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Kentucky leads the United States in sugar consumption

Ron Mehico said:
When we say healthy food is not more expensive what exactly are we talking about? I’m thinking a box of shitty processed spaghetti with a really sugary low quality spaghetti sauce can feed a family of 5 for under 5 bucks. The same amount of high quality spaghetti with a good quality, less sugar more actual tomatoes and ingredients sauce will be more than twice that. Conversely, an organic non hormone and chemical laced grilled chicken with salad dinner for a family of 5 is going to be five times that. What am I missing? Ramen, Mac n cheese, high fat low quality ground beef, hormone laced cheap milk etc is all way cheaper than the healthier alternatives. What am I missing?
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You’re missing that the first link was from the USDA. They’re the organization that gave us the food pyramid and should be laughed out of any discussion regarding health foods and public health policy. Odds are that study was funded by Phillip Morris or RJ Reynolds.
 
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cole854 said:
$32 and this is a very conservative list. Easily good for 4 meals plus breakfast. It isn't rocket science....people just don't want to take the time to do it. Family of 4 is going to spend this on one trip to CFA.



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But again, it's not comparing Fast Food to grocery shopping. It's comparing buying healthy items at the grocery store vs. non healthy items.

A Box of Fruity Pebbles is always going to cost less than Kashi Go Lean cereal (per volume), and 90% fat free ground beef always costs more than 70% fat free..
 
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LineSkiCat14 said:
But again, it's not comparing Fast Food to grocery shopping. It's comparing buying healthy items at the grocery store vs. non healthy items.

A Box of Fruity Pebbles is always going to cost less than Kashi Go Lean cereal (per volume), and 90% fat free ground beef always costs more than 70% fat free..
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The argument made in the second link I listed is essentially that a balanced diet can contain some less healthy foods. It's about balance. The Harvard study referenced essentially compares costs vs calories ... ie what can you buy of equal calories for the cost of 4 carrots. You can indeed buy more calories in bad foods for the cost of 4 carrots.

What isn't address there, per the criticism, is that carrots can also replace macaroni and cheese. Yes, less calories, but also healthier and more nutritional.
 
KAB Cats said:
The argument made in the second link I listed is essentially that a balanced diet can contain some less healthy foods. It's about balance. The Harvard study referenced essentially compares costs vs calorie... ie what can you buy of equal calories for the cost of 4 carrots.

What isn't address there, per the criticism, is that carrots can also replace macaroni and cheese. Yes, less calories, but also healthier and more nutritional.
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I did not get a chance to read those links, but I'll check them out.

I'm not sure I would say that carrots can equate to mac and cheese. Yes, carrots are undoubtedly healthier, but you're gonna need to eat a heck of a lot of them to satiate you, which the 2nd article did allude to. If you wanted to fill your entire day's worth of food with JUST vegetables and fresh items (non processed, non frozen, etc etc).. it's not going to be cheap. Meanwhile, you CAN get by an entire day with a generic processed loaf of white bread, bologna, kraft singles, campbells soup, sugary cereal, Eggos, poptarts.. that will cost, what.. $10 a day for the food (Knowing the bread will last 3 days, etc)?

You simply can't eat healthy for $10/day.. at least not that I've found.
 
It is without a doubt more expensive to eat clean and healthy than it is to eat ultra processed prepackaged foods. Especially when you factor in the time and inconvenience involved.

It’s not up to the government to solve the problem. However, if the USDA, FDA, etc. are going to exist, the regulatory capture problem needs to be solved. Right now those organizations exist solely to give cover to the food and pharma organizations that fund them. They need to be fixed or eliminated so Americans can understand what they’re putting in their bodies.
 
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LineSkiCat14 said:
But again, it's not comparing Fast Food to grocery shopping. It's comparing buying healthy items at the grocery store vs. non healthy items.

A Box of Fruity Pebbles is always going to cost less than Kashi Go Lean cereal (per volume), and 90% fat free ground beef always costs more than 70% fat free..
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The focus needs to be on Whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, chicken, bison, turkey, etc.

Cereals shouldn’t be a staple, more of a cheat meal. Eggs, Apples, blueberries, and bananas and trail mix is great option for morning meals
 
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I’m pretty sure most Americans know good and damn well what they’re putting into their bodies at this point. They just don’t give a shit. And if they somehow don’t know, I don’t think any amount of education is going to help them. We are just a nation of disgusting fatbodies.
 
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Compounding the problems created by sugar consumption, are the bigger problems created by high fructose corn syrup in place of sugar for many items. I try to avoid those when there are "real sugar" alternatives (e.g. ketchup), which isn't often.
 
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GJNorman said:
The focus needs to be on Whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, chicken, bison, turkey, etc.

Cereals shouldn’t be a staple, more of a cheat meal. Eggs, Apples, blueberries, and bananas and trail mix is great option for morning meals
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But that's the point some of us are making... Cereal and Pop Tarts are always the cheaper option on a volume level.

Look at it this way, you can get a Hungry Man ultra-processed meal for like $5. There's no way you can recreate that meal, with fresh and healthy options, for less than that.

All that said, I think we all agree that healthy, natural, and minimally processed foods are the way to go. And there are ways to do it for cheaper than what people might think.
 
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LineSkiCat14 said:
But that's the point some of us are making... Cereal and Pop Tarts are always the cheaper option on a volume level.

Look at it this way, you can get a Hungry Man ultra-processed meal for like $5. There's no way you can recreate that meal, with fresh and healthy options, for less than that.

All that said, I think we all agree that healthy, natural, and minimally processed foods are the way to go. And there are ways to do it for cheaper than what people might think.
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We’re on the same page. Except, that I think ultra processed foods, come with hidden costs of more doctor visits, medications and illness, due to high blood pressure, high inflammation, high blood sugar and more weight etc


If you’re not at your best or sick all the time, can you maximize your income??

Likely not. You’re robbing Peter to pay paul
 
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I asked AI to create a healthy meal for the cost of a Hungry Man meal:

Healthy Meal Plan​

1. Protein:

  • Chicken Breast: Buy a small pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can often find these for about $2 per serving.
2. Vegetables:

  • Frozen Mixed Vegetables: A bag of frozen mixed vegetables (like broccoli, carrots, and peas) costs around $1.50 and can be used for multiple meals.
3. Carbohydrates:

  • Brown Rice: A small bag of brown rice costs about $1 and can be used for several servings.

Simple Recipe​

  1. Grilled Chicken Breast:
    • Season the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and any herbs you like.
    • Grill or pan-fry until fully cooked.
  2. Steamed Vegetables:
    • Steam the mixed vegetables until tender.
  3. Brown Rice:
    • Cook the brown rice according to the package instructions.

Cost Breakdown​

  • Chicken Breast: $2
  • Frozen Mixed Vegetables: $0.50 (for one serving)
  • Brown Rice: $0.50 (for one serving)
Total Cost: $3
 
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GJNorman said:
We’re on the same page. Except, that I think ultra processed foods, come with hidden costs of more doctor visits, medications and illness, due to high blood pressure, high inflammation, high blood sugar and more weight etc


If you’re not at your best or sick all the time, can you maximize your income??

Likely not. You’re robbing Peter to pay paul
Click to expand...

Oh for sure. Eating healthy is 100% worth the cost in my opinion. I guess the problem with inflation these days, is that some families literally can only afford to eat processed. Or, at least, to remove some of these cheap processed foods entirely.
 
KAB Cats said:
I asked AI to create a healthy meal for the cost of a Hungry Man meal:

Healthy Meal Plan​

1. Protein:

  • Chicken Breast: Buy a small pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can often find these for about $2 per serving.
2. Vegetables:

  • Frozen Mixed Vegetables: A bag of frozen mixed vegetables (like broccoli, carrots, and peas) costs around $1.50 and can be used for multiple meals.
3. Carbohydrates:

  • Brown Rice: A small bag of brown rice costs about $1 and can be used for several servings.

Simple Recipe​

  1. Grilled Chicken Breast:
    • Season the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and any herbs you like.
    • Grill or pan-fry until fully cooked.
  2. Steamed Vegetables:
    • Steam the mixed vegetables until tender.
  3. Brown Rice:
    • Cook the brown rice according to the package instructions.

Cost Breakdown​

  • Chicken Breast: $2
  • Frozen Mixed Vegetables: $0.50 (for one serving)
  • Brown Rice: $0.50 (for one serving)
Total Cost: $3
Click to expand...

Which Hungry Man's are Chicken breast, plain vegetables and brown rice? FWIW, Hungry Man's have 4-5 different foods, not just 3.

I'm also not sure if a bag of Frozen peas and carrots is really "multiple meals".. I think at best it's 2 meals worth. But I also can't say I know how much the vegetables are in a Hungry Man.

I also don't see where chicken breast is ever $2/pound unless it's a sale. Even the shittiest chicken breast at my grocery store (Hannaford) is $3/pound, and it only goes up from there. (ANd I'd make the argument that your grocery stores cheapest chicken s going to have it's OWN health issues).

Finally, now you start adding in the cost to MAKE this food. HungryMan is just one microwave and done. To make Chicken/Rice/Vegetables it's going to be a microwave and however you want to cook the chicken and rice, which means time, utensils and cookware needed, etc.

Edit: I hate that I'm defending HungryMan, cause I don't eat that shit ever. I have one soda a year. I'm not really for this food at all. But a loaf of White bread, lb of bologna, kraft singles will cost $10 and it will make you like 7 sandwiches. You really can't beat that for a price, I don't think.
 
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My wife and I spend an afternoon every weekend going to Sam's / Krogers and meal prepping. It is a huge expense in both time and money.

I've used AI to come up with a meal plan, too. It is worthless in the real world. Eating healthy is expensive, time consuming, and worth it.

And Canada sucks. If you want to talk about food being better elsewhere, try Europe -- not GD Canada. I wish we could sell Canada back to the Brits or something.
 
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LineSkiCat14 said:
Oh for sure. Eating healthy is 100% worth the cost in my opinion. I guess the problem with inflation these days, is that some families literally can only afford to eat processed. Or, at least, to remove some of these cheap processed foods entirely.
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I agree with the inflation piece, but I still think even the poor people, if they prioritize their health, they can afford it. Unless they’re just not trying.

Did they buy a case of beer first, or 3 dozen eggs?

Do they splurge for a $40 bill at McDonald’s,
Or did they go to the grocery and get three chicken breast, a head of broccoli and a pound of rice, 5 sticks of butter, a pound of cashews, carton of blueberries, 5 lb bag of carrots, and 1 pound of ground turkey
 
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GJNorman said:
I agree with the inflation piece, but I still think even the poor people, if they prioritize their health, they can afford it. Unless they’re just not trying.

Did they buy a case of beer first, or a dozen eggs?

Do they splurge for a $40 bill at McDonald’s,
Or did they go to the grocery and get three chicken breast, a head of broccoli and a pound of rice?
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For sure, there's definitely some laziness to it. My tenant is unemployed.. and she has a newer car than me or my wife, and gets door dash delivered every day. So there's definitely a laziness problem with america's poor people as well.
 
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This is a totally separate argument here that I’m making and I realize that - but it’s appropriate here imo. I do all the grocery shopping for my family of 5. I’m very health conscious. So for example instead of buying hormone laced value brand milk I buy the grass fed organic free range milk which is around 7 dollars for a half gallon. The vital farms free range eggs are about 4 times the cost of the value eggs. I know you may think that’s ridiculous but I don’t want to eat the eggs of the de-beaked tortured chickens in a pen - I want the free range healthy chickens - same with milk - same with the actual chicken. And you can absolutely tell the difference. The eggs literally look completely different. The free range yolk is a completely different, much darker color and they taste much much better and go bad quicker. Organic antibiotic free chicken is triple the cost.

I have this app called “Yuka” that’s European where you scan the UPC and it tells you health rating from 0-100. It tells you the sodium, sugar, etc. Butbthe coolest thing is it lists additives. I used to get Lunchables for my kids for lunch for ease and one day I scanned them and they rated 1/100. The reason? They had like 9 additives, 4 that have been shown to cause cancer! Like WTF. So now I get an Apple gates farms organic alternative that is like an 88/100 with no additives. The catch? It’s 5 times more expensive. For me it’s not a big deal, but for many it is. If you really want to eat healthy - like actually healthy - it’s much more expensive.
 
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Ron Mehico said:
When we say healthy food is not more expensive what exactly are we talking about? I’m thinking a box of shitty processed spaghetti with a really sugary low quality spaghetti sauce can feed a family of 5 for under 5 bucks. The same amount of high quality spaghetti with a good quality, less sugar more actual tomatoes and ingredients sauce will be more than twice that. Conversely, an organic non hormone and chemical laced grilled chicken with salad dinner for a family of 5 is going to be five times that. What am I missing? Ramen, Mac n cheese, high fat low quality ground beef, hormone laced cheap milk etc is all way cheaper than the healthier alternatives. What am I missing?
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It’s a valid question. It’s all relative. If I have $10 and I have to optimize that $10 around health, I’d argue almost every American or person with obesity could have a healthier meal than a meal high in trans fats, cholesterol, sodium etc. (assuming such options are available locally which isn’t always the case)

That wouldn’t necessarily mean you can buy all organic high quality from Whole Foods, but certainly healthier alternatives to a Big Mac from McDonald’s or more distinctly afford generally healthy meals of around 700 calories
 
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KAB Cats said:
It’s a valid question. It’s all relative. If I have $10 and I have to optimize that $10 around health, I’d argue almost every American or person with obesity could have a healthier meal than a meal high in trans fats, cholesterol, sodium etc. (assuming such options are available locally which isn’t always the case)

That wouldn’t necessarily mean you can buy all organic high quality from Whole Foods, but certainly healthier alternatives to a Big Mac from McDonald’s or more distinctly afford generally healthy meals of around 700 calories
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You're not wrong. But a lot of what people are buying is "convenience".
Would be interesting to see how a "healthy foods" drive-through would do? I've seen food trucks that do healthy foods with long lines of people.
 
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JonathanW said:
You're not wrong. But a lot of what people are buying is "convenience".
Would be interesting to see how a "healthy foods" drive-through would do? I've seen food trucks that do healthy foods with long lines of people.
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There's a chain around me called Core Life. I think it's national. It's basically a Chipotle style, but all healthy and natural ingredients. They have the baskets of lettuce and kale and such behind the counter. Prices aren't too bad, but the ones below are outdated for sure. I'm seeing most of the Green and Grain bowls hitting $15.

The quality and taste is good, but the issue is that these places have to skimp somewhere if they want to offer food like this, so portions are meh. It's also not really drive-thru type food, as you really have to sit and eat it. Like you said, "convenience" plays a big role in this.

corelife-eatery.jpg
 
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LineSkiCat14 said:
There's a chain around me called Core Life. I think it's national. It's basically a Chipotle style, but all healthy and natural ingredients. They have the baskets of lettuce and kale and such behind the counter. Prices aren't too bad, but the ones below are outdated for sure. I'm seeing most of the Green and Grain bowls hitting $15.

The quality and taste is good, but the issue is that these places have to skimp somewhere if they want to offer food like this, so portions are meh. It's also not really drive-thru type food, as you really have to sit and eat it. Like you said, "convenience" plays a big role in this.

corelife-eatery.jpg
Click to expand...


The core life right beside me, which I loved, went out of business. So did “Be Fit Cafe” which was beside me as well. We also had a favorite spot we would take the kids to called “Clean Juice” that was great. They had this great avocado with eggs lunch wrap that was fantastic. The last time me and my wife took our oldest two kids there for lunch one day we spent 70 dollars 😂. It was not a big order at all. Me and my wife looked at each other and went “there’s no way this place is going to last at these prices”. Sure enough, two weeks later it closed. People just aren’t going to spend that much for healthy food to keep those places in business unless you are in a huge city.
 
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Ron Mehico said:
The core life right beside me, which I loved, went out of business. So did “Be Fit Cafe” which was beside me as well. We also had a favorite spot we would take the kids to called “Clean Juice” that was great. They had this great avocado with eggs lunch wrap that was fantastic. The last time me and my wife took our oldest two kids there for lunch one day we spent 70 dollars 😂. It was not a big order at all. Me and my wife looked at each other and went “there’s no way this place is going to last at these prices”. Sure enough, two weeks later it closed. People just aren’t going to spend that much for healthy food to keep those places in business unless you are in a huge city.
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I was going to say, they are often pretty empty. Chipotle has it down, you can get a Burrito Bowl that's pretty damn filling, AND healthy for like $10 still.

Chipotle BTW is a real cheat code when it comes to eating healthy on the run, IMO. The only downside is that red salsa absolutely tears anuses apart.. or at least my anus.
 
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Yeah. Fast casual burrito spots are basically the only true healthy lunch option regularly available. If you are the Beaumont Area and it is one of the 14 days a year it is open, Sahara is a great spot to get healthy food for lunch reasonably priced.
 
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When I studied a semester in Australia, they had doner kebab night at the college cafeteria that was amazing. You'd get a pita and they'd fill it with whatever meat, veggies, cheeses, and fixin's you'd want. I think it would kill here.

Things like this may exist on campus now, though. Who knows.
 
So after weeks of no added sugar and feeling awesome, I ate a bag of candy and had a huge Coke at the theater earlier today, and as a result I'm so sick right now that I can barely stand it. This sucks.
 
Convinced you can eat whatever the f you want but keep the calories down to about 2400 a day (for men) and you'll be fine.
 
WayneDougan said:
Convinced you can eat whatever the f you want but keep the calories down to about 2400 a day (for men) and you'll be fine.
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If you exercise once a day, that's probably true.

Though I did keto for a long time and targeted about 2000 calories per day (usually went over), but that definitely caught up with me and caused cholesterol to skyrocket. I don't know what the hell to eat any more, but I have pretty much had to cut out red meat and eat vegan things for about 75% of meals.

On a different note, the vegan chicken, fish, burgers and cheese have really come a long way over the past decade. I actually prefer them many times now, which is weird.
 
WildcatfaninOhio said:
Sugary soft drinks are the worst. Need proof? Spend just 3 minutes in the pop aisle of your local supermarket, and take note of the body shape of the folks that stop to buy multiple cases of pop.
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I used to be a big soft drink guy, now I’ve cut down to about 1 Mountain Dew a week. But damn it always blows my mind at the grocery when I see people with carts that have thr entire top of it covered with those 6 packs. Like 50 24oz bottles of soda. Damn that’s so much sugar
 
Chipotle is not healthy. Quite the marketing accomplishment they've convinced so many it's clean. Is it better than McDonald's or Wendy's? Sure. But it's still fast food. There's only so much they can gussy it up and most that eat there aren't going with plain rice, beans and chicken in a bowl.

I just went on their website and made a basic b!tch chicken burrito and it cruises past 1,000 calories, with little garnishment. They also conveniently leave sodium off, so you don't see the real ticking time bomb in your meal.

All fine to enjoy on occasion but many will eat that several times a week (or places similar) and that quickly adds up / takes a toll.
 
Bonzo Cat said:
Chipotle is not healthy. Quite the marketing accomplishment they've convinced so many it's clean. Is it better than McDonald's or Wendy's? Sure. But it's still fast food. There's only so much they can gussy it up and most that eat there aren't going with plain rice, beans and chicken in a bowl.

I just went on their website and made a basic b!tch chicken burrito and it cruises past 1,000 calories, with little garnishment. They also conveniently leave sodium off, so you don't see the real ticking time bomb in your meal.

All fine to enjoy on occasion but many will eat that several times a week (or places similar) and that quickly adds up / takes a toll.
Click to expand...
My Chipotle order:
- Half white rice
- Black beans
- Chicken or steak
- Green salsa

That's about 500 calories.
 
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Calorie restriction is the way to go for weight. But, inflammation and food that causes inflammation throughout your body, is what causes chronic diseases like arthritis, diabetes, HBP, blah blah blah.

Eat mostly food that doesn’t trigger inflammation. Fruit, steamed cruciferous vegetables are examples of anti inflammatory food. cashews, pumpkin seeds are other anti inflammatory food

Inflammatory food would be all processed foods. Cereal, chips, alcohol, pizza, bread, candy, Mountain Dew, sodas, etc. all these guys, trigger body wide, inflammation, and causes your body to try to fight this inflammation, which can lead to autoimmune diseases.
 
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Bonzo Cat said:
Cool, I was referring to the majority that frequent the place and don’t even know you can ask for a half order of rice. If everyone ordered what you do, the place wouldn’t be in business.
Click to expand...
Oh, it was very much not my order until I started counting calories and macros.
 
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