Food Rules

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-16-2007
Food Rules
19
Tue, 01-05-2010 - 6:18pm

Has anyone read Michael Pollan's new book, Food Rules? I saw him on Jon Stewart last night. I was surprised to learn that many of the cigarette companies, now have their hands in the food industry.


Mr. Pollan was explaining how the same scientists that made cigarettes more addictive, are now making foods more addictive.  They are also using the same marketing techniques they used for cigarettes and also have the same lawyers and lobbyist working for the food industry now.


Would it surprise you to know that the industry is purposely trying to get you addicted to their food and that they are allowed to hide certain additives under headings like 'natural flavoring'?


He was also suggesting that if the healthcare bill passes and insurance companies HAVE to take all people in, that they will now become advocates for healthier life styles. I guess the millions being spent on high fructose corn syrup commercials will be a thing of the past.


I think this is one industry, that is going to have some spot lights on it in the years to come. Maybe one day soon, there will be no more sneaky hormones and drugs being pumped into our food supply. Yeah!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2009
In reply to: kittyrose333
Tue, 01-05-2010 - 8:07pm
I haven't read the book yet, but I think I will. I did see Daily Show last night, and it sounds interesting. Yes...and wouldn't it be interesting if there was a major motivation to drive insurance companies to promote healthy living.

 

Avatar for ddnlj
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: kittyrose333
Wed, 01-06-2010 - 9:59am

This sounds like an excuse. "It's not MY fault I'm overweight. The food industry addicted me to pizza and double-stack hamburgers and ice cream."


Let's get real. Food is addictive if someone wants it to be. No one is putting chemicals in

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
In reply to: kittyrose333
Wed, 01-06-2010 - 10:27am

Video of Pollan's interview & article..........


http://themoderatevoice.com/58128/michael-pollans-food-rules/


 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2002
In reply to: kittyrose333
Wed, 01-06-2010 - 3:51pm

My partner and I just watched the documentary Food, Inc. on Netflix regarding the food industry in the US. It talks about how just a few corporations control most of our food, be it meat, grain based foods, even vegetables. Another great documentary or book, is The Botany of Desire. It talks about



iVillage Member
Registered: 03-16-2007
In reply to: kittyrose333
Wed, 01-06-2010 - 5:12pm

This sounds like an excuse. "It's not MY fault I'm overweight. The food industry addicted me to pizza and double-stack hamburgers and ice cream."


I hear what you're saying, but look at how long the tobacco industry lied about what they were doing to their product. They chemically engineered their product to make it extremely impossible for many people to quit. Now they've moved over to food.


I see cancer patients who still smoke. I've seen a man with a hole in his throat buying smokes. I've known people who had quit for ten years, pick it up like it was nothing. Yes you have to be strong, but that urge is so strong, because they changed things in your brain.


They don't play nice when it comes to trapping and keeping customers, is all I'm saying.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: kittyrose333
Thu, 01-07-2010 - 8:21am

" I see cancer patients who still smoke. I've seen a man with a hole in his throat buying smokes. I've known people who had quit for ten years, pick it up like it was nothing. Yes you have to be strong, but that urge is so strong, because they changed things in your brain. "


I think these are the extreme cases. These may be people who feel they have nothing to lose anyway, so they're going to enjoy the rest of their days doing what makes them happy. Some people seem to have a

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
In reply to: kittyrose333
Thu, 01-07-2010 - 8:52am

"$6.99 for a gallon of organic milk. Almost $9 for a dozen eggs. $21 a lb for meat."


The organic brand of milk I buy was on sale, only comes in halves,

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2002
In reply to: kittyrose333
Thu, 01-07-2010 - 9:30am

Wow! Where do you live?



iVillage Member
Registered: 03-16-2007
In reply to: kittyrose333
Thu, 01-07-2010 - 12:13pm

There are proven health risks associated with smoking, but here's the thing. I don't want the government telling me what I can and cannot do with my body. I don't want it telling me I can't eat eat red meat, telling me what kind of fat I can cook my french fries in, or

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2002
In reply to: kittyrose333
Thu, 01-07-2010 - 12:40pm

A lot of these things are industry standards because it's about productivity. Antibiotics and hormones are given because they make animals gain weight faster, they can go to market faster, therefore faster turn around time and money in the farmers pocket. The only thing the government really has to say about it, is yay, or nay, they can or can't do this. They set standards for withdrawal times on drugs, etc.


Actually, very little BST is used in dairy cows any more because it increased mastitis and then the cows had to be treated with antibiotics, their milk couldn't go into the pool, they lost productivity time. The benefits did not outweigh the problems. Only about 11% of the milk in the country has BST in it. It's on it's way out as an industry standard because of back door productivity losses.


There is a lot of genetic alteration of animals to get them to mature more quickly. Technically a Charlais cattle provide excellent, superior beef. But you'll probably never eat it, because they are a large breed, and take longer to mature than the Angus, Herford, and crossbreeds that end up being our food. Look at pictures of pigs from 50 years ago and a pig today, and they look completly different. A sow that doesen't produce XX number of piglets is culled and out of the gene pool, so only very prolific producers are around anymore. It's all about $$$$$ as fast as it can be gotten, from the breeding to the feeding.


We are lucky that we can get locally grown, grass fed beef, slaughtered in a small, local slaughter house at certain times of the year. We can buy a quarter or a side if we want. We can/do kill our own chickens sometimes (we hypnotize them first, so they never even know what happened). We get rabbits from a friends dad. Lamb from a neighbor.



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