The flip-floping of the food industry---

[franmarz]

In this mornings Tampa tribune an article said now that the carb craze is waning, the new interest is in better flavor, which includes more FAT.It just boils down to one thing--use your own judgement when you select foods or diets.

[bearfan454]

1. Exactly.

Everyone knows what is best for them.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. There was an experiment run many years ago in which little kids

were allowed to eat their meals at a buffet. There was everything fromm candy to salty snacks to carrots and oatmeal. The kids ahd no guidance and no restrictions. After observing the kids for quite some time (I can't recall if it was weeks or months, but I seem to recall it was more on the order of months) almost all of them wound up eating a pretty balanced diet.

The lesson's obvious, isn't it?

[NMDemDist2]

3. I plan recipes a lot on "what I feel my body telling me"

and when I was single and ate out all the time, it was my only guide

now that I eat what I have in the fridge or what hubby wants, I notice my weight is an issue where it never used to be.

[NashVegas]

4. It's a Matter of Competing Strategies

Strategies not just for diet, but to gain financial success by promoting a diet.

The older I get, the more I appreciate all those times my mom asked if I'd follow all my friends if they wanted to jump off the Brooklyn bridge.

[Stepup2]

5. This is true

too bad the food we have to choose from now often is laced with chemicals or other nasty things that compound the choice.

[wildeyed]

6. I eat old fashioned.

Lots of fruits and veggies, whole fat dairy, whole grains and meat. I try to avoid pre-packaged food for my entire family, Cheerios being the one exception. Everyone exercises, I limit TV for the kids and everyone is exceptionally healthy without being extreme about much of anything. I guess the old adage, everything in moderation, has some merit.

[Stepup2]

7. I eat like that with the exception of the meat.

I think this is the least costly way to eat too. The packaged stuff is expensive, and with a little planning, not much of a time saver either imo.

I avoid meat because of health reasons and I find if I start eating meat, it takes center stage on the plate and I eat fewer veggies overall. This has been a fantastic weight maintenance strategy for me too.

I use dried beans in place of it, and I have liked soy milk for years.

I laughed about the cheerios..life is not complete without cheerios and bananas once in a while.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. Mmmm ..... Cheerios ...... Gud ....... Me Like

[wildeyed]

9. Love beans.

They are the miracle food. Cheap, nutritious and yummy.

I always eat my veggies first, then work on starch and meat, that way I usually eat enough of the green stuff.

I have two little kids who think Cheerios are the staff of life. But everyone in the family likes them.

[grasswire]

10. a bit off topic.....

...but I have a niece who has the most bizarre "picky eater" patterns. Even with a mother who cooks very healthy food, this 12-year-old girl basically lives on white flour and sugar. She scrapes everything off pizza and eats the crust. She'll only eat pasta with lemon juice on it. She only eats sourdough bread. No cooked vegetables. No meat except turkey and an occasional hamburger. No nuts or beans or lentils. She hates melted cheese. She's in a growth spurt and is hungry a lot, but just doesn't eat. She's not thin, because she sneaks candy whenever she can find money for it.

Nobody seems to have any idea how to rectify this. It's a nightmare to try to plan family meals. It's been going on for years.

My suggestion to her mom is to find a nutritionist. I've tried encouraging her to develop healthier habits. She has inherited psoriasis from her dad, and I'm afraid a poor diet could make it worse.

[wildeyed]

11. My husband is a picky eater,

although not nearly as bad as what you describe. I think part of it is genetic preference and part was a power struggle with his Mother, who can be high strung and controlling. I ignore his pickiness as much as possible, but it is definitely a sore spot in our marriage.

I have a nephew who is extremely picky. He also stops eating periodically. Makes his Mother nuts, which is the point I guess. Again, he seems to be genetically pre-disposed toward pickiness, he was like that even as a nursing baby, but the big reaction he gets from Mom and Dad is a payoff, too.

I am lucky, neither of my kids are picky. Our dinner rule is eat what you are served or don't eat, but no complaining and if you do you go to your room.

on edit: Try posting about this in the parenting forum. I'll bet there are plenty there who have dealt with this problem.

[chefgirl]

12. Use your own judgement, exactly

To my mind, the one diet that NO ONE has ever been able to dispute is:
ALL THINGS IN MODERATION.

I tend to eat lots of whole grains (cereals, breads, pastas) and try to squeeze in fruits and vegetables whenever I can. I don't naturally eat very much meat and tend toward fish and chicken. I TRY to keep the fat to a minimum, but as anyone will tell you, thats hard to do when you cook for a living.
Fat is the great enabler. It carries flavor, it helps thicken, and achieves the 'mouth feel' that we all identify with 'good food' (if not good for you).

I tend to be a bit of a choco-holic/sugar-holic, though, and would be in a lot of trouble with my weight if I didn't work it off as fast as I pack it in.

I'm glad the carb craze is dying. Call me crazy, but I never saw the sense in believing that you can eat a pound of bacon and three cheeseburgers, but you can't have an apple because it has CARBS!!!

Just my $.02
-chef-

[wryter2000]

13. Flavor

During the summer, I harvest lots of veggies from my garden. There's more flavor in a homegrown vegetable than anything the food industry produces. I eat huge piles of vegetables with butter in moderate amounts. Yum.

BTW, if you don't have much room for a garden, try www.earthbox.com. The best way to grow tomatoes, period.