than men.


Last edited by Villages PL; 07-21-2013 at 04:46 PM.
  #45  
Old 04-07-2013, 10:02 PM
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I like your active imagination where you see them getting candy from their neighbors. That's assuming that the neighbors are permissive and have loads of candy just waiting to be distributed, on a regular basis, to anyone who's going through withdrawl. It makes sugar look like a serious drug addiction.

The kid says to the neighbor: "Please, please, do you have any candy for me today? I can't stand being without it, I need it.." In that case, if the neighbor has a backbone, she would say, "NO, go home and eat your lunch."

As far as buying it: 1) I don't recall them having money at a young age and 2) there were no nearby stores.

What do they do today when a kid doesn't get any candy, or not enough candy? Do they report it to the state as child abuse?
Sorry. It's not my imagination. Grade school and middle school kids in the neighborhood would walk to the gas stations, Walgreens, and fast food places and buy junk food, pop and candy. The kids held in Food Jail at home (prohibited from having a snack of any kind after school...were forced to wait till 6pm full meal) would get it from the neighbor kids and buy it with their own money, and if they were at a neighbor's house it didn't take a "permissive" mom to give them a treat if their own kids were having one.
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