When Did Food Get to Be The Enemy?

[EllenL]

I'm sure this doesn't pertain to anyone here since by default you are at least moderately interested in food by participating in a cooking magazine forum. But has anyone noticed that lots of people are treating food as the enemy? I know quite a few people who seem to take little to no pleasure in food. Yup, there's always been some people who eat to live, but lately it seems that too many people are not finding any pleasure from food. I had friends over for dinner the other night and all they talked about is what they dislike and what they think is bad for them. I know some people have food allergies. I understand that some are lactose intolerant. Some people have to watch their calories. Some have celiac disease. Some are diabetics.

And I have my own food requirements in that I'm a vegetarian. But as long as something is vegetarian, I'm good with it. I can't name one thing that I dislike. But with these friends, they eat vegan because a blood test (by a kinesiologist, not a doctor or nutritionist) that they should be eating gluten-free and vegan. They dislike spices. They don't want to eat anything ever that would just be fun or taste good. I'm a very healthy eater, but yes, come Christmas time, there are peppermint Jo Jos in my pantry---and I only have one or two a day, so I can't see that I am harming my body.

There's so many people who act like any carb is bad. And so many who claim to be gluten-sensitive. Conversation seems to focus on what foods they think are bad and never on what they really do. I love to go on the vegan blogs because those are people who are creative and have fun with food---but I never seem to meet these people in real life.

Does anyone else know what I mean?

[Shugness]

Last week my chiropractor suggested I try a gluten free diet to help with either my IBS or fibromyalgia - I can't remember which, they go hand in hand it seems though, and he said he's found it helping his other patients. I totally let it go in one ear and out the other. I very much enjoy food and have no interest in eliminating any food category entirely. It's would be a total PITA and probably expensive.

It seems as long as I take probiotics and calcium for my IBS, and magnesium glycinate for my muscle and joint pain, I do ok.

[Jewel]

I think to many food has become a source of guilt. You either feel guilty for consuming the fat or calories, guilty for spending the $$ by going out to dinner, etc. I honestly used to feel the same way. I had a love/hate relationship with food. I love food, love to cook, but I had a list of things that I couldn't eat because of fat and calories. About four months ago I came to the realization.........Why? Unless there is a skull and crossbones on the label it's not going to hurt me. I have no real dietary limitations except we try to eat low sodium and lower fat, so I've eliminated more processed foods from our daily diet.. but why in the world would a food be off limits?

I added daily exercise to my routine for the first time in my life. This has made me a bit more conscious of what I put in my mouth alone. Do I really want that 150 calorie Fun Size Snickers if I know that it's going to take a half hour on the eliptical just to burn that Bad Boy off??

Above all I decided that I was not on a diet. I would never be 'on a diet' again. NO food is off limits, no guilt, no feeling bad about enjoying my meals. I've added exercise to my life, I enjoy cooking and eating again, and I've lost 13 lbs in four months. If I was 'on a diet' that number would seem very low. Because I'm NOT on a diet, just making a lifestyle change, that number seems just dandy to me. I enjoy the creativity of cooking and enjoy food, and I just finally decided that I wasn't going to let guilt take that away from me!

[PurplePotato]

I'm rather sick of it as well. People who jump from one fad or quick-fix thing to the next. People who look at me like I'm insane because I use real cream in my coffee every morning.

I love food. Love love love love food. All good things in moderation.

I'm also tired of the diet/weight talk amongst women when it is done just to whine about it. Get over it and move on. Work out or don't, I don't care. But I don't really want to hear about it anymore.

Unfortunately I find few people IRL who I can have a serious conversation about it. I'm into healthy food. I'm into exercise. I find lots of people are only interested in talking about them or whining about them - not actually doing them.

[PurplePotato]

Last week my chiropractor suggested I try a gluten free diet to help with either my IBS or fibromyalgia - I can't remember which, they go hand in hand it seems though, and he said he's found it helping his other patients. I totally let it go in one ear and out the other. I very much enjoy food and have no interest in eliminating any food category entirely. It's would be a total PITA and probably expensive.

It seems as long as I take probiotics and calcium for my IBS, and magnesium glycinate for my muscle and joint pain, I do ok.

Ok, I swear I'm not into woo stuff but... often an anti-inflammatory diet can help with IBS. If I have a flare up I'll go back to that for a few days until everything gets back to normal. Of course, I usually have been eating way too much of stuff that triggers it to cause the flare up so it is my own darn fault.

[cookieee]

When did food get to be the enemy? When you have breast cancer and are scared to death it will come back by all the junk that they put in processed food. Then you wise up and start watching what you are eating. YES, there are enemys out there. It may not be the food, but the uncaring, money hungry people out there that MAKE the food and don't tell you how bad it is for you.

[wallycat]

When did food become the enemy?
When ginormous conglomerates turned real food into boxed food.

[cookieee]

when did food become the enemy?
When ginormous conglomerates turned real food into boxed food.

here !! Here!!

[Robyncz]

when did food become the enemy?
When ginormous conglomerates turned real food into boxed food.

this!

[ADM]

I'm also tired of the diet/weight talk amongst women when it is done just to whine about it. Get over it and move on. Work out or don't, I don't care. But I don't really want to hear about it anymore.

How about when the women play True Confessions?

"I ate that piece of cake and could it feel go straight to my hips! "

"I made a decadent cheesecake. I ate one bite ( ) and sent to rest to my husband's office."

"Suzy gave me the recipe for her wonderful Banana Bread. When I made it I reduced the oil, sugar and the kind of flour. It didn't taste like hers, I think she deliberately left something out!"

[cookieee]

"suzy gave me the recipe for her wonderful banana bread. When i made it i reduced the oil, sugar and the kind of flour. It didn't taste like hers, i think she deliberately left something out!"

Love it!!!

[EllenL]

I think women have always been calorie counters---it's a long-standing joke that some women will say that they just want a bite of their guy's dessert and then proceed to eat the whole thing!

And yup, I can see where processed food is the enemy...but then weren't most of us complicit in aiding and abetting by buying the junk? I know sometimes it can't be helped. I cook most food from scratch but don't always have time to make something like ketchup from scratch---and until recently, the big manufacturers were putting in HFCS.

And now that I wrote it, I remember that I was pretty scared and avoidant of HFCS---when some nutritionists say that it's not much different than regular sugar (I still try to avoid it, but I realize that a few bites or swallows of it when at someone's home isn't going to kill me).

I guess I'd just like to focus on what's healthy and fun and delicious instead of all the negative stuff about carbs/gluten/
calories/soy, etc.

[PurplePotato]

How about when the women play True Confessions?

"I ate that piece of cake and could it feel go straight to my hips! "

"I made a decadent cheesecake. I ate one bite ( ) and sent to rest to my husband's office."

"Suzy gave me the recipe for her wonderful Banana Bread. When I made it I reduced the oil, sugar and the kind of flour. It didn't taste like hers, I think she deliberately left something out!"

Drives me crazy. I'm not interested in playing the game AND if you are on the slim side your comments are not appreciated. So I tend to sit there quietly and wait for it to pass.

If I make a cheesecake I'm **** well having more than one bite, I can tell you that.

[PurplePotato]

here !! Here!!

I will admit that one food group I consciously minimize is processed/packaged food. I'd much rather have real food.

Except for boxed mac & cheese. I love boxed mac & cheese for some reason.

[LakeMartinGal]

I will admit that one food group I consciously minimize is processed/packaged food. I'd much rather have real food.

Except for boxed mac & cheese. I love boxed mac & cheese for some reason.

Me, too! That's about the only boxed thing in the house! ... about...

[cookieee]

Me, too! That's about the only boxed thing in the house! ... about...

Our boxed Mac and Cheese is in a cabinet with a glass door and a sign that says "break in case of an emergency".

DH is very good at making homemade mac and cheese

[LakeMartinGal]

Our boxed Mac and Cheese is in a cabinet with a glass door and a sign that says "break in case of an emergency".

DH is very good at making homemade mac and cheese

xxx LOLl! My DH doesn't cook much any more, and when he makes Mac & Cheese, it's the baked kind, like his mother made.

[cookieee]

xxx LOLl! My DH doesn't cook much any more, and when he makes Mac & Cheese, it's the baked kind, like his mother made.

Oh dear, baked is my favorite way

[LakeMartinGal]

Oh dear, baked is my favorite way

Well, let's have something else when we visit each other!

[cookieee]

Well, let's have something else when we visit each other!

OK, deal

[chiangalice]

Hey, baked is my favorite too

[Anne]

How about the people that say - 'I forgot to eat'. I may forget where I left the car keys but I never forget to eat.

[lindrusso]

How about the people that say - 'I forgot to eat'. I may forget where I left the car keys but I never forget to eat.

Yeah, I can't identify with that one either. Except once in a rare while I'll be spending a very, very long day in the kitchen prepping for a party and forget to eat lunch. But maybe that's because I'm around food the whole time.

I would say that media hype plays a big role here. We were told butter was the enemy and switched to margarine only to be told later that trans fat was the enemy. It wasn't too long ago that eggs were the enemy and now we're told that eggs are okay. And so on and so forth.....

I just read something the other day posted on Facebook where they are linking fructose with faster growth rates in cancer. The article listed high fructose corn syrup as being a main culprit but also mentioned that fructose occurs naturally in fruits and some vegetables. Sounds alarming at first until you start to ask questions. Like, what else in large doses might cause the same result? Is it only fructose? And does the body process fructose that is artificially injected into the body in large quantities the same way it would if you ate an apple? I'm not a scientist, but my guess is NO.

I'm not big on elimination diets either - it does seem to take the enjoyment out of food and eating. I don't want to be the one who goes to someone's house or out to eat with a group and then spends an hour complaining or discussing or trying to figure out what is "safe" to eat.

[LakeMartinGal]

How about the people that say - 'I forgot to eat'. I may forget where I left the car keys but I never forget to eat.

Me, either! Though I try to forget what I've eaten, sometimes...

[vbak]

I never forget to eat, but like Kay, I sometimes try to forget, too. The only thing I TRY to eliminate are carbs because of blood sugar issues. I do eat them but not in large quantities as I did in the 'good old days'. Moderation.

This is strange..when we visit DD in Germany, There is nothing that I don't eat or drink and my sugar is fine. When we get home, my sugar is for crap! I just don't get it. Probably OT. Sorry.

[swedish cook]

I had friends over for dinner the other night and all they talked about is what they dislike and what they think is bad for them.

Do they not want to be invited back?

I don't want to be the one who goes to someone's house or out to eat with a group and then spends an hour complaining or discussing or trying to figure out what is "safe" to eat.

There is a time and place for everything.

[JustD2Me]

I never forget to eat, but like Kay, I sometimes try to forget, too. The only thing I TRY to eliminate are carbs because of blood sugar issues. I do eat them but not in large quantities as I did in the 'good old days'. Moderation.

This is strange..when we visit DD in Germany, There is nothing that I don't eat or drink and my sugar is fine. When we get home, my sugar is for crap! I just don't get it. Probably OT. Sorry.

When you are in Germany do you walk a lot more? I found that when I am on vacation, I tend to walk a lot more than I do in my regular day. The exercise of walking tends to keep my sugar more stable.

[BarbaraL]

"Suzy gave me the recipe for her wonderful Banana Bread. When I made it I reduced the oil, sugar and the kind of flour. It didn't taste like hers, I think she deliberately left something out!"

One of my pet peeves. My mom's too; we had a neighbor who'd ask for your recipe, change it all around, then say it didn't taste like yours. Well, DUH.

I was asked for a recipe and gave a PHOTOCOPY of the magazine page it came from. I was told that there was something wrong with my recipe (well, it worked for ME).

[Angelina]

Sometimes when I am at work, I get so busy and involved in what I am doing - then throw in a couple of meetings - and I will easily forget that it's lunch time and I should be eating.

By the time I remember, it's really too late and nothing is open anymore.

I don't really listen to the stuff in the news, because it's always the same story. Shocking news! Fiber is good for you! Mostly it's just common sense, and it's surprising to me how many people don't really know much about their food. A friend of mine at work was showing me her 300 calories lunch, till I pointed out the 2.5 servings and that is was really more like 750 calories.

I follow a vegan diet, but for ethical reasons and not health reasons. You can eat plenty of junky stuff as a vegan too, but I try to eat everything in moderation...

[vbak]

[QUOTE=JustD2Me;1644965]When you are in Germany do you walk a lot more? I found that when I am on vacation, I tend to walk a lot more than I do in my regular day. The exercise of walking tends to keep my sugar more stable.[/QUOTE

Yes, I do walk a lot most days, but even when I was going to the gym regularly at home, my levels were not as good as they were in Germany.