Splendour gluttony vs American diet

[GMIAC]

Apropos of nothing, one of the news items covering the (most) recent school mass shooting featured a shot of the students at a memorial afterwards, and I was stunned at how overweight almost everyone was, something you really don't see anywhere else in the world. We're doing something wrong. 

[RachelG]

Chickens in Arkansas and Oklahoma are raised in large chicken houses. Allowing them to roam around in a field wouldn't be practical given the large numbers of chickens and the predators here. Coyotes can get through most fences.

I grew up on a chicken and cattle farm.  back then, in the 60's and 70's, the chickens were free to roam around inside the chicken house, but it was really packed full once the chickens get to the size where they are to be sold.  Our houses contained 12,000 chickens per house, but now there are much larger ones.  I am not familiar with the "battery" thing, but that may be something new as I have not been around the chicken business in many years. 

[kevingastreich]

I went on a 128 day world cruise earlier this year and gained 10 pounds.  I've been on 30 cruise days since and still haven't lost it or gained any additional pounds. I thought for sure I would shed the pounds when we got home but no such luck so far.

[branndie]

Chickens for meat in the US are raised in chicken houses (no cages) that contain around 30,000 chickens per house.  The chickens can roam free in the house (a long skinny barn.) Time from baby chick to

driving to the processing plant I believe now around 7 weeks.

[UUNetBill]

On 9/10/2024 at 11:08 AM, Hambagahle said:

I think (not sure but you can say if it is true) that in the US chickens are usually raised in those "battery" things - cages stacked on top of each other ?    Here those are illegal and the chickens have to be allowed to roam free in a field (enclosed of course)  for at least part of the day.   Healthy animals = healthy food!

I was going to try some Swiss chicken, but I was turned off by all of the holes in it..oh, wait, that was the Swiss cheese...never mind, my mistake.  😁

[UUNetBill]

On 9/10/2024 at 11:15 AM, GMIAC said:

Apropos of nothing, one of the news items covering the (most) recent school mass shooting featured a shot of the students at a memorial afterwards, and I was stunned at how overweight almost everyone was, something you really don't see anywhere else in the world. We're doing something wrong. 

Look at photos from around the US back in the 70s or earlier - much less obesity evident back then.  I agree that there's a problem.

 

FWIW, I currently live in South Carolina, previously spent 20 years in Colorado.  My experience has been that there were fewer overweight people in Colorado (the Front Range, at least) because of all of the outdoor activities and generally healthier lifestyle.  Here in upstate SC, there are a few more heavier people, but overall there's not a huge percentage of huge people.  But last week I drove up to West Virginia (where I spent my high school and some college years) and I was stunned by the incredible number of incredibly heavy people.  Now I don't mean this as a dig on my homeboys back in Almost Heaven, but you're right - there's *something* going on there - I believe it's tied to social and economic factors, I think most folks there were fast food junkies - trying to find a healthy meal was a real challenge.

 

In all the years I lived in Germany, we ALL ate hearty food and drank probably a bit too much beer - and yet you didn't see the levels of obesity you see here.  And you know what else I didn't see?  McDonalds and KFC and Taco Bell and Popeyes on every corner.  Most towns had local butchers and grocers and bakeries that sold healthy foods that weren't loaded up with chemicals and whatnot.

 

Seems that we've sold out our health for the convenience of not having to shop and cook every day...

 

/endrant

[GMIAC]

2 minutes ago, UUNetBill said:

Look at photos from around the US back in the 70s or earlier - much less obesity evident back then.  I agree that there's a problem.

 

FWIW, I currently live in South Carolina, previously spent 20 years in Colorado.  My experience has been that there were fewer overweight people in Colorado (the Front Range, at least) because of all of the outdoor activities and generally healthier lifestyle.  Here in upstate SC, there are a few more heavier people, but overall there's not a huge percentage of huge people.  But last week I drove up to West Virginia (where I spent my high school and some college years) and I was stunned by the incredible number of incredibly heavy people.  Now I don't mean this as a dig on my homeboys back in Almost Heaven, but you're right - there's *something* going on there - I believe it's tied to social and economic factors, I think most folks there were fast food junkies - trying to find a healthy meal was a real challenge.

 

In all the years I lived in Germany, we ALL ate hearty food and drank probably a bit too much beer - and yet you didn't see the levels of obesity you see here.  And you know what else I didn't see?  McDonalds and KFC and Taco Bell and Popeyes on every corner.  Most towns had local butchers and grocers and bakeries that sold healthy foods that weren't loaded up with chemicals and whatnot.

 

Seems that we've sold out our health for the convenience of not having to shop and cook every day...

 

/endrant

It doesn't help that processed foods are all loaded with refined sugar. There's sugar in EVERYTHING. And many Americans are addicted to convenience processed foods, which can be had for a lot less money that whole foods. Then there's the matter of our other addiction, cars. Not a good recipe for health. 

[Hambagahle]

I don't know why Emmental cheese (the "holey" one) is called "Swiss cheese" in the US!  We have literally hundreds of cheese here and that is only one of them.  (And not a cheese I particulary like! although the aged version isn't bad...)

 

I have never seen any chickens with holes (at least not with holes you didn't stuff with something delicious!!!  There is always a first time.

[UUNetBill]

1 hour ago, GMIAC said:

Then there's the matter of our other addiction, cars.

Guilty as charged.  I have given entirely WAY too much money to our Bavarian Overlords; the Builders of Bahn Burners, the Masters of Mechanical Mayhem, the Wunderkinder of Wretched Excess - curse you, BMW, for tempting me with the pleasures of Teutonic contraptions...

[Hambagahle]

Same here - VW owns me in turn for the id.3 I own...

[Whinenowine]

5 hours ago, GMIAC said:

It doesn't help that processed foods are all loaded with refined sugar. There's sugar in EVERYTHING. And many Americans are addicted to convenience processed foods, which can be had for a lot less money that whole foods. 

Yes, THIS!  Refined sugar is one of the roots of our food evils. The second being the relative cheapness of fast food vs healthier (slow) food.  You nailed it. Portions are the third evil root.  When I lived in Tokyo, even the American food restaurants had smaller portions...my eyes were disappointed at first....yet I found myself full after each meal. It was awesome.  When I moved back to the States I couldn't finish a meal (at first...unfortuanately my stomach stretched to accommodate my eyes...). 

[Whinenowine]

4 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

Guilty as charged.  I have given entirely WAY too much money to our Bavarian Overlords; the Builders of Bahn Burners, the Masters of Mechanical Mayhem, the Wunderkinder of Wretched Excess - curse you, BMW, for tempting me with the pleasures of Teutonic contraptions...

I'm with you 100% @UUNetBill. My first car was my Mom's well-used '76 530i. And 75% of my cars since then have been BMWs--the only exceptions were 3 SUVs and one 'mistake'. Nothing against their autobahn siblings, but they're just not the same.

[ChucktownSteve]

20 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

I don't know why Emmental cheese (the "holey" one) is called "Swiss cheese" in the US!  We have literally hundreds of cheese here and that is only one of them.  (And not a cheese I particulary like! although the aged version isn't bad...)

 

I have never seen any chickens with holes (at least not with holes you didn't stuff with something delicious!!!  There is always a first time.

Stuffing holey chickens with Emmental cheese?