<p>I’m honored that you would let me eat the dregs from your fridge 
but I do draw the line at moldy, smelly, or otherwise funky. I was thinking more of stews and curries that tend to be nicely textured when fresh, but which turn to a mushy, homogeneous paste after a few nights in Tupperware.</p>
<p>When my son was little, for some reason he did not like it when others at the table picked at his uneaten food, even after he had announced he was not going to eat it. So he would spit on anything left on his plate after he was finished. It was disgusting, and we would all scream Eeeewww! but it worked.</p>
<p>The joke when I was growing up was that parents would tell their children to clean their plates because “children are starving in Europe.” Then some wiseacre announced, “Name two,” and no one could, so that was the end of that.</p>
<p>I stop eating when I start feeling full. I can’t stand feeling full. It’s a great way to stay slim.</p>
<p>“There is no single person in a world or government agency of any sort that can make an individual to eat more or to eat less. It is not possible, period. Even surgery that make stomach smaller is only 50% successful (and 100% stupid, by my account, because you can shrink stomach to some degree by just eating much smaller portions). Only person him/herself is capable of either incresing or degreasing their calorie intake, move more or less. I am talking about adults. Kids are parents responsibility and part of parents job”</p>
<p>Miami…the type of food one eats DOES matter. If you eat junky processed food, your blood sugar spikes and then you’re hungry again very quickly. And then you need to eat more. It’s a vicious cycle.
Our government DOES affect the type of food we eat. The corn industry has HUGE government subsidies. They make tons of junk food and sell it cheaply, thanks to those subsidies. And who buys it? Poor people.
A movie like Food Inc should be required viewing by everyone in this country. It’s a window on the food industry here in the US. Yes, it’s gross. And depressing. But it shows how different food production is compared to many years ago. We make and market lots of “franken foods”. Junky and yes unsatisfying so folks need to eat more.
Can you explain why our obesity rates are skyrocketing? We are a nation of junk food addicts…fueled by a very happy food industry. You don’t agree? Well what else would it be??? Garbage in, garbage out. And much of what’s out there and affordable is garbage.<br>
Why not subsidize local farmers who grow veggies and fruit? Oh wait…they don’t have lobbyists…</p>
<p>There is no such thing as addiction to food. Again, even if it exists, does it make it easier to think that one is fat because of addiction. Nope, again, because it takes control out of person. If anybody wants to do something, they need to feel in control of that something. Talking about real addictions, smoking is definately addiction. It is much harder to quit smoking than to lose weight, and people still do it. And we are talking very openly about smokers, while it is politically incorrect to mention fat and food intake. Bizzare! Heavy smoking populations in Japan and Europe are healthier than americans because they control their weight. So, here you go. Smoking is very bad but so is being overweight.</p>
<p>Some people will never be thin - they aren’t programmed that way. There is a woman at work who is a vegetarian - she seems to make excellent food choices. She has always been what used to be called “pleasingly plump.” She’s a very curvy woman.</p>
<p>There is such thing as an addiction to food, I think, MiamiDAP, but I don’t think b.c. someone is addicted that it becomes excusable. I am a smoker. I am addicted to smoking cigarettes – that doesn’t make it excusable, and, even if psychologically I need to smoke, that excuseless. Smoking is poor for my health. But I do agree in saying that a casual smoker who eats dark, leafy greens, and consumes dairy/meat/heavily processed foods minimally is healthier than a non-smoker who has an addiction to food. </p>
<p>Food addiction is the only way we can explain the surplus of 300+ lbs teens in the U.S…</p>
<p>"Food addiction is the only way we can explain the surplus of 300+ lbs teens in the U.S… " - According to this statement, US citizens are the only afflicted group in a world. More so, some immigrants become afflicted once they move here. Seems to be illogical. And, again, it is very dangerous to think this way. One needs to help oneself, make life happier, not to stick oneself in a corner with no escape. Excuse is only one side. Another one is we have only one life and only one body. Today exists only today, it is gone tomorrow, tomorrow is another day. If you are not happy today because of very contollable situation that you CAN change, there is no reason to convince yourself that you cannot and then blame some misterious addiction on your unhappiness. Person like this throwing his life away, why? For another piece of cake? Way too expensive piece.</p>
<p>An alcoholic might have a favorite drink; however, if presented without that option, the alcoholic will still binge on whatever alcohol is available. “Food addicts” don’t seem to behave in this same manner. For example, a self confessed food addict might have an urge to binge on cupcakes late in the evening. If there is no food in the house save greens and fresh fruits, will that individual go on a late night broccoli binge? I doubt it. Thus the assertion of being a “food” addict doesn’t really ring true to me.</p>
<p>THAT SAID: while I’m not so sure that there is such as thing as an “addiction to food,” I do believe that foods high in salt, sugar, fat or combinations of the three can produce behaviors in some people that resemble addiction. I think I mentioned earlier that in David Kessler, MD’s book* The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, *he does assert that foods high in salt, sugar, and fat do cause reactions in brain chemistry that are similar to those which result with the ingestion of certain drugs. He states further that these foods, especially when infused with multiple chemicals which are intended to enhance the flavor of the foods, often cause a craving for more of the same kinds of food. So perhaps the terms “junk food junkie” or “comfort food addict” are more appropriate than “Food addict,” as not all foods seem to elicit this same type of behavior.</p>
<p>Compulsive overeating is very real, but there is help out there for people who do it. OCD and Depression have both been linked to it.</p>
<p>One thing I have noticed about food is how we glorify it, as a thing to do to celebrate. I come from a family where we have big celebrations and there is always the comment “What dish/drinks should I bring?”</p>
<p>It has gotten ridiculous. In the last couple of years, I have had to talk my family members off the ledge - too many goodies were offered at these parties, and we would have SO MUCH FOOD leftover. Not only was it expensive, but also time-consuming for all of us. </p>
<p>We have cut back in how much we do for big family get-togethers, now. It’s just too much. It’s not surprising that weight becomes an issue.</p>
<p>LGM, that is so true! Family celebrations are usually made up of my mother and our family of 4. Mom’s never quite grasped that we do not eat as much food as the entire church congregation she’d like to be serving. The amount of food is simply incredible! Of course, she’s always struggled with the opposite problem- she can’t keep weight on. And she eats like a linebacker. The rest of us cannot afford to do that. </p>
<p>People eat, overeat and don’t eat for all kinds of reasons. I am interested exploring Kessler’s book – thanks to Nrdsb4 for bringing into the discussion.</p>
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<p>As parents we need to all watch the messages we are giving our kids about food and eating. As I mentioned, my inlaws founded the Clean Plate Club, serve mass quantities of food at their house, and are genuinely upset if all plates are not finished at a restaurants…while all the while commenting to their kids about how overweight they (the kids) are!</p>
<p>With families being on the go, it is surprising to me that more fast food chains haven’t embraced more fast/healthy eating choices.</p>
<p>It is nice that you see apple slices at places like McDonalds, but why not more options, especially for the kids? Chicken nuggets may be the favorite of children, but is that the best they can offer? </p>
<p>Have you ever seen the calories on the Buffalo Ranch chicken salad there? More calories and fat grams than a Big Mac.</p>
<p>Exactly! My co-worker is struggling to lose weight so she got a salad for lunch. A Wendy’s taco salad with 680 calories and 1500+ mg of sodium. To me a salad is vegetables with oil and vinegar (mostly vinegar). Or “I had tuna fish for lunch”. Okay- a can of tuna packed in water or tuna salad in mayonnaise? Big difference.</p>
<p>Haven’t read this whole thread but I recently read a book that changed my attitude entirely about obesity: Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. I think he references practically every study ever done on being overweight, and it is a real eye opener. Basically, fat people do not necessarily eat more than thin people. And reduction diets don’t work. He really goes into how these ideas (myths, judgments) about the overweight came into being and pretty much implicates everyone from the medical/scientific establishment to the media and the government (he says the food pyramid gets it all wrong). I highly recommend it.</p>
<p>Regarding salads: I frequently eat lunch at a cafeteria that has a very extensive salad bar…good stuff and bad stuff. They weigh the salad and charge by the ounce. I’ll usually get several kinds of greens, with shredded carrots, kidney beans and a few sunflower seeds. I take all I want and it typically costs around $3 - $3.50.</p>
<p>One time there was a woman ahead of me in line - she took multiple spoons full of cheese, meat, potato salad, etc. and her total was $10! I could just imagine her complaining, “I eat salad every day and never lose a pound.”</p>
<p>We have that same setup here in my office, Missypie. There’s a woman who typically spends over $10 a day on salad. since the cost is subsidized, it’s got to be a very heavy salad.</p>
<p>I’ve come up with a new plan for lunch that’s been working really well for me. I get food bored easily, so I’ve been creating my own version of tapas every day. A little bit of a lot of varied things and I seem to be full faster. Today was a half tuna sandwich, a handful of steamed asparagus, a small cup of soup and a bag of “Pop Chips” which are good and contain very few calories. The combination probably has a simlar number of calories as a whole sandwich with the normal amount of tuna (I like only a small amount on my sandwich), but I am much more likely to be satisifed if I have different flavors going on. With just a sandwich, I’m looking for something else pretty quickly and the calories add up.</p>
<p>I hate when salad bars charge by the ounce - though I guess they have to. Sure I like the greens, but what’s wrong with cauliflower, beets, cucumbers - all, depending on how they are “cut” for the salad bar, can really add ounces! </p>
<p>We exercise where I work (a medical college). At least a couple of times a week, my husband will go work out and then go to the hospital cafeteria for (in his words) a “nice, healthy salad” - true, he doesn’t use any salad dressing. BUT he piles on the cheese, ham, bacon and eggs! Not only does he pile on the calories, but I KNOW that salad costs a mint!</p>
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<p>I agree. I like to add fresh strawberries on occasion and those can get heavy. But when that lady in front of me added three large spoonfuls of cheese to her salad, I admit I became fascinated and had to watch her…the bacon…then the eggs…</p>