Clarity is amazing. The change begins with you. I have radically changed my diet during the past year, and I am about to make a creative RAW celery, spinach,cilantro,garlic, peppers and organic live cultures plain yogurt... plus that spirulina shot in the morning gave me so much energy, and my ass greeted me with a happy fart first thing this morning in response to my treating my GI with psyllium for the first time last night.And I am NEW to healthy food! Thank you all who inspired me.
You base this on what exactly? If you would actually read his books, that is if you read at all, then you would realize the amount of research and thought he gives his subjects
@cbdoobie the man thinks 1 caloric input of energy can produce an output of 4 calories of grain. Only someone who is disingenuous or naive would claim such nonsense. This single claim is more than enough to question his "expertise" in anything.
PS: your ad hominems don't help your cause, buddy.
"the man thinks 1 caloric input of energy can produce an output of 4 calories of grain. ..."
I've read several of his books and articles but have yet to come across that statement. Can you lead me to that particular quote? Because if he's actually spouting off that kind of nonsense than he'll be discredited in my mind as well.
@cbdoobie I'll see where I can find it - I believe it might have been in an interview for a science journal. It is a statistic that is widely used now, especially by another popous ass named Pimental who has the stones to cite himself as the authority in all of his publications.
Don't get me wrong, he makes good points here and there, but I don't agree with politicizing the issue and acting like a food snob, especially since millions of starving peoples' lives are at stake around the world.
I can agree with you there. Food has become the tool in which the wealthy receive spiritual satisfaction and he does have to reach a little to rationalize this for himself. Also, I believe there is a place for GMOs when it comes to feeding everyone more efficiently and with less detriment to environments, specifically GMOs that withstand drought. But where I do side with Pollan is with regards to our impertinent meat consumption, which I hope we both agree, is unsustainable.
Furthermore, our agricultural reliance on petroleum(fertilizers, pesticides, fuel) should be reduced. Our food systems should be localized and our agricultural subsidize should be allotted toward a more diverse diet that includes whole fruits and vegetables. I believe these things to be inevitable if it weren't for the big agribusiness' stronghold on food policies, particularly with regards to animal welfare and the centralization of food operations. Basically, the market is no longer free.
@cbdoobie I will agree that the food system should be decentralized and distributed. The current system is too risky - when something goes bad, it affects too much. However, studies have shown that trucking several tons across the country can be more efficient than trucking a few pounds acorss a state, at times - its a tricky issue. Like it or not, the US food industry is frighteningly efficient in that sense. Also, most 1st world nations don't use petroleum based fertilizer anymore
It needs to be a hybrid system. Fresh whole fruit and vegetables as well as meat and dairy should be localized, but grains and other food destined for processing should be consolidated to make distribution more efficient. What originally peaked my interest with "The Omnivore's Dilemma" was his profile on Polyface farms and the science behind their operation which I don't know if you're familiar with, provides a blue print for sustainable localized meat and dairy production.
@cbdoobie in fact, you could literally drink a bottle of liquid fertilizer and not get sick. In some ways, 'big agro' is a necessary evil at times - but I believe they are reconsidering their methods for the better. For example, no-till is the norm now, and nearly all commerical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, etc are biodegradable
I'm not one of those "ORGANIC IS ALWAYS BETTER" kind of people. But I do think that our concepts of fertilization and pest control are superfluous when compared to the "natural" farming techniques that Joel Salatin of Polyface farms practices.
@cbdoobie actually, I wouldn't agree. With particular regard to the notion of quality of diet. If it weren't for meat, humans would still be swinging from trees. Meat is critical to the advancement of intellectual societies throughout the world - the early rise of the Chinese Empire is hypothetised to be the result oftheir ample supply of fish.
What I meant by "impertinent consumption" was in regards to the amount that people deem they need to consume. We don't need nearly as much as the estimated 168 lbs average consumption in the U.S.(USDA 2005). Sure it's healthy to eat meat, but does our insatiable appetite for hamburger outweigh the costs in resources and pollution? Most importantly for me, our quality of life is greater than most nations, could we not provide the same for the animals that provide for us?
@cbdoobie ...There is simply no alternative means to substitute the critical B vitamins. Case in point: vegans are 250% more likely to giv birth to children that are mentally disabled - equivalent to a mother who smokes while pregnant. Though, perhaps we may need not need such an intensive meat industry, and the odds that the entire world could enjoy such a diet is not likely. We can grow suprlus calories, but they are junk calories. A quality diet includes meat, despite high energy inputs
I'm with you there, I'm as omnivorous as can be. And I'll eat anything under the sun. I think, if the average American diet were more diverse than the strain on any single food operation would lessen. But like I said before, our general diet is subsidized(corn,soy) therefore limiting the options or rather it creates a bias for the consumer to purchase such unhealthy and taxing products.
@Ty311 I remember him saying something along these lines in a book called Second Nature: A Gardener's Education...
Specifically: he noted that a composted plant puts more back into the earth than was taken out (this is because the earth is not a closed system--because the sun adds so much.
He isn't ignoring the conservation of energy, he is referring to plants' remarkable ability to transform solar energy into chemical energy for us to use in revitalizing our soil and selves.
There is no distinct form of energy called "caloric energy"--calories are a measure for any kind of energy (anyways, I think I follow you, so no need to quibble over semantics).
No one disagrees with you about it being impossible to produce more energy than is put in--even Pollan doesn't--the point of dissension between us here is:
Since the sun puts in a great deal of energy into plants, more usable energy can be yielded from a plant than was put in from people and the earth.
@cbdoobie I cannot seem to find it right now (I am sure it will pop up in my files when I no longer care, as always) Seems like it was an article about "eating fuel" or something to that extent. I recall a chart breakdown of energy units in per energy units out...meats were between 35 and 54 calories in per calorie out...fruits were something like 18 calories in bper calorie out, veges were about 3 to 6 calories in per calorie out (maybe that will jog someone's memory)
@galaxycowboy all agriculture is "manmade" - most crop varieties would never have existed or would have ceased to exist long ago had it not been for human interference.
Pollan covers that subject in his book and PBS series titled: "The Botany of Desire", in which he profiles four plant species, our symbiotic relationship and their proliferation by our hands.
The basic concept to me is we need to take back our food. As Pollan said at the end of his New York Times Review of "Julie and Julia": "Eat whatever you want. Make it yourself." Of course, most of us will proclaim that we do not have time. That means you will likely abdicate to the corporate food processors and the increasingly bad products they put out. So, my new maxim? "If you don't have time to prepare your food, then you do not have time to eat."
Here is what i think is causing the obesity problem. We have affordable food, so people can afford to eat more especially when the government pays people that don't have work. Plus we do less physical activity due to more people being able to afford some sort of motor vehicle. Also it has been more convinient to just sit inside the house all day with air conditioning and heat. Don't blame the food blame the times and lifestyle choices.
Dude. It is simple. The key word is: species-appropriate!
Processed food is NOT FOOD at all!! It is a „stimulant. It belongs in the category of Tobacco, Alcohol, etc.
Look at the Kollath table, to see what is food, and what is not. Not food: Heated above 70°C. Worse: conserves (like non-wholemeal flour). Even worse: Purified preparations (like sugar or other drugs).
Basically everything with an abnormal balance of substances. Which usually can only happen, if its processed as described above.
Might as well take it to the next level: don't watch television! That'd be a good start. Ever since I stopped watching TV, I've been more relaxed, more contemplative, and increasingly productive in all aspects of my life. TV was a fucking downer.
My dad own a grain farm and has a beef feedlot I own 3% of the total farm and have 10 of my own cattle in the feedlot till i get enough net worth to rent my own ground. We are a small family owned farm with no corporate rule. What you are saying is false. Have you ever been to a farm. Who are people going to believe, a person that is around livestock everyday of his life, or someone whose only connection with livestock is by viewing a video
My dad own a grain farm and has a beef feedlot I own 3% of the total farm and have 10 of my own cattle in the feedlot till i get enough net worth to rent my own ground. We are a small family owned farm with no corporate rule. What you are saying is false. Have you ever been to a farm. Who are people going to believe, a person that is around livestock everyday of his life, or someone whose only connection with livestock is by viewing a video
It is more than obvious at this point that steer1300 has monetary interests in the meat industry. Don't pay him any mind, no matter what you say, he will discredit it. Profit rules in his case - and he may not be a farmer/rancher, etc., but probably employed by corporations that hire these types. I am sick just thinking about his kind. I refer to them as trolls / shills- either way, they have one purpose and that is the corporate agenda to discredit the REAL information. Pay him no mind.
@DianeDi My dad own a grain farm and has a beef feedlot I own 3% of the total farm and have 10 of my own cattle in the feedlot till i get enough net worth to rent my own ground. We are a small family owned farm with no corporate rule. What you are saying is false. Have you ever been to a farm. Who are people going to believe, a person that is around livestock everyday of his life, or someone whose only connection with livestock is by viewing a video
@DianeDi If raising livestock was so profitable then every farmer would be doing it. Less than 2% of Americans farm and less than half of them raise livestock. WE like to be around animals and thats the main reason. There is not alot of profit in it. It does supplement our farms income though
@PainterofYou Ecoli comes form the slaughter plant floor when a carcass falls from a hook onto the dirty floor it is supposed to be taken out of the building and moved to another one and processed as dog or fish food but careless workers put it back on the hook. Also Ecoli can be cooked out of the meat at 186 degrees
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
This guy wants to control what you eat. Talk about socialism. He blames the nations obesity on the food alone. Think about this for a moment our grandparents had to work physically for their food or walk to work wash cloths and dishes by hand. If we went back to that people would be alot healthier. I don't eat very healthy, at 6'1" and 20 yrs old I only weigh 180 BECAUSE I WORK ON A FARM
@steer1300 But you're only 20 yrs old! Get back to us in another 20 and let us know how HEALTHY you are. Socialism? Really?! "This guy" does not want to control anything you do. He does, however, believe in an informed public. Most people these days put more thought into what's on tv than into what they stuff into their mouths. See the film "FOOD, INC." for the cold, hard & frightening facts. I went McDougal. I'm 6'2 & 54 yrs old & weigh 170 & I'M A MEAT CUTTER... & I'm a strong & healthy VEGAN
@gcorbin55 My dad's 56 eats meat every night. We don't eat organic because we know our product is SAFE. no one in our family has had diabeties, cancer none of that why change if there isn't a problem. I bet your natural skin color resemles that of snow
@gcorbin55 I have seen Food Inc. the majority of the film is very very misleading propaganda. The conditions that livestock live in that were showed are only a few isolated instances. That farmer that claimes to be all organic and wears the weird hat actually doesn't have to make a living off of the livestock, he charges $800 for a guided tour of a pasture and 1500 to speak publically. Farming is only a sideline business to him. Plus do you call slaughtering chickens out side more sanitary.
@steer I don't know what planet you are from. Most of the meat produced today 98% is from factory farms. They even discussed in Food Inc. there R 13 slaughterhouses in the U.S. where there used to be 1,300. The "products" are run from central control - a computer based operation which speeds up or slows down production. Look up BPI (Beef Production Inc.) and read what they are all about. Look at their website - gee, nothing better than soaking floor scraps in ammonia for human consumption.
@DianeDi There are other slaughterhouses in the US far more. There are more than 13 major ones in Illinois alone. Sure the majority are owned by the big 3 but there are many privately owned mom and pap slaughtershops, and some larger slaughterhouses that are privately owned. The film doesn't show that. The film focuses on the negatives and very little positives about modern agriculture. Its sad and unfair to hard working farmers.
@gcorbin55 I have FOOD INC. - full length link on my main page under "about me". I also highly recommend Mad Cowboy and EARTHINGS - although this one is very difficult to watch, but it's something everyone should see. I found it life altering. Great life choice on veganism !
Processed food has no life energy...it's cooked out, steamed out, and genetically modified..basically dead food..the best food is that you cook yourself the old-fashioned way, using gas, if possible...no microwaves, electric cookery, etc. Frozen food is probably the best in that there is little adulteration other than slight blanching in the case of veggies...the simpler the better...
I have the impression (by observation, I don't know any scientific research) that there are more cases of cancer now than in the past. could the processed food have any impact on this growth?
I have the impression that the ability to diagnose cancer has improved so rapidly as to account for the seemingly larger # of cancer diagnosis we get now.
"I have the impression (by observation, I don't know any scientific research) that there are more cases of cancer now than in the past. could the processed food have any impact on this growth?"
Could it be? Yes. Is it? Maybe. We won't know. We live a lot longer now. We are exposed to different environments, technologies, foods. You would be hard pressed to find good data supporting that processed foods elicit increased cancer risk.
Does anyone actually cook these days? i'm not being an ass, but you can minimize the junk they put in most of the stuff you buy and eat out there, and in my opinion, actual home made (from scratch) food tastes so much better, and you can eat tons of it and it's not that risky, and to minimize some cals i use milk or water instead of cream and all that stuff. but this was a bit astray from the actual clip here maybe, but i'm just presenting an alternative.. maybe.. all the best
@Dinostra -Yes! And, and thankful I did start. Reading all the crap on the labels started me doing this. I was never taught how to cook properly, so I started buying cookbooks that show you how to make anything from scratch-NOT open a can or box and add it to something. Not just the health benefit, but the food tastes so much better. Yeah, sometimes its a pain to take the time and effort, but I make ahead and put it in reheatable containers. Raw is easy, too-in the summer.
How can you cook today ? I'd like to eat my traditional italian dishes but for making Lasagna from scratch you need a 4 hours slog. The last time I did eat REAL home made lasagne was 30 years ago when I was a child and my mom an housewife.
What?!?! 30 years ago?!?!?! Does anyone out there share this experience? My friends and I (and we're all twentysomethings) are cooking almost every day for ourselves.
My cat is on my TV at the moment. she goes there to keep warm.
Health foods are a scam usually, often worse than regular foods, nut bars held together with cane sugar and honey can have huge calorie count, mixed cereal foods are generally bad for same reason.
A manufacturer who produced a truly nutritious, one stop, high protein, soluble fibre & fruit based, low calorie snack is onto a winner. I honestly know of no such product on the market today.
@bunkermunk I subscribe, besides part of the freedom of speech is not just to speak but also to listen. If I didn't hear what he said, how would I know how to object?
I've got an idea, if you don't agree, look at another video. And, by the way, comparing someone who is working to help people live a healthier life to goosestepping, murdering Nazis sucks. I strongly encourage people like you to eat 5000+ calories worth of animal fat-laden food per day - it moves you off of the planet sooner so the rest of us have a clean, compassionate planet. Or, you could stop being such an asshole and stop calling people Nazi's because you don't agree with them. Either way!
@lynleyinlondon hahahahaha tremendous, this is what a college education gets you ladies and gentlemen, people who can dish criticism and can't take it. I'm glad you thought I was talking to you, you should pay attention, might help.
You put out your opinion on a public forum so yes, you are talking to me. You called someone a Nazi, that is not criticism, that is just being a prick (and not in a good way). Go eat yourself to death - wanker.
@lynleyinlondon I don't know if you've seen my videos but I'm skinny as hell. If I did wank, I'd be skinner than I already am, not healthy. But on the charge of "Food Nazi", he wants it to be his way for wholesome foods to be available which will drive the food that we already have to substantially lower quantity. The pesticides that they use on "organic" crops are more susceptible to E-coli and other diseases that are transmittable, he wants this stuff IMPOSED if he had it his way.
Anikinippon: Ecoli is found in shit - period. Vegetables don't shit so far as I know. Spinach getting contaminated is not from organic pesticides, it is from run-off from factory farms: a vicious, polluting industry literally destroying the planet. They are clear-cutting the rain forests so cattle can graze so that humans can become diseased and fat. And this guy is a jerk? Really?
@lynleyinlondon What do you think fertilizes "purely organic crops"? Thats right, shit. There you go. Artificial pesticides are alot safer than other ones as well. It's ok, you have no sense of humanity or actually looking up this kind of information for yourself now do you? I suppose recycling, other than metal, actually helps the planet too don't you?
Thanks for the support! People will find ways to justify their ridiculous behaviour and slam anyone who points out that their actions are harming others because people like the critics of this video truly don't care about anything but their own personal desires. Fuck 'em.
E-coli found in industrial meat is a direct result of their living conditions and poor processing practiced by all CAFOs. The recent outbreak of e-coli in vegetables has been linked to the labor practices of industrial farms i.e. lack of restrooms, the exploitation of migrant workers.
@lynleyinlondon -you are so flat out wrong with all of those statements that i dont even know where to begin correcting you. check your facts, we're not in the 80's anymore, people actually know things now. its not runoff from factory farms, its in animal feces used as fertilizer, human contamination during processing etc. they clearcut rainforests to grow soybeans not graze cattle, and beef doesnt make humans diseased and fat. and yes he is a jerk. really.
It's always seemed to me that fresh or frozen veggies are about the same price as processed foods. It doesn't have to be organic... just healthy and fresh.
Processed is just plain faster and easier, and mechanical processing makes it fairly cheap also... the facts are in the US less money is spent for food as a percentage of income. We grip about the cost of food while we poison ourselves with unhealthy additives with unknown consequences.
It's not that easy. Most lower-middle class Americans cannot afford healthy or organic foods. They'll prefer contents of the Dollar Menu to feed the family than 2 oranges for a buck.
And the fact of the matter is that those dollar menu hamburgers aren't bad so long as they balance it with a good dose of fruits and other foods and don't chug the soda or have huge amount of fries.
The thing this dolt in the video misses isn't that possessed food isn't inherently evil. It's the gross excess of food you eat or your body make up. Sorry folks some of us were genetically destined to be skinny or fat.
Purple charger: The meat industry is the most polluting in the world. Processed food Is bad for you - ever melt processed cheese? it's plastic - real plastic. And, genetic only accounts for 3-5% of uncontrollable obesity. Stop fooling yourself or you will die young, or wish you had. Control the food before it controls you.
@semicroma There are markets that sell cheaper whole foods, but they don't advertise nor do they distribute from low valued properties. I can get 4 oranges for a dollar there.
It's the multi-billion dollar unhealthy foods industries that snare attention. When folks hear they can feed their kids with 1-3 dollar complete instant meals of burger-fries-soda, they won't spurn the chance.
What's worse is that these places are becoming steep yet folks still buy due to adaptation.
That's fucking false. It's way cheaper to live without any of the ailements shitty food will give you: chronic inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and everything that goes with being fat. Beans, Rice, and Leafy vegetables have everything you need to stay alive and it's cheaper than the dollar menu. Or Peanut Butter and Bread. Yes, eating healthy as a poor person may not be fun but it is very possible and far cheaper than eating out all the time.
With the exception of leafy vegetables, both beans and rice can be purchased in the dollar store for fifty cents per pound. However, unless you live in the general area where these foods are produced, fresh vegetables in particular, the higher the overall costs in terms of processing, packaging and distribution and ultimately pollution. As of right now, California holds a monopoly in the fresh produce market which drives the costs the farther out of state it's distributed.
Furthermore, the subsidize we place on commodity crops(corn, soybeans) ensures that farmers will choose these foods to grow which results in a surplus of said crops. The cheap prices leads to their incorporation into most of the affordable foods available to the average consumer. Also, the companies who capitalize on the surplus spend millions of dollars a year on advertising. So what consumers end up buying are the flashy, quick, unhealthy meals made of processed corn and soybeans.
@Efferts That is just not true! Most vegetables, rice, flour, legumes will feed a person for around a dollar per meal only if people were willing to cook.
@doveisle You have to tell the poor that. What you've stated, while logical, proves unrealistic in some if not most poor homes. It's easier to say so if you have the resources & information.
Would you mind owning the responsibility of spreading the news?
@Efferts The "poor" have to find that out for themselves. If even we can use that term, poor in America are far better off than what is middle class in most countries. If somebody chooses to complain and do nothing about their own good then so be it.
I remember seeing in a documentary (probably Food Inc) a family of four rolls out in their SUV in the morning, spends around $15 for buying breakfast from a drive through and later complains about how hard it was to feed the family.
@doveisle "The "poor" have to find that out for themselves."
lol now you just admitted being part of the problem. Thanks for the proof. If no one's willing to uphold responsibility, ie: either browsing for answers (the poor) or sharing knowledge (you) then you shouldn't bitch that these folks are backwards since you've done nothing to adverse the issue.
You live in a society yet you're divided, & thus your education. So expect folks NOT to know & have what you own
I am one of those that live barely above poverty line and I have to limit my expenses. That is why I had to figure out how to eat well at a low price and if I make it a mission to educate others, I won't have the time to work my own jobs and pay for school.
@Efferts Lentils and beans cost around 70c - $1 / lb. Rice costs under 1 $/lb. Most vegetables cost $ 2-3 / lb. Eggs are $3 a dozen, milk is $3-4 a gallon Oatmeal is incredibly cheap and even chicken or red meat isn't all that expensive. I just learned how to cook and make it taste good using spices that are available at any ethnic store. You tube was of great help as more and more people post their traditional recipes and if I lack some of the ingredients, I just replace or skip.
@doveisle Realize not everyone has a bodega or Trader Joe's adjacent to home. Costs vary. That, & some poor families are raised by generations of cheap unhealthy foods proving harder for them to sway from customs according to (ethnic) tradition, lack of funds, or even time to browse.
Food doesn't have ingredients, recipes do.
claytunes 1 month ago
does this rule apply globally ? or just america ? lol
lkb94 6 months ago
He's not that smart - he gets caught in his own patterns of logic, but he means well and that says a lot.
wisesakura 8 months ago
Clarity is amazing. The change begins with you. I have radically changed my diet during the past year, and I am about to make a creative RAW celery, spinach,cilantro,garlic, peppers and organic live cultures plain yogurt... plus that spirulina shot in the morning gave me so much energy, and my ass greeted me with a happy fart first thing this morning in response to my treating my GI with psyllium for the first time last night.And I am NEW to healthy food! Thank you all who inspired me.
wisesakura 8 months ago
FUCK YOUR ADVERTISING FUCK YOUTUBE
lovebuffmuscle 11 months ago
@lovebuffmuscle Whine more freeloading bitch
12edDemon 11 months ago
The advertisement leading to the video was for DiGiorno pizza! THAT IS HILARIOUS!
jerseygrl5 1 year ago
so he admits to demonizing high fructose corn syrup and then admits the bluff he made about it being worse than sugar? that is sick.
bigalhorse1 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
eat shit and you die. pretty much what michael pollan is trying to say.
jace1101 1 year ago
eat shit and die.... pretty much sums up what michael pollan is trying to say .
jace1101 1 year ago
Don't eat any foods advertise on television. Got it.
qcjomar 1 year ago
Michael Pollan is an elitist who loves to hear himself speak, and knows very little about that which he speaks of.
Ty311 1 year ago
Comment removed
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@Ty311
You base this on what exactly? If you would actually read his books, that is if you read at all, then you would realize the amount of research and thought he gives his subjects
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@cbdoobie the man thinks 1 caloric input of energy can produce an output of 4 calories of grain. Only someone who is disingenuous or naive would claim such nonsense. This single claim is more than enough to question his "expertise" in anything.
PS: your ad hominems don't help your cause, buddy.
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
Fair enough, I'm just looking for citations.
"the man thinks 1 caloric input of energy can produce an output of 4 calories of grain. ..."
I've read several of his books and articles but have yet to come across that statement. Can you lead me to that particular quote? Because if he's actually spouting off that kind of nonsense than he'll be discredited in my mind as well.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@cbdoobie I'll see where I can find it - I believe it might have been in an interview for a science journal. It is a statistic that is widely used now, especially by another popous ass named Pimental who has the stones to cite himself as the authority in all of his publications.
Don't get me wrong, he makes good points here and there, but I don't agree with politicizing the issue and acting like a food snob, especially since millions of starving peoples' lives are at stake around the world.
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
I can agree with you there. Food has become the tool in which the wealthy receive spiritual satisfaction and he does have to reach a little to rationalize this for himself. Also, I believe there is a place for GMOs when it comes to feeding everyone more efficiently and with less detriment to environments, specifically GMOs that withstand drought. But where I do side with Pollan is with regards to our impertinent meat consumption, which I hope we both agree, is unsustainable.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
Comment removed
cbdoobie 1 year ago
Furthermore, our agricultural reliance on petroleum(fertilizers, pesticides, fuel) should be reduced. Our food systems should be localized and our agricultural subsidize should be allotted toward a more diverse diet that includes whole fruits and vegetables. I believe these things to be inevitable if it weren't for the big agribusiness' stronghold on food policies, particularly with regards to animal welfare and the centralization of food operations. Basically, the market is no longer free.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@cbdoobie I will agree that the food system should be decentralized and distributed. The current system is too risky - when something goes bad, it affects too much. However, studies have shown that trucking several tons across the country can be more efficient than trucking a few pounds acorss a state, at times - its a tricky issue. Like it or not, the US food industry is frighteningly efficient in that sense. Also, most 1st world nations don't use petroleum based fertilizer anymore
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
It needs to be a hybrid system. Fresh whole fruit and vegetables as well as meat and dairy should be localized, but grains and other food destined for processing should be consolidated to make distribution more efficient. What originally peaked my interest with "The Omnivore's Dilemma" was his profile on Polyface farms and the science behind their operation which I don't know if you're familiar with, provides a blue print for sustainable localized meat and dairy production.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@cbdoobie in fact, you could literally drink a bottle of liquid fertilizer and not get sick. In some ways, 'big agro' is a necessary evil at times - but I believe they are reconsidering their methods for the better. For example, no-till is the norm now, and nearly all commerical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, etc are biodegradable
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
I'm not one of those "ORGANIC IS ALWAYS BETTER" kind of people. But I do think that our concepts of fertilization and pest control are superfluous when compared to the "natural" farming techniques that Joel Salatin of Polyface farms practices.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@cbdoobie actually, I wouldn't agree. With particular regard to the notion of quality of diet. If it weren't for meat, humans would still be swinging from trees. Meat is critical to the advancement of intellectual societies throughout the world - the early rise of the Chinese Empire is hypothetised to be the result oftheir ample supply of fish.
...
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
What I meant by "impertinent consumption" was in regards to the amount that people deem they need to consume. We don't need nearly as much as the estimated 168 lbs average consumption in the U.S.(USDA 2005). Sure it's healthy to eat meat, but does our insatiable appetite for hamburger outweigh the costs in resources and pollution? Most importantly for me, our quality of life is greater than most nations, could we not provide the same for the animals that provide for us?
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@cbdoobie ...There is simply no alternative means to substitute the critical B vitamins. Case in point: vegans are 250% more likely to giv birth to children that are mentally disabled - equivalent to a mother who smokes while pregnant. Though, perhaps we may need not need such an intensive meat industry, and the odds that the entire world could enjoy such a diet is not likely. We can grow suprlus calories, but they are junk calories. A quality diet includes meat, despite high energy inputs
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
I'm with you there, I'm as omnivorous as can be. And I'll eat anything under the sun. I think, if the average American diet were more diverse than the strain on any single food operation would lessen. But like I said before, our general diet is subsidized(corn,soy) therefore limiting the options or rather it creates a bias for the consumer to purchase such unhealthy and taxing products.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@Ty311 I remember him saying something along these lines in a book called Second Nature: A Gardener's Education...
Specifically: he noted that a composted plant puts more back into the earth than was taken out (this is because the earth is not a closed system--because the sun adds so much.
He isn't ignoring the conservation of energy, he is referring to plants' remarkable ability to transform solar energy into chemical energy for us to use in revitalizing our soil and selves.
blakeada999 1 year ago
@blakeada999 no - this is a different issue: specific to how many units of caloric energy are required o produce a unit of edible caloric energy.
But in any case, it is physically impossible under any circumstance to be able to produce more energy than was put in.
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
There is no distinct form of energy called "caloric energy"--calories are a measure for any kind of energy (anyways, I think I follow you, so no need to quibble over semantics).
No one disagrees with you about it being impossible to produce more energy than is put in--even Pollan doesn't--the point of dissension between us here is:
Since the sun puts in a great deal of energy into plants, more usable energy can be yielded from a plant than was put in from people and the earth.
blakeada999 1 year ago
@cbdoobie I cannot seem to find it right now (I am sure it will pop up in my files when I no longer care, as always) Seems like it was an article about "eating fuel" or something to that extent. I recall a chart breakdown of energy units in per energy units out...meats were between 35 and 54 calories in per calorie out...fruits were something like 18 calories in bper calorie out, veges were about 3 to 6 calories in per calorie out (maybe that will jog someone's memory)
Ty311 1 year ago
Very good video ,I live by this one "If man made I don't eat it '' That simple.
galaxycowboy 1 year ago
@galaxycowboy all agriculture is "manmade" - most crop varieties would never have existed or would have ceased to exist long ago had it not been for human interference.
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
Pollan covers that subject in his book and PBS series titled: "The Botany of Desire", in which he profiles four plant species, our symbiotic relationship and their proliferation by our hands.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
Excellent video; I found this to be very informative. Thank you for posting.
nightofcrimson13 1 year ago
The basic concept to me is we need to take back our food. As Pollan said at the end of his New York Times Review of "Julie and Julia": "Eat whatever you want. Make it yourself." Of course, most of us will proclaim that we do not have time. That means you will likely abdicate to the corporate food processors and the increasingly bad products they put out. So, my new maxim? "If you don't have time to prepare your food, then you do not have time to eat."
TriKnight22 1 year ago 14
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Here is what i think is causing the obesity problem. We have affordable food, so people can afford to eat more especially when the government pays people that don't have work. Plus we do less physical activity due to more people being able to afford some sort of motor vehicle. Also it has been more convinient to just sit inside the house all day with air conditioning and heat. Don't blame the food blame the times and lifestyle choices.
steer1300 1 year ago
lol
mystiqueboutique 1 year ago
I read this on a bag of chips "all natural oil "....hahaha
alonealotta 1 year ago
Dude. It is simple. The key word is: species-appropriate!
Processed food is NOT FOOD at all!! It is a „stimulant. It belongs in the category of Tobacco, Alcohol, etc.
Look at the Kollath table, to see what is food, and what is not. Not food: Heated above 70°C. Worse: conserves (like non-wholemeal flour). Even worse: Purified preparations (like sugar or other drugs).
Basically everything with an abnormal balance of substances. Which usually can only happen, if its processed as described above.
Evi1M4chine 1 year ago
Might as well take it to the next level: don't watch television! That'd be a good start. Ever since I stopped watching TV, I've been more relaxed, more contemplative, and increasingly productive in all aspects of my life. TV was a fucking downer.
missingt00th 1 year ago
@missingt00th Absolutely right !
Missnoopuka 1 year ago
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My dad own a grain farm and has a beef feedlot I own 3% of the total farm and have 10 of my own cattle in the feedlot till i get enough net worth to rent my own ground. We are a small family owned farm with no corporate rule. What you are saying is false. Have you ever been to a farm. Who are people going to believe, a person that is around livestock everyday of his life, or someone whose only connection with livestock is by viewing a video
steer1300 1 year ago
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My dad own a grain farm and has a beef feedlot I own 3% of the total farm and have 10 of my own cattle in the feedlot till i get enough net worth to rent my own ground. We are a small family owned farm with no corporate rule. What you are saying is false. Have you ever been to a farm. Who are people going to believe, a person that is around livestock everyday of his life, or someone whose only connection with livestock is by viewing a video
steer1300 1 year ago
It is more than obvious at this point that steer1300 has monetary interests in the meat industry. Don't pay him any mind, no matter what you say, he will discredit it. Profit rules in his case - and he may not be a farmer/rancher, etc., but probably employed by corporations that hire these types. I am sick just thinking about his kind. I refer to them as trolls / shills- either way, they have one purpose and that is the corporate agenda to discredit the REAL information. Pay him no mind.
DianeDi 1 year ago
@DianeDi My dad own a grain farm and has a beef feedlot I own 3% of the total farm and have 10 of my own cattle in the feedlot till i get enough net worth to rent my own ground. We are a small family owned farm with no corporate rule. What you are saying is false. Have you ever been to a farm. Who are people going to believe, a person that is around livestock everyday of his life, or someone whose only connection with livestock is by viewing a video
steer1300 1 year ago
@DianeDi If raising livestock was so profitable then every farmer would be doing it. Less than 2% of Americans farm and less than half of them raise livestock. WE like to be around animals and thats the main reason. There is not alot of profit in it. It does supplement our farms income though
steer1300 1 year ago
@PainterofYou Ecoli comes form the slaughter plant floor when a carcass falls from a hook onto the dirty floor it is supposed to be taken out of the building and moved to another one and processed as dog or fish food but careless workers put it back on the hook. Also Ecoli can be cooked out of the meat at 186 degrees
steer1300 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
This guy wants to control what you eat. Talk about socialism. He blames the nations obesity on the food alone. Think about this for a moment our grandparents had to work physically for their food or walk to work wash cloths and dishes by hand. If we went back to that people would be alot healthier. I don't eat very healthy, at 6'1" and 20 yrs old I only weigh 180 BECAUSE I WORK ON A FARM
steer1300 2 years ago
@steer1300 But you're only 20 yrs old! Get back to us in another 20 and let us know how HEALTHY you are. Socialism? Really?! "This guy" does not want to control anything you do. He does, however, believe in an informed public. Most people these days put more thought into what's on tv than into what they stuff into their mouths. See the film "FOOD, INC." for the cold, hard & frightening facts. I went McDougal. I'm 6'2 & 54 yrs old & weigh 170 & I'M A MEAT CUTTER... & I'm a strong & healthy VEGAN
gcorbin55 2 years ago 5
@gcorbin55 My dad's 56 eats meat every night. We don't eat organic because we know our product is SAFE. no one in our family has had diabeties, cancer none of that why change if there isn't a problem. I bet your natural skin color resemles that of snow
steer1300 2 years ago
@gcorbin55 I have seen Food Inc. the majority of the film is very very misleading propaganda. The conditions that livestock live in that were showed are only a few isolated instances. That farmer that claimes to be all organic and wears the weird hat actually doesn't have to make a living off of the livestock, he charges $800 for a guided tour of a pasture and 1500 to speak publically. Farming is only a sideline business to him. Plus do you call slaughtering chickens out side more sanitary.
steer1300 1 year ago
@steer I don't know what planet you are from. Most of the meat produced today 98% is from factory farms. They even discussed in Food Inc. there R 13 slaughterhouses in the U.S. where there used to be 1,300. The "products" are run from central control - a computer based operation which speeds up or slows down production. Look up BPI (Beef Production Inc.) and read what they are all about. Look at their website - gee, nothing better than soaking floor scraps in ammonia for human consumption.
DianeDi 1 year ago
@DianeDi There are other slaughterhouses in the US far more. There are more than 13 major ones in Illinois alone. Sure the majority are owned by the big 3 but there are many privately owned mom and pap slaughtershops, and some larger slaughterhouses that are privately owned. The film doesn't show that. The film focuses on the negatives and very little positives about modern agriculture. Its sad and unfair to hard working farmers.
steer1300 1 year ago
@gcorbin55 I have FOOD INC. - full length link on my main page under "about me". I also highly recommend Mad Cowboy and EARTHINGS - although this one is very difficult to watch, but it's something everyone should see. I found it life altering. Great life choice on veganism !
DianeDi 1 year ago
@steer1300: No, He wants YOU to control what YOU eat.
highlife66 1 year ago
@highlife66 I have heard interviews were he has said they ought to put a tax on thing like soda
steer1300 1 year ago
I can't wait till the ad to the right of this video is for doritos.
ericwolff6 2 years ago
Processed food has no life energy...it's cooked out, steamed out, and genetically modified..basically dead food..the best food is that you cook yourself the old-fashioned way, using gas, if possible...no microwaves, electric cookery, etc. Frozen food is probably the best in that there is little adulteration other than slight blanching in the case of veggies...the simpler the better...
mrbelley 2 years ago
I have the impression (by observation, I don't know any scientific research) that there are more cases of cancer now than in the past. could the processed food have any impact on this growth?
efex2007 2 years ago
@efex2007
I have the impression that the ability to diagnose cancer has improved so rapidly as to account for the seemingly larger # of cancer diagnosis we get now.
Mrmoc7 2 years ago
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"I have the impression (by observation, I don't know any scientific research) that there are more cases of cancer now than in the past. could the processed food have any impact on this growth?"
Could it be? Yes. Is it? Maybe. We won't know. We live a lot longer now. We are exposed to different environments, technologies, foods. You would be hard pressed to find good data supporting that processed foods elicit increased cancer risk.
kolan667 2 years ago
It looks like the advertisers just made you realize that you were wrong.
TheLonelyImmortal 2 years ago
Does anyone actually cook these days? i'm not being an ass, but you can minimize the junk they put in most of the stuff you buy and eat out there, and in my opinion, actual home made (from scratch) food tastes so much better, and you can eat tons of it and it's not that risky, and to minimize some cals i use milk or water instead of cream and all that stuff. but this was a bit astray from the actual clip here maybe, but i'm just presenting an alternative.. maybe.. all the best
Dinostra 2 years ago 2
@Dinostra -Yes! And, and thankful I did start. Reading all the crap on the labels started me doing this. I was never taught how to cook properly, so I started buying cookbooks that show you how to make anything from scratch-NOT open a can or box and add it to something. Not just the health benefit, but the food tastes so much better. Yeah, sometimes its a pain to take the time and effort, but I make ahead and put it in reheatable containers. Raw is easy, too-in the summer.
skeletonmom 2 years ago
How can you cook today ? I'd like to eat my traditional italian dishes but for making Lasagna from scratch you need a 4 hours slog. The last time I did eat REAL home made lasagne was 30 years ago when I was a child and my mom an housewife.
italianchappy 2 years ago
What?!?! 30 years ago?!?!?! Does anyone out there share this experience? My friends and I (and we're all twentysomethings) are cooking almost every day for ourselves.
saytom 2 years ago
Do you mean you make lasagna from scratch ? Starting from making pasta and ragout ??? Damn, I knew I should have married a German woman.
italianchappy 2 years ago
I'd rather eat all I want and exercise.... Shit, i'd rather just get fat.
diotecktec2 2 years ago
So don't eat anything with more then 5 ingredients in it? WTF am I suppose to do with my chili =(
ScreechingInsanity 2 years ago
My cat is on my TV at the moment. she goes there to keep warm.
Health foods are a scam usually, often worse than regular foods, nut bars held together with cane sugar and honey can have huge calorie count, mixed cereal foods are generally bad for same reason.
A manufacturer who produced a truly nutritious, one stop, high protein, soluble fibre & fruit based, low calorie snack is onto a winner. I honestly know of no such product on the market today.
marsCubed 2 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Food nazi, hey I gotta idea, how about stop telling me what to eat?
anikinippon 2 years ago
You can double click it and make it go away! LOL.
chopin65 2 years ago
@anikinippon Was it not you who chose to watch this video?
bunkermunk 2 years ago 3
@bunkermunk I subscribe, besides part of the freedom of speech is not just to speak but also to listen. If I didn't hear what he said, how would I know how to object?
anikinippon 2 years ago
@anikinippon
Moron. How about listening to what he says, and then evaluate for yourself on what to do, instead of bitching and moaning about it.
Aaberg123 2 years ago 2
He is not telling you, he is giving some advice. Eat what you want, drink beer, get fat and stupid.
vRennas 2 years ago
I've got an idea, if you don't agree, look at another video. And, by the way, comparing someone who is working to help people live a healthier life to goosestepping, murdering Nazis sucks. I strongly encourage people like you to eat 5000+ calories worth of animal fat-laden food per day - it moves you off of the planet sooner so the rest of us have a clean, compassionate planet. Or, you could stop being such an asshole and stop calling people Nazi's because you don't agree with them. Either way!
lynleyinlondon 2 years ago
@lynleyinlondon hahahahaha tremendous, this is what a college education gets you ladies and gentlemen, people who can dish criticism and can't take it. I'm glad you thought I was talking to you, you should pay attention, might help.
anikinippon 2 years ago
You put out your opinion on a public forum so yes, you are talking to me. You called someone a Nazi, that is not criticism, that is just being a prick (and not in a good way). Go eat yourself to death - wanker.
lynleyinlondon 2 years ago 2
@lynleyinlondon I don't know if you've seen my videos but I'm skinny as hell. If I did wank, I'd be skinner than I already am, not healthy. But on the charge of "Food Nazi", he wants it to be his way for wholesome foods to be available which will drive the food that we already have to substantially lower quantity. The pesticides that they use on "organic" crops are more susceptible to E-coli and other diseases that are transmittable, he wants this stuff IMPOSED if he had it his way.
anikinippon 2 years ago
Anikinippon: Ecoli is found in shit - period. Vegetables don't shit so far as I know. Spinach getting contaminated is not from organic pesticides, it is from run-off from factory farms: a vicious, polluting industry literally destroying the planet. They are clear-cutting the rain forests so cattle can graze so that humans can become diseased and fat. And this guy is a jerk? Really?
lynleyinlondon 2 years ago 21
@lynleyinlondon What do you think fertilizes "purely organic crops"? Thats right, shit. There you go. Artificial pesticides are alot safer than other ones as well. It's ok, you have no sense of humanity or actually looking up this kind of information for yourself now do you? I suppose recycling, other than metal, actually helps the planet too don't you?
anikinippon 2 years ago
Great comment! Hilarious about the vegetables not defecating too! (chuckling)
CoffeyBreaks 2 years ago
Thanks for the support! People will find ways to justify their ridiculous behaviour and slam anyone who points out that their actions are harming others because people like the critics of this video truly don't care about anything but their own personal desires. Fuck 'em.
lynleyinlondon 2 years ago
@lynleyinlondon agree ecept for the two word lets use forget them
steer1300 2 years ago
@lynleyinlondon You are pathetically wrong - 90% of food contamination comes from small, family-farm scale practices.
organic farms are 8 times more likely to have contaminated crops. Why? Because they fertilize with SHIT.
Ty311 1 year ago
@Ty311
E-coli found in industrial meat is a direct result of their living conditions and poor processing practiced by all CAFOs. The recent outbreak of e-coli in vegetables has been linked to the labor practices of industrial farms i.e. lack of restrooms, the exploitation of migrant workers.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@lynleyinlondon -you are so flat out wrong with all of those statements that i dont even know where to begin correcting you. check your facts, we're not in the 80's anymore, people actually know things now. its not runoff from factory farms, its in animal feces used as fertilizer, human contamination during processing etc. they clearcut rainforests to grow soybeans not graze cattle, and beef doesnt make humans diseased and fat. and yes he is a jerk. really.
bigalhorse1 1 year ago
i def feel a difference wen i eat fresh organic foods and processed. i feel ill if i eat micro wave meals. my skin feels like its burning
TheSnotrag2009 2 years ago
I dont understand whats wrong with eating crappy food if you want to, or if its cheap, or if its tasty... what ever the reason.
Everyone has the right to make choices, healthy or not.
Dont tell me what to eat, or even whats good to eat, thats for my doctor, to do... or wikipedia.
Xyno1100 2 years ago
No one told you to watch the video, and no one told you to listen.
jamoramajam 2 years ago 3
It's always seemed to me that fresh or frozen veggies are about the same price as processed foods. It doesn't have to be organic... just healthy and fresh.
Processed is just plain faster and easier, and mechanical processing makes it fairly cheap also... the facts are in the US less money is spent for food as a percentage of income. We grip about the cost of food while we poison ourselves with unhealthy additives with unknown consequences.
Make it fresh, make it yourself.
RivenrockGardens 2 years ago 2
nice video
stanbearpig 2 years ago
It's not that easy. Most lower-middle class Americans cannot afford healthy or organic foods. They'll prefer contents of the Dollar Menu to feed the family than 2 oranges for a buck.
Efferts 2 years ago 9
And the fact of the matter is that those dollar menu hamburgers aren't bad so long as they balance it with a good dose of fruits and other foods and don't chug the soda or have huge amount of fries.
The thing this dolt in the video misses isn't that possessed food isn't inherently evil. It's the gross excess of food you eat or your body make up. Sorry folks some of us were genetically destined to be skinny or fat.
purplecharger88 2 years ago
Purple charger: The meat industry is the most polluting in the world. Processed food Is bad for you - ever melt processed cheese? it's plastic - real plastic. And, genetic only accounts for 3-5% of uncontrollable obesity. Stop fooling yourself or you will die young, or wish you had. Control the food before it controls you.
lynleyinlondon 2 years ago
@Efferts How are the prices in usa for vegetables like peas, onion and beans? Those are very cheap where I live.
semicroma 1 year ago
@semicroma There are markets that sell cheaper whole foods, but they don't advertise nor do they distribute from low valued properties. I can get 4 oranges for a dollar there.
It's the multi-billion dollar unhealthy foods industries that snare attention. When folks hear they can feed their kids with 1-3 dollar complete instant meals of burger-fries-soda, they won't spurn the chance.
What's worse is that these places are becoming steep yet folks still buy due to adaptation.
Efferts 1 year ago
@Efferts
That's fucking false. It's way cheaper to live without any of the ailements shitty food will give you: chronic inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and everything that goes with being fat. Beans, Rice, and Leafy vegetables have everything you need to stay alive and it's cheaper than the dollar menu. Or Peanut Butter and Bread. Yes, eating healthy as a poor person may not be fun but it is very possible and far cheaper than eating out all the time.
ptarleton 1 year ago
@ptarleton I'm not the one to convince. Tell those earning meager salaries to search for options.
I'm telling you what they tell me.
Efferts 1 year ago
@ptarleton
With the exception of leafy vegetables, both beans and rice can be purchased in the dollar store for fifty cents per pound. However, unless you live in the general area where these foods are produced, fresh vegetables in particular, the higher the overall costs in terms of processing, packaging and distribution and ultimately pollution. As of right now, California holds a monopoly in the fresh produce market which drives the costs the farther out of state it's distributed.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@cbdoobie
Furthermore, the subsidize we place on commodity crops(corn, soybeans) ensures that farmers will choose these foods to grow which results in a surplus of said crops. The cheap prices leads to their incorporation into most of the affordable foods available to the average consumer. Also, the companies who capitalize on the surplus spend millions of dollars a year on advertising. So what consumers end up buying are the flashy, quick, unhealthy meals made of processed corn and soybeans.
cbdoobie 1 year ago
@Efferts horrible excuse.
your health care bill will beat any of the money you spend on food if you eat the "dollar menu"
muzicluva0 1 year ago
@muzicluva0 I'm not to be convinced. Ask those in question.
Efferts 1 year ago
@Efferts That is just not true! Most vegetables, rice, flour, legumes will feed a person for around a dollar per meal only if people were willing to cook.
doveisle 1 year ago
@doveisle You have to tell the poor that. What you've stated, while logical, proves unrealistic in some if not most poor homes. It's easier to say so if you have the resources & information.
Would you mind owning the responsibility of spreading the news?
Efferts 1 year ago
@Efferts The "poor" have to find that out for themselves. If even we can use that term, poor in America are far better off than what is middle class in most countries. If somebody chooses to complain and do nothing about their own good then so be it.
I remember seeing in a documentary (probably Food Inc) a family of four rolls out in their SUV in the morning, spends around $15 for buying breakfast from a drive through and later complains about how hard it was to feed the family.
doveisle 1 year ago
@doveisle "The "poor" have to find that out for themselves."
lol now you just admitted being part of the problem. Thanks for the proof. If no one's willing to uphold responsibility, ie: either browsing for answers (the poor) or sharing knowledge (you) then you shouldn't bitch that these folks are backwards since you've done nothing to adverse the issue.
You live in a society yet you're divided, & thus your education. So expect folks NOT to know & have what you own
Efferts 1 year ago
@Efferts What I own?
I am one of those that live barely above poverty line and I have to limit my expenses. That is why I had to figure out how to eat well at a low price and if I make it a mission to educate others, I won't have the time to work my own jobs and pay for school.
doveisle 1 year ago
@doveisle Then why not let everyone know how you've done it?
Efferts 1 year ago
@Efferts Lentils and beans cost around 70c - $1 / lb. Rice costs under 1 $/lb. Most vegetables cost $ 2-3 / lb. Eggs are $3 a dozen, milk is $3-4 a gallon Oatmeal is incredibly cheap and even chicken or red meat isn't all that expensive. I just learned how to cook and make it taste good using spices that are available at any ethnic store. You tube was of great help as more and more people post their traditional recipes and if I lack some of the ingredients, I just replace or skip.
doveisle 1 year ago 3
@doveisle Realize not everyone has a bodega or Trader Joe's adjacent to home. Costs vary. That, & some poor families are raised by generations of cheap unhealthy foods proving harder for them to sway from customs according to (ethnic) tradition, lack of funds, or even time to browse.
Efferts 1 year ago