revving up that obesity thread again

[BooksandBoys]

My observation in my co-op is that of the 10 moms in my co-op 3 are not overweight. I them googled my state (37.7%) and county( 30%) obesity rate so evidently in my very mall group homeschoolers have a problem. What I notice is despite all the cultural push to be thin, losing weight or being a normal weight is viewed as unhealthy in my community of friends and acquaintances. I assume people come to view what they see everyday as " normal". I can't speak to every individual but I think much of the local problem is poor dietary habits, high fast food intake and a feeling that having kids or getting older means it is a given that weight will be gained. Exercise and " strange" diets are looked upon as weird or fringe.

The rural Midwestern farm community I grew up in viewed dieting as normal, but, simultaneously, viewed significant weight loss as dangerous. Despite growing up surrounded by women who were always trying to lose the same 30-50 pounds or more, when I went home for my wedding shower after losing the 30 pounds I gained in college, everyone lectured me. I was near the top of the "healthy" BMI range, 150 pounds in my 5'7.5" frame but still endured countless monologues about how I must not be eating and how dangerous weight loss is. It was so weird. I suppose that's the result of being surrounded by overweight and obese people - it just comes to look normal.

 

In contrast, I now live in one of the thinnest areas of the country. My current extra 20 pounds makes me look very heavy compared to those around me.

 

Edited to add: as I've said in the other thread, CICO doesn't work for me either. Please know I wasn't commenting on the bodies of the women in my hometown, but on the reactions to weight loss that they shared with mex

[December]

I live in an area with a sizable number of immigrants from Mexico and Central America. What I have noticed is that 90% or more of the women are overweight but hardly any of the men are. The men are frequently short, probably from malnutrition as a kid, but rarely overweight. Their daughters are usually overweight and the son often are as well (at least the ones before puberty). Now I would assume that the men and women are eating generally the same foods, but yet they often look like they are from different planets? What is going on? Is it because most of these men are working construction or landscaping jobs, plus they play soccer? (The women don't seem to play soccer.) I would think many of these women are working cleaning houses or other jobs that require a lot of movement.

 

Can anyone explain what is going on? The Latinos are the only group where we've noticed such a large difference in rates of being overweight between men and women. All the other groups seem to have similar rates, except maybe the kids are getting fat at a younger age.

 

 

I have heard it is because people with European ancestry have had thousands of years of years to adapt to eating a Western diet, while people of Native ancestry have not had as much time to adapt to it, so therefore their bodies often have a harder time with it and are more sensitive to insulin resistance and such.  As to why more obesity among women, women have a genetic predisposition to gaining weight, since historically extra weight was helpful during pregnancy and lactation.

[regentrude]

Havent read the whole thread yet, but wanted to add that some could try eat right and do all the right things and still be stuck at a weight because of all the hidden sugar in food.

 

"Gameu, 39, maintained his normal calorie intake but rather than eat home-cooked, unprocessed foods, he consumed standard grocery store fare. His meals of cereal, yogurt, smoothies and prepared chicken were all loaded with hidden sugars. He ate the equivalent of 40 teaspoons of sugar a day for his documentary “That Sugar Film,†which is available on streaming services including Amazon Instant Video, Vudu and iTunes."

 

 

I agree that too much sugar is added to processed foods - but it is not exactly "hidden". The ingredient list on the label must disclose any added sugar or other sweetener, and the total grams of sugar feature prominently in the nutrition information. So, anybody who is surprised that flavored yoghurt or cereal contain vast amounts of sugar has never bothered to look.

[regentrude]

Actually, the article itself said "hidden" in the passage you quoted :-)

 

Oops I did say hidden. I meant added since that is what the article is about

[Guest]

I agree that too much sugar is added to processed foods - but it is not exactly "hidden". The ingredient list on the label must disclose any added sugar or other sweetener, and the total grams of sugar feature prominently in the nutrition information. So, anybody who is surprised that flavored yoghurt or cereal contain vast amounts of sugar has never bothered to look.

But I shouldn't need a chemistry degree to buy a decent loaf of bread!

[regentrude]

But I shouldn't need a chemistry degree to buy a decent loaf of bread!

 

No, and you don't.

You could for example simply pick the one that says "Sugars: 0g" on the nutrition info.

But I agree: it is very difficult to find decent bread in a regular store in this country. Most bread does not qualify for this label.

Which reminds me that I should really get back into baking.

[Sun]

My observation in my co-op is that of the 10 moms in my co-op 3 are not overweight. I them googled my state (37.7%) and county( 30%) obesity rate so evidently in my very mall group homeschoolers have a problem. What I notice is despite all the cultural push to be thin, losing weight or being a normal weight is viewed as unhealthy in my community of friends and acquaintances. I assume people come to view what they see everyday as " normal". I can't speak to every individual but I think much of the local problem is poor dietary habits, high fast food intake and a feeling that having kids or getting older means it is a given that weight will be gained. Exercise and " strange" diets are looked upon as weird or fringe.

 

Well your co-op may not be out of line for your area since a 30-40% obesity rate would likely mean 60-80% overweight in total.

 

As for the bolded, absolutely. I recently visited family in the Midwest.  I heard a lot of, "You're way too thin!" and "You need to eat!" I am thin, but I'm not underweight. My BMI is around 19.5-20, and since I have a very small frame, that's appropriate for me. It looks scarily thin to my relatives and friends from a much-more-overweight area. Where I live, I never hear comments about me being too thin because the average is so different here. When relatives from there visit, they sometimes comment on how there are so many tiny people here!

 

[Mergath]

Oops I did say hidden. I meant added since that is what the article is about. Although to many it might as well be hidden because they are not familiar with all the forms of added sugar, don't know how to read an ingredient list or can visualize just how much sugar 16g is. It would be better to tell what is natural sugar and what is added. And some types are definitely better than others. Take my smoothie place for example, my smoothies have natural sugars from the fruit, but they add sugar to it, Turbinado or Splenda to make it even sweeter. Or fruit juice that has natural sugars and added sugar.

 

"Sugar disguised

 

When it comes to reading food labels, sugar comes in many forms. Here are some other sources: agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses, cane crystals, honey, dextrose, maltose and high-fructose corn syrup.

 

Source: Harvard School of Public Health"

 

The way I remember is to compare it to a can of pop. My dh has a bad pop habit, and I know from all the times I've scolded him about it that a can of pop has around 30g of sugar, depending on which kind of pop. Therefore, anything that comes anywhere close to that for a single serving has way, way too much sugar. 

[Mergath]

Dh switched from diet soda to Vitamin Water. It has 32 grams of sugar in it. Yikes! He stopped drinking that and only drinks water now.

 

I'm always shocked at how much sugar a serving of flavored yogurt has. People eat it thinking it's so healthy because it has probiotics. Nope. Much better to buy plain yogurt and flavor it with a bit of honey or some fruit.

[Joanne]

I'm always shocked at how much sugar a serving of flavored yogurt has. People eat it thinking it's so healthy because it has probiotics. Nope. Much better to buy plain yogurt and flavor it with a bit of honey or some fruit.

I strain full fat Dannon plain to get the consistency of a thick Greek yogurt. I flavor usually with mashed berries and a splash of sugar free syrup.

 

Back in the day before "Greek yogurt" the Low Carb Friends forums called it "yocheese."

[regentrude]

I'm always shocked at how much sugar a serving of flavored yogurt has. People eat it thinking it's so healthy because it has probiotics. Nope. Much better to buy plain yogurt and flavor it with a bit of honey or some fruit.

 

What I found astonishing is that the sugar content varies by a factor of 1.5 between the fruit-on-the-bottom kind and the stirred version of the same brand.

 

This said: I still eat the packaged yoghurt simply because it is easy to grab out of the fridge and take to the office. At the moment, I am breakfasting on plain yoghurt with unsweetened muesli and fresh fruit, but I admit  being too lazy to make some to put in a jar to take to work. (And I have no illusions of my DS going to such trouble even at home)

[ktgrok]

Also, keep in mind hat out of shame, many overweight women will gravitate to other overweight women when in groups,and form friendships that way. Because in the back of our head we know they "get it" and arent' judging us. When you are morbidly obese SO MUCH of your every interaction is about 'am I the heaviest one here?" "Do they think I'm lazy or dumb or poor because I'm fat?" etc. Hanging out with other obese people takes that pressure off to some extent. 

[Joanne]

Also, keep in mind hat out of shame, many overweight women will gravitate to other overweight women when in groups,and form friendships that way. Because in the back of our head we know they "get it" and arent' judging us. When you are morbidly obese SO MUCH of your every interaction is about 'am I the heaviest one here?" "Do they think I'm lazy or dumb or poor because I'm fat?" etc. Hanging out with other obese people takes that pressure off to some extent.

I don't want to "like" this, but I agree. The ways in which fat plays out culturally are nearly impossible to understand unless you've lived it. You are treated as if you are invisible but regarded and processed through assumption and stereotype.

[Bluegoat]

Amen.

In the meantime, here is my hack for restoring the low/non-fat yoghurt to something close to its original state: add some heavy cream. Thank goodness they still sell cream that has not had its fat taken out.

 

 

THis made me laugh.

 

But then I remembered the times I have been in a hurry and bought non-fat sour cream by mistake, and realized that maybe I should really be thankful that no one has tried to de-fat cream.

 

[Annie G]

Amen.

In the meantime, here is my hack for restoring the low/non-fat yoghurt to something close to its original state: add some heavy cream. Thank goodness they still sell cream that has not had its fat taken out.

 

 

I noticed they sell fat free half and half. I can't even figure out how that happens. 

[Bluegoat]

If you want to help your cousin out in her dieting, maybe don't offer her donuts and cake when she comes to see you?  Keep it out of sight.  She could be going weeks without eating junk food, but then when she arrives at your house, after weeks of no yummy treats, the offers of donuts and cake is just too much to resist.  I know I eat differently at someone else's house when offered yummy treats than I do at my own house, where I don't buy the treats in the first place, so I won't be tempted.

 

No, she doesn't go weeks without eating junk food. 

 

And I didn't offer her anything - she brought a box of donuts and asked for the cake as soon as she saw it where I'd put it away - in fact she ate the piece I was going to have after my dinner.  If she'd been staying for supper, I would have offered her some, just like I would have offered it to everyone else.

 

I'm not going to hide food or tell her what to eat if she doesn't ask me, I'm not her mother and she isn't a child.

 

 

[kiana]

I noticed they sell fat free half and half. I can't even figure out how that happens. 

 

After seeing your comment, my immediate reaction was "?????????" So I googled.

 

I shall paste for anyone else who is boggled. "In the U.S., half-and-half is typically half milk and half cream and contains about 12 percent fat, so how can such a product be rendered fat-free? Answer: by replacing butterfat (a mostly saturated fat) with corn syrup and adding chemicals and thickeners to simulate fat's texture and mouth-feel. The ingredients list: skim milk, corn syrup, cream (this is accompanied by a footnote reassuring the consumer that the cream adds "a trivial amount of fat" -- I assume because the product contains a trivial amount of cream) and "less than 0.5 percent of the following: Carrageenan, Sodium Citrate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Vitamin A Palmitate, Color Added (Ingredient not in regular half-and-half).""

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/processed-foods_b_1474570.html

 

 

 

In other words, they replaced the fat with sugar. Yay. That's going to be SO HEALTHY.

[Bluegoat]

I live in an area with a sizable number of immigrants from Mexico and Central America. What I have noticed is that 90% or more of the women are overweight but hardly any of the men are. The men are frequently short, probably from malnutrition as a kid, but rarely overweight. Their daughters are usually overweight and the son often are as well (at least the ones before puberty). Now I would assume that the men and women are eating generally the same foods, but yet they often look like they are from different planets? What is going on? Is it because most of these men are working construction or landscaping jobs, plus they play soccer? (The women don't seem to play soccer.) I would think many of these women are working cleaning houses or other jobs that require a lot of movement.

 

Can anyone explain what is going on? The Latinos are the only group where we've noticed such a large difference in rates of being overweight between men and women. All the other groups seem to have similar rates, except maybe the kids are getting fat at a younger age.

 

Probably a combination of things.  Women's bodies are different, pregnancies, somewhat different work.

 

Also, not all cultures prefer slim women, and that might affect people's choices as well.

[Bluegoat]

After seeing your comment, my immediate reaction was "?????????" So I googled.

 

I shall paste for anyone else who is boggled. "In the U.S., half-and-half is typically half milk and half cream and contains about 12 percent fat, so how can such a product be rendered fat-free? Answer: by replacing butterfat (a mostly saturated fat) with corn syrup and adding chemicals and thickeners to simulate fat's texture and mouth-feel. The ingredients list: skim milk, corn syrup, cream (this is accompanied by a footnote reassuring the consumer that the cream adds "a trivial amount of fat" -- I assume because the product contains a trivial amount of cream) and "less than 0.5 percent of the following: Carrageenan, Sodium Citrate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Vitamin A Palmitate, Color Added (Ingredient not in regular half-and-half).""

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/processed-foods_b_1474570.html

 

 

 

In other words, they replaced the fat with sugar. Yay. That's going to be SO HEALTHY.

 

I wonder if this is the same as what they sell as Coffee Cream here.  the ingredient list is similar in any case.

 

 

[Annie G]

After seeing your comment, my immediate reaction was "?????????" So I googled.

 

I shall paste for anyone else who is boggled. "In the U.S., half-and-half is typically half milk and half cream and contains about 12 percent fat, so how can such a product be rendered fat-free? Answer: by replacing butterfat (a mostly saturated fat) with corn syrup and adding chemicals and thickeners to simulate fat's texture and mouth-feel. The ingredients list: skim milk, corn syrup, cream (this is accompanied by a footnote reassuring the consumer that the cream adds "a trivial amount of fat" -- I assume because the product contains a trivial amount of cream) and "less than 0.5 percent of the following: Carrageenan, Sodium Citrate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Vitamin A Palmitate, Color Added (Ingredient not in regular half-and-half).""

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/processed-foods_b_1474570.html

 

 

 

In other words, they replaced the fat with sugar. Yay. That's going to be SO HEALTHY.

 

That's crazy. How many people are buying this and adding it to coffee, thinking it's healthier than cream or regular half and half?    

 

Every year I buy corn from a local farmer and blanch it, cut it cream style, and freeze for use throughout the year.   Last year a relative chastised me for doing all that work because they sell creamed corn in the freezer section and frozen veggies are as nutritionally the same as fresh. Well, I looked....that creamed corn has a ton of sugar added. (along with other things)  Mine has corn.  I add a bit of butter and a dash of cream when I cook it.   

 

It's easy for me to make meals from scratch using fresh ingredients- I'm no longer raising kids, homeschooling, or working outside the home. But I can see how families have to work really hard if they want to avoid consuming large quantities of hidden sugar. 

[EmseB]

 

 

In other words, they replaced the fat with sugar. Yay. That's going to be SO HEALTHY.

 

That is true of just about every thing you see labled "light" or "fat free".  The flavor that would be provided by the fat is replaced with sugar and/or salt.  And now it turns out that eating fat in foods doesn't actually make you fat or unhealthy, but it's actually in large part sugar that makes you fat and/or unhealthy, all the scientists and government health panels are saying, "oops, our bad, sorry about that fat free thing".  But our whole food production system and mindsets are geared towards this "low fat" stuff.

[ktgrok]

My mother buys the fat free half and half. I tried to explain that uselessness of this (by the way, the calories are about the same as regular half and half!) but she wouldn't listen. 

[Bluegoat]

It really can be hidden sugar if it's added to products that you wouldn't normally add sugar to when cooking it yourself. The article I linked before mentioned sugar in mac and cheese. I would never think to add sugar to that if I made it from scratch, so why would I expect to find it on the ingredient list? That, to me, is hidden sugar. It might be right there on the nutrition information, but I wouldn't normally look for sugar in it. 

 

I found sugar in the ingredient list on my can of Cuban black beans. It has 2g for 1/2 cup. And in my can of plain dark red kidney beans with no salt added....but there's sugar added.  :confused1:

 

I don't know if it is related or not, but I am wondering if it is along the same lines as replacing fat in things with sugar because otherwise it is gross.

 

I heard an interview on the radio with a fellow who had written a book, I think about salt, and one of the things he said was that a lot of food made in factories could have off-flavours or otherwise be really unpalatable, and salt was often used to cover those things.  For example, he tried cheese and box cereal without salt added, and teh former was like clay and the later tasted like metal shavings.

 

So - maybe if they take out the salt in things, they have to replace it with something, because it really isn't like home made food even if it seems pretty basic.  I can easily imagine canned foods would have bad flavours if the food itself had a fairly bland taste.

[Carrie12345]

Disclaimer: I do not support using foods that are engineered to be fat-free.  I do support limiting added sugars.

 

That said, I checked out the labels for LOL half and half, regular and fat-free.  Even with the added sugars, the fat-free comes out at half the calories per Tbs, compared to the regular.  For people who are carefully monitoring their calories for the purpose of weight loss and have no extenuating circumstances, the fat-free could certainly be the "better" choice.

 

Health-wise, I'd call it a crappy choice.  But it may be useful for people who want to be thin but don't care about their overall health!  :scared:

[Carol in Cal.]

Fat free half n half really saved me when I had gall bladder disease.  I couldn't eat more than 15% calories from fat, which is extremely low, and it was very difficult to take in enough calories at that fat level.  I made soups with the fat free stuff, and could *almost* get full.

[Annie G]

Fat free half n half really saved me when I had gall bladder disease.  I couldn't eat more than 15% calories from fat, which is extremely low, and it was very difficult to take in enough calories at that fat level.  I made soups with the fat free stuff, and could *almost* get full.

 

I can see in that instance that the product was useful for you. But for most people, it's not. So many folks are trying to kick the sugar habit - lowering triglycerides is often something folks my age are trying to do, too. We're told to limit sweets, breads, etc. But who would think to look in nonfat half and half for added sugar?   

 

I'm cool with processed foods when they make sense but mostly I like to eat what some people annoyingly call 'real food'. I like butter rather than margarine.   But that's my own issues coming out- my sister in law has an eating disorder and the only thing she eats is granola bars and diet Pepsi and my inlaws think it's great how slim she is. And then they complain about what I eat.  

 

I can't imagine how difficult it was for you to monitor fat intake so strictly when you had gallbladder disease! We did really low fat right after dh had his heart attack and it was a struggle. 

[MBM]

The sugar lobby is very powerful here in the US and so they tend to get their way. They're really something.

 

[freesia]

I noticed they sell fat free half and half. I can't even figure out how that happens.

Yes, this always makes me laugh when I see it. I mean out loud in the church hall. When I explain no one seems to get it. Really? How can you have 1/2 and 1/2 without fat? What is one of the halves?

[ktgrok]

Disclaimer: I do not support using foods that are engineered to be fat-free.  I do support limiting added sugars.

 

That said, I checked out the labels for LOL half and half, regular and fat-free.  Even with the added sugars, the fat-free comes out at half the calories per Tbs, compared to the regular.  For people who are carefully monitoring their calories for the purpose of weight loss and have no extenuating circumstances, the fat-free could certainly be the "better" choice.

 

Health-wise, I'd call it a crappy choice.  But it may be useful for people who want to be thin but don't care about their overall health!  :scared:

 

Yes, but when you only use a few tablespoons, isn't the difference something like 20 calories? Now, if you are having dozens of cups of coffee, fine. But for those who have 1-2 cups a day, 20 calories isn't going to make or break your diet. And that extra sugar could leave you wanting more food, leading you to eat way more than 20 calories worth by the end of the day. 

[ktgrok]

Fat free half n half really saved me when I had gall bladder disease.  I couldn't eat more than 15% calories from fat, which is extremely low, and it was very difficult to take in enough calories at that fat level.  I made soups with the fat free stuff, and could *almost* get full.

 

Why not just use skim milk? 

[Bluegoat]

Why not just use skim milk? 

 

I think maybe the soup would have a thin and nasty texture.

[Carrie12345]

Yes, but when you only use a few tablespoons, isn't the difference something like 20 calories? Now, if you are having dozens of cups of coffee, fine. But for those who have 1-2 cups a day, 20 calories isn't going to make or break your diet. And that extra sugar could leave you wanting more food, leading you to eat way more than 20 calories worth by the end of the day. 

 

Oh, absolutely.  But I'd hypothesize that people who are eager enough to cut those 20 (or, if it were me, as a coffee addict, 100 or more) calories are likely doing the same thing with other food choices.

[Carol in Cal.]

Why not just use skim milk? 

Because I could not eat enough to get full.  It was absolutely impossible.

I used it when I could, but every once in a while I had to fill up.

I vividly remember the few things that would accomplish that.  

 

There was one meatball recipe that I managed to adjust to nonfat sour cream and ground turkey breast that really filled me up.

There was one restaurant in town that had low fat turkey burgers.

There was one turkey burger recipe that I could make at home, but I got so sick of it I couldn't eat it after a while.

There was one fat free chicken dish that was really satisfying.

And there was this one soup, cream of asparagus, that I made with fat free half and half, to get myself full.

 

I was nursing at the time.  I lost all of my pregnancy weight plus another 25 lbs while trying hard to eat a lot.  (Would love to have this problem now.  Hmmm, maybe I should try to relactate and pump to lose weight...)  (kidding)

[BooksandBoys]

That's crazy. How many people are buying this and adding it to coffee, thinking it's healthier than cream or regular half and half?

 

Every year I buy corn from a local farmer and blanch it, cut it cream style, and freeze for use throughout the year. Last year a relative chastised me for doing all that work because they sell creamed corn in the freezer section and frozen veggies are as nutritionally the same as fresh. Well, I looked....that creamed corn has a ton of sugar added. (along with other things) Mine has corn. I add a bit of butter and a dash of cream when I cook it.

 

It's easy for me to make meals from scratch using fresh ingredients- I'm no longer raising kids, homeschooling, or working outside the home. But I can see how families have to work really hard if they want to avoid consuming large quantities of hidden sugar.

My very health conscious in-laws buy fat-free half-and-half and chastise me for having the real stuff.

[Carol in Cal.]

Look, I'm just saying that I'm glad it is available on the market.

[Mergath]

My very health conscious in-laws buy fat-free half-and-half and chastise me for having the real stuff.

 

If that's the case they aren't as health conscious as they think they are. Even with all the changes in nutrition research lately, I think most people know now that cream > corn syrup.

[ktgrok]

I think maybe the soup would have a thin and nasty texture.

 

I'm thinking that might be better than sweet soup from all the high fructose corn syrup in the creamer....but maybe it depends on the soup. 

 

Also, fyi, there is now high protein skim milk that is not watery, but low fat. 

[purplejackmama]

Health-wise, I'd call it a crappy choice. But it may be useful for people who want to be thin but don't care about their overall health! :scared:

That sounds like most folks I know. Skinny!! at any cost. Really it's better to be a liar or a cheat or anything other than FAT.

[BooksandBoys]

If that's the case they aren't as health conscious as they think they are. Even with all the changes in nutrition research lately, I think most people know now that cream > corn syrup.

I would like to agree with you, but, sadly, my in-laws are operating under orders of their doctors, including cardiologists. How any cardiologist worth their salt can continue to encourage a severely low-far diet (my in-laws aim for less than 2 teaspoons of fat daily) after such a change in their diet has resulted in my in-laws developing diabetes, I do not know, but, there it is. Last time I checked, diabetes and metabolic disorder were the greatest risk factors for heart disease...

 

I suppose I should have said that my in-laws "believe" themselves to be health-conscious, but that sounded rather superior. They really do believe that they are making the right choices for superior health.

 

Obviously, I disagree, but it's not my place to chastise then any more than it is their place to criticize our well-researched choices (we're working on teachibg then this. They like to comment, in front of my children, that our diet is dangerous. I have a very scripted response to put them in their place. They are welcome to think that whole milk and whole yogurt, avocados, negligible amounts of sugar, and butter are dangerous, but I believe that people, especially growing children, need fat.)

[Annie G]

I would like to agree with you, but, sadly, my in-laws are operating under orders of their doctors, including cardiologists. How any cardiologist worth their salt can continue to encourage a severely low-far diet (my in-laws aim for less than 2 teaspoons of fat daily) after such a change in their diet has resulted in my in-laws developing diabetes, I do not know, but, there it is. Last time I checked, diabetes and metabolic disorder were the greatest risk factors for heart disease...

 

I suppose I should have said that my in-laws "believe" themselves to be health-conscious, but that sounded rather superior. They really do believe that they are making the right choices for superior health.

 

Obviously, I disagree, but it's not my place to chastise then any more than it is their place to criticize our well-researched choices (we're working on teachibg then this. They like to comment, in front of my children, that our diet is dangerous. I have a very scripted response to put them in their place. They are welcome to think that whole milk and whole yogurt, avocados, negligible amounts of sugar, and butter are dangerous, but I believe that people, especially growing children, need fat.)

 

Right there with you on this. My father in law had a heart attack a year ago and has changed his diet. He and MIL eat sugary cereal with skim milk for breakfast, followed by instant coffee with fake creamer, and a jelly sandwich for lunch, with baked chips.  For dinner they often bake boneless chicken breasts slathered with margarine, paired with canned veggies that they cook with goya seasoning, which is msg laden.  And instant rice or potatoes with more margarine. 

 

I don't comment on what they eat, but it's hard because when we visit I do all the cooking and they constantly comment (aka complain) on my use of real butter, fresh veggies, etc. 

[Guest]

After seeing your comment, my immediate reaction was "?????????" So I googled.

 

I shall paste for anyone else who is boggled. "In the U.S., half-and-half is typically half milk and half cream and contains about 12 percent fat, so how can such a product be rendered fat-free? Answer: by replacing butterfat (a mostly saturated fat) with corn syrup and adding chemicals and thickeners to simulate fat's texture and mouth-feel. The ingredients list: skim milk, corn syrup, cream (this is accompanied by a footnote reassuring the consumer that the cream adds "a trivial amount of fat" -- I assume because the product contains a trivial amount of cream) and "less than 0.5 percent of the following: Carrageenan, Sodium Citrate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Vitamin A Palmitate, Color Added (Ingredient not in regular half-and-half).""

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/processed-foods_b_1474570.html

 

 

 

In other words, they replaced the fat with sugar. Yay. That's going to be SO HEALTHY.

I am extremely horrified and I say that as a person who aims to eat food "close to nature" and not messed around with like this. Holy moly.

[heartosunshine]

I'm thinking that might be better than sweet soup from all the high fructose corn syrup in the creamer....but maybe it depends on the soup. 

 

Also, fyi, there is now high protein skim milk that is not watery, but low fat. 

 

Btw, I tried this after you mentioned it upthread (or in the other thread?). Love it in my morning coffee!! Thank you!