We Need To Call Out The Food Pushers

#1

I am so frustrated about the fact that we can build and maintain a space station, construct the James Web telescope and create myriad of other technological marvels but we can’t figure out how to effectively address food addiction or any addiction for that matter. I wonder if a solution(s) actually exist but big food is profiting so much from people’s addiction they are preventing the solution from being accessible? Sounds like a paranoid conspiracy theory or too close to the truth? Big food, big pharma, big agra are raking in billions like the drug pushers that they are. Putting sugar in virtually every food product has made us a nation of addicts. The pigs at the trough are the billion dollar corporations promoting food addiction.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

The collective experience of addicts in recovery shows that complete abstinence from the substance causing the addiction is a good way to effectively address food addiction or any other addiction.

Suppose you were a vintner or a maker of spiritous liquors. Would you voluntarily promote a programme that caused people to stop using your product? Ditto for the makers of processed foods, which are explicitly designed to be addictive. Also, it is a quirk of human psychology that makes us want to engage in unhealthy behaviour and take a pill, rather than to avoid the behaviour. And likewise, if there is no drug to be prescribed for a medical condition, then doctors will not test for it, nor will health insurance companies pay for the test

I don’t know about your country, but in the U.S., all the health insurance companies either own pharmaceutical companies or are owned by pharmaceutical companies, so effectively, if there is no pill or other expensive treatment for it, the condition does not exist, so far as the medical profession is concerned.

#3

I so feel the frustration in your post and get it!
but ya got a few things happening in that it isn’t illegal to add sugar to food so they will and at that point it is all about those billions for sure and in the bitter end of it, it is a choice to buy that profit. People don’t have to. I don’t. Now. I sure did before :frowning:

I think the best way is keep screaming it in the streets kinda thing. Don’t eat the crap. Flip the label, read what the heck one is eating. But as we know alot of the masses know this, but do they put the same value on the message?

it is a toughie for sure. One I don’t think is gonna change any time soon on the shelves of the products we can opt to purchase. Has to boil down to the individual making that buy. Thru the dollars spent on products is the only way big companies will change their products too. Don’t buy it, they will change it to find a way to make ya buy it. But darn, that sugar makes alot of stuff palatable too so?

yea it is almost a no fix thing going on with our food supply I guess.

#4

It’s quite logical that companies want profit… And people want tasty things too and don’t care about their health in general.

I have a similar frustration though. We can do so amazing surgeries and stuff - but doctors still act very stupidly when it’s about bloodwork and diet…

Humanity is very very early in its development still, with tons of problems.
As long as they don’t actively keep me to search for answers and do what good for me, to some extent, it’s not as bad as could be. Of course, I still feel for careless, addicted, ignorant, impressionable people but they still may grasp some control over their life and health, they aren’t force-fed with who knows what as many animals, well some is happy if they get any type of food, their options are even way more limited than mine (I can be creative if I must. to some point). But most people can do better if they want. It’s harder if almost everything is against them but there is a way, no one actually truly stops them.

It’s the same with doctors. To some extent, we may put effort into our health, learn things and say no in some cases when we are sure we are right and not the so-called expert. I did that a few times in my life and I am very healthy so I rarely saw a doctor in the first place (except dentists). But they had quite wrong outdated ideas and I didn’t let them to do what they wanted. Fortunately I am the patient so if I am conscious, I can say no. It’s not that easy for everyone but it’s still an option, some freedom, it matters a lot to me. When we have zero options, that’s the really tragic situation.

(Marianne) #5

I agree. We have the solution. It’s not being pushed to the masses because of vested interests and also as importantly, I sincerely think that people don’t want to hear it. Whenever my keto lifestyle comes up, I am immediately met with resistance. People will try anything - even crazy things - before giving up certain food groups. For true food addicts (like me), there is no middle ground. It’s an all or nothing proposition, long term. It’s impossible to indulge “sometimes” in cakes, sweets, beloved snacks, etc., and expect to get that tiger back in its cage every time. It’s a dance with the devil. I haven’t done that now in four years and my compulsion to eat those former foods has been removed. Now they are just a passing thought. That would all go up in smoke if I were to take that first bite.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #6

Preach it, sister! Truer words were never spoken. :+1:

#7

Fortunately(? but yes, I think it’s good, after all…) I can indulge occasionally - but sometimes it’s harder to come back (December, mostly. this one was wild) - and it’s not like it’s necessarily worth it anyway. Since I collected plenty of carnivore-ish days, the carby ones usually aren’t so fun and satisfying anymore. Yay.

“No middle ground”… My original keto was a middle ground to me, a temporal, needed period until I couldn’t do it better. But the carbs kept interfering. Maybe the lack of meat brought its own problems too (it’s fine and dandy to live without meat, it’s not essential but it’s hard to go as low without it as I personally seem to need to. and it helps with enjoying my food, another important thing. I need variety and meat helps a lot with it). My addiction(? I don’t know if it is the right word for what I had) to vegs surely was a problem. The less vegs, the better - except maybe a really tiny amount here and then when my meat or egg dish really calls for it.
So even the style and strictness of keto may matter a lot. It depends on the person, of course. Possibly even the actual goals, eating much (fat) will be less of a problem when I will slim down and want to be merely more muscular…

By the way, keto sweets beats almost all carby sweets if you ask me… Sweets weren’t my problem on keto. I have very good carni desserts as well. And it’s good as I can handle starches better and those are the tempting things, usually. Fortunately not too often. And I just need to handle my love towards fruits somehow. I am looking forward to see what happens in June (my major fruit seasons are there) after 5 months of eating carnivore(-ish. maybe with a few off days if I get very bored but I do my best to keep my plant carbs super low even then. and I try to avoid boredom anyway)! I can’t imagine it won’t change a lot.
Abstinence is often very successful and tend to change even my wildest off times. It doesn’t happen to everyone but surely to many of us. We change for the better. Or just can control ourselves, that’s good too, not so much for me as I inevitably stray off a lot (maybe that will change this year) and I need to bounce back right away. But if one becomes a carb monster on carbs but they can abstain as a healed alcoholic from alcohol, that sounds good enough. And pretty hard to me but I imagine I wouldn’t stray so much if it would end up very much not well either… I like to feel well.

#8

Except most people WANT that sugary food, we’re by far the minority on that one. Many can also just eat (some) and not go nuts.

I’m also a big privacy advocate, being a former tech worker and a nerd I’m hyper aware of what’s going on, but that will never stop people stupid enough to not realize what happens every time they Google a website rather than just going to it on their own, use Google Maps or Waze to drive places they know how to get to, asking Google or Siri a question, putting their lives on display on social media, giving their email address or unneeded information on forms to ANYBODY that simply asks for it.

I see how this all works and the BILLIONS that’s made off people’s ignorance, but no matter how many data breaches, no matter how many bank accts are emptied or how many Edward Snowdens point it out, or Cambridge Analytica’s happen, people DON’T CARE. They WANT that convenience, and they don’t care how they have to get it, or what the repercussions are.

Food, Privacy, Health, it doesn’t matter. The people that care are less than the 1%, it’s not going to change. I’m fine with that. If all the healthy food got popular and the garbage went away, you know what that would do to the food supply and prices? Let all our healthy stuff not have a huge demand, it works in our favor!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #9

More bacon for us!!! :bacon::bacon::bacon:

#10

wow you said it right there. this was me totally. I tried everything in my power to not have to drop all my fav crap food but in the end, my crazy walk thru failure showed me one thing and one thing only. don’t eat it. ever. ugh. but of course it is the healthy and smart way to do it and I really had to fight with deprivation feelings about cutting food groups totally. I can be a tough row to sow for sure mentally. So get ya on that one.

#11

You are right @Dar1

(Alec) #12

Here’s my perspective:

  1. It is not the food industry’s job to keep us healthy. Their job (a fiduciary duty, meaning they legally HAVE to do this) is to maximise their profit.
  2. Therefore, if we believe anything the food industry tells us, we are being foolish.
  3. The real problem is that the regulatory bodies have completely gone off the rails: they have not resisted and managed commercial interests (pharma and food) in the interests of the public, which is what they are supposed to be for.
  4. And who appoints and manages these failed regulatory bodies? The government, the politicians.
  5. Frankly, I think the only way to dig ourselves out of this mess is for individuals to find the truth, live it, lead by example, show others what the results are, and eventually the corrupt regulatory bodies will be embarrassed into changing
  6. How long is eventually? Decades. Alas, in the meantime, literally millions (if not billions) of people will die earlier than they should have done.
  7. It is scandalous, and this will be what our era will be remembered for in 500 years time.
  8. :slightly_frowning_face:
(Marianne) #13

For all the years I “dieted,” my goal was to lose the weight I wanted and then reincorporate those things back into my diet that got me into trouble - only the next time, I’d indulge in them in “moderation.” It was only a matter of time before the weight came back and I’d be out of control again.

#14

You said it. Me and you are twins on that one, lol.

what I never understood til I ‘finally got it in my brain!’ reading how people maintained. the long term maintainers!! I read over and over ‘what clicked’ for them to keep off the weight and ONLY 1 thing they always said, and DUH took me years to sink into my brain…they never left their eating plan on how they lost the weight. There is ‘no end’ to their eating change lifestyle. Yea some might be able to allow a few ‘treats up the scale low carb style’ every now and then but they never went back. Ever. To their own personal old ways and for me, I wanted that ‘in moderation’, the crap I ate back like you LOL

I tell ya it can be a hard time long time before something you read and someone tells ya to truly sink in when ya don’t really wanna hear it :slight_smile:

(Marianne) #15

Yup. Took me from the time I was 14 (I think the first time I joined WW), until age 59, when I started keto. During that time, I was always on a “diet,” even during the several times I lost all my weight, either desperately trying to lose or not gain it back. At least I got there. Sadly, most people don’t.

#16

Amen to that!!

(Karen) #17

Eat real veggies and real meat. Organic, pasture raised if you can afford it. I find it easier ordering my groceries ala CoVid days. Less tempted by what’s in the aisles.

#18

It seems a valid idea, it actually worked for my SO :smiley: He is a healthy vain one so he lost most of his excess fat once and never got fat again. But yep, it doesn’t work for many, probably most of us. Unless we are very serious about moderation as it means we eat the problem items very rarely and only the ones not triggering overeating or not coming back…

But it’s just our figure… Isn’t health even more important? I had so very bad results at fat-loss but I liked to give my body what it liked (more like it didn’t let me not to do it but I actually want to be good to my loyal body, in its hands are my health and feeling good!) so I never went back to my old diet.
I never stayed on keto though. I do like my extra things here and then :slight_smile: Freedom and stuff except when it’s compulsive eating, that’s the worst slavery. But my end goal is only wanting what is good for me. With very tiny, very rare exceptions.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #19

I feel the same way. Ordering groceries removes all the temptations from the picture. We have had no problems eating keto during the “pandamnit”.

(Gabe “No Dogma, Only Science Please!” ) #20

Robert Lustig has been touting the solution for well over a decade: end our subsidies and support for big sugar and processed food.

I eat a LCHF diet (6.5 years now, but who’s counting?) – however I don’t care to push this diet on others.

Vegans and vegetarians and carnivores are not enemies. We can all agree on one very simple thing that will achieve >80% of the benefits of going low carb: stop eating sugar and processed foods.

Let people have their rice and whole grain bread. As Taubes noted long ago, the Japanese have been eating white rice forever and they’ve been perfectly healthy. I don’t care anymore about arguing for being in ketosis.

We know what the problem is.

If we don’t want our health systems and economies to tank, eventually this will require government action.