Everyday Systems

Except Oregon (wonder what they're doing differently?).

So I guess the last batch of fads didn't quite work either...

Article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... e_rankings

The more diets we go on, the fatter we get. This certainly is not shocking. Why Oregon? They probably eat a lot of berries. High fiber, healthy, filling. I think I'll move. Cheers, Denise

This made me think about why I have made eating well and losing weight such a priority in my life vs. why so many other people don't.

I think there are three reasons: money, time, and convenience--and perhaps education (I know how important it is, whereas so many people don't).

The most important reason is that I can afford to do it. Unfortunately, good quality food costs more money than junk food. The only things I can think of that are good for you as well as inexpensive are beans and rice, and perhaps eggs. I'm a stay-at-home mom with four kids, my husband makes a good salary, and I can barely afford to feed my family as nutritiously as I want to. I can't imagine how a less well-to-do family would do it.

Along with the financial issue is the time issue. Because my husband makes a good salary, I'm able to stay home. Because I'm able to stay home, I have the time to shop the food sales and make the food. If I were working, I think I'd end up relying on fast food or processed food a lot more often just to save my sanity.

Then there's the issue of convenience. Life is so darned stressful, and the most convenient way to handle stress is by eating. Also, I know that for me at least, stress reduces my impulse control. Eating junk food relaxes me. The only time I've been really, really successful at dieting was when the stress in my life was at a minimum. I think that many people don't recognize this connection, and even if they do, would say that there is nothing they can do to reduce the stress in their lives. I've been very lucky because I have the freedom to make changes in my life when the stress becomes more than I can handle.

Along those lines is the fact that when you're just trying to survive and make ends meet, who has time to worry about their diet?

Then, of course, there's the overabundance issue. I wonder if evolution has programmed us to keep eating as long as food is available. I know that for me it has been a real struggle to limit the amount of food I eat when everywhere I turn I'm being presented with it. It takes more mental energy for me to turn down a donut that's sitting on the kitchen counter than to just eat it.

In thinking about all of this, I realized that as far as diets go, the NoS diet is probably the best diet for the most people. It doesn't require you to spend money on a lot of special foods and it solves the overabundance issue by limiting how much you eat in a very simple way. It partially solves the problem of stress-related eating by taking away that option, but you'd still have to find a solution to the stress. And best of all, it doesn't require you to give anything up. It's probably the easiest diet in the world to follow. Too bad more people don't know about it and/or don't recognize the need for it.

Anyway, thanks for letting me ramble on.

Nancy

I think we are a land of impulses and instant gratification. America is about Bigness, big houses, big cars, big portions. Growth is good. Moderation is not something we value as a society. Notice the emphasis on Extreme Sports, we have Extreme Eating, and when we want to loose weight, moderation is for whimps, we want EXTREME DIETING that will take of the pounds in the shortest time possible, regardless of the health concerns.

I agree with most of what Nancy said except that good-quality food is more expensive. I've saved a lot of money with No-S because I don't buy expensive snacks or cookies any more.

When I take a look at my staples -- olive oil, whole-wheat bread and pita, plain yogurt, 2% milk, eggs, canned black and navy beans, canned turnip greens, and so on -- these are all incredibly cheap foods compared to frozen dinners, and compared to the prepared take-out buffet-deli stuff at the store, and compared to the you-make-it dinner kits you can buy (fajita kits, frozen stir-fry, and so on).

In the summer you can get fresh produce at the farmer's market, where it's cheaper, and in the winter frozen vegetables from the store are quite reasonable.

It probably costs me $30 to eat for a week when I don't eat out (which I don't often, because of budget constraints). And that's without patronizing the super-cheap groceries like Wal-mart (I won't shop there for ethical reasons).

Anyhow, my understanding is that food in the U.S. costs like half of what it does in Europe, so we are kind of spoiled in our expectation that food be a cheap commodity.

Reinhard:

I just came back from a vacation in Oregon and I saw people of many shapes and sizes.

I think in certain parts of the state the local governments are pretty enviromentally conscious. There are several cities that have bike paths through the freeways. I read somewhere that more people commute to work on bicycles in Eugene then anywhere else in the country. Also, there are so many outdoor activities in that state. People ski, mountain climb, river raft, hike, surf, windsurf, fish, well the list goes on.

It is a gorgeous state and if not for the rain I'd love to live there. So, I have no true answer to your question but I'd guess that there are a lot of active people in Oregon.

Dru

I wonder how New Orleans stacks up at this point?

Now that was a "Fat City"!

Deb

Deb:

Don't they have those French doughnuts on, like every corner there????

That would be tough for me.

D.

Beignets!!!!!
Yeah those are good at midnight washed down by a nice cup of hot chocolate!

Not to mention that it is nearly impossible to get fish or stuff without it being deep fried!...
Oyster poboys a few times a week will pack on the pounds.....
Then you wash it all down with a couple of gallons of hurricaines and you will wake up wondering what happened to your toes, before long!

It's a really excessive city too... If you go and get (a drivethru) daquiri (only place I know that serves alcohol at drivethrus like a dunkin donuts would!!!! Scary right?????) they have sizes that seriously go up to the Half Gallon size!!!!
Crazy!!!
ps.. I don't drink much but find this a very interesting litmus test of the eating/drinking community there......

It is called Fat City after all!

Yeah, Beignets are a very very worthy S!!!!
Freshly fried donuts with confectioners sugar!!!!!!
They make crispy cremes seem really lame!
You are making me hungry now!!!
Ha ha!!
Love,
Deb

Oh, man, those beignets...washed down with a steaming cup of cafe au lait...that's livin'. We lived for two years in Baton Rouge, and our weekly night out took us to Catfish Town, where we would eat and drink and listen to the music. That would make a nice S-Day treat!

I often drink my tea from the mug I got at Cafe DuMond!

There's nothing like those beignets - and the cajun coffee - I like the grain mixed with the real coffee better than I like plain coffee.

Actually I ate more raw oysters in Abbeville and crawfish in Breaux Bridge than fried fatty food in N'Awlins - but those Hurricanes were deadly for sure. I drank a few too many of those one night - fun!

We're going back for a few days next May. I will have to save up some S's for then...

Problem is all those goodies like doghnuts, chocolate cake and biscuits taste too damn good even with all the un-healthy ingredients that go into them.

Oregon's secret: bicycles.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/diet.fit ... index.html

PS
This is a very Reinhard/NoS/UR article--talking about making daily routine task into exercise rather than adding extra activities for the sake of exercise itself.

Thanks, Blondie.

Interesting article, with a note of caution:

The study, however, has its critics, including state epidemiologist Melvin Kohn, who said that while the findings look impressive on paper, nearly 59 percent of adult Oregonians are classified as either "obese" or "overweight."

"That's almost two-thirds of Oregonians," said Kohn. "I don't think we can rest on our laurels and say we don't have a problem."

And they didn't get any thinnner, after all, they just stayed the same.

(prospective) Farmer Justin, maybe you should move to Oregon:

Another factor that might explain Oregon's stagnant obesity rate is healthier eating. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of farms in Oregon increased by about 50 percent from 1974 to 2002, a period when many farms across the country were going up on the auction block.

As a result, Oregon's cities have seen a mushrooming of farmer's markets -- "from just one tiny Saturday market tucked away in a corner of Portland, to one for practically every day of the week," said organic farmer Shari Raider, who delivers a bounty of fresh greens to area restaurants.