What is next? Where do we go from here?

There has been lots of talk lately in the news and media about nutrition, combating childhood obesity, food standards and practices.

This is something that has hit home (literally) as we have been trying to eat healthier and avoid processed “food like substances”. We’ve been at it for about a half year now, where we have drastically limited our meat and dairy consumption and increased our intake of whole grains and vegetables. One observation I have made so far is that convenience is such a huge part of our culture, and that is one of the things is hard to change. I find it hard to just go and grab some lunch that is healthy with little to no preparation. The stuff that is cheap is bad for you, because they prepare it in a way that is cost-effective and “tasty”, not healthy. I usually end up grabbing an apple and some noodles.

The big thing that kills me (and the American People) is that this is all done for profits. Little changes here to slice off a half a cent per unit during this process, modifications to the ingredient there to save another fourth of a cent, and as each step progresses, it makes the food more and more… well… “non-food”. The fats and preservatives are pumped in, High-fructose corn syrup added to make it taste better, and then it’s flash frozen or pasteurized or sprayed with some sort of “edible bleach” to kill all the germs on it. It’s beautiful from a technological and accounting perspective. But it’s a nightmare from a health one. We were made, designed, created, adapted to eat for nutrition. Our bodies have cravings for what we are supposed to eat. This assembly line food masks this by chemically engineering it to “seem” like it’s what we are supposed to be eating, but really isn’t.

In turn, we aren’t satisfied and keep eating. We get fatter, requiring more “food” to fill our stomachs.

The food manufacturers win again.

How do we solve this problem? How do we get the food manufacturers to return to a state of “natural” without changing the whole process they have so carefully built? My pessimistic guess is that they are just going to lie to us. We are going to demand better, healthier food, and they are just going to “technically” meet the requirements without really changing anything.

And things will keep on getting worse for us.

About Dug (Wugmanmax) 241 Articles
(AKA – Wug, Dug, Foug) Hailing from the Twin Cities, Wugmanmax is an avid toy collector, graphic designer, video producer, firefighter, and podcast co-host.

2 Comments

  1. as long as the general public at large demands the changes you are asking for, the “manufacturers” WILL make them, however, the “manufacturers” are only producing what is in demand. they are not simply trying to cut cost, but realize that they ARE in business for profit. face it, there really is NO other reason to be in business

  2. Very true. But how much profit is enough profit? I understand the process, but when you start undermining the quality and nutrition of the product I think that is going too far.
    Sadly, most people aren’t not even aware of this stuff, or turn a blind eye to it. That disturbs me the most. It’s not even like smoking or soda. Those that engage in consuming those products, know there is a level of risk involved. I still drink (sugared) sodas, even though I know they are not good for me. A lot of the younger generation (or of lower social class) were raised on this garbage. A lot of them don’t even realize the detrimental health effects, and in some cases may even think some products are “good for them” due to clever marketing.

I suppose you have a better thought on the subject?

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