View Full Version : Health, food and preventative medicine
The company I work for basically provides software to access medical supplies for hospitals. More money in this than I thought...
Anyway, for our quarterly meeting,a 'futurist' spoke about how the health care reforms will impact all facets of the health care industry.
(No debate please! :D)
What I found interesting, is nothing was said about the REAL money savings in health care: Proper nutrition and exercise.
The number one killer of Americans according to the CDC? Heart Disease. Number six and rising (along with our waist lines!)? Diabetes.
Two diseases than can be treated withe expensive medication but often-times simply mitigated with eating skinless chicken instead of a Big Mac; having steamed veggies instead of fries. Taking a walk for an hour rather than watching an hour of schlock TV.
And what was served at this health care reform meeting? Bacon, eggs, home fries, muffins, pastry. The token healthy choices were fruit (good) and over-processed, sugar filled 'breakfast bars' (bleeech).
So what does this have to do with hiking?
Besides the obvious health we all need to be in for our activity, maybe as a community we should concentrate on the basics. Time and time again, people say "You don't have to train for a hike". True.
But, you do need to be in good health to ENJOY a hike esp at the start. And, needless to say, you need to be in good healthy to avoid many illnesses and health problems assoc. w/ being out of shape.
With 75% of people not completing their AT hikes, rather than trying to shave 3 oz off your pack, why not shave 15 lbs off your frame?
Eat healthy (beers and burgers on weekend. ;) ), live an active lifestyle (cause TV sucks and life is too short to only hike once every 2 yrs) and you may find that hiking is pleasurable rather than a mini-death march. :sun
Sickmont
01-18-2011, 15:45
Did you know that death is the number one killer on this entire planet?
the goat
01-18-2011, 15:48
With 75% of people not completing their AT hikes, rather than trying to shave 3 oz off your pack, why not shave 15 lbs off your frame?
Eat healthy (beers and burgers on weekend. ;) ), live an active lifestyle (cause TV sucks and life is too short to only hike once every 2 yrs) and you may find that hiking is pleasurable rather than a mini-death march. :sun
great advice!!
Preaching to the choir brother Mags.....
An oz of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
There are a lot of things.... Bicycle lanes, greenways and sidewalks are great for health and the environment.
garlic08
01-18-2011, 15:53
Thanks, Mags. Excellent advice as usual. Food for thought, so to speak.
I know you don't worry about the beer and burgers at Oskar Blues--they're fine. As they say, "All things in moderation...including moderation!"
john gault
01-18-2011, 16:30
I'm completely dumbfounded how basic health and nutriton information, which is out there and everyone is well aware of, yet completely ignored by a significant portion of the population, despite their suffering the ill-effects of inactivity and poor nutrition. Everybody is looking for a fix in the form of a pill...I just don't get it:datzHow much clearer does the message need to be:confused:
Any one ever watch the Biggest Loser? In many respects it's the typical reality show, with all the drama, and some pretty unabashed advertisements that are unapologetic, to say the least, especially the Subway "commercials". However, when you look past all that, the show does a pretty good job at showing people how effective good nutrition and physical activity is for the body. Not only do the contestants loose tons of weight, but also many of them reverse type 2 diabetes and numerous other ailments and are able to stop taking a multitude of medications, which had become a way of life for them.
Healthcare in this country is a for-profit industry, as is food itself and some kinds of exercise. It would not help THEM if we all became so healthy we didn't need their drugs, hospitals and insurance, their "healthy" processed foods or their gyms.
I live in a county with about 30,000 people. We have about 4 main actual resturants where all that's served is about as healthy as fatback after everything get's fried. But we have McDonalds, Hardees, Bonjangles, KFC, Taco Bell, Burger king and checkers which I just don't find appetizing. The grocery stores while offering options for a good healthy meal still lack in the fresh fruit and vegatables department. What's happened is that we have become a sort of suburb for a a bigger city 20-30 mins up the road where most people work, including myself, who are middle class buy food up there and don't buy local. I forgot to add waffle house to that list. You can imagine how this works out. It is a vicious cycle. And to top it off, we have a huge farming population that sells everything to NY and NJ!?! A farmers market that sells by the bushel instead of the lb. (WTH??)
Odd Man Out
01-18-2011, 17:01
Let me see if I get this right.
I should eat better and exercise more????
You won't sell any diet books with this scheme.
But I have this sure-fire plan that involves eating grapefruit flavored tofu, finger exercises on the TV remote, and Toxicodendron radicans extract enemas!
Bubble Toes
01-18-2011, 17:02
Wait you forgot one, cancer. Read The China Study. He used both animal trials and population study to prove that cancer too was linked to a diet high in animal protein. But nobody really wants to pay a little price now to live better later. Dr. Ornish's diet can reverse heart disease, how many people opt to have their chest cracked open instead?
You're not going to get anything healthy in Erwin either.
When we first moved here I was out in the yard talking to my neighbor and I asked him if there was any place to get a good salad in town and he said, "Oh, you'll have to go to the Golden Corral in Johnson City for that."
Doesn't matter though - 75% of the population smokes and that'll get 'em first.
I had a point about eating right but I can't remember the catch to it. So that may just be a declarative statement I made but I do know this. The biggest issue I believe our nation is facing is a simple lack of formal education. I'll speak for myself if need be but I don't believe it localized to this small town.
Majortrauma
01-18-2011, 17:13
We subsidize their disastrous eating habits with food stamps etc and THEN we offer them free healthcare.
Yup, that's a recipe for success.
Honest to God there should be far more restrictions on what one is allowed to purchase with food stamps etc.
"Stupid is as stupid does."
I'm completely dumbfounded how basic health and nutriton information, which is out there and everyone is well aware of, yet completely ignored by a significant portion of the population, despite their suffering the ill-effects of inactivity and poor nutrition. Everybody is looking for a fix in the form of a pill...I just don't get it:datzHow much clearer does the message need to be:confused:The problem I believe is that decades ago many people, men especially, had laborious types of jobs where they had to physically exert themselves. And even the people who did not have hard physical jobs, had more physical demands placed upon them then most people do today. Back then the food was better, healthier, and more nutritious. Today most people do not have hard physical jobs, they have way less physical demands placed upon them, and most of the food they eat if they are not careful which most are not is of the cheap fast-food variety which besides being nutritionally bankrupt, helps exacerbate an already unhealthy sedentary lifestyle. Factor in all the increased distress that is out there in todays modern world, and wah la, receipe for disaster.
Wait you forgot one, cancer. Read The China Study. He used both animal trials and population study to prove that cancer too was linked to a diet high in animal protein. But nobody really wants to pay a little price now to live better later. Dr. Ornish's diet can reverse heart disease, how many people opt to have their chest cracked open instead?
As to Campbell's flawed research:
She shreds several more of Campell’s leaps in logic, and uses his own data to show that some of healthiest people in China live in regions with the highest levels of meat consumption. As other critics have pointed out, the only solid conclusion we can take away from The China Study is that rats who are fed a diet of nothing but casein (an isolated dairy protein) will become sick and die. From this, Campbell indicts all animal products.http://freetheanimal.com/2010/07/the-china-study-smackdown-roundup.html
As to Ornish and his diet regimen, that other 'New Age' doc (Weil) has come to this conclusion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvcK6A-yEoQ
Fat. It's not just for breakfast any more.
john gault
01-19-2011, 10:23
The problem I believe is that decades ago many people, men especially, had laborious types of jobs where they had to physically exert themselves. And even the people who did not have hard physical jobs, had more physical demands placed upon them then most people do today. Back then the food was better, healthier, and more nutritious. Today most people do not have hard physical jobs, they have way less physical demands placed upon them, and most of the food they eat if they are not careful which most are not is of the cheap fast-food variety which besides being nutritionally bankrupt, helps exacerbate an already unhealthy sedentary lifestyle. Factor in all the increased distress that is out there in todays modern world, and wah la, receipe for disaster.
I don't buy it. It's simply a matter of people being lazy and wanting a quick and easy fix. I'm no nutritional or physical fitness expert, I've never even read one single book on either subject. I simply observe and have read a few articles. This is not rocket science, it's so damn easy....
It's like smoking, everyone wants to blame the lying tobacco companies (and yes they are a bunch of lying bastards), but at some point people need to educate themselves, very easy to do in today's world. I remember watching tv programs of people suffering from a lifetime of smoking, that was in the 70's when I was a little kid and I decided then that smoking was bad. Later in life I was amazed at all my smoking friends that knew smoking was bad, they didn't refute it, but decided to smoke anyway. They would say things, like..."when it starts to affect me I'll quit"...:rolleyes:
The bold underlined statement is just another example (and a very good one) of people not seeing the big picture. I just find it incredible. How can the message be any clearer...
The company I work for basically provides software to access medical supplies for hospitals. More money in this than I thought...
Anyway, for our quarterly meeting,a 'futurist' spoke about how the health care reforms will impact all facets of the health care industry.
(No debate please! :D)
What I found interesting, is nothing was said about the REAL money savings in health care: Proper nutrition and exercise.
The number one killer of Americans according to the CDC? Heart Disease. Number six and rising (along with our waist lines!)? Diabetes.
garlic08
01-19-2011, 10:46
...I was amazed at all my smoking friends that knew smoking was bad, they didn't refute it, but decided to smoke anyway. They would say things, like..."when it starts to affect me I'll quit"...:rolleyes:
Like the teenager, when his mom told him that masturbating would make him go blind, and he said, "Then I'll just do it until I need glasses." :D
When you take the advertising budgets of the fast food places like McDonald's, Burger King and them to the advertising budgets of gyms, of the various health care schemes, the advertising budgets of the pharmaceutical companies. Then you compare that to the money behind "Eat healthy and exercise more." the eat healthy and exercise more crowd is going to lose every time. It's not just the ads you see. It's the bull**** study that's paid for and then press released out to newspapers.
Human nature is to subsist on the greatest amount of calories while doing the least amount of work because that's the best course of action evolutionarily speaking. So getting people healthy is already a losing battle but you add billions on top of that in propaganda and billions of profits on top of that and it's impossible. Fat people are profitable. In shape people aren't. Therefore our society will make more fat people. Free market at work.
Unfortunately, even though I'm pretty active compared to most people (Go for a 12-20 mile hike today, let me get my backpack! Late walking home from work? No problem I'll just run home!) I'm still kinda fat. :( Long distance hiking is the only thing I've ever done where I was almost not fat.
I don't buy it. It's simply a matter of people being lazy and wanting a quick and easy fix. I'm no nutritional or physical fitness expert, I've never even read one single book on either subject. I simply observe and have read a few articles. This is not rocket science, it's so damn easy....I can completely understand what you are saying regarding this. It is easy. Just eat right, and get and remain active. The problem is the majority of people in the USA are not really into physical fitness. Most have white-collar type jobs, and at the end of the day are too exhausted from the distress of the day and of their commute to even begin to think about hitting the gym or lacing up the hiking boots or running shoes. Some have kids to raise, some bills to write out and pay. Their answer to their limited hours of the day is to order takeout, fast food, etc...and plop in front of the boob tube with drink in hand. People are just too harried in todays workaday world. So yes, the answer is simple, but for many, still remains too demanding and complex. It remains out of grasp due to their current daily grind.
When you take the advertising budgets of the fast food places like McDonald's, Burger King and them to the advertising budgets of gyms, of the various health care schemes, the advertising budgets of the pharmaceutical companies. Then you compare that to the money behind "Eat healthy and exercise more." the eat healthy and exercise more crowd is going to lose every time. It's not just the ads you see. It's the bull**** study that's paid for and then press released out to newspapers.
Human nature is to subsist on the greatest amount of calories while doing the least amount of work because that's the best course of action evolutionarily speaking. So getting people healthy is already a losing battle but you add billions on top of that in propaganda and billions of profits on top of that and it's impossible. Fat people are profitable. In shape people aren't. Therefore our society will make more fat people. Free market at work.I agree with this. That's why that want people to say super-size me! at the drive in window:rolleyes:
Cookerhiker
01-19-2011, 19:54
Relating good nutrition to hiking, something I've wondered about the last few years....
When I began backpacking in my late 20s/early 30s, knee pain was a given, especially when I hiked in VT and NH. Never returned home without knee pain and I always "knew" I'd never be able to hike long-distance because of it, along with other reasons.
Now it's the 21st Century, I'm in my 60s, I've backpacked long-distance, my eating habits are vastly improved - whole grains, fresh veggies & fruits, more fish, limiting meat to lean-only - and my knee pain rarely lasts if it even occurs at all. I drink green tea frequently, take ginger pieces along on hikes - all these changes which I believe in the aggregate help strengthen my body. I also rarely get colds or flu - perhaps every 3-4 years - whereas I used to get them at least once a year.
True I now use trekking poles which undoubtedly help and take glucosomine-chondroiton but I don't take Vitimin I unless I have a injury.
Coincidence? Don't think so.
People are just too harried in todays workaday world. So yes, the answer is simple, but for many, still remains too demanding and complex. It remains out of grasp due to their current daily grind.
My buddy back in Rhody is the head nurse at a methadone clinic (stressful job anyone?), has a wife and two kids. He works out one hour every day, watches what he eats and weighs the same as when he finished boot camp when he was 19. He is now 39.
If he can do it..I imagine we can, too.
Doc Mike
01-19-2011, 21:36
Mags you are stressing healthy living and your buddy works at a methadone clinic...LMAO
Doc Mike
My buddy back in Rhody is the head nurse at a methadone clinic (stressful job anyone?), has a wife and two kids. He works out one hour every day, watches what he eats and weighs the same as when he finished boot camp when he was 19. He is now 39.
If he can do it..I imagine we can, too.Anybody healthy can. The only thing is, in order to do it, you REALLY have to do it. Many aren't willing to. They would rather look for a pill or miracle diet instead:)
Mags you are stressing healthy living and your buddy works at a methadone clinic...LMAO
Doc Mike
He's not the heroin addict. It is a good paying job and makes good use of his previous job as an army medic (and later as a nurse). :)
I guarantee my buddy is in better shape than most people at hiker gatherings.
Anybody healthy can. The only thing is, in order to do it, you REALLY have to do it. Many aren't willing to. They would rather look for a pill or miracle diet instead:)
No argument there. Kinda what I took from that speech. Take a pill, have some surgery..and pass the donuts (provided at said gathering). :D
fiddlehead
01-19-2011, 22:27
It's so hard in America to eat healthy.
The choices simply are not there.
We had to drive 50 miles to get to a good oriental store where we could buy: fish sauce, green papaya, and some greens only my wife knows the name of.
In my county in PA, you have to drive 35 miles minimum just to find bean sprouts. Unbelievable.
We drove.
I had my annual physical a month ago.
THe doctor (in America) told me I'm probably the healthiest 60 year old he's ever seen.
I'm no more healthy than the average 60 year old (who doesn't drink whiskey) here in Thailand.
Go figure!
of course the hiking and jogging don't hurt either.
Mags this issue is your talking sense to the percentage that understand and agree on the issue..It's true alot of ex military still weigh what they did in the military. I base that on their MOS and the units they served with..But the general public would rather have the meal combo than eat at a healthy resturant,,,that and to make it the cheapest deal as aposed to a healthy meal that costs more...
Freedom Walker
01-19-2011, 22:43
Good food choices begin at the grocery store. I work at one and find it interesting to look at people and what they buy. Many times I see overweight people buying processed foods with added sugar and high in fats. Up to a few weeks ago I worked in a store that over 40% of sales came from food stamps. Guess what most bought, yes junk food. I have heard from people that eating well cost too much. Yes fresh produce is fairly high right now, but one can save money by not buying the junk.
My belief is if we don't bring it home we can't eat it. I am now trying to lose a few pounds so my upcoming knee surgery has a better chance of working so I get back to hiking.
rainmaker
01-19-2011, 22:49
Did you know that death is the number one killer on this entire planet?
Actually, it has been proven beyond all doubt that the leading contributor of death is birth. Aye there's the rub...
The secret is that healthy food doesn't cost more. Get a big bag of onions, a big bag of lentils, big bag of rice. Add canned tomatoes, spices, greens, carrots. Make dal baat. Millions eat this every day and they are healthy. Alternate with some other recipe that also uses cheap, natural ingredients. Easy and cheap.
Mags this issue is your talking sense to the percentage that understand and agree on the issue..
I wish that was true. See what happens next time someone asks if people should prepare physically for a thru-hike. :o
fiddlehead
01-19-2011, 23:16
The secret is that healthy food doesn't cost more. Get a big bag of onions, a big bag of lentils, big bag of rice. Add canned tomatoes, spices, greens, carrots. Make dal baat. Millions eat this every day and they are healthy. Alternate with some other recipe that also uses cheap, natural ingredients. Easy and cheap.
And garlic!
Reminds me of once when i was selling my wares at a flea market in NJ and I added a bunch of garlic braids that I had made up for Christmas time.
SO, this woman points to them and asks: "what is that?"
I said that's garlic.
She said, "What do you do with it?"
I said, you eat it, it's good for you.
She said "Maybe my dog would eat it, he eats anything"
Go figure.
Yes. I wish we could change how our society eats and male it healthier..But without advertiseing and big budgets. Your stuck in the water as the saying goes...it does suck tho...I dont eat junk (fastfood) but once in a blue moon. Like a burger and I am always moving. I hike and run, cycle and climb...I really like to move because I dont like to be bored...
garlic08
01-19-2011, 23:35
The secret is that healthy food doesn't cost more. Get a big bag of onions, a big bag of lentils, big bag of rice. Add canned tomatoes, spices, greens, carrots. Make dal baat. Millions eat this every day and they are healthy. Alternate with some other recipe that also uses cheap, natural ingredients. Easy and cheap.
100% in agreement here. As I stand in line at the supermarket, with my load of raw materials (vegetables, grain, beans), I wonder at the obese people pushing their carts full of plastic-wrapped freezer meals, ice cream cartons, and bottles of soda. When I check out and my two bags full cost less than $20, sometimes the checker does a double-take, like they're looking for a lost decimal point. A couple times one has said, "You got a lot of food for that much money." It's not hard to save money when you actually cook.
MedicineMan
01-20-2011, 00:48
Get one of these:
http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/sprouting/sprouter_kitchen_crop.htm
Keep it on the kitchen counter running full time.
Go ahead and stock up on a variety of seeds.
Cookerhiker
01-20-2011, 06:11
It's so hard in America to eat healthy.
The choices simply are not there.
We had to drive 50 miles to get to a good oriental store where we could buy: fish sauce, green papaya, and some greens only my wife knows the name of.
In my county in PA, you have to drive 35 miles minimum just to find bean sprouts. Unbelievable.
We drove.
I had my annual physical a month ago.
THe doctor (in America) told me I'm probably the healthiest 60 year old he's ever seen.
I'm no more healthy than the average 60 year old (who doesn't drink whiskey) here in Thailand.
Go figure!
of course the hiking and jogging don't hurt either.
I guess I'm blessed. Living near downtown in an historic district, I can walk to plenty of restaurants with healthy-type meals. Also walk to the farmers market (http://www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.com/) (every Saturday plus Tuesdays in season). The non-profit food co-op (http://www.goodfoods.coop/) which I drive to in 10 minutes is almost as large as a corporate supermarket and is well stocked with healthy and/or organic stuff (including bean sprouts).
fiddlehead
01-20-2011, 06:38
I guess I'm blessed. Living near downtown in an historic district, I can walk to plenty of restaurants with healthy-type meals. Also walk to the farmers market (http://www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.com/) (every Saturday plus Tuesdays in season). The non-profit food co-op (http://www.goodfoods.coop/) which I drive to in 10 minutes is almost as large as a corporate supermarket and is well stocked with healthy and/or organic stuff (including bean sprouts).
I guess it also pays to know where to shop.
I have a good friend who lives in Lexington KY and tried to make him a Thai dish one time.
I couldn't find half the ingredients: shallots, fish sauce, mint, even coconut milk.
Yes, we can eat veggies but they taste pretty bland unless seasoned well (especially after living here in Asia with the choices available almost everywhere)
I agree that fat people are fat because the eat terribly. But, even if they want to eat healthy, it's not that easy.
Cheese, white bread, french fries, hush puppies..........found tons of all of them
I fell asleep with a philly cheese steak in my bed in college and awoke to it being all over me and the bed.....and my gf's dog(he loved it!).
Is it not the Greek who have the longest life expectancy now? Attibuted to olive oil and red wines?
Is it not the Greek who have the longest life expectancy now? Attibuted to olive oil and red wines?
yes! but remember everything in Moderation...
Skidsteer
01-20-2011, 17:26
Mags this issue is your talking sense to the percentage that understand and agree on the issue...
I wish that was true. See what happens next time someone asks if people should prepare physically for a thru-hike. :o
Attend any of the various hiker events and it's obvious that most hikers are no different than the general population when it comes to health.
yes! but remember everything in Moderation...
Except garlic and red wine.
Recently California passed a law that menus in chain restaurants have to show the calories. I recently went to one of these restaurants (La Salsa). I was totally blown away. The average burrito was around 840 calories. Some were 1400 calories. I ate only 1/2 of my burrito. I put the other half in the fridge. When I took it out of the fridge a few days later, I could see all the calories. They filled the burrito with some kind of creamy sauce. You couldn't see the sauce when it was hot. That's why fast food tastes so good. It's all covered in hidden creamy sauce.
I remember on my thru-hike I stopped into a Taco Bell in Washington. They have the calories on the menu law too. I was so amazed I ended up ordering a lower calorie item. As a thru-hiker even!
Hopefully this will do some good. Maybe not. I'm probably sensitive to seeing the calories since I was a starvation diet kind of girl in high school. Yeah, the only times in my life I was ever thin like a normal person were in high school when I tried to eat only 500 calories a day (while being on the track team) and on my thru-hikes.:mad:
Except garlic and red wine.
Recently California passed a law that menus in chain restaurants have to show the calories. I recently went to one of these restaurants (La Salsa). I was totally blown away. The average burrito was around 840 calories. Some were 1400 calories. I ate only 1/2 of my burrito. I put the other half in the fridge. When I took it out of the fridge a few days later, I could see all the calories. They filled the burrito with some kind of creamy sauce. You couldn't see the sauce when it was hot. That's why fast food tastes so good. It's all covered in hidden creamy sauce.
I remember on my thru-hike I stopped into a Taco Bell in Washington. They have the calories on the menu law too. I was so amazed I ended up ordering a lower calorie item. As a thru-hiker even!
Hopefully this will do some good. Maybe not. I'm probably sensitive to seeing the calories since I was a starvation diet kind of girl in high school. Yeah, the only times in my life I was ever thin like a normal person were in high school when I tried to eat only 500 calories a day (while being on the track team) and on my thru-hikes.:mad:Those "hidden creamy sauces" are actually most likely artery clogging and heart stopping saturated and trans-fats. They become evident as these horrible offerings are made cold. Here is a neat little piece on the worst foods in America:http://www.menshealth.com/20worst/worstfood.html
Blissful
01-20-2011, 22:02
The burrito I had tonight at this Mexican restaurant was filled with white chicken and covered with a nice red sauce and some cheese. :)
I had homemade tacos tonight with fresh tomatoes and peppers and no cheese:sun
john gault
01-21-2011, 10:07
I can completely understand what you are saying regarding this. It is easy. Just eat right, and get and remain active. The problem is the majority of people in the USA are not really into physical fitness. Most have white-collar type jobs, and at the end of the day are too exhausted from the distress of the day and of their commute to even begin to think about hitting the gym or lacing up the hiking boots or running shoes. Some have kids to raise, some bills to write out and pay. Their answer to their limited hours of the day is to order takeout, fast food, etc...and plop in front of the boob tube with drink in hand. People are just too harried in todays workaday world. So yes, the answer is simple, but for many, still remains too demanding and complex. It remains out of grasp due to their current daily grind.
Anybody healthy can. The only thing is, in order to do it, you REALLY have to do it. Many aren't willing to. They would rather look for a pill or miracle diet instead:)
I think we both have basically come to the same conclusion, the only real difference is who is to blame. I blame individuals.
That's not to say that lifestyles does not present challenges, but we can't let those challenges become excuses. Yet, that is what is happening in today's world; activity level and proper nutrition only gets lip service at best. But when it comes down to it everything else gets blamed and as a consequence -- it's not the individual's fault. That's the root problem.
How many times have you heard someone basically concede that getting fat and frail is just a part of aging. Nowadays it seems to be an uncontested fact of life, but it's not entirely true. Yes, aging does present challenges, but it's not predestined that one is bound for a plethora of medical issues, joint pains and weight issues.
We should not let people use any excuses, but that's just not the reality today. And MAGS' opening post was just one example of that.
john gault
01-21-2011, 10:09
Attend any of the various hiker events and it's obvious that most hikers are no different than the general population when it comes to health.
Same is true in the cycling community, the only difference is that they wear lycra -- not a pretty site.:D
I think we both have basically come to the same conclusion, the only real difference is who is to blame. I blame individuals.
That's not to say that lifestyles does not present challenges, but we can't let those challenges become excuses. Yet, that is what is happening in today's world; activity level and proper nutrition only gets lip service at best. But when it comes down to it everything else gets blamed and as a consequence -- it's not the individual's fault. That's the root problem.
How many times have you heard someone basically concede that getting fat and frail is just a part of aging. Nowadays it seems to be an uncontested fact of life, but it's not entirely true. Yes, aging does present challenges, but it's not predestined that one is bound for a plethora of medical issues, joint pains and weight issues.
We should not let people use any excuses, but that's just not the reality today. And MAGS' opening post was just one example of that.I agree that each individual has to ultimately be held accountable for their own personal willingness to either take action to become fit and to maintain a decent state of fitness, or to surrender to a life of inactivity and ultimate physical deterioration and unhappiness. Each person has the ability to keep themselves physically fit if they so choose. It is however unfortunately for some not worth the effort involved:-?.
Except garlic and red wine.
Recently California passed a law that menus in chain restaurants have to show the calories. I recently went to one of these restaurants (La Salsa). I was totally blown away. The average burrito was around 840 calories. Some were 1400 calories. I ate only 1/2 of my burrito. I put the other half in the fridge. When I took it out of the fridge a few days later, I could see all the calories. They filled the burrito with some kind of creamy sauce. You couldn't see the sauce when it was hot. That's why fast food tastes so good. It's all covered in hidden creamy sauce.
I remember on my thru-hike I stopped into a Taco Bell in Washington. They have the calories on the menu law too. I was so amazed I ended up ordering a lower calorie item. As a thru-hiker even!
Hopefully this will do some good. Maybe not. I'm probably sensitive to seeing the calories since I was a starvation diet kind of girl in high school. Yeah, the only times in my life I was ever thin like a normal person were in high school when I tried to eat only 500 calories a day (while being on the track team) and on my thru-hikes.:mad:
Next time send me the Burrito:D Yea I am the total oppisite..I look for the high calorie count...Oh I still weigh the same I did in the military and college..I have a very high metabolism..I have to try and figure how to add the calories for my thru..I'v also always been active as well and my colesteral is good to...Just got lucky...But I like fresh vegetables and never complain when I get them;)
fiddlehead
01-22-2011, 06:21
I agree that each individual has to ultimately be held accountable for their own personal willingness to either take action to become fit and to maintain a decent state of fitness, or to surrender to a life of inactivity and ultimate physical deterioration and unhappiness. Each person has the ability to keep themselves physically fit if they so choose. It is however unfortunately for some not worth the effort involved:-?.
I have to disagree.
Mostly because whenever my friends visit me here in Thailand, they ALWAYS lose weight. Sometimes it's just 5 lbs. Sometimes it's 15-20 (of course it depends how long they stay and how much they have to lose)
When they go back, they put it back on.
I think it's the choices that you have in front of you if you don't cook every meal yourself.
I do agree that most don't put much effort into eating healthy.
In America: the portions are bigger (Much bigger) , have more fat in them, and there's no cheese here.
john gault
01-22-2011, 07:00
Next time send me the Burrito:D Yea I am the total oppisite..I look for the high calorie count...Oh I still weigh the same I did in the military and college..I have a very high metabolism..I have to try and figure how to add the calories for my thru...
You're a very rare (and lucky) individual. It's so damn hard for me to keep the weight off; it takes a very concentrated effort and it seems to get harder every year:mad:
The secret is that healthy food doesn't cost more. Get a big bag of onions, a big bag of lentils, big bag of rice. Add canned tomatoes, spices, greens, carrots. Make dal baat. Millions eat this every day and they are healthy. Alternate with some other recipe that also uses cheap, natural ingredients. Easy and cheap.
Absolutely true. My wife and I eat healthy. And have the cheapest food bill of anyone we know.
Exotic stuff, not normally found in American stores, is not needed for health. We buy mostly whatever is on sale and stock up. My basic rule is to avoid buying vegetables, fresh or frozen, that costs more than a buck a pound, though I weaken occasionally. 40 cents is about my limit on potatoes.
I make my own sprouts from seeds. Never buy breakfast cereals that aren't high fiber, or that sell for more than half price. I grow a lot of vegetables in the summer and freeze the surplus. Squash is a favorite. It grows its own container and lasts for months. Root crops stored in sand and peat moss are equally easy.
Next time send me the Burrito:D Yea I am the total oppisite..I look for the high calorie count...Oh I still weigh the same I did in the military and college..I have a very high metabolism..I have to try and figure how to add the calories for my thru..I'v also always been active as well and my colesteral is good to...Just got lucky...But I like fresh vegetables and never complain when I get them;)
I hate you.
By the end of my big hike I was already gaining back some of the weight. No longer did I have sunken cheeks.
I hate you.
By the end of my big hike I was already gaining back some of the weight. No longer did I have sunken cheeks.
Thats ok sunken cheeks arn't eveything...I have a friend who is tied with Lance Armstrong for Max O2 absorbtion...I hate him tooo:mad: He had the record then Lance came along and their tied...Well known at the Lab but the general public has no idea...just the Kinesiologists and trainers...
fiddlehead
01-22-2011, 20:09
I have this cousin in VA who is obese.
Her 3 sons are well on their way to being obese also.
Everyone says she is a great cook.
Go figure.
Now, my wife, she's a great cook.