2008 Woodie Awards
Healthy eating revisited: Part II of an article series
Sponsored by the Eating Disorder Task Force
Beau Greer
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: News
In Part 1 of this series, we concluded that the cornerstone of any healthy diet should be "whole" foods, as opposed to food products.
A farmer's market would be the ultimate source of whole foods, but I wouldn't expect an overload of college students to be hitting up the local farmer's market (not to mention they're almost impossible to find for half the year in cold Connecticut). Stop-and-Shop is probably your most practical solution, and the more produce in your cart, the better.
We were left with the dilemma of eating less, something our society has been getting progressively worse at for the last three decades. This is arguably for two reasons:
First, the cheapest options are typically the most refined, sugar-laden, calorically dense foods.
This is because your government chooses to give your tax money in the form of financial subsidies to the backbones of the processed food industry, corn and soybean farmers.
This is why 200 calories of Coke costs you about a buck, and 200 calories of apple will cost you about two.
This is why a Twinkie, with 25 different ingredients, costs less than half of what a large tomato currently costs at Stop-and -Shop.
Of course if you factor cost in regards to $/nutrient as opposed to $/calorie, it's much cheaper to buy the healthier food. But try telling a single mom raising two kids in Bridgeport that by spending more now she'll actually save money in the long run since she won't be sick in 20 years.
The second reason we're having trouble eating less is actually related to this economic issue.
The processing of food leaves us with inexpensive food products that are largely void of nutrients such as dietary fiber, and consequently do not fill us up particularly well.
After all, does it do a food company much good if their product satiates you? You wouldn't need to buy as much, or as frequently.
The next time you need a snack, eat a bag of potato chips, candy, or any food product and determine how long it really keeps you full. Or better yet, drink a 100-200 calorie drink (soda, most teas available in bottles, Vitamin Water) and see what it does for you.
A farmer's market would be the ultimate source of whole foods, but I wouldn't expect an overload of college students to be hitting up the local farmer's market (not to mention they're almost impossible to find for half the year in cold Connecticut). Stop-and-Shop is probably your most practical solution, and the more produce in your cart, the better.
We were left with the dilemma of eating less, something our society has been getting progressively worse at for the last three decades. This is arguably for two reasons:
First, the cheapest options are typically the most refined, sugar-laden, calorically dense foods.
This is because your government chooses to give your tax money in the form of financial subsidies to the backbones of the processed food industry, corn and soybean farmers.
This is why 200 calories of Coke costs you about a buck, and 200 calories of apple will cost you about two.
This is why a Twinkie, with 25 different ingredients, costs less than half of what a large tomato currently costs at Stop-and -Shop.
Of course if you factor cost in regards to $/nutrient as opposed to $/calorie, it's much cheaper to buy the healthier food. But try telling a single mom raising two kids in Bridgeport that by spending more now she'll actually save money in the long run since she won't be sick in 20 years.
The second reason we're having trouble eating less is actually related to this economic issue.
The processing of food leaves us with inexpensive food products that are largely void of nutrients such as dietary fiber, and consequently do not fill us up particularly well.
After all, does it do a food company much good if their product satiates you? You wouldn't need to buy as much, or as frequently.
The next time you need a snack, eat a bag of potato chips, candy, or any food product and determine how long it really keeps you full. Or better yet, drink a 100-200 calorie drink (soda, most teas available in bottles, Vitamin Water) and see what it does for you.
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