American Obesity-- WHY? Here's an example why.

[freemay20]

Went to eat one of those Easter favorites, a chocolate bunny. I read the packaging. It read, CHOCOLATE FLAVORED. WHAT???? I read the ingredients for all the types we have. Now a days, not one has CHOCOLATE in it. It is all sugars, sucrose, preservatives and corn syrup. The darn things are not even made from CHOCOLATE. No wonder we are the country of obesity.

[elleng]

1. Never liked the way they tasted.

I love real chocolate, and at moments buy and eat it, but NEVER bunnies.

[Hoyt]

2. Guess it's cheaper that way, even if a lot worse for us.

A significant percentage needs to just quit eating that stuff to force those who manufacturer and concoct this crud to improve things.

It will take an intense information campaign to get through.

If nothing else, I'll read the wrappers closely to see what's in the candy I have not been able to resist previously. .

[RebelOne]

3. I only eat sugar-free chocolate candy.

I buy sugar-free Reese's Pieces. I don't know if it is real chocolate, but the peanut butter is the real thing.

[cbrer]

4. ???????????WTF???????????????

Fake chocolate bunnies??

Not from Godiva's they're not!

Mmmmmmm...

[timdog44]

50. Just what I was thinking.

Godiva's. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

That is my desert every night, a chocolate Godiva truffle. Champagne is my favorite.

[undeterred]

5. My dog went after a real bunny tonight.

Lots of protein.

[southernyankeebelle]

10. Rabbit is delicious cooked in Cognac. Hmmmmmmm good what a flavor.

I'm not much on chocolate bunnies of any type. I love chocolate.

[Beacool]

31. Bad dog!!!

Poor bunny.

[undeterred]

33. Dog doing what comes naturally.

He didn't catch it though. Funny thing is when pet stores put a bunny out in the middle of the store in a flimsy wire pen around easter...dogs are allowed in pet stores. My dog thinks they're serving lunch. Had to haul him out of there fast.

[Beacool]

44. I'm glad that he didn't catch it.

We used to have a husky named Tom who would chase cats. He didn't want to hurt them, he just wanted to play with them. Unfortunately, one day he caught one and accidentally killed it. My mother was very upset, but Tom didn't realize how strong he was.

[undeterred]

46. Yeah

I'm aware of the danger of his very strong prey drive. He is hyper aware of where all the cats in the neighborhood live. A couple of neighborhood (indoor) cats have gotten out when he was outside and they ended up climbing poles to get away from him. Somehow they know that he isn't just chasing for the fun of it. I keep him leashed all the time - although he occasionally makes a dash for it. A lot of prey are faster than he is, and he can't fly or climb trees.

[Beacool]

56. What kind of dog is he?

The thing with Tom was that he wouldn't have hurt anyone on purpose. He just wanted to play. We had a cat of our own and a smaller dog, Tom never bothered either one. He was an easy going dog. It's been years since he's been dead, but I still miss him.

[undeterred]

60. Half Alaskan Malamute

and a mix of other things.

[Beacool]

61. Sounds like he's a big pooch.

[nolabear]

6. I eat Dave's Killer Bread because it's the ONLY one whose ingredients I recognize!

Plus, it's awesome!

[Adsos Letter]

38. LOVE me some Dave's Killer Bread!

"Just say no to bread on drugs!"

First tried it last year. His "Good Seed" is my favorite.

Great story about that guy, too.

[Blue_In_AK]

41. My favorite, too.

It's just about the only bread I eat.

[lunasun]

7. eat raw bunny foods instead

[Drew Richards]

8. Yep it disgusts me! even Hersheys my old standby got permission to

drop their cocoa butter content in chocolate from 30% to 4% and still call it chocolate.

They now substitute their 26% cocoa butter with high frutose corn syrup chemically flavored to taste like chocolate.

Screw em all, I now just buy real unsweetened bakers cacao chocolate and make my own candies at least i know what im getting and tastes a hell of a lot better too...If you wanna try it just remember...you need both sugars to make it great...granular and powdered. oh and a little vanilla bean and marachino cherry juice goes a long way to making awesome candies.

[laundry_queen]

58. You know

I've been wondering why chocolate tastes like crap to me when I loved it so as a kid. I just assumed it was my tastebuds moving on to more 'adult' tastes. Yet, when I make anything chocolate myself with my high quality cocoa powder, or baker's I am taken back to my love of chocolate. Occasionally I splurge on an expensive brand and I am reminded about how great chocolate used to taste when I was a kid. So it's not ME, it's that they've ruined my chocolate!

[Journeyman]

9. Get used to it - unchecked, climate change threatens chocolate production . . .

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/09/30/333145/global-warming-is-killing-chocolate/

Global Warming Is Killing Chocolate

Global warming is killing the world’s chocolate supply, agricultural researchers find. Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana together provide 53 percent of the world’s chocolate, but warming temperatures and changing precipitation mean rapid declines in growing conditions over the coming decades. The new report from the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture paints a dire picture for the future of the cacao tree in West Africa:

Half of the world’s cocoa comes from the West African nations of Ivory Coast and Ghana. An expected temperature rise of more than two degrees Celsius by 2050 will render many of the region’s cocoa-producing areas too hot for the plants that bear the fruit from which chocolate is made, says a new study from the Colombia-based International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

“What we are saying is that if we don’t take any action, there won’t be sufficient chocolate around in the future,” said Peter Läderach, the report’s lead author.

“Already we’re seeing the effects of rising temperatures on cocoa crops currently produced in marginal areas, and with climate change these areas are certain to spread,” says Dr. Peter Laderach.

The fossil fuel pollution that is heating up the planet also threatens the production of coffee, beer, and wine.

[Marie Marie]

17. "there won't be sufficient Chocolate around in the future"?

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Sigh.... my life is over.

[Journeyman]

20. Yeah. Now the true horror begins to come into focus: It's going to get more than hot. . .

especially when there's no chocolate, coffee or beer to ease the pain.

[Beacool]

32. I was thinking the same thing.

No more chocolate?

[Warpy]

11. There are other reasons, you know.

It's not all because of chocolate bunnies, Big Gulps or fast food.

[REP]

14. My personal theory

Well part of if, at least, is that most of us (by "us," I mean people in general) are working longer at sedentary, stressful jobs and trying to cram commuting, working, errands, childcare, housework, yard work, laundry, etc into a day and time-consuming (and expensive) things - like shopping for food and preparing meals - often get compressed into what is quick, easy, cheap and filling. Many people don't have time to research what's in the box, how many calories it has, how many calories they need ... they may just assume that food packaging has to be truthful and if the box says healthy, it must be, even though that box is full of empty calories and smaller "serving sizes" than what makes it to the table because of how it's packaged.

Fresh food costs more in terms of time and money; the kids will eat E-Z Meals that are on sale and take 20 minutes or less to heat up while other endless chores are being tended.

And that's just one problem.

I don't have a solution, other than shorter workweeks, higher pay and fresh food being cheaper than processed garbage. Yeah, right.

[A Little Weird]

16. I think you're right

Most nights I open a can or nuke a frozen dinner because I'm too tired to cook any real food. My friends that work more than one job don't even do that much - it's drive thru cuisine most nights for them.

[Beacool]

34. I cook ahead.

If I'm not out of town, Sunday afternoons is my day to cook. In winter I make a big pot of soup and put it in individual serving containers (I take it to work). I'll also cook something that can last at least for 2 - 3 meals (I freeze some of it). Most people don't have the time or inclination to cook from scratch every single day. I try not to eat out several times a week, as plenty of people do in my yuppie town, because of the calories consumed and the expense.

Healthy eating can be done, but it takes foresight and planning.

[REP]

49. Time or money

People like you and me, for example, have the "luxury" (quotes because eating halfway decently should not be a luxury) of being able to do without packaged food. I won't make assumptions about your life , but for me, I am very fortunate to live in an area where decent ingredients are easily available at reasonable prices (thank you, Trader Joe's!) and I'm good at preparing simple things that taste good (thank you, extensive spice rack!). I don't have children, though, and my food budget only has to cover two people. Not everyone is as lucky as I am, and I remember back when I was working 6 days a week and had to make $30/week feed us and how hard that was (for some reason, Kosher turkeys were always on sale then - we ate a lot of turkeys). I was always so tired, and coming home and doing more work seemed like it was about to end me, and trying to make the most out of that money without poisoning us was like a puzzle with no answer. For someone with kids, no car, few grocery stores ... Hamburger Helper and 4 for $5 frozen "chicken" nugget meals for the kids probably looks like a godsend.

[Beacool]

55. I hear you.

I'm fortunate enough to live in an area (in NJ, across the river from Manhattan) where I can get any food items I want from anywhere in the world. I wouldn't call this area cheap, quite the contrary, but at least there's a variety of foods to purchase.

I understand how hard it is for the working poor to feed a family. In certain parts of the country there's a dearth of good supermarkets. Also, fresh produce tends to be more expensive than foods with a longer shelf life. Besides, who feels like cooking after having to work long hours? It has been proven that people of higher income are thinner, they can afford to eat healthier. The obesity issue is complicated.

[BadGimp]

12. YOU EAT BUNNIES?!?!?!?!?

[Remmah2]

71. You're not supposed to eat them!

Let them melt in your mouth.

[baldguy]

13. But god help you if you want to point that out.

Or even worse - REGULATE IT!!!! (Oh, heavens to Betsy!)

[TroubleMan]

15. In the 60-80's the incorrect assumption that eating fat makes you fat caused the

"low-fat" trend. It's over consumption of sugar that makes you fat. They took out all the healthy fats and loaded everything with sugar.

A good history of what happened can be seen here:
http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/sugar-101-how-harmful-is-sugar-part-i

[HiPointDem]

18. low-fat was more 1980s-2000s. But more than that, the food/diet industry cycles through

focus on carb/fat/protein pretty predictably.

It's all about marketing and the hype of the *new*.

It's not overconsumption of fat OR sugar; it's overconsumption.

But by the time the new cycle comes, the rubes are ready for the next new thing.

[RedCappedBandit]

19. You act as if chocolate is a low calorie treat...

[quinnox]

23. lol

I don't get it either.

[tkmorris]

21. Were you under the impression that a real chocolate bunny was healthy?

Don't misunderstand, I am disgusted that "chocolate" items contain little to no chocolate anymore, but that is not why people are obese.

[quinnox]

22. lol

I don't get it either.

[timdog44]

51. I'm sure I could find

a medical study showing that chocolate is healthy.

[My Good Babushka]

24. You can't just buy any old bunny at a store

Ever since I was little, Easter was the time we got the good stuff, from a local chocolatier.
http://www.geneandboots.com/
or
https://www.sarriscandies.com/
or
http://www.philadelphiacandies.com/
That's the good stuff. No waxy, pseudo-bunnies in my Easter basket, please.

[Xithras]

39. Yep, it's the Walmart culture.

Everybody wants to buy the cheapest thing from the megastore down the street, and then people complain about the crap ingredients and low quality.

Traditional quality and traditional ingredients are still around and available...you just have to go back to their traditional sources. In truth though, you don't even really need to go to a local chocolatier (many of us don't live in places that have those). Even the chain candystores like See's will sell you an Easter bunny made from 100% traditional chocolate. You just have to alter your shopping habits a bit and buy from an actual candy store that sells real candy, instead of a megastore or drug store that simply throws up an "Easter holiday aisle" once a year.

[Marr]

48. There's a doughnut store around the corner from my office with, by far, the best doughnuts I've

EVER had. They're a little more expensive than Winchell's-- maybe an additional 15-20 cents per doughnut. But there's such a difference that they're almost not even the same item.

I talked to the lady who owns the place once and she said she uses the good flour, which costs more. Every day she's sold out of doughnuts by 11AM and goes home.

[Spider Jerusalem]

25. Why? Suburbs

and sedentary lifestyles. Driving everywhere, desk work, and "all you can eat".

[justiceischeap]

26. I have a Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate bar on my coffee table

The ingredients are as follows:

Cocoa liquor, Sugar, Almonds, Cocoa Butter, Sea Salt, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla

When I eat it, I consume no more than 2 squares at a time. I'm not fooling myself that this treat is healthy in any way but if you want healthier chocolate, you should try dark chocolate bars. They're more spendy but worth it in my opinion. After eating one of these and then popping some cheap milk "chocolate" into your mouth, you'll taste the difference.

[Beacool]

35. Dark chocolate is good for one's health.

At least that's what I read and I choose not to hear anything to the contrary.

[justiceischeap]

36. I'm supposed to be on a heart-healthy diet

So, if dark chocolate is good and almonds are good, I'm not going to feel so guilty about eating it.

[Beacool]

45. There you go!!

Seriously, dark chocolate eaten in moderation is good. I think that the recommended amount is an ounce per day.

[HappyMe]

27. You have to pay a little more

and get good chocolate bunnies.

[tavernier]

28. I prefer eating healthy Easter snacks.

Yellow and green Peeps. Tossed together they look like a salad!

[IdaBriggs]

40. Wow. You are a GENIUS!

You need your own cooking show -- that is some GOOD menu planning!

[Beacool]

43. Ewwwww!!!

I hate Peeps and candy corn. One tastes like eating sugar out of the package and the other tastes like wax.

[Javaman]

29. HFCS: It suppressed the lipid function in our body which, in part, tell us when we are full.

HFCS is now in everything we as a nation eat. It's not just used as a sweetener. It's main function is that it's used as a preservative.

Never eat prepackaged food (this includes fast food), never drink soda, never ever eat factory farmed meet. Get your meet from a local farmer who raises their cattle on grass. (if the fat in the meat is white, don't eat it. It should be yellow, which means it's high in beta carotene which is found in grass)

The basic issue in this nation, in part because of HFCS, is that we don't understand what the concept of being "full" means anymore. We have been brainwashed into thinking that that horrible feeling a person gets only got after gorging themselves after a holiday meal, that feeling is now as the accepted norm.

Plate size has increased exponentially over the past 60 years so as a result when we go out to a general fare type restaurant, the portion size today would have fed 3 people 60 years ago.

The list goes on and one.

Two books that have changed my life in how I eat

Fast Food Nation (don't mistake it for the crappy movie)

http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0547750331/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364309043&sr=8-1&keywords=fast+food+nation

And...

Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats

http://www.amazon.com/Twinkie-Deconstructed-Ingredients-Processed-Manipulated/dp/B001UE7DHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364309079&sr=8-1&keywords=deconstructing+the+twinkie

[musical_soul]

30. People are fat because.....

1) Fat gene, but that really isn't the biggest problem in my opinion.

2) Eating bigger portions when not necessary, leaving us to having bigger appetites.

3) Eating when we don't need to.

Now, excuse me while I go grab a piece of pizza. Pizza party today at work.

[duffyduff]

37. These threads really belong in a different forum.

I am so sick of having to trash health food-nut, body size prejudice threads.

[Phentex]

42. Looks like a hit and run to me!

Can't tell if they were serious or not.

[Marr]

47. It surely has cocoa in it, right?

If it's got sugar, milk, and cocoa, it's got chocolate.

[a kennedy]

52. Everyone should watch this movie, if you haven't seen it before, excellent......

http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/king-corn/

[grasswire]

53. you know those new "Ten" sodas?

They're being heavily promoted as better for you than regular.

They are made with High Fructose Corn Syrup!!

[closeupready]

54. And probably every single one of those ingredients

would make me put the thing right back on the shelf.

Why can't people read the dang ingredients? And if they do, why can't they say no?

Plenty of real chocolates manufactured, not this fake stuff.

[Honeycombe8]

57. I guess choc. is too expensive, now. Yu can still find choc. bunnies, I guess...

but they'll be in higher end stores & cost a bundle.

[flvegan]

59. (facepalm)

I'll just be on my way.

[Remmah2]

62. What? No bacon Easter bunny?

In America many of our holidays have become food orgies and drink festivals instead of celebrations of culture.

[HappyMe]

63. Food and drink is part of culture.

[Remmah2]

64. But not to gross excess.

In Ireland St. Patrick's day is celebrated by attending mass and having a family dinner. In America it's green beer, parades, Jamison whiskey, shots, puking and DUI plus wearing costumes "made in China".

In Middle Eastern countries (both Muslim and Jewish); a fast and prayer generally start the celebration followed by a community or family feast/meal. In America we celebrate Thanksgiving by gouging and drinking beer while watching football. New Year's?

Celebration of diversity and culture are important, but not to excess.

[HappyMe]

65. No, excess isn't good.

But that's up to each person. I'm not going to judge other people.

[Remmah2]

66. Whenever we shop for holiday meals we pick up extra sale items for our local soup kitchen.

I'm not a religous person but believe in my local soup kitchen.

Don't worry, we have Michael Bloomburg doing enough judging for all of us.

[HappyMe]

67. I volunteer at the food pantry here.

I do kind of think that Bloomberg is overstepping. He's kind of setting it up so that Group A gets to look down their noses at Group B. *sigh!* And so it goes.

[Remmah2]

70. I'm happy digging in the garden.

It seems to make some people happy to want to tell you how to run your life. This is funny because listening is more important than telling.

[HappyMe]

72. I wish I had a garden to dig in.

I had a pretty big one when I lived in WI. I didn't grow a bunch of vegetables. A couple of tomato plants and some herbs. The rest was all flowers.

I'm a live and let live person.

[Remmah2]

73. In past apartments I've grown herbs, tomatoes and greens in deck pots on the railing.

Easier to tend and w/TLC higher yields. Plus when weather snaps come you can bring them inside and possibly extend the growing season. Start small and "grow" from there. You'd be surprised what you can grow in two 2.5'x1' railing pots.

[ThomThom]

68. y'all know most chocolate beans are picked by slave-like child labor

in third world countries

[brooklynite]

69. It may be crappy...

...but I'm not sure a 100% chocolate bunny would have been less fattening.