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Food - The Enemy

4K views 47 replies 18 participants last post by  koukouvagia 
#1 ·
I don't know about everybody else, but I have felt for a long time now that a lot of people have been persuaded to see food as 'the enemy'. With so much pressure on people to look a certain way, be a certain size, not eat certain foods, I think many people just see food as fuel for their bodies rather than something to savour and lovingly enjoy. For many (and I include myself in this, although not as much anymore) their first thought is how many calories is in that? or I can't eat that!



Obviously leading a healthy lifestyle and eating the right foods is important, of course it is, but it is a shame that people seem to have been programmed to instantly dismiss certain foods and food types through hype, media and fad diets. To try and reach those almost impossible heights of being as slim as the celebs we see in magazines and on TV, and then feeling disappointed or worse when that goal isn't reached, isn't healthy. Young impressionable teenagers battle with their self-image and perhaps do lasting damage. As someone who yo-yo dieted and had a bad relationship with food for a lot of my adult life, I changed my mind-set a few years ago and am far happier for it. I realised I am never going to be perfect, but what is perfect anyway?



Food is something people should relish and enjoy, it should been seen as exciting and intriguing. It shouldn't be seen as 'the enemy'. I find it sad that it is still seen that way for so many /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif
 
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#2 ·
Yes, it's true.  What particularly disturbs me, though, is people feeling "guilty" for eating something.  Unless you've stolen it from a starving person, i see no sense in this guilt.  If you wanted to lose weight, you could feel, i don't know, stupid, annoyed with yourself, perhaps, but guilt?  For me guilt is reserved for hurting someone. 
 
#3 ·
Goldilocks, you hit the nail on the hat when you say "but what is perfect anyway".
A lot of models and/or people in commercials are way too skinny to be healthy.
Enjoy your food, enjoy life, eat great homemade food with mates, have a glass of good red wine to go with it!
Maybe just stay away from mcdonalds, although even that won't do any harm as long as it is once in a while
 
#4 ·
Goldilocks, you hit the nail on the hat when you say "but what is perfect anyway".
A lot of models and/or people in commercials are way too skinny to be healthy.
Enjoy your food, enjoy life, eat great homemade food with mates, have a glass of good red wine to go with it!
Maybe just stay away from mcdonalds, although even that won't do any harm as long as it is once in a while
Exactly! Couldnt agree more.
 
#5 ·
I have been "roller Coaster" dieter my entire life.

Last year, I decided to "eat less and move more."

I look at food as 3,500 calories = 1 pound.

That way, I can still enjoy foods that I like, but do so in moderation.

To date I have lost 25 pounds with the goal of another 20 somewhere down the line.

Skipping meals, starving oneself, eating wood, straw, and paper never worked for me.

But, a lot of people DO look at food as the enemy, when they just need more education about it.

It's sad to me that restaurants have to post calories on their menus, because people can not take responsibility themselves.

I don't need a printed calorie content to know that the 16 oz. piece of meat in front of me is enough for 4 meals.
 
#6 ·
I don't believe the food is the "enemy" when it comes to food and health. I think it is people and their unwillingness to care for themselves. Most overweight people I have met have said the same thing that smokers, drinkers, etc. say. I can "quit" if I want. It's easy to be healthy, folks. It's easy to not "let yourself go".
 
#7 ·
Hi Chefross

I did similar; I started running, got to a happier place and then kept it up. Before that I starved myself/did Atkins and other diets over many many years. I love food, love it, but those years were not happy ones. A massive well done on the 25lbs so far, that is excellent! Best of luck with the next 20. You know you can do it; you've more than proved it to yourself!

I think you're right about people needing more education. There's a lot out there if you look for it, but I maybe the average person doesn't want to do that/can't be bothered. I quite like what Jamie Oliver did a few years ago, he went into schools in the UK (I think he may have done the same in some parts of the US too) and taught kids and their dinner lady's/cooks about healthy nutritious but great food - specifically for school lunches. Maybe that kind of thing needs to happen more, kids need to be taught what's good, what isn't and how to manage a bit of both and be healthy. Perhaps they will then grow to be adults with a far better view of food, and then pass that down to their kids.

It is a shame that so many places feel the need to add calories to their menus. That totally puts me off. As you have said, I don't need to be told that something is high in calories /fatif it's flipping obvious! I did laugh when McDonalds started doing that. I go once in a blue moon if I'm on a long road trip and there's nothing else about, and I know exactly what I'm getting. Who goes into a McDonalds, sees the calorie count of a burger and then walks out again?! People KNOW it's high in calories! It doesnt take a genius to work that one out /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif
 
#8 ·
I don't believe the food is the "enemy" when it comes to food and health. I think it is people and their unwillingness to care for themselves. Most overweight people I have met have said the same thing that smokers, drinkers, etc. say. I can "quit" if I want. It's easy to be healthy, folks. It's easy to not "let yourself go".
I don't believe food is 'the enemy' either, I love food, but I think a lot of people do see it this way in an effort to conform to what they believe society thinks they should be.

I agree with your comment about people's willingness to care for themselves. I also think some families who maybe have kids and not much time/or have a very low income buy ready made freezer food because it is cheap and convenient. It is cheap, I'll give you that, but it is full of disgusting stuff. I often wonder how places like Iceland (UK freezer food shop) can sell their food for so little. It doesn't encourage people to buy and cook fresh food, which isnt helping matters.
 
#9 ·
Yes, it's true. What particularly disturbs me, though, is people feeling "guilty" for eating something. Unless you've stolen it from a starving person, i see no sense in this guilt. If you wanted to lose weight, you could feel, i don't know, stupid, annoyed with yourself, perhaps, but guilt? For me guilt is reserved for hurting someone.
Yes it is sad isn't it. I've been there, I have felt like that. I don't any more. I now manage what I eat and run so i can have more or les the best of both worlds.
 
#12 · (Edited)
To get back on track: Yes, I do view a lot of people view food as the enemy. I personally savour, enjoy and love all foods(except olives /img/vbsmilies/smilies/crazy.gif) and I also lead a very healthy lifestyle. I have never had an issue with food, but I think a lot of people view things on a calorie based system due to society/etc. Which is awful. I know people that say, "Well, this medium size bag of chips is only a third of the normal calorie intake, so why not!) when I know they could cook or I could cook them something delicious in place of it that is more satisfying.

Yes, it's true. What particularly disturbs me, though, is people feeling "guilty" for eating something. Unless you've stolen it from a starving person, i see no sense in this guilt. If you wanted to lose weight, you could feel, i don't know, stupid, annoyed with yourself, perhaps, but guilt? For me guilt is reserved for hurting someone.
I completely agree! I think most people that feel guilty about eating certain foods feel guilty even BEFORE they eat the food. Which is a different thing. Ex: "I know I shouldn't eat this entire funnel cake and plate of nachos...but oh well." Dang, now I want some nachos. :p
 
#13 ·
Totally off topic but - I had funnel cake last time I was in the US. OH MY!!!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif I need to know how to make that!

Yes thats a good point, I think people do feel guilty even before they eat anything.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I'm on the other side of this argument.  I think American have lost all control of their food intake and they didn't do it to themselves.  Food nowadays is overly processed and overly abundant and the worst food is the cheapest food.  The rise of metabolic syndrome over the past couple of decades is shocking, shocking!  Do you really think that Americans are now less able to control themselves than they did several decades ago?  Are we as a society suddenly more lazy than our ancestors?  bul****

We are so far removed from how our ancestors ate that it's no wonder we are in such bad shape.  With the 24-hr marts and chain restaurants taking over the dining industry and potato chips getting their own aisle in the supermarket we're in a precarious state for developing bad habits.  Additives, preservatives, salt, and sugar are pervading our food supply.  High fructose corn syrup is in everything, check the labels on a regular basis and you'll start to wonder "why are they feeding me this?  I just want a can of beans, why is it full of salt?"  or "Why does my loaf of sandwich bread contain 17 ingredients?"

We're full of bad habits as a society.  We take away gym class from our students, we give them chicken patties for lunch, we except to eat a bucket of popcorn at the movie theater.  We want our Big Gulps.  And then we get offended that a restaurant put the calorie count on our menus?  This is what we are going to raise an uproar over?  That's pathetic.  As someone who has battled my weight for a while and who takes strident measures to be healthy I take those calorie counts seriously, you want to know why?  Because they're a little reminder of how much crap is in that food.  No way am I getting an entree that boasts 1,400 calories, NO WAY!!!  It's not about being on diet, it's about being realistic about how much crap my body can handle.  How do you think chefs like Giada or Ramsay keep fit?  The eat a little of everything but not a lot of anything.  Just because I like food doesn't mean I have to eat it all the time.  It IS fuel, and you can learn how to enjoy a simple salad and savor it without having to eat more than that.  You can easily learn to relish a simple soft boiled egg with a sprinkle of fleur de sel without having to whip it into buttery french omelet.  There's a time and place for rich gourmet meals and it shouldn't be at every meal.

The healthier I get the less I cook.  I eat mostly grilled chicken or fish, lots of salads, yogurt, hummus with raw veggies, grilled veggies, etc.  I'm a foodie so there's always time for being gourmet, but the more gourmet I eat the harder it is to control my weight.  So I leave it for special occasssions. Plain and simple.  I don't like the way I feel when I eat wheat every day.  It's not about being paleo or atkins or anything like that.  I just feel better if I eat a little rice instead or keep the pasta consumption to once a month.  Eating wheat makes me hungrier faster and then makes me reach for sugar too.  I don't know why it does that, but I can't let anyone else tell me that I'm treating food as the enemy when I avoid wheat.  I eat mostly what I want, avoid processed foods, eat my veggies first, revoked my membership of the clean-your-plate club, wear a pedometer and exercise everyday, avoid sugar at all costs except for one piece of dark chocolate every night, don't drink sodas, and yes - I look at the calorie counts on the menus.  Not because I'm stupid, but because I'm aware.
 
#15 ·
I mostly agree with you. Minus the pedometer. :p I just don't understand how humans can ever get to the point of actually NEEDING a diet. That is something that I have always researched and wondered.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I mostly agree with you. Minus the pedometer. :p I just don't understand how humans can ever get to the point of actually NEEDING a diet. That is something that I have always researched and wondered.
I agree with this. To me eating is a lifestyle. I roll my eyes when I hear people say, I have x weeks before my diet is over. I feel like yelling at them "educate yourself and you won't ever have to go on a "diet" again!", and a lot of it is just common sense.. If people would just stop eating the obvious trash on a daily basis, like processed foods, sodas and juices, fast foods, they would immediately be on the right track. It's not so much about being thin, but about being healthy from the inside out too.

And also if people stopped making garbage at home with pre-prepared sauces and "flavor packets" that contain HFCS, MSG, Nitrates, etc, which is known to cause even more hunger, they'd be able to see the difference. Make your own sauces from scratch. Even if you have to use a little butter and cream, your body will know the difference and will thank you.

Sure there are days I have the grossest things like spam, but that happens like twice a year, if that. It certainly isn't a staple in our cupboards. The key is to eat fresh, as fresh as you can get, and know every single ingredient you're putting into your body :)

Case in point, look at all I've been cooking in the What's for dinner thread....I lick my plates, sometimes have seconds, and I weigh 115 pounds. Of course I also workout, and try to get good sleep, It really does work. I promise you.
 
#17 ·
I tend to agree with you, Koukou. Even 15 years ago when my niece from Michigan (one of the fattest states) visited me in Chicago she marvelled: "where are all the fat people?" Now they are everywhere. I am very aware of it. Can't help noticing on the bus or train when someone takes up nearly or entirely two seats.

I, too, have had to battle weight gain, mostly due to medication. When I was actively losing (65#, about 20 of which have crept back on since I started eating semi-normally) I did view food not so much as the enemy but as a necessary "fuel." It was a game to see how little I could get by on and I found it was a surprisingly small amount. But I totally hated my relationship to food during that period. There was no joy in it at all.

I'm trying to find a happy medium. I walk everywhere and have never eaten junk or fast food. I am very conscious of portion sizes. But still, there are things I love that I know I really can't eat except very, very rarely. Bread, rice and pasta are pretty much gone from my plate. So is cheese, which I adore but treat as a very special occasion food. I know about 1000 different ways to fix chicken and would not survive without access to an excellent fruit market. My whole family has always been obese, even without eating fast food. For some people it is a constant struggle. I find it a fun challenge to make and eat good, fresh, fairly low-calorie, healthy food every day.
 
#18 ·
Where we live now, food is as one said, strictly fuel, nothing fancy as they say `round these parts. They seem to eat only because they HAVE to, not because they want to. They seem to look upon food with disdain. There are lots of folk that are what my BIL calls greys, people who's skin is an ashen color as a direct result of eating incorrectly.

I look at food as a celebration of life, we should eat well, enjoy it, share it, savor it, and as butzy stated, have a glass of wine with it too! Back home in Hawaii, a meal was communal, not only in the eating, but also in the preparing of it as well.

(we're on a 'diet', I mean new way of looking at food, to adjust our attitudes towards food. after moving to the mainland we went a little hog-wild on eating foods that we could not get back in Hawaii)
 
#19 · (Edited)
When people say things like "it's so simple" or "just eat less and move more" they are being ignorant. Obesity is a pervasive problem in our society and if you're willing to blame each individual for their lack of responsibility without taking into account the horrible state of food production then your are ill-informed. I wish it was as easy for some of us as it is for some of you. But while you are out celebrating your life with food there are others that need to slow down and say to themselves "food is not love." There are other yet who suffer disordered eating and eating disorders. I long for the simplicity of your life if you can so easily be 115 lbs. are you saying that I TOO can be 115 just by doing as you do? Where's the eye roll icon when I need it.
 
#21 · (Edited)
When people say things like "it's so simple" or "just eat less and move more" they are being ignorant. Obesity is a pervasive problem in our society and if you're willing to blame each individual for their lack of responsibility without taking into account the horrible state of food production then your are ill-informed. I wish it was as easy for some of us as it is for some of you. But while you are out celebrating your life with food there are others that need to slow down and say to themselves "food is not love." There are other yet who suffer disordered eating and eating disorders. I long for the simplicity of your life if you can so easily be 115 lbs. are you saying that I TOO can be 115 just by doing as you do? Where's the eye roll icon when I need it.
My life is anything but simple. And yes, perhaps you can be 115-120, if you so choose to, if you ate the same food items, prepared in the same manner, same potions perhaps you can be healthier version of you. Have you tried exactly that? I don't think so, since you posted 10 minutes after I did... I find it interesting you're ready to dismiss it as a healthy alternative without having even tried it first.

Never did I post that it was "simple" to start a food lifestyle journey. Any journey, or new venture is very difficult to begin, indeed. If it were easy, then everyone would be doing it, and there would be no need to discuss such topics. As far as the "horrible state of food production" well... no one is shoving fistful of those foods down anyone's throat.

I'm honestly kinda tired of hearing about "eating disorders" and using that as an excuse.. I'm not saying you KK, really I am not, because I have no idea who you are, I just mean in general. What does food disorder mean? that people love food and can't stop eating it? well I love food too! obviously If I'm in the food business, and would love to sit on the couch eating crap all day, or stroll music festivals eating fried treats, and ice cream, but my common sense tells me I shouldn't do that if I don't want to gain too much weight and become obese and unhealthy. A lack of discipline does not a food addict make.

It pains me to walk away from my favorite foods sometimes, but it's either that, or I can cry later and begin labeling myself as obese with a food disorder because it's much easier that way. You can't have it all, not unless you change the kinds of foods you eat, and how they are prepared. People don't become fat with fresh healthy intelligently prepared meats, and produce. Not unless they have a severe diagnosed thyroid problem, which is not what we're discussing here.

I think there's a misconception that people who watch what they eat don't sometimes suffer for their choices, and people who are obese with "FD" don't give credit that some of us are disciplined enough to resist temptation.

I often notice people who have weight issues get rather defensive about this topic because they are more interested in being a sophist on the topic than looking at the facts that are as clear as day and really try to help themselves. They are usually more interested in making excuses and self-diagnosing themselves with "disorders" than making a true and honest commitment in correcting these issues.
 
#22 ·
Food is not he enemy. What people do with food can be be detrimental.

Food is nourishment. It is vital to our survival, but at the same time it so much more than that.

"There is communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk." MARY FRANCES KENNEDY FISHER, Conversations with M. F. K. Fisher

Eating and cuisine should be an act of nurturing.

Why on earth, if I love and respect myself, would I turn stewardship of my mind and body over to junk food and preparation methods that didn't have my best interests at heart? I alone, as it should be, am responsible for my own health. Taking the time to look deeply and honestly at that issue has brought me to the point today where I can't remember the last time or place that I ate fast food. I think it has been a few years, but I am not sure.

I am eating healthier than ever before and I am cooking at home more than ever before. I enjoy immensely the challenge presented by the viewpoint that healthy food has to be simple and without complex flavors.
 
#23 · (Edited)
A good decade ago, I was 52, I suffered from severe heart rate problems. Let's summarize; 50 cigarettes a day (I quit since), nearly a bottle of wine each day, a few whiskys, plenty of strong coffee, restaurant food, no excercise at all, too much work, stressed etc.  No wonder it all went wrong; overweight, high bloodpressure etc. I even had to stop working which depressed me enormously!

I  now know a few things from discussions with doctors; it's all about the whole lifestyle. Eat less but eat better, drink more water (which I never ever did before!!!), do simple excercise like walking, don't worry too much. Many think that working out will help; it doesn't, the amount of excercise needed to lose just a bit of weight is enormous. But, you really need to excercise for blood circulation. I drive my bicycle whenever the weather is good, I go for a long city walk at least once a week and have a nice beer, just one, no more. I eat about half of what I ate before, meat is no longer a must.

Doctors will try to keep you away from alcohol, pasta, aged cheeses and what not. The last one I visited simply said that living like a heremite doesn't work at all, just keep it simple and less of everything, that works. As a last note; I never eat junkfood, I never did and never will.
 
#24 ·
I agree Cheflayne. If anything, I think you can bring even more flavor to foods that honor your body, than the artificial flavors we're all taught were the paradigm of food from such a young age. An essential part of a new eating lifestyle is also being open enough to allow your palate to evolve to a higher level.
 
#25 ·
Oops, I forgot. Fat people are lazy undisciplined slobs. That's the problem right there. Never mind the post graduate degrees, owning our own businesses and going to all out kids soccer games, keeping our houses clean and our family activities running. If only they weren't so lazy, they could be skinny too.

As someone who has battled a moderate weight issue most of my life I can't even imagine what it would be like to be obese and discriminated against. Arguing with someone about this who's never had a weight problem is absurd. Nobody chooses to be obese and obesity is not a character flaw. There are many issues involved and disordered eating is just one of them. You may not like the word but it exists. I for one would never approach someone with a disease and tell them that its their fault they have it.

Bottom line is that some people struggle more with their weight than others. They shouldn't be put down for it. I don't like tilapia yet it shows up on menus from time to time, presumably others like it. But it shouldn't be removed from the menu just because I don't order it. If someone doesn't like the calorie count posted on the menus then don't pay attention to it. Now that's easy.
 
#26 ·
I tend to agree with you, Koukou. Even 15 years ago when my niece from Michigan (one of the fattest states) visited me in Chicago she marvelled: "where are all the fat people?" Now they are everywhere. I am very aware of it. Can't help noticing on the bus or train when someone takes up nearly or entirely two seats.

I, too, have had to battle weight gain, mostly due to medication. When I was actively losing (65#, about 20 of which have crept back on since I started eating semi-normally) I did view food not so much as the enemy but as a necessary "fuel." It was a game to see how little I could get by on and I found it was a surprisingly small amount. But I totally hated my relationship to food during that period. There was no joy in it at all.

I'm trying to find a happy medium. I walk everywhere and have never eaten junk or fast food. I am very conscious of portion sizes. But still, there are things I love that I know I really can't eat except very, very rarely. Bread, rice and pasta are pretty much gone from my plate. So is cheese, which I adore but treat as a very special occasion food. I know about 1000 different ways to fix chicken and would not survive without access to an excellent fruit market. My whole family has always been obese, even without eating fast food. For some people it is a constant struggle. I find it a fun challenge to make and eat good, fresh, fairly low-calorie, healthy food every day.
Try living in NYC. Everyone here is skinny AND fashionable. I grew up in the south, usually the smallest person in the room. Now there are often times I am the biggest. But then go and visit inner city schools. Obesity and asthma rates through the roof. I'm scared about what will happen in the future if some of the issues are not addressed. My students get phys Ed once a week and if they are misbehaving - none at all. Their lunches are not great either. Wilted broccoli and a sad tiny little orange on the side of gloop. A line of ice cream trucks parked outside at the end of the school day. Pockets full of sugary snacks. It's very sad.
 
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