quote:Originally posted by Orincoro: Primarily I would be in favor of some legislation to encourage healthy food production especially for children. It seems the government is in every facet of our lives but this one, and this is where they could really do some good.
On the contrary, there is much federal and state participation in improving school lunches. My favorite programs are the ones who hook up the produce from local farmers with school lunch programs.
quote:I don't know if this has come up in the thread so far. But what do people think about a little government regulation pertaining to health standards in food
Primarily I would be in favor of some legislation to encourage healthy food production especially for children. It seems the government is in every facet of our lives but this one, and this is where they could really do some good. I remember going to public school in San Francisco and eating things like nachos, chili dogs, and pizza everyday as part of my standard school lunch. Does this seem ok to everyone?
In a time when we don't want to let anyone do anything unhealthy: smoking, drinking, drugs, unprotected sex, we seem to be very lax on what we allow children to eat. I would even be in favor of laws which encourage fast food companies to stop serving the horrifically fatty foods they offer to children, in order to encourage a pallet for health food as a youngster.
Is this too much to ask of our government? Something we would all benefit from in the short and long term? I realize this problem with kids should be 99 percent taken care of by concerned parents... but we must face facts and realize that there are some parents out there that don't know or care how healthy their kids' diets are.
this can only go so far and only addresses the symptoms. Without fertile soil rich in nutrients the full benefits of food can't be reached. We need a better, and fully unbiased scientific system of soil fertility than the program of NPK used for most farms throughout the country. There's ongoing interest by the wine community in Brix, foliar feeding, sea mineral/seaweed supplementation (etc), and some are investigating how the sucrose ratios of brix analysis are related to actual nutrient levels but there's very little hard varified science in this field unless you go back to Albrecht's Missouri studies in the 30s-50s. This is all very marginal stuff too, so there are wackos coopting the science to serve their health agendas. But you can't improve food quality by a noticeable degree without improving soil quality--and that goes for the meat we eat as well, because if they're raised on low nutritional quality plant feed, it's going to result in lower quality meat for people.
And the government will never admit that sugary, floury empty foods are bad for people. the legalized bribers known as lobbyists will see to that. look at the latest food pyramid, it was held up for a year by the sugar lobby because they didn't want even a very vague negative to sugar included. And the resultant pyramid is joke, marginally better than the dangerous pyramid that preceeded it. There's too much money in keeping america, especially kids, eating junk food, and lots of junk food. These industries will howl and bitch and moan and not hesitate to pour 1, 10, 100 billion dollars into Washington to fight even the slightest reduction by government regulation of their products' consumption.
Ever since the Reagan administration created the saturday morning cartoon by deregulating what could be advertised to children the junk food industry has been unbelievably profitable. Coincide this with the growth of the fast-food industry and more dual-income homes (less home prepared food) and the money levels are mindboggling. Greed will prevent that ever being changed and my generation will reap the rotten fruit of paying the costs as we get older, fatter and even more unhealthy.
government regulation would immediately head in the wrong direction, spend a great deal of money that is minimally short term effective but does very little at long term solutions and will be compromised at every single stage by the food industry with financial incentives to keep American on their products.
Posts: 622 | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am working on some mineral supplements for small home-gardening or indoor stuff. I have a friend who owns a hydroponics business. We have some ideas, but we both work for a living, so it is slower going. The problem is, you can't learn a lot of the necessary info in any academic program.
I am self-teaching. If anyone knows of sources of funding or information....leeyousee@gmail.com is my email.
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Oh, and the other thing is that the BMI is a singularly poor metric for evaluating a 'healthy weight.' I am, by the BMI, just shy of being considered 'obese.' I am 5'10', 195 lbs for a 28 BMI -- 30 is considered obese. I also have a 45 inch chest and a 34 inch waist. Not only am I not nearly obese, I am not fat. Almost anyone who does weight or resistance training is going to get tagged for having a higher BMI, because muscle is denser and weighs more than fat.
Posts: 218 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
I would strongly reccommend Hydroponic Home Food Gardens by Howard M. Resh. It is the abreviated version of his longer and more expensive 'Bible' on the subject, known as Hydroponic Food Production.
You will find most of what you want to know about micronutrients in the first, and everything you need to know in the second.
And hydroponically grown vegetables do taste far better because they have more micronutrients in them. My dad and I built our own hydroponic vegetable garden system that worked sucessfully for several years. I couldn't keep it up when I went to school however.
posted
I'd also strongly reccommend General Hydroponics Flora Bloom, Flora Grow and Flora Micro hydroponic nutrient system. They can be combined to support a variety of crops, particularly if, like me you like growing mutiple kinds of veggies together in your system. http://www.altgarden.com/site/fertil/generahydro/htmldocs/feed_chart.html
you can supplemnt with their other products as necessary.
quote:And hydroponically grown vegetables do taste far better because they have more micronutrients in them.
*stare* You have got to be kidding.
Or else you're eating hydroponically grown vegetables that were grown differently than any I've ever had. I'd believe that they have more micronutrients than those produced on overworked single-crop farms, but they are like eating styrofoam compared to the taste of homegrown or organically grown produce.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Since I am from the south, it is my observation that all vegetables taste nearly the same after you deep-fry them.
Posts: 218 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
BannaOJ, I am probably not going the hydroponics route at first. I don't know anyboy in the biz who thinks that hydroponics can ever do any more than equal the best soil-grown plants. If you have other info, let me know. A hydro system is more of a hassle than soil grown to maintain, as far as I know.
On the micronutrient issue--no, the research has not been done. If you're curious, ask me more.
On comparing hydro vs. soil grown--did you get better Brix/refractometer readings with the hydro system than the best soil grown?
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by WntrMute: Since I am from the south, it is my observation that all vegetables taste nearly the same after you deep-fry them.
In my family, we have large muscles and dense muscles. We are (some of us, at any rate) strong. In grade 10 phys ed, I could leg press and bench press (and every other kind of weightlifting that was available there) more weight than any of the guys in my class, including the football players. Shocked the heck out everyone. On a bet, one day, I picked up the front end of my car - a 1980 Honda Civic, so yeah, a backpocket car - and got it a few inches off the ground. None of the guys in university could do that, not even the jocks.
Hey, can you still do the car thing?
Posts: 781 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
In my family, we have large muscles and dense muscles. We are (some of us, at any rate) strong. In grade 10 phys ed, I could leg press and bench press (and every other kind of weightlifting that was available there) more weight than any of the guys in my class, including the football players. Shocked the heck out everyone. On a bet, one day, I picked up the front end of my car - a 1980 Honda Civic, so yeah, a backpocket car - and got it a few inches off the ground. None of the guys in university could do that, not even the jocks.
Hey, can you still do the car thing?
Hey can you refrain from ressurecting dead threads? Decomposing thread is one of the stinkiest foul and vile odors you can ever encounter.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote: I violently disagree with Stan's last post.
You could've just said that you disagreed. I feel like @$$ now.
Don't. Just because someone strongly disagrees with you doesn't mean you are completely wrong.
Although I agree more with kat's following points than I do with your inital statement.....so THERE!
I think in some ways we are, at least compared to the past. However, that isn't the only contributing factor, IMO. Just because we aren't as physically active doesn't mean we are lazy. They aren't the same thing.
Looking for ONE reason for a general pattern of behavior doesn't always pan out. Usually it is because of a number of factors.
We aren't as physical as we used to be....but we also eat out a ton more than our parents did. Most families had dinner at home, not at a fast food place. Portion sizes are larger, and the way we process food, usually because of the volume needed, has changed as well.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
What I found funny was that Stan made the implied statement that is rarely said in arguments. Of course you feel like ass when someone disagrees with you. Saying it is naturally incongruous, since it's usually assumed. Incongruity is often funny.
I mean, I don't know.
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Laugh]](graemlins/laugh.gif)
