NFR: Largely consumed foods and substances.

[General]

When I travel, I feel so much better when I come back. I feel healthier mentally and physically.

It got me thinking about the main foods we eat and what they contain, most of which contain sugar and corn of sorts...


This is in stark contrast to the more naturally created and cooked/sourced foods that you get abroad with more conventional cooking methods.

Anyway, when I was working in digital advertising there was a guy who was obsessed with Coke, which prompted me and others doing a bit of research on the negative aspects associated with drinking soo much. Needless to say whilst doing this research and looking into the detrimental effects on body and mind of the mass consumption of this product.

anyway, to cut this short for various reasons Sugar is extremely bad for you - and causes severe health and mental problems - with some scientists and researchers stating that it's purer than cocaine but with the only difference being the fact that cocaine has Nitrogen in it.

It's linked with a load of various diseases with can be life threatening and I was wondering if anyone knew much about the food we eat, has made any decisions to not eat any largely made foods etc etc...

I know this is semi illiterate reading, i'm tired, but thoughts would be interesting to read.

[jazz hardrockin]

In North America they said if sugar is to be discovered today, should be banned just like cocaine is banned.

[Berserker]

Funnily enough my mother-in-law was saying that about suger when I was in Edinburgh  Sunday, she'd read that sugar was the real problem not fatty foods. Personally I'm going to try and eat a balanced diet with a little bit of everything, plus ride my bycycle work to increase my daily exercise, thus also saving money on petrol.

I take it the diet in America is different to the UK, is it different from state to state, presume it is. Are some states more heathier that others.

Sorry for sounding ignorant but have never been to America as I don't like flying long distances.

[HatterDon]

Funnily enough my mother-in-law was saying that about suger when I was in Edinburgh  Sunday, she'd read that sugar was the real problem not fatty foods. Personally I'm going to try and eat a balanced diet with a little bit of everything, plus ride my bycycle work to increase my daily exercise, thus also saving money on petrol.

I take it the diet in America is different to the UK, is it different from state to state, presume it is. Are some states more heathier that others.

Sorry for sounding ignorant but have never been to America as I don't like flying long distances.

Nope, we're pretty much a nation of fatties. The big culprits, however, are in England also -- fast food joints. As the vast majority of working people find themselves with less and less capital to spend, visits to these garbage pits increase and we all get even more fat and less healthy. Some politicians over here like to point at overweight children as proof that there's plenty of money for food and plenty of nutrition, the opposite is the actual truth.

As far as sugar and fat, we've been very good at taking fat out of the diet over the last 25-30 years. The problem is that, without fat, a lot of the meat we eat is tough and tasteless, and so in order to keep food tasty, we get some sort of sugar product in pretty much all processed food. So, in getting rid of fatty foods [designed to prevent heart problems] we've increased caloric intake and gots more fat folk. Ah that durn law of unintended consequences.

[jazz hardrockin]

Funnily enough my mother-in-law was saying that about suger when I was in Edinburgh  Sunday, she'd read that sugar was the real problem not fatty foods. Personally I'm going to try and eat a balanced diet with a little bit of everything, plus ride my bycycle work to increase my daily exercise, thus also saving money on petrol.

I take it the diet in America is different to the UK, is it different from state to state, presume it is. Are some states more heathier that others.

Sorry for sounding ignorant but have never been to America as I don't like flying long distances.

1. Lowest rates of overweight and obese


Just as the rich get richer, it appears that, in some cases, the fit get fitter: Remarkably, Vancouver improved on its already lowest-in-the-nation numbers.
http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/health/canadas-healthiest-cities-2009

[jazz hardrockin]

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-happiest-states-2011-3?op=1

[SCFulhmFan]

Comedian Jim Gaffigan has it right in "I can get this salad for 12 bucks, or these eight hamburgers for a nickel. Sorry, salad!"  

[General]

The thing that suprises me is that sugar is in pretty much every single everyday product and has even been known to increase the likelihood of cancer and is cacernogenic. Why would such a seriously detrimental produce be in soo many of our foods if it's known to be this harmful?!

[jazz hardrockin]

The thing that suprises me is that sugar is in pretty much every single everyday product and has even been known to increase the likelihood of cancer and is cacernogenic. Why would such a seriously detrimental produce be in soo many of our foods if it's known to be this harmful?!

With sugar and salt your food tastes better /presumably/. The food processors are using to much for a number of reasons. Both products are relatively cheap and is a good filling especially in meat/adding value to the bottom line/.The other reason they are "natural" food preservatives.Shelf life is usually a little bit longer to products containing sugar and salt.Artificial additives are generally more expensive.
And last but not list,sugar and salt are masking agents. Yes,they are masking the lack of taste to most of the processed foods,this is why manufacturers are in no rush to change things until they are forced by regulations.

[CH FFC]

It's not so much"sugar", but the types of sugars.  You're body is built to use sugars, and in fact different sugars have different receptors in your body.  In general processed foods are much more unhealthy.  This is the case with refined/enriched foods as well...foods such as wheat, rice, and sugar.  While high fructose corn sugar is not necissarily good for you, fructose from fruit is not bad for you. 

All in all it is not the product specifically, but the moderation instead.

What is more worrying to me are the sugar substitutes, and some of the issues that arise from using these.