USA Obesity Epidemic - how fast it happened!!! 25 years!

[tmm99]

OK, just did a search. I guess it used to be goat skin bags. Too much history! Yes, it is easier to make without all the fuss of skin bags, I see.

Is this stuff around in the store so I can give it a try first?

You can buy kefir drinks (some flavored and some not) in bottles in stores. Some kefir drinks in stores taste just like yogurt, but kefir has a distinct flavor that is totally different from yougurt, so you may have to try a couple of brands to find the authentic kefir taste. You can also purchase kefir starters online or health stores, but they are like yogurt starters in the sense that you cannot use the seed milk to reproduce. You can order live kefir grains online. All you have to do is to move the kefir grains from one bottle of milk to another and leave the bottle at room temperature for a day or so. If you want to take a long break, you can let the grains rest in powdered milk, or you can even freeze them for a longer storage. You can also get water kefir grains (live or dehydrated) - The medium for water kefir is sugary water instead of milk. Water kefir contains a small amount of alcohol once fermented, unlike milk kefir. They are both sour and effervescent.

I used to make kefir years and years ago, with milk mainly. I had to join a Yahoo group to get kefir grains from one of the members (It wasn't available online in those days.) Kefir does have a lot of beneficial bacteria, but you may not like the taste. (I personally like the taste of yogurt better. I did enjoy the effervescent-ness of kefir though.) Kefir may also be too acidic for some people's stomach. YMMV.

 

[Fedup]

My Indian friend taught me how to make yogurt. I need to do them again. I eat plain yogurt with honey and stewed fruit. Throwing a bit of nuts and it's heaven.

 

[donheff]

I make vanilla yogurt from plain whole milk yogurt with a splash of vanilla and a packet of Splenda (sorry). Delicious.

 

[MRG]

+1 on the portion sizing. The sizes of servings at most restaurants (including but not limited to fast food - e.g. McDonalds - and sit-down casual dining - e.g. Cheesecake Factory) is amazing. I know it was simple economics that drove the introduction of the first "Super-Size" meal at McDonalds but now it seems like an arms race between restaurants who can serve the biggest portions.

I watched two 60-70 year old guys each eat an entire 15" pizza for lunch today. The whole flipping pizza, apiece! They were both overweight, probably obese. No secret how they grew that size.

 

[audreyh1]

I thought that was the stuff they hang in burlap bags somewhere in the Caucasus region? It didn't sound appetizing to me.

I will give the yogurt a try. Sounds pretty easy.

It's very nice. Tangier than yogurt, and liquid, so more of a drink.

 

[audreyh1]

OK, just did a search. I guess it used to be goat skin bags. Too much history! Yes, it is easier to make without all the fuss of skin bags, I see.

Is this stuff around in the store so I can give it a try first?

Yes, I recommend the Lifeway brand.

 

[Marita40]

I've tried the ready-made stuff and find that homemade kefir not only tastes quite different but is far superior. It is very easy to make. I got grains on Craigslist 5 years ago for about $5.00 and they are still going strong. You just pour milk over it (some people do water) and let it sit on the counter for a couple days, then strain.

 

[athena53]

And don't get me started on yogurt. It isn't what it used to be. It is now some sort of manufactured pudding. And then there are the sweeteners. Gogurt/Yogurt, it is all crap. I need to learn how to make my own.

Big Food has turned everything into candy. Breakfast cereal. Granola and granola bars. Coffee (Starbucks Caramel Macchiatto, anyone?). Yogurt. Juices and smoothies. I once saw breakfast cereal "with Greek yogurt". Of course it was dehydrated and powdered meaning the cultures were dead. It's sometimes hard to find beef jerky that's not BBQ or Korean BBQ and this loaded with sugar. They wreck everything. If I want sugar on things, I'll do it myself, thank you.

 

[Amethyst]

I still have, and use, a Salton Yogurt Maker kit from 1979 with four little (sizes were smaller back then!) glass cups in an electric warming tray. It really is as easy as Brewer describes.

Trivially easy. Scald the milk, let it cool to 100F or so, mix in some of your favorite plain yogurt as a starter, keep it warm for 12 to 18 hours.

 

[brewer12345]

I still have, and use, a Salton Yogurt Maker kit from 1979 with four little (sizes were smaller back then!) glass cups in an electric warming tray. It really is as easy as Brewer describes.

DW uses a similar doodad of more recent vintage. Yogurt is about the only thing that I don't make, heh.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Bingo. There has been a huge sea-change in the way we think about snacking. Very few of us had a constant cheerio bag at hand. Today, I see kids eating all the time!



And don't get me started on yogurt. It isn't what it used to be. It is now some sort of manufactured pudding. And then there are the sweeteners. Gogurt/Yogurt, it is all crap. I need to learn how to make my own.

It's very easy with a sous vide machine and a sealed Mason jar. Google it. Use Fage brand for your starter. Fage does not use fillers and you have your choice if fat content. If you strain it after it becomes very thick Greek yogurt. Then save some out for your next starter.

Everything seems to have fillers and stuff. Mayonnaise always has modified food starch and "natural flavors". Even butter and cream are not just butter and cream. Gellen gum is added to a major brand of organic cream. Most butter has added ingredients. The only butter I can find with no added mystery ingredients is one from Iceland, but it only comes salted. You have to wonder about the role of modified food starch and other such stupid ingredients in our obesity epidemic.

 

[brewer12345]

Everything seems to have fillers and stuff. Mayonnaise always has modified food starch and "natural flavors". Even butter and cream are not just butter and cream. Gellen gum is added to a major brand of organic cream. Most butter has added ingredients. The only butter I can find with no added mystery ingredients is one from Iceland, but it only comes salted. You have to wonder about the role of modified food starch and other such stupid ingredients in our obesity epidemic.

I picked up a loaf of bread at the store today that prominently featured whole grain on the label. The ingredients included "cellulose." They are putting sawdust in the bread.

 

[Nemo2]

They are putting sawdust in the bread.

Or is it?

Pulp fiction and fact: Wood, cellulose and Parmesan cheese | Food Safety News

In recent lawsuits and media reports about the FDA’s prosecution of a manufacturer of grated Parmesan, plaintiff’s lawyers and reporters claim some Parmesan varieties have unsafe levels of certain ingredients, including “wood pulp.”

grated-parmesan-cheese

Let’s separate fact from the pulp fiction — starting with one prominent Bloomberg report, “The Parmesan You Sprinkle on Your Penne Could be Wood,” which has sparked at least one lawsuit against Kraft.

Bloomberg reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had caught Pennsylvania-based Castle Cheese Inc. “doctoring its 100% real parmesan with cut-rate substitutes and such fillers as wood pulp and distributing it to some of the country’s biggest grocery chains.”

When they say “wood pulp,” they mean cellulose. The problem is, the type of cellulose most commonly used in food products is a common plant derivative with uses ranging from adding fiber to food to preventing clumping. And because wood pulp, also technically a plant derivative, contains cellulose, these outlets have concluded, or at least drawn readers in with headlines, claiming Parmesan with cellulose contains wood pulp. That isn’t a fair conclusion, but it makes for catchy headlines — and, unfortunately, fodder for a new wave of food mislabeling class actions against other companies singled out in some media reports, Kraft and Walmart.

So, cellulose is not necessarily wood pulp. Nor is it inherently “unsafe,” as another media outlet, “Women’s Health,” reports in a story with a another alarming headline: “The Parmesan Cheese in Your Pantry May Contain Unsafe Levels of Wood.”

 

[MRG]

I picked up a loaf of bread at the store today that prominently featured whole grain on the label. The ingredients included "cellulose." They are putting sawdust in the bread.

Don't look at the cr@p grated, powdered cheese then. It's full of cellulose too. Yum. I ate enough sawdust during my ten years in the lumber industry. I am not eating any more.

IIRC Meadbh pointed the relationship out to me in a post.

 

[brewer12345]

Or is it?

Pulp fiction and fact: Wood, cellulose and Parmesan cheese | Food Safety News

Does any of this sound like "whole grain" too you?

 

[Nemo2]

Does any of this sound like "whole grain" too you?

No, but apparently it's not 'sawdust' either.

 

[CaliforniaMan]

Cellulose is the structural component of the cell wall of all green plants. So of course any time you eat any green plant material you are eating cellulose. Maybe the confusion comes because many (most?) people are scared of anything sounding chemical-ish. Remember the dangerous dihydrogen monoxide that is used in many food products? Another reason for the added confusion probably comes from the fact that cellulose for industrial purposes does indeed come primarily from wood pulp. I think it is advantageous to have a healthy skepticism of the health, food or diet related articles that are put out by the mainstream press or online bloggers.

 

[braumeister]

The only butter I can find with no added mystery ingredients is one from Iceland, but it only comes salted.

Get the Kerrygold Irish butter. Pure butter, salted or unsalted, and absolutely delicious.
Costco carries it at a good price.

 

[donheff]

Although I used a LCHF diet to lose a bunch of weight I am no longer very low carb, just low sugar and highly processed foods. I and others have argued elsewhere in this thread that controlling appetite is key. If you are hungry all the time you will not be able to avoid overeating long term. I hate vegetables (really, I have tried) so I am stuck with a less than optimal (in my opinion) diet heavy on meats and fats. That allows me to stay lean with no effort. The leanness is healthy but the lack of vegetables is probably not. Oh well.

But I don't believe that my success with weight control implies that others need follow the same approach. Again, the key is appetite control. Lots of people love plant based foods and can thrive on a diet with little or no meat and low fat. The Broad study demonstrated that people can control weight on a low fat, vegan diet while eating unrestricted amounts of food and not counting calories. They abstained from processed foods and their appetites kept them from overeating. As the author of the article says, "Of course any diet can work short-term, but this one worked long-term (1 year). Why? I don’t think it was the lack of meat; I think it was the lack of junk foods — in other words, it was a Hunger-Free Diet"

 

[audreyh1]

Once your metabolism is impaired, CICO gets a lot more complex, IMO. For example, your metabolism can slow in response to caloric restriction.

Hunger management is key. Humans evolved naturally regulating their weight, and hunger must have been the main mechanism.

Focus should be on repairing the metabolism - improving insulin sensitivity, curing the fatty liver and pancreas, etc. No junk, low-carb and exercise seem to really help this healing, and participants don't have to deal with the stress of hunger.

 

[JoeWras]

Cellulose is the structural component of the cell wall of all green plants. So of course any time you eat any green plant material you are eating cellulose. Maybe the confusion comes because many (most?) people are scared of anything sounding chemical-ish. Remember the dangerous dihydrogen monoxide that is used in many food products? Another reason for the added confusion probably comes from the fact that cellulose for industrial purposes does indeed come primarily from wood pulp. I think it is advantageous to have a healthy skepticism of the health, food or diet related articles that are put out by the mainstream press or online bloggers.

There's no confusion. I don't mind a little dihydrogen monoxide. I'm sipping on some now.

But when I buy cheese, I expect it to be a milk product, not the processed chum of some unknown plant.

The article goes on to talk about "dangerous" or whatever. That's just horse-rubbish, and another problem with our society (sensationalized journalism.) I'll gladly eat cellulose at lunch when I have that broccoli salad. Instead, my problem is with just all the C.R.A.P. we get in our food now. Yogurt is a great example, because most of the major brands now fill it with all kinds of stuff to make it pudding-like.

 

[MichaelB]

I think it is advantageous to have a healthy skepticism of the health, food or diet related articles that are put out by the mainstream press or online bloggers.

+1

Get the Kerrygold Irish butter. Pure butter, salted or unsalted, and absolutely delicious.
Costco carries it at a good price.

+1

 

[audreyh1]

Hmmmm - maybe I'll pick up some of the Kerrygold butter.

Too bad they don't sell Dutch better here. It's really awesome butter.

 

[tmm99]

Hmmmm - maybe I'll pick up some of the Kerrygold butter.

And Kerrygold is grass-fed. I wish I could get it where I live...
I used to get it at TJ's - They usually had it at a reasonable price.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Hmmmm - maybe I'll pick up some of the Kerrygold butter.

Me too.