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Does anyone else here NOT eat only healthy foods?

Catwoman

By Catwoman,
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nmoira

nmoira

Posted
Posted

What is that???

 

 

Something Michael Pollan would definitely call a "food-like substance."

 

Best to remain ignorant if you can.

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Spy Car

Spy Car

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Posted

 

 

Just yesterday I was noticing the jars of Marmite on the grocery shelf, and wondering what one would do with it. I sort of assumed it fell into the umami category.

 

Edited to add: All this talk of beets is bringing on a craving.

 

 

A spoonful in a soup or stew brings out the umami/savory flavors nicely. However, since Marmite is rather dear here (and I love it so much unmasked) I usually withhold it from soups and stews and hit those with a little fish sauce.

 

But if I had a free supply the Marmite would be used more copiously.

 

Bill

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nmoira

nmoira

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A spoonful in a soup or stew brings out the umami/savory flavors nicely.

 

 

So does a dash of good fish sauce. I'm a Red Boat gal.

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Spy Car

Spy Car

Posted
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This sounds like a taste I'd like.

 

But my question is...WHY? Why eat this? LOL

 

I have never seen it in any store.

 

My 7 year old is reading over my shoulder and said he has heard of it, but that I should not eat it because he heard it tastes bad.

 

 

I can't say I'd recommend it to many, but I'm pretty confident you would like it.

 

You like anchovies? You like really stinky washed-rind French cheeses? Then you are a good candidate.

 

Bill

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Spy Car

Spy Car

Posted
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So does a dash of good fish sauce. I'm a Red Boat gal.

 

 

 

A spoonful in a soup or stew brings out the umami/savory flavors nicely. However, since Marmite is rather dear here (and I love it so much unmasked) I usually withhold it from soups and stews and hit those with a little fish sauce.

 

But if I had a free supply the Marmite would be used more copiously.

 

Bill

 

 

I believe the brand of fish sauce I have is Flying Horse. Could be wrong.

 

Bill

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nmoira

nmoira

Posted
Posted

I believe the brand of fish sauce I have is Flying Horse. Could be wrong.

 

Bill

 

Yeah, well, I'm pre-coffee. :D

 

And I like stinky cheese and anchovies.

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I.Dup.

I.Dup.

Posted
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Oh, I drink Diet....lots of it.

 

How could I have forgotten the diet cokes? Oh yes, dh and I drink lots of those........yum.

 

One of the consequences from my past eating disorder is that I'm more scared of the sugar in regular sodas than I am of artificial sweetener. Artificial sweetener? Bring it on. But if I'm going to have sugar (and I have a lot of it) I'm going to enjoy every bite and not just drink it down. :p

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QueenCat

QueenCat

Posted
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:party:

 

It's nice to know I'm not alone!

 

I'm all about moderation, but it seems like it's "all or nothing" for many people. (And again, I know it's medically necessary for many people, and that is an entirely different situation.)

 

 

Moderation is the name of the game at my house!

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Laura Corin

Laura Corin

Posted
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LOL!

 

We have a show here called Extreme Foods. Something like that. The host, Andrew Zimmerman, travels all around the world trying unusual foods. He once did a show where he featured American foods being tried by people from remote countries with very different cuisines. One of the ones that kids were shocked by the taste was peanut butter. They were grossed out. I was so surprised. It seems like a pretty mild and boring tasting food to me.

 

 

I like peanuts but not peanut butter. It's the cludgy texture that I find unpleasant. Ripe bananas have the same effect on me.

 

Laura

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somo_chickenlady

somo_chickenlady

Posted
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Don't get me wrong -- I have nothing against people who take the time to eat cleanly, cook every single meal from scratch, and who never eat anything even remotely resembling junk food -- I admire their hard work and dedication, but...

 

I can honestly tell you that I never met anyone like that until we started homeschooling, and none of my friends IRL are that way, either, so I'm wondering if I'm the only one on this forum who tries to eat pretty well, but also eats out frequently and considers Beefaroni just fine as an occasional lunch option. Am I the only one who does not consider cookies, cake, chips, and candy to be Forbidden Foods, and who always has snack foods and soda in the house?

 

White sandwich bread seems to be another thing that is considered to be somehow absolutely horrible, so I don't even want to know how deadly and sickening people must think it is with some salami or ham on it. Sure, most of our bread comes from the bakery, but it's not usually whole grain.

 

We don't bake our own bread, own a grain mill, have our own chickens, grow our own food, or milk our own goats. We keep trying to like quinoa, but it's just not happening.

 

We like Italian food (but don't like whole grain pasta,) and we like French food, and burgers and fries, and food with sugar and salt and fat in it. We eat dairy products. I drink coffee and tea and other caffeinated beverages... and I put milk or cream and sugar in them

 

We're not overweight, our blood pressure is fine, and our cholesterol is low. We are considered pretty healthy by our doctors and by the people we know. But we aren't eating only whole grains and organic everything, and we all hate hummus.

 

Don't get me wrong -- we try to eat a balanced diet, and compared to a lot of the people we know, I think we do pretty well, but it's not some sort of "super diet" where everything that goes into our mouths is 100% healthy, and I'm fine with that -- but I sometimes feel that I'm just about the only person on this forum who feels that way.

 

Is anyone else in the same boat I'm in?

 

And please know that I'm not criticizing anyone, and I do know that many people have special dietary considerations that require them to follow special, specific diets. I'm just wondering if anyone else goes out for pizza and a soda as a matter of course, rather than considering it to be some sort of big, rare, special-occasion junk food splurge.

 

 

Well, you basically described our diet. ;) We do try to eat healthier b/c our bodies seem to appreciate it (less digestinal distress, iykwim), but we do eat out quite a bit, we only keep white bread in the house (I prefer wheat simply b/c of the taste but neither DH or DS will eat it so I don't bother buying it), and I agree that beefaroni or ramen noodles are a good quick lunch. I have a huge sweet tooth, so I do eat a lot of cookies and candy, but on the other hand I eat a ton of fresh fruit as well. I also LOVE soda, and it is the only thing DH will drink other than coffee.

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nmoira

nmoira

Posted
Posted

 

 

LOL!

 

We have a show here called Extreme Foods. Something like that. The host, Andrew Zimmerman, travels all around the world trying unusual foods. He once did a show where he featured American foods being tried by people from remote countries with very different cuisines. One of the ones that kids were shocked by the taste was peanut butter. They were grossed out. I was so surprised. It seems like a pretty mild and boring tasting food to me.

 

 

My girls love this show. They briefly explored raising guinea pigs for meat (I said "no"), and my eldest still wants to try balut.

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brehon

brehon

Posted
Posted

A spoonful in a soup or stew brings out the umami/savory flavors nicely. However, since Marmite is rather dear here (and I love it so much unmasked) I usually withhold it from soups and stews and hit those with a little fish sauce.

 

But if I had a free supply the Marmite would be used more copiously.

Bill

 

Even though we have a fairly tight grocery budget Marmite is one of our splurge items. I use it in all sorts of soups, stews, etc. (Like the old saying "a little dab will do ya".) Kids like it w/butter (alas, not farm fresh) on toast.

 

 

I agree on the texture. I'm not crazy about it either. I don't mind it mixed in chocolate. I think that's a good combination. My husband thinks the combination is weird, and he thinks peanut butter and jelly together is really gross.

 

I L.O.V.E. peanut butter. My eldest is allergic to peanuts; so, obviously, I don't get to eat it except very rarely. I agree with your husband about peanut butter and jelly. I've never liked that combo. I had PB sandwiches everyday for lunch throughout my K-12 years. Never got old. However, I think peanut butter and chocolate is akin to manna from heaven (or, in a nod to classical education, ambrosia).

 

And, Bill, I agree w/Laura - nice to "see" you again. Best wishes to you and your father.

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DragonFaerie

DragonFaerie

Posted
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I agree with the moderation comments. I am always telling my kids "all things in moderation." I think if you make something off limits or only for special occasions then it becomes much more desirable than it should be. Yes, they can have cookies for dessert. They can have two or three (only one if they're the big frosted kind). Yes, they can choose ice cream. I bought appropriately-sized bowls so they don't get too much. I habitually leave a bowl of candy on the kitchen counter (right now it's the pretty Easter-colored M&Ms), and my children are free to have an M&M whenever they want. As a result, they will get one or two when they walk by. No big deal. But we've had kids over to our house who literally stand and drool while staring at the candy and take a handful when they're invited to help themselves. It makes me think that those are the kids who may struggle with food choices when they're older and start making their own decisions. They may be drawn to all the things that were off limits when they were kids.

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Another Lynn

Another Lynn

Posted
Posted

The only thing worse than eating healthy is listening to other people talk about it. I'm so NOT a foody. I like convenience. And I probably eat too much because I'm dehydrated because I hate the taste of water. I "liked" lots of posts in this threads.... but some I couldn't like because you had too much healthy eating mixed in with your junk. But I don't judge you for it. Well, not too much. :-)

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kewb

kewb

Posted
Posted

As an example of my stellar eating habits, after I was done milking the oat/coconut pulp for my oat milk I promptly baked cookies with the pulp. If you ignore the sugar and semi-sweet chocolate chips it is practically health food. I get bonus health points because I used whole wheat flour I ground in my nutrimill.

 

Yeah, that's right. I went there.

 

:)

 

Should I mention that we are going out to dinner for ds's birthday and it will probably be a burger joint and I will happily eat that greasy burger made with ground chuck with a side of well done deep fried fries. It's gonna be good.

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history_junkie

history_junkie

Posted
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The only thing worse than eating healthy is listening to other people talk about it. I'm so NOT a foody. I like convenience. And I probably eat too much because I'm dehydrated because I hate the taste of water. I "liked" lots of posts in this threads.... but some I couldn't like because you had too much healthy eating mixed in with your junk. But I don't judge you for it. Well, not too much. :-)

 

 

We like our pinwheels :-)

 

Basically cinnamon rolls with hot fudge sauce. Yum!

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swellmomma

swellmomma

Posted
Posted

More than I should. Mochas from Tim Hortons (caffiene, chocolate sauce and whipped cream = divine). Lunch today is take out. I would love to cook more from scratch but with my busy life especially lately I quite like the ability to open a box of something and whip up an insta-meal...premade pot pies, fish and chips, dry pasta with canned sauce etc. Add in the treats we love, and well yeah. We do enjoy fruits and veggies and I am fat and need to lose weight. But I need/want convience at this point in my life more than I want from scratch, uber healthy. I always feel guilty when I read threads on here about the really healthy stuff because those that enjoy treats, processed, pop etc seem to get villanized. I mean really if I am going to be seen as a horrible mother or person I would really prefer it be for something other than the food I cook/don't cook kwim.

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Chelli

Chelli

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I agree on the texture. I'm not crazy about it either. I don't mind it mixed in chocolate. I think that's a good combination. My husband thinks the combination is weird, and he thinks peanut butter and jelly together is really gross.

 

 

When I was visiting my boyfriend at the time in the Netherlands, he had me make a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich when his friends and family were over. Then he was like, "Watch! She'll eat it!" They were all gagging and saying how gross it was. I was thinking, "What is wrong with these people? It is a wonderful flavor combination." I couldn't even get them to try it. :lol:

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LucyStoner

LucyStoner

Posted
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So do I get junk food cred for eating chocolate chip cookies or do I get slammed for having made those cookies myself, going as far as to brown the butter and dissolve the sugar in the process for the best texture and caramelized flavor?

 

Plenty of homemade stuff isn't healthy. You can cook mainly from scratch, eat a lot of very healthy food AND still eat cookies and cakes and fried chicken etc in moderation.

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LibraryLover

LibraryLover

Posted
Posted

Think of it this way: No matter what we're eating, if it's not from The Honey Boo Boo Cookbook (my idea, TLC!!), we might as well be Alice Waters or Micheal Pollan, both looking mighty fine for their ages, btw, but *are* living in an area where one can even buy ice cream made from all organic, local ingredients.

 

http://www.ici-icecream.com/

 

It just doesn't seem fair to the rest of us who don't have access to Berkeley farmers' markets (which are open all dang year long).

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ocelotmom

ocelotmom

Posted
Posted

Grr, I hate using laptops. I was 99% of the way through a long multiquote post and I somehow hit the wrong button and it went to a different page and I lost it.

 

I'm another one who came to appreciate vegemite as an adult when I was properly introduced to it (thin layer with butter on bread).

 

I'm trying to "like" all of the posts here, but the stupid thing keeps telling me I've used up my quota.

 

I am not kidding when I say that I really appreciate all of the posts to this thread -- I was honestly thinking that I was one of very few people here who didn't eat "100% clean, 100% of the time," and it was making me feel like a lazy slug. (Even more than usual, and that's saying something. :tongue_smilie:)

 

There have been so many threads where people have posted what they served for different meals, and I'd be sitting there thinking, "Well, there was some tomato on the burgers we ate at Wendy's so that sort of counts as a vegetable, and the pickles are really cucumbers, and the fries are made of potatoes... and there might have been some milk in that shake..." :rolleyes:

 

This and the "I'll probably be flamed" comments and so on baffle me a little. As one of the goat (see avatar :p) and chicken raising, 98% of meals cooked from scratch with non-processed, gluten-free ingredients people, I see PLENTY of posts on here from people who eat a more ordinary diet, and most of those who do started eating this way do so to deal with a specific health problem in either themselves or a family member, not just on some random whim. For us it was one household member who is autistic and on a GFCF diet, another with severe, potentially life-threatening respiratory issues that seem to be impacted by diet, and two babies who were very clearly dairy-sensitive. And then the rest of the adults found that eating that way improved their mood and weight stability, too.

 

We didn't always eat this way. Relatively healthily, but up until a bit over two years ago, McDonalds was a weekly ritual, and our diet, while healthier than average, featured processed foods regularly. Before DS was born we ate out probably 75% of the time (and rarely at particularly healthy places), and after DS was born it didn't decrease all that much until we weren't in the financial position to do so. And then several years later we moved in with the family with the GFCF kid and had the dairy-intolerant kids, and it just kinda grew from there. So anyways, I'm not going to flame. Either you don't have the same needs, or you're just not there yet, and that's ok because I wasn't there yet either not that long ago.

 

Assume people are putting their best foot forward, and the people who would post "gee, I just made Hamburger Helper for the 10th meal in a row" just don't feel like posting about it. Personally, if I post on those meal threads it's because what I've made is so totally over-the-top crunchy as to be satire or if I feel that I have input that would be helpful to the OP's situation.

 

The only time I see it turning even remotely into a flame issue is when someone is asking for advice and then rejects the advice that is given with the assertion that pop-tarts and capri sun are healthy snacks or something along those lines. But I don't read every thread here.

 

And my own diet isn't perfect. I'm another who thinks plain old sugar is better than artificial sweeteners (seriously, comments about being addicted to soda and drinking tremendous quantities are almost always from diet soda drinkers, and that freaks me out a little). Honey/maple syrup are probably better, but they're expensive, so we use sugar. I have soda sometimes. If there junk food in the break room at work, I will eat it in unreasonable quantities, which is part of the reason I don't keep that stuff around the house. We tend to rely very heavily on meat and eggs and really need to increase the quantity of veggies in our diet.

 

I firmly believe that being a healthy weight has much more bearing on your overall health than what you eat.

 

Yes, seriously.

 

(That being said, I am still working on getting down to a healthy weight, so less junk food for me. Sigh.)

Personally, I'm pretty sure that this is correlation not causation. It's hard to eat horribly and be a healthy weight, at least past the age of 28 or so, and it's hard to eat ideally for your body (note that I'm not saying "according to mainstream medical guidelines") and not at least head in the direction of a healthier weight. But I'm not sure the people who maintain a "healthy" body weight by eating junk food in specific calories in/calories out calculated amounts are going to be healthier than someone who is not ideal weight but eating well.

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Catwoman

Catwoman

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Posted

Well, I'm out of "likes" again. :cursing:

 

There are too many responses here for me to reply to all of them, and heaven knows that no one wants to read that many posts from me, so until I can add my likes, I just wanted to say thanks again to everyone here. :)

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Arcadia

Arcadia

Posted
Posted

Think of it this way: No matter what we're eating, if it's not from The Honey Boo Boo Cookbook (my idea, TLC!!), we might as well be Alice Waters or Micheal Pollan, both looking mighty fine for their ages, btw, but *are* living in an area one can buy ice cream made from all organic, local ingredients.

 

http://www.ici-icecream.com/

 

It's just doesn't seem fair to the rest of us who don't have access to Berkeley farmers' markets (which are open all dang year long).

 

 

Now you are tempting me to stop by there while on the way home from Lawrence Hall of Science. I miss Swensen's Earthquake (8 scoops of ice-cream)

 

Most of the farmer's markets near me open year round.

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LibraryLover

LibraryLover

Posted
Posted

Now you are tempting me to stop by there while on the way home from Lawrence Hall of Science. I miss Swensen's Earthquake(8 scoops of ice-cream)

 

Most of the farmer's markets near me open year round.

 

 

 

Lucky!

 

Ftr, Alice Waters is a reason Berkeley has such great food, and food choices. I don't mean to take that away from her!

 

Georgia could use an Alice, and Florida too. I am always so aggravated by the Orlando Whole Foods, for example. It's Florida, people! Why are your 'organic' oranges from Mexico?!

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Arcadia

Arcadia

Posted
Posted

Georgia could use an Alice, and Florida too. I am always so aggravated by the Orlando Whole Foods, for example. It's Florida, people! Why are your 'organic' oranges from Mexico?!

 

This chart says oranges are seasonal in Florida from October to July. That's sad. Our local supermarkets are good at stocking California's seasonal produce at great prices.

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Arcadia

Arcadia

Posted
Posted

A spoonful in a soup or stew brings out the umami/savory flavors nicely. However, since Marmite is rather dear here (and I love it so much unmasked) I usually withhold it from soups and stews and hit those with a little fish sauce.

 

But if I had a free supply the Marmite would be used more copiously.

 

Bill

 

New Zealand made Marmite and UK Bovril were our childhood staples for congee/porridge. Asian supermarkets sell Marmite and Bovril.

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LibraryLover

LibraryLover

Posted
Posted

This chart says oranges are seasonal in Florida from October to July. That's sad. Our local supermarkets are good at stocking California's seasonal produce at great prices.

 

 

I don't live in FL, but I visit often, and I must admit there are some decent Farmers' Markets. In fact, Orlando's is pretty spectacular.

 

I do live in an area where the growing season is short (although many folks are trying to extend that with green houses, planting more cold- hardy greens, hard squashes which last etc. :))

 

I know there are folks in the deep south trying to get good and fresh food to people. Alice Waters has been able to convert the public school system in Berkeley to offer local & organic food in their cafeterias. Berkeley High (public and hugely diverse school) even serves grass fed local meats.

 

I understand why Vermont and other cold states might not be able to do this, but I don't understand why warmer climate states can't manage some of this as well.

 

N.CA has a very high poverty rate. It's not just about money.

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LibraryLover

LibraryLover

Posted
Posted

When I was visiting my boyfriend at the time in the Netherlands, he had me make a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich when his friends and family were over. Then he was like, "Watch! She'll eat it!" They were all gagging and saying how gross it was. I was thinking, "What is wrong with these people? It is a wonderful flavor combination." I couldn't even get them to try it. :lol:

 

 

Don't they love their whole raw herrings? Is peanut butter that much more gross? lol

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