The world is fat

If you ever spend 5 minutes with me, you'll probably have to endure one of my rants about global food policy. I am sorry, but I tend to be a thinker and I wrestle with how my body got to where it was. My main motivation is to keep myself from ever getting back there. There is an amazing book called The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (http://www.michaelpollan.com/omnivore.php) that talks about the global food chain that I highly recommend. The basic premise is that what we eat today is not food anymore. It is some sort of foodlike product that is the result of easy fuel for transport, ridiculous government subsidies of unhealthy foods, and factory farming.

I happened upon another book today that has me intrigued. It is called The World is Fat by Barry Popkin (review at: http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/humannature/archive/2008/11 /30/the-world-is-fat.aspx). It points out that there are now more obese people on the planet than there are starving. It is staggering to fathom. The basic premise is that our bodies evolved for a world that simply doesn't match the foods and lifestyles we all have.

Now I am in no way saying that we aren't to blame for how we ended up, but it is interesting to think that it is larger than us. I have said to many that I had the surgery to give me the stomach that I should have had for this world. This book kind of supports my thesis.

Thanks I will be heading to Books A Million tomorrow to pick it up.

Thanks Blair - I have ordered the first one and ordered another of Michael Pollan's books In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" 

They both sound like interesting books to follow... thanks for the tip

Jackie

Excellent points you bring up, little brother.  I agree wholeheartedly.  So how do I tackle these travesties?

Well, for one I don't purchase my meats from the grocery store.  I'm fortunate to have a best friend that owns his own beef cattle.  Mike & I just bought half a steer & we know the butchers.  Dennis' cattle are not fed steroids or other altering drugs...they are fed grain on his own farm, grass grown on his own farm.  We KNOW what has gone into his cows.  No additives, no food coloring to make the meat look redder, no preservatives.

For veggies, I grow my own...organically.  No pesticides, no preservatives.

Of course I run the risk of ingesting that crap when I eat out, but we don't do fast food anymore.  I'm careful about my portions too.  I have gone toe to toe on more than one occassion with restaurants when they don't want me to order from the children's menu.  Actually had one restaurant try to charge me full price for a child's portion.  NOT!!  And even ordering from the kid's menu I have to be careful because what's on there usually?  Fried foods like chicken nuggets, carb-laden mac n cheese, etc.  So when I don't find anything appealing there I have to revert to the adult menu, in which case that one meal works for me for THREE!  I have made a pleasant discovery though.  When Lisa & I had lunch at Olive Garden, we asked if they could run her soup through the blender...they did!!  I also asked for the same service at Ruby Tuesday yesterday & again, they did what I asked.  My son & I are really good about sharing a meal, hubby will do that occassionally.  So while there are many factors working AGAINST us, it IS possible to force the issue & get what we need rather than settle.

My next change is to purchase a bread making machine so I can make my own bread without all the crap in it.

Thanks for bringing up this issue.  BTW....you lookin' HOT!!

I am not sure I have the answers. I have greatly reduced my meat intake and eat an enourmous amount of legumes and beans. I mix in tofui when I can (buy it's soy and likely from a factory farm). I am not sure any of us can solve the problem but you seem to be ahead of the game.

For me, the big part is to offset the negative effects of th efood with exercise. But I am a nutjob.

Thanks for th ecompliment. Guess you have seen the body of the pics on Facebook. I tend to hang out there way more than here.

There are some smoking hot pics of you on there too....HUBBA HUBBA!!!