Everyday Systems

Posted: **Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:16 pm**

As I was returning to my office, I saw someone from work who was bringing in an entire box of of Tootsie Pops. He offered me one. I said "No -- I'm on a diet where I don't eat sweets during the week."

So -- guess how he responded! He pulled out a pomegranite Tootsie Pop and said, "Have this one. It's loaded with antioxidants!"

I took it. I didn't eat it, but I took it and put it in the cup that has my pens, pencils and markers.

This guy has been fed a load of nonsense, and his Tootsie Pop to me is a reminder of what passes as good-for-you snacks these days.

Yes, he's overweight. He's also been very warm and friendly towards me.
It's sad that his weight problem is at least due in part to the successful marketing strategy of the company that produces pomegranite Tootsie Pops.

Kathleen

Posted: **Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:22 pm**

Yeah, my mom has been on an "antioxidant" pomegranate crusade these days..
LOL

Good for you Kathleen!

Debs

Posted: **Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:46 pm**

Pomegranate Tootsie Pops?? I have never heard of such a delicacy! But yes - not very cool comment. Or marketing, as anything other than a TREAT. I'm sure the pomegranate is artificial flavor anyway, nothing that would even resemble the fruit.

Speaking of ... at the store yesterday there were some dried pineapple pieces ... with artificial pineapple flavor added. Apparently they weren't pineapple-y enough before!!

Posted: **Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:51 pm**

Kathleen, I actually love tootsie rolls/pops whatever, but obviously they are for S days..
But,,,,, I thought of an even better pomegranate treat for you anyway...
Much more up your alley.......

Pomegranate Haagen Daz bars!!!
LOL

Debs x

Posted: **Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:52 pm**

marleah wrote: Speaking of ... at the store yesterday there were some dried pineapple pieces ... with artificial pineapple flavor added. Apparently they weren't pineapple-y enough before!!

Hah, pathetic isn't it???

Debs

Posted: **Wed Apr 22, 2009 10:05 pm**

Sometimes there are some things that appear to be healthy at first glance ... like cereal bars for example and then you check the ingredients on the box and they're full of sugar and artificial stuff. You have to be careful with those and check the labels carefully especially for those that are not obviously one step away from candy, the chocolate covered ones for example.

I just bought soy milk for the first time today. Tastes quite good and it's super healthy too, plenty of minerals, vitamins. I'll have a lil' bit daily.

Marc

Posted: **Wed Apr 22, 2009 10:45 pm**

Is it Michael Pollan who says "Don't eat anything that has a health claim on the package"?

Posted: **Wed Apr 22, 2009 11:22 pm**

marcdesbiens wrote: I just bought soy milk for the first time today. Tastes quite good and it's super healthy too, plenty of minerals, vitamins. I'll have a lil' bit daily.

Marc

Marc, in my experience, the very best tasting soymilk there is, is the Silk brand..
See if you can find that. Some of the soymilks have a little too muddy of a flavour.. This one is great, and comes in Vanilla and Chocolate (for S days of course) and they even make a "Half and half" equivalent, soy style..
But,,,, beware..
Soy has been shown to increase estrogen levels...
Hehe

Debs

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:22 am**

Estrogen ... Funny !! Maybe I'll start shoppin' for a BRA soon !!

Nah, I knew that about soy products, you have to make sure not to eat or drink too much or they can mess with your hormones. I don't think drinking a small glass of soy milk and eating a small handful of soy nuts daily will bother me though ... I'll see if my voice changes a bit,
I'll tone it down ... or I'll be singin' like a soprano, wow !!

I saw that brand today .. Silk ... but I was really rushed at the grocery store. They had 4 or 5 different brands there.

I picked a brand called 'So nice' (or is it 'Soy nice' ??) There's a 'So' and then a fancy 'Y' in the middle of the 'o', clever !

... I chose that one just cos' it happened to be on sale that week (Wow, saving 50 cents compared to the other brands, woo hoo !) I chose the regular one, they also had vanilla and chocolate ... I like it plain, like my yogurt.

They all looked equally healthy and nice to me though, the packaging were all posh with pretty pastel colors, nice.

I was running in the store cos' I was in a big hurry
(It could almost count as extra cardio, that's how fast I was goin' !!) so I didn't have time to check the nutrition labels or anything, I'll investigate this a bit more if I stick with the soy milk for a while.

I picked up a few other items and quickly checked in the MOLASSES section, no blackstrap molasses there either ...)

Marc

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:33 am**

marcdesbiens wrote:Estrogen ... Funny !! Maybe I'll start shoppin' for a BRA soon !!

LOL

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:34 am**

Debs,
Very funny. I actually got pomegranite Haagen Dazs bars. Oh, were they disgusting! No one wanted them. I did eat them, but I didn't buy them again!
Kathleen

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:48 am**

Haha...Yeah, I didn't like em much either..
Gimme the double chocolate ones!

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:29 am**

Thalia wrote:Is it Michael Pollan who says "Don't eat anything that has a health claim on the package"?

That's becoming nigh-on impossible. It seems everything is healthy these days.

New! 100% sugar-free lard!

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:54 am**

My kids are allowed to have healthy snacks at school, including fruit roll-ups. They don't like that I won't buy fruit roll-ups except on special occassions. I've told them the only thing healthy about fruit roll-ups is the word fruit in the name!
Kathleen

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:17 am**

That reminds me of our "child-birth" classes -- (21 years ago this spring!) when the instructor was talking about eating smart during pregnancy. She mentioned the importance of eating a balanced diet with healthy proteins, complex carbs and plenty of fruits and nuts and vegetables, etc. We were all sitting around on the floor with our pillows and one really young mom looked at her really young husband (yeah, we were the "mature" parents in class!) and said in all seriousness: "Oh, honey, I'm doing good--I have Fruit Loops for breakfast and a Snickers for my snack every morning!" The rest of us had to bite our tongues to keep from "snickering" ourselves!

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:56 am**

The original post made me laugh out loud. People will say the silliest stuff when trying to tempt you to eat something you shouldn't eat. My favorites that I have gotten are: "Come on... it's so worth it", "Live a little" and "Cake's good for you - it has eggs in it" etc. lol

At this point, when my husband, who doesn't exercise or eat right, trys to give me dieting advice, I ignore him.

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:37 pm**

I think this guy really believes that pomegranite-flavored Tootsie Pops are good for you.

People have all sorts of theories about what is the difference between those who become overweight and those who do not, between those who are "naturally thin" and those who are not.

My theory is that the defining characteristic of overweight people is gullibility.

Kathleen

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:10 pm**

Media and corporate brain-washing is everywhere.

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:32 pm**

I've made soy burgers before and loaded them with great stuff and still couldn't eat them. My family banned them from the house and honestly - MY DOG WOULDN'T EAT IT! She eats anything... even rocks! Then I got some portabello veggie burgers. Just a step up... also banned with a laugh. It goes to show that real food, at meal time, is the way to go! No snacks, no sweets, no seconds, and no soy burgers. I'm sure I had a sample of a good one once at a grocery store...?

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:48 pm**

One of the great things about this diet is NO MORE LEAN CUISINE!

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 2:09 pm**

I've made soy burgers before and loaded them with great stuff and still couldn't eat them. My family banned them from the house and honestly - MY DOG WOULDN'T EAT IT! She eats anything... even rocks!

We have a big silly yard-dog named "Walter" who keeps us safe from burglars out in here in the country.

Last summer I was cooling on the grill, and was cooking hamburgers. I was also grilling some yellow squash, because one of my parishioner had given me a metric ton of them out of his garden. I gave Walter a bite of a grilled hamburger patty, and then I gave him a grilled squash. He looked at me, and I swear I could tell what he was thinking: "The squash is okay, John, but I like the hamburger better!"

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 3:48 pm**

One of the great things about this diet is NO MORE LEAN CUISINE!

Sing it, sister!

I am laughing and laughing about the sugar-free lard and the rock-eating dog.

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:41 pm**

But,,,, beware..
Soy has been shown to increase estrogen levels...
Hehe Wink

I drink soy milk every day, and it has not increased my estrogen levels!

And if you ever say that again, I swear, I'll hit you with my purse!

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:41 pm**

Kathleen wrote:My kids are allowed to have healthy snacks at school, including fruit roll-ups. They don't like that I won't buy fruit roll-ups except on special occassions. I've told them the only thing healthy about fruit roll-ups is the word fruit in the name!
Kathleen

The year I gave fruit rollups to my Son as a toddler, for snacks, unaware of how badly they stick to their teeth, he ended up getting 8 cavities and had to get several crowns and undergo dental surgery under anesthesia..
The dentist said that kids don't brush well enough and those stick like mad in the corners of the teeth.
He said chocolate is better because it melts, but to stay away from all those "fruit" snacks.

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:45 pm**

OH, I forgot to say,,it's funny, but today I found a bag that Richard actually brought home, which I had sent some wheat thins in, for his lunch, and it had a lolly pop in it, which he *didn't* eat!!
It wasn't a tootsie pop tho, but something similar...

He must have got it from a friend or as a treat from his after school track coach (even the teachers in school give out candy regularly!!!), but I was so pleased to see he brought it home!!!
I really think NoS is sinking in for him!!
He told me he really wants to be good the other day!!

Yay!!

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:37 pm**

gratefuldeb67 wrote:
Kathleen wrote:My kids are allowed to have healthy snacks at school, including fruit roll-ups. They don't like that I won't buy fruit roll-ups except on special occassions. I've told them the only thing healthy about fruit roll-ups is the word fruit in the name!
Kathleen
The year I gave fruit rollups to my Son as a toddler, for snacks, unaware of how badly they stick to their teeth, he ended up getting 8 cavities and had to get several crowns and undergo dental surgery under anesthesia..
The dentist said that kids don't brush well enough and those stick like mad in the corners of the teeth.
He said chocolate is better because it melts, but to stay away from all those "fruit" snacks.

I hate those things - they masquerade as something healthy and are NOT. I buy organic all-fruit-no-sugar-added ones occasionally for my son, as a treat, and forget how bad the regular ones are. I bought some for soccer snack (parents rotate bringing snack at games - don't get me started on THAT), and didn't read the label well enough. The "foot of fruit!!" trumpeted loudly on the cover turned out to be fruit-FLAVORED. I was angry and embarrassed - I thought it was really fruit (albeit HIGHLY over-processed) and it essentially was candy.

And I'm usually good about checking the nutrition info, too. Grr!

The pressures of marketing and culture are hard to avoid. I brought apples last year for soccer snack, and my son remembered (which I hadn't) and asked me not to this year. So, we were negotiating on something that was "cool" enough for him and "healthy" enough for me. If those had been real fruit, they'd have passed. As it was... never again!

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:01 pm**

That's so funny, I never was under the impression that fruit rollups were healthy. They always seemed like candy to me. Repulsive.

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:21 pm**

Nichole wrote:That's so funny, I never was under the impression that fruit rollups were healthy. They always seemed like candy to me. Repulsive.

They can vary from highly-processed-but-real-fruit to total sugar. Kind of like granola bars do.

But you would be AMAZED at how many people give their kids the candy ones and think it's a totally healthy snack (because of the marketing, I think).

You're probably a good label-reader, Nicole!

Posted: **Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:47 pm**

KCCC wrote:
Nichole wrote:That's so funny, I never was under the impression that fruit rollups were healthy. They always seemed like candy to me. Repulsive.
They can vary from highly-processed-but-real-fruit to total sugar. Kind of like granola bars do.

But you would be AMAZED at how many people give their kids the candy ones and think it's a totally healthy snack (because of the marketing, I think).

You're probably a good label-reader, Nicole!

Nah, I've never read the label. They just always looked like candy to me.

Posted: **Sat Apr 25, 2009 12:06 pm**

marcdesbiens wrote:
I just bought soy milk for the first time today. Tastes quite good and it's super healthy too, plenty of minerals, vitamins. I'll have a lil' bit daily.

Marc (and other soy milk fans)--I've never seen a soy milk that didn't have corn syrup or sugar high up in the ingredients list--is there an unsweetened soy milk? If not, sounds like you'd be getting a little sugar hit with every gulp of this "healthy" food.

Posted: **Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:51 pm**

Hi Cooker, well I checked the ingredients and there was no corn syrup or processed sugar there. There is a lil' bit of natural sugar in there though, the natural sugar from the soy beans/nuts of course but it's supposed to be super healthy and it says only 80 calories per cup on the nutrition box. Plenty of minerals/vitamins there too so I believe it's all good 4-me ... in moderation of course, I have a lil' bit each day now, a very small glass.

You can't have problems if you use moderation, you could even have ice cream, as long as it's a tiny portion, it won't really hurt you, a teaspoon of ice cream won't hurt you in the long run and you get the 'taste' of the ice cream that way, it's a micro-bite.

Cheers !

Marc

Posted: **Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:53 pm**

Happy Cooker wrote:
marcdesbiens wrote:
I just bought soy milk for the first time today. Tastes quite good and it's super healthy too, plenty of minerals, vitamins. I'll have a lil' bit daily.

Marc (and other soy milk fans)--I've never seen a soy milk that didn't have corn syrup or sugar high up in the ingredients list--is there an unsweetened soy milk? If not, sounds like you'd be getting a little sugar hit with every gulp of this "healthy" food.
Well I've never seen high fructose corn syrup in any of them, tho there is some negligible sugar.
Silk offers an unsweetened version as well as others. It saves about 20 calories or so per cup.. I wouldn't really worry about a "sugar hit" unless you are diabetic.

The regular Vanilla flavour of Silk is 10 grams of carbs per cup.
Hmmm think that's not much, but I'm not really good with grams etc..
I think that's about equal to two teaspoons of sugar per cup.
I usually have 1/3 cup soy in each coffee, so that's not even a teaspoon.

Happy cooker. Are you actually thinking of using Soy or are you just debating whether soy milk is "healthy"..
The only health issue I'd say to consider, especially for women, is that using a lot of soy, does raise your phyto estrogens and can actually cause a bit of slowing down of weight loss as a result.
I've seen several studies about it when looking up info on menopause and pre menopause issues and alternatives to hormone replacement.

Have a good weekend.
Debs

Posted: **Sat Apr 25, 2009 4:04 pm**

yeah I just checked again on the ingredients and Silk uses "all natural evaporated cane juice".....

IE sugar hahah..
but not corn syrup.

Debs

Posted: **Sat Apr 25, 2009 4:11 pm**

I don't use soy products at all -- mostly because they really upset my stomach. But I also found that soy didn't help the hot-flash issue. In fact, they got MUCH worse when I consumed soy. So much for it being beneficial for menopausal symptoms!

I can't say that I avoid foods with various health claims, but I'm wary of them. I happen to like pomegranates, so I eat them and use the juice. Health benefits are a bonus.

Posted: **Sat Apr 25, 2009 7:55 pm**

I didn't realize people were basically just adding small amounts to coffee, which isn't unhealthy, as you say, Marc and Debs. And it is a vegan item, but then that's what they said about Soylent Green, didn't they?

Posted: **Sat Apr 25, 2009 11:48 pm**

wosnes wrote:I don't use soy products at all -- mostly because they really upset my stomach. But I also found that soy didn't help the hot-flash issue. In fact, they got MUCH worse when I consumed soy. So much for it being beneficial for menopausal symptoms!.

Yeah it's all about balance. Actually, I didn't write what I had read about it, but yes Wosnes, the problem is that the pms/hotflashes etc is all caused by an imbalance of progesterone and estrogen, with estrogen being too high.
And soy only increases that.
But I suppose if it were deficient originally, it might help.

Maybe Black Cohosh?? I don't know personally about that, but I've seen it sold as a menopause help aid.

To Happy Cooker, I never heard of Soylent Green.. What was that?

Debs

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:20 am**

Oh, my, it's another Young and the Rest of Us moment! Some of us are old enough to remember this sci-fi classic!

Soylent Green, 1973 movie starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor Young and Edward G. Robinson. . . from the imdb.com database. . .
"A tale of Earth in despair in 2022. Natural food like fruits, vegetables, and meat among others are now extinct. Earth is overpopulated and New York City has 40 million starving, poverty stricken people. The only way they survive is with water rations and eating a mysterious food called Soylent. A detective investigates the murder of the president of the Soylent company. The truth he uncovers is more disturbing than the Earth in turmoil when he learns the secret ingredient of Soylent Green.

Set in the year 2022, Soylent Green depicts a dystopian future in which the population has grown to forty million in New York City alone. Most housing is dilapidated and overcrowded, and the impoverished homeless fill the streets and line the fire escapes and stairways of buildings. Food as we know it todayâ€“including fruit, vegetables, and meatâ€“is a rare and expensive commodity."

And from Wikipedia. . . I know that source questionable but in this case, it's probably ok. . . "Half of the world's population survives on processed rations produced by the massive Soylent Corporation (from soy(bean) + lent(il)), including Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow, which are advertised as "high-energy vegetable concentrates". The newest product is Soylent Green - a small green wafer which is advertised as being produced from "high-energy plankton". It is much more nutritious and palatable than the red and yellow varieties, but it is -- like most other food -- in short supply, which often leads to riots."

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:21 am**

Excuse my small joke. Soylent Green (1973) is a sci-fi pic set in 2022, when 40 million starving people live in NYC and natural food like fruit, vegetables, and meat is extinct. People survive by eating a mysterious food called Soylent. A detective investigates the murder of the president of the Soylent company and uncovers the secret ingredient of Soylent Green, thus giving rise to a famous line which I will not repeat for fear of spoiling this campy movie for anyone.
I am not really suggesting anything sinister about the makers of soy milk, just goofing around.

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:22 am**

Yeah-Happy Cooker--Debs is just too young remember !!! Cause otherwise she and her sense of humor would gotten that!

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2009 4:32 pm**

Wosnes - my gosh, I just realized my not feeling quite right lately may be the soy milk. I'm just not 100%, thought since I'm vacationing in FL I might not be drinking enough water. Been working on that and it helped but I also realized the day I said that it indeed helped was the day I did not have Total cereal w/soy milk for brkfst, but eggs instead. This has been true since March and that was about the time I started buying soymilk. I'm going off it and see if there's a difference but I bet that's what it is.
Thanks!

Nancy

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2009 5:27 pm**

Yeah never heard of that movie.. I'm just a young whipper snapper!

LOL

Debs x

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2009 11:59 pm**

I am lactose intolerant and although I sometimes in cooking, use Lactaid (cow's mlk).
In my cereal - usually Fiber One original,
I use Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze.
It is almond milk, sold in a box on the shelf near soy milk,
As you know, I count calories, and
8 oz/one cup of this is 40 calories.
I believe it is a good alternative to soy milk or cow's milk.

Posted: **Sun May 24, 2009 11:52 am**

We have low-cal, low-carb, sugarfree, fatfreed ourselves into a major obesity problem in this country.

Sad to say

Everyday Systems

This really happened!

This really happened!

Fruit Loops & Snickers!

Soy milk?

Re: Soy milk?

Too young to know!

yeah!