I chronically read nutrition and ingredient labels. As such, I was a much happier consumer of food before I took a chemistry class.
That aside, though nutritional facts are better than they have been, there's still an awful lot missing.
Notice, for example, that almost all juice you buy at the store these days is pasteurized. In other words, it's heated to kill resident bacteria. As a result, a lot of juices have vitamins added post-pasteurization, since the heating causes the natural vitamins present in the juice to break down. Drinking un-fortified pasteurized juice in many cases is little better nutritionally than drinking a soft drink.
Now, with that in mind, take a look at your garden-variety bag o' potatoes. WOW! 40-60% of your RDA of Vitamin C per serving? Forget the apples- a potato a day to keep the doctor away!
Except, I don't know of anyone who eats potatoes raw. Personally, I tend to steam, bake, roast, fry, or boil the dickens out of them. Which destroys most of the vitamin content.
Further adding to the mockery of making informed decisions about the Recommended Daily Allowance, my sister recently developed a milk allergy. As such, I've become a little more familiar with things like that the amount of calcium or iron something contains does not necessarily amount to the amount of calcium or iron that will be absorbed if you consume that something. In point of fact, it's perfectly possible to consume what you believe to be well over the RDA of a vitamin or mineral and not reach 100% because of non-absorption.
Now, fairly or unfairly, Americans have the reputation of not being able to pull themselves out of their indifference enough to distinguish nutritionally between raw broccoli sprouts and french fries. But if we want to make informed decisions, the information isn't really being made readily available. Pseudo-information stands in its place. Argh!
End rant.
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
Sterling, you'll be happy to know new labling laws are going into place. In addition to having to list trans fats, they now have to list allergy ingrediants in real words people actually use. If it has milk, it'll say milk instead of a five syllable chemical.
But you do have me wondering about my vitamins. My Dr has me on prenatals. The theory being that a healthy accidental baby is better than an accidental baby with entirely preventable birth defects. I wonder how many of my vitamins I'm actually getting?
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Tangentially, I wish chain restaurants (that are not fast food, I mean, since virtually every fast food chain already does this) had to provide nutritional information upon request, or online.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Some of them have that info online, but you have to hunt for it.
I wish they were required to put it on the menu, though, like packaged foods are.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Which non-fast food (and non-pizza) restaurants have nutritional info online?
Posted by krynn (Member # 524) on :
potatos arent really that great for u. they are extremely starchy, which makes them loaded with carbs. i would say an apple is a lot better. im not extremely well informed.. but this is just what i was told in a series of diabetes-education classes. also, if you are going to make potatos, u can reduce how much starch is in them by soaking them in water for a couple hours prior to cooking/baking them.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I eat potatoes raw. Not in large amounts-- they get toxic-- but I've always enjoyed them raw. Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
This has most of them compiled for you.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Hey, I just wish there were labelling laws - of any sort - here.
While most food items have labels with a list of ingredients, there are no laws stating the order the ingredients have to be listed in, or even that all ingredients have to be listed, so there's no way you can trust what it says.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Heh. I actually have that site already bookmarked . . . somehow I never noticed the full service restaurants there, though.
Still, I would say "most of them" is a bit of an exageration. I don't see Outback, Chili's, Red Lobster, etc. And for each restaurant, they only have a selection of food entries, and serving sizes are sometimes unclear.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Well, I didn't mean for 'most of them' to mean every full service restaurant in the US. I'm sure there're plenty left off, but this is better than nothing, I guess.
And, this has Chili's and Red Lobster, along with a lot of others. I didn't check carefully, so I can't say how many others or whether or not they're accurate, but there's the info.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Cool! A new nutrition site! Thanks!
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
(erm, I'm not succeeding in finding Chili's and Red Lobster so far . . . )
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
ah, found it. Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: I eat potatoes raw. Not in large amounts-- they get toxic-- but I've always enjoyed them raw.
I amend my previous statement. I know of one person who eats potatoes raw.
Presumably, with ketchup.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
When I was a kid I'd often snatch raw potato chunks as my mom was peeling them. I still like the taste, although I haven't had one in a few years.
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
quote:Originally posted by quidscribis: While most food items have labels with a list of ingredients, there are no laws stating the order the ingredients have to be listed in, or even that all ingredients have to be listed, so there's no way you can trust what it says.
Don't they always list ingredients from most quantity to least? For example, in the can of Pepsi I'm drinking right now the first two ingredients are water (duh) and high-fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, those being the two basic ingredients in a good can o soda. And...yay, "natural flavors" is dead last!
As far as not having to list certain ingredients, I vaguely remember some minor controversy over something like that, but google search has been unproductive. But I did find out that...
Juxtapose, you're probably not aware that I'm living in Sri Lanka, where the laws are *cough* different and enforcing them are *cough* flexible.
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
I also heard that ingredients are listed from the highest count to the least. And carbs are good, they give you energy, not as much as protein, but they give youa quick burst, none-the-less. For me here is a diet (and work out routine) I try to follow
5:00AM - Wake up 5:30AM - Eat 2 Pop-tarts, a banana, and a glass of OJ 6:00AM - Bike to School (2.6 miles) 6:15AM - Arrive at school, do 50 push ups, 75 curl ups 7:10AM - Begin school - blah blah blah 11:30AM - Lunch time, usually tuna fish sandwhiches, tuna contains I think 13grams of protein, and bread contains about 5 per every 2 slices 2:10PM - School Ends, begin ROTC activity (monday is rifle practice, tuesday and wednesday is drill, usually including 12lb drill rifles, thursday is PT/OT, friday is academic [but also PT during the class period of ROTC too]) 5:00 or 6:00PM - Bike home (2.6 miles again)
I get to bed around 9 to 11 And I usually chow down on something when I get home, it changes daily thoguh but I try to make it something with lots of calories or protein.
I weigh 117 lbs and am 5'11" (and I'm a guy too! so I'm like a stick bug, and not to mention biking in the wind reallllly sucks)
Here's a few health facts I know:
protein - long term energy carbs - short term energy calories - 1500 = 1 lb, but they get burnt off quickly, about 90 calories per hour if your sitting I am really trying to get 3000 a day, but its hard with most of the instant foods I eat which contain a bare minimum of about 100 calories, a double quarter pounder from McDonalds is about 710 calories though, so good deal.
Post Scriptum: Sorry for any typos, I didn't get to proofread my article
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Nope. 1 pound is 3000 calories, not 1500.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
It's 3500, actually.
And Alex, dude, you need to eat more. As much exercise as you get, I'd say 2800-3000 calories a day at least. Start snacking throughout the day.
Nuts make a great snack, as does granola (if you can find it where it's not loaded with sugar).
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
quote: Except, I don't know of anyone who eats potatoes raw
(now you know of two people -- except I don't currently eat raw potatoes because I'm restricting my carb intake)
I wrote a protest e-mail to Quiznos the other day because their nutritional information on their site is so bad. I mean, their web site has a listing that shows "carb content" but it doesn't show whether than is for a small, regular or large sandwich, which what options and dressings. Doesn't really help much.
Farmgirl
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
quote: I wish they were required to put it on the menu, though, like packaged foods are.
I wish there were no labeling laws, but that companies would label everything voluntarily anyway.
Unfortunately that's just a dream on both counts.
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
Takes money to research and print nutritional facts. And I guess that makes my "health facts" into "health assumptions". And you know what assuming does!
Post Scriptum: I don't like nuts, what other snacks can you suggest? I want something high in protein preferably, or high in carbs. I'll just make up for whatever I don't get from snacks elsewhere. Now I have to aim for 3500 calories a day and 50g of protein, this is going to be a toughie....
If I do find a "proper" diet plan for weight gain and/or workout diets, I'll post it.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
How old are you Alex?
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Beef jerky is a good snack for adding protein; very little fat. But it's chock full of sodium.
Chicken breasts and tuna fish are still the PB&Js of the weight gaining club, but I'm not real big on either.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Sodium is a bigger deal than people realize, because the majority of low-cal and low-carb foods load up on sodium to make up for the lack of flavor otherwise (also, many prepackaged microwaveable foods that do not require refrigeration do this). Look at the sodium content on something you eat from the grocery store sometime . . . do you eat ramen for lunch? That's anywhere from 30% to 50% of your RDA right there. Salt doesn't have any calories or carbs, so great, right? Well, actually it raises your blood pressure. And I think the incidence of high-sodium food is a relatively recent thing, so it might be a while before we see the results on a societal scale. (On a personal scale, I see it in my father, whose heart is failing (for unrelated reasons) and who finds it nearly impossible to stay under 100% of the USRDA for sodium, not because he cannot fight temptation, but because the foods are not there--especially given that, as a diabetic, he needs to keep his sugar low as well. These days, how do you keep both your sugar and your sodium intake low? Well, it's pretty much impossible.)
Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :
quote:Originally posted by Icarus: Which non-fast food (and non-pizza) restaurants have nutritional info online?
Ruby Tuesday's has nutritional information posted under each menu item (not complete, but anything you'd see on a standard package).
Only one I can think of off the top of my head.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
quote:Salt doesn't have any calories or carbs, so great, right? Well, actually it raises your blood pressure.
It was my understanding that sodium only contributes to increased blood pressure in people that already have it - ie. salt doesn't raise the blood pressure of person that doesn't already have high blood pressure (much like sugar doesn't cause diabetes, but it's intake can cause problems for people with the disease).
I can understand what a tough time your dad has. Basically the only way he can successfully do that is to make things from scratch (and would probably benefit from seeing a nutritionist who could help him plan meals and provide guidance with recipes).
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
No, I think sodium does that whether you have high blood pressure or not.
And sodium is the thing I have the most problem eliminating from my diet. I can eat fat free for months, cut out all sugars, and do all kinds of other stuff. But if you ask me to reduce my sodium intake by half I have a hard time doing it.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I eat tuna and chicken a lot when I want to LOSE weight. But my body is weird. I weighed the least over the summer (6' and about 117lbs.), during which time I drank regularly and lived entirely on fast food.
-pH
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
I am 16.
And I try to eat beans, since they have lots of protein too, but I have some of the most rancid.... well, use your imagination. Anyways, that's why I make about 4 tuna fish sandwhiches and bring 2 to school, then i get 2 school chocolate milks with 8g of protein in each. About 180 calories in each too, and they are small too! Like about a quarter of a liter each.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Sodium raises blood pressure in anyone who is sodium sensitive (which appears to be about half the population).
However, you don't generally find out if you are sodium sensitive until after your blood pressure gets too high. Also, as you age your chances of being sensitive increase.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Then I would suspect, Alex, that part of your problem may be with the beans themselves. As in, the type and how they're prepared.
If you cook your own, I've found that soaking beans for 24 hours (not one or two) goes a very long way towards eliminating the vast majority of gas in the beans. I'd even suggest going so far as to boil the beans for one hour, then soak for 23 hours (in changed water), then cooking again at the end. That does an even better job of eliminating gas.
If you're talking prepared foods, then I have no advice for you except to start preparing your own. Scratch prepared food is far healthier, anyway.
Like the sodium stuff up thread - I have no problems with getting too much sodium in my diet. Actually, I have to make sure I add enough sodium. But then, I cook everything (or close to everything) from scratch. It gives me a huge amount of control in what we take in.
Do it yourself jerky can have a lot less sodium. You could consider that.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote:Originally posted by ludosti: I can understand what a tough time your dad has. Basically the only way he can successfully do that is to make things from scratch (and would probably benefit from seeing a nutritionist who could help him plan meals and provide guidance with recipes).
Actually, he is an excellent cook, has seen nutritionists, and cooks virtually all his own meals from scratch. And my point is that it is still unbelievably difficult to simultaneously keep sugar intake low and salt intake at or below 100% USRDA. The ingredients just aren't there, unless all your meals consist of lettuce or something, followed by Diet Jello.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
You're 16. Most kids who are thin at 16 grow into their bodies. Don't freak that you're too thin. Just enjoy it. You'll look back with fondness when you're 40.
Pix
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:The ingredients just aren't there, unless all your meals consist of lettuce or something, followed by Diet Jello.
Diet Jello with lettuce? Sounds like Mormon Delite to me! Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
But he can't have the babies. Too much sodium.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Too much sugar too, I bet. Babies are sweet lil' things.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:You're 16. Most kids who are thin at 16 grow into their bodies. Don't freak that you're too thin. Just enjoy it. You'll look back with fondness when you're 40. Pix
Ain't that the truth (well, I can only testify to 35, but...)
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
I'm glad I'm skinny. I want to be strong though, I'm really weak, and the mock PFT is coming up in ROTC, so I want to be able to pass it.
Also, the only beans I really eat are baked beans (with hot dogs in them, mmm mm good). So what do you suggest I do to lower the gas in those?
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
quote:And I think the incidence of high-sodium food is a relatively recent thing. . .
I'm not sure this is the case. Salt has been a major preservative for food for thousands of years. Until after the advent of refrigeration, canning, etc. was it even possible to avoid a relatively salty diet? I imagine that's why there is so much salt in packaged foods. Salt makes things taste better to most people because we've had thousands of years of conditioning to eat it.
I imagine fat content is similar, and why many people would say the best tasting things are all high in fat content.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Alex, I think if you like chocolate milk, you should drink at least a quart of that a day, maybe more. Sounds like you need to add more protein to help build muscle and also more overall calories. Whole chocolate milk is great for both of those things, as well as having lots of calcium to strengthen your bones. When you exercise a lot, your bone density increases too so you need more calcium to provide the building material for that.
If you were trying to lose weight while getting stronger, I would recommend lots of skim milk. If you were lactose intolerant, you could go with the lactose free milk, and if you were carb-intolerant (as I am) I would recommend the low carb milk they have now. Milk is really good for you. Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
Hmm, more chocolate milk? DEAL! I'll do it! I'll drink more chocolate milk. If that's what it takes......
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Huh. I thought I read somewhere that the chocolate renders the calcium non-absorbable by the human body. I'll try to remember to check on that in the morning, when I'm more coherent, unless someone else wants to beat me to it?
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
I hope not! Milk is disgusting to me.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
quote: Also, the only beans I really eat are baked beans (with hot dogs in them, mmm mm good). So what do you suggest I do to lower the gas in those?
Stir in a pinch of baking soda.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Epazote reduces gas in beans. Of course, it's kind of an aquired taste.
I love it, though. 'Specially in black bean soup. Mmmm.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by quidscribis: Huh. I thought I read somewhere that the chocolate renders the calcium non-absorbable by the human body. I'll try to remember to check on that in the morning, when I'm more coherent, unless someone else wants to beat me to it?
Okay, I'm giving up Taco Bell. Sheeeesh! Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Thanks, rivka. Maybe it's that component in cranberries I was thinking about in terms of non-absorbable.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote:. . . black bean soup . . .
>_<
::mutters about gringos screwing things up::
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
Hmm, baking soda? That also helps whiten your teeth, too. But not if its mixed in beans I think. My mom is a dental hygenist (not a dentist, she cleans teeth), she told me that the on tooth paste that whitens your teeth (the one without baking soda) takes the enamle of your teeth, that's what makes your teeth so white. It's like a really strong base that just dissolves everything. And the one with baking soda is just as bad. You shouldn't use baking soda everyday, on your teeth like the toothpaste does. If you want to whiten yor teeth, brush your teeth twice a day, for 4 minutes, in circles, and go all around. And then every 2 or 3 days brush your teeth aftewards by dipping a wet toothbrush in baking soda, then brush for a bit, once per every 2 or 3 days.
Anyways, I changed my diet, instead of orange juice, I'm going to drink about 18 ounces of chocolate milk in he morning, that gives me a 650 calorie breakfast, with about 20g of protein and 90% of my calcium.
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
im out of bananas and poptarts!!!!!! Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
You know, there hasn't been a single time I've seen this thread pop up that I haven't read it the first time as: "Nutrition Facts: Rant of a frustrated rebel-leader"
I think it's because of the word "rant" being associated with "rebel" in my mind, or possibly because I've just been playing SW Battlegrounds II lately.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote:I've just been playing SW Battlegrounds II lately.
Which I read as
quote:I've just been eating SW Battlegrounds II lately.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
No, I throw away my SW battlegrounds after I brew my sw battlecoffee.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I know that baking soda in beans can help soften them if your water is bad.
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
I use baked beans from a can, though.
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
I also have started wearing ankle weights to school.
And I do pull ups on a pull-up bar that's in my room now, I can lift myself up the entire way and then all teh wya down 5 times, so I guess I'm kind of weak.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Hm, new grumble...
Anyone else notice Olestra's quiet return to store shelves? You know, the "synthetic fat" that splashed big and then whimpered out for a while when there started being significant press about the whole diarrhea-and-leaching-nutrition-out-of-your-body thing?
No splashes this time, but it's there. I wonder how many people picking up the "light" potato chips even notice it.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I'm sure it won't take them too long to notice it. About 3 hours from consumption, at most, I'd guess.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
(now you know of two people -- except I don't currently eat raw potatoes because I'm restricting my carb intake)![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
But my body is weird. I weighed the least over the summer (6' and about 117lbs.), during which time I drank regularly and lived entirely on fast food.![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)