High Fructose Corn Syrup

[BadGirl]

A pound is 3,000-something calories.

Seems to me, it doesn't matter where the calorie came from, if you eat 3,000-something more than you burn off you will gain a pound.

But why is it that I can eat a pound of lucious Godiva chocolate, but yet gain five pounds?

 

[Larry Gude]

But why is it that I can eat a pound of lucious Godiva chocolate, but yet gain five pounds?

compounding interest.

 

[pixiegirl]

Your grandma probably didn't eat french fries, Twinkies and potato chips in addition to her pot roast. And your grandma probably didn't work a desk job where the most exercise she got all day was typing on a computer.

Obesity in America has many contributing factors - it's not all corn's fault.

It's 99.9% choice. Eating crap food like working a desk job and not getting enough exercise is a choice. I'm of the opinion that poor portion size choices is the biggest factor.

 

[Pete]

In contrast isn't much of what we eat healthier because we're more aware of the effects of poor nutrition? I'd venture to say that my pot roast has less fat than my grandma's. :shrug:

I would argue for every person who reads a label and makes a note of fat content, there are 15 who stuff a Cinnabon, extra large, double frosting with peacans down their gullet and never give a thought about it.

 

[vraiblonde]

It's 99.9% choice. Eating crap food like working a desk job and not getting enough exercise is a choice. I'm of the opinion that poor portion size choices is the biggest factor.

I agree.

 

[Pete]

My point was you can't blame obesity on the availability of junk food when we're far more informed than we ever were. Obesity for most is a choice. I'm a food nazi like you.

Information is everywhere, yet it is useless to those who don't read it or care what it says. :shrug:

 

[Larry Gude]

Small farmers went by the wayside because of increases in efficiency. Large "farmers" embraced technology, analysis and had the wherewithal to make capital investments in technology, process improvements and risk avoidance like irrigation.

Like any other industry some people looked at the orange and peeled it the old fashioned way, some peeled 20% more oranges using a new technique and investment in studying the orange, and buying the mechanism to peel the orange. Payback on that capitol expediture was 5 years. 6 years later the small orange peeler was out of business. :shrug:

subsidies helped the little guy as much as anyone back in the day.

True and a good point. However, over time, you needed to be bigger and bigger to get the subsidies, to weather economic ups and downs and, viola, now, you can not get into farming.

I mean, I know you get this because of our past arguments over what happened to your dads business; when the government starts choosing the big guy we lose an awful lot to get 'cheaper' goods and services.

 

[Pete]

True and a good point. However, over time, you needed to be bigger and bigger to get the subsidies, to weather economic ups and downs and, viola, now, you can not get into farming.

I mean, I know you get this because of our past arguments over what happened to your dads business; when the government starts choosing the big guy we lose an awful lot to get 'cheaper' goods and services.

Price supports for commodities including corn are not to my knowledge paid directly to the producer, they come built into the price of a bushel of corn.

If the subsidy is .12 cents a bushel and I produce 5,000 I get $600 or roughly 4 tanks of fuel for the John Deere. You produce 500,000 bushels you get $60,000. the difference being my $600 is so minescule I cannot do anything with it to increase efficiency. You on the other hand can sink a new irriagtion well, purchase a new peice of repair plagued equipment or get a new laser guidance system for self propelled insecticide sprayer.

It wasn't a matter of the little guy being ignored for the big guy, it was more that the little guy somply could not compete.

 

[Larry Gude]

Price supports for commodities including corn are not to my knowledge paid directly to the producer, they come built into the price of a bushel of corn.

If the subsidy is .12 cents a bushel and I produce 5,000 I get $600 or roughly 4 tanks of fuel for the John Deere. You produce 500,000 bushels you get $60,000. the difference being my $600 is so minescule I cannot do anything with it to increase efficiency. You on the other hand can sink a new irriagtion well, purchase a new peice of repair plagued equipment or get a new laser guidance system for self propelled insecticide sprayer.

It wasn't a matter of the little guy being ignored for the big guy, it was more that the little guy somply could not compete.

Could not compete based on the governing policies which I am arguing wrongly favor the big guys.

Have you gone corporatist on me, here? Next thing I know, you'll be supporting Dan Snyder and the rest of the owners of the golden geese!

 

[Cowgirl]

Price supports for commodities including corn are not to my knowledge paid directly to the producer, they come built into the price of a bushel of corn.

Producers do get direct payments. Dairy farmers as well.

 

[Nickel]

In contrast isn't much of what we eat healthier because we're more aware of the effects of poor nutrition? I'd venture to say that my pot roast has less fat than my grandma's. :shrug:

Depending on when your grandma made her pot roast, her cow was probably healthier.

 

[lnmarsh]

In your quote is says :

Isn't it arguable that the skyrocketing obesity rates could be caused by the explosion of fast food, all you can eat buffets, Cinnabon stands in malls, cookies the size of hub caps, IE the easy and abundant availability of mass quantities of high calorie foods and the modification of American eating habits in respnse to that increaded availability?

HEY! I like Cinnabon

And banning DDT contributed to almost 250 million cases of malaria in humans, and just under 1 million deaths, most of which were children under 5.

I mean, pick it - birds or humans. :shrug:

Like I said, unintended consequences because people react emotionally and don't think things through before they get wrapped up in their causes.

Humans. Every time. Period.

Did those cases of malaria and/or deaths occur in the US?

Your grandma probably didn't eat french fries, Twinkies and potato chips in addition to her pot roast. And your grandma probably didn't work a desk job where the most exercise she got all day was typing on a computer.

Obesity in America has many contributing factors - it's not all corn's fault.

I don’t think anyone has accused or even eluded that corn is the reason American is obese :shrug:

But why is it that I can eat a pound of lucious Godiva chocolate, but yet gain five pounds?

compounding interest.

I feel you, BadGirl.

It's 99.9% choice. Eating crap food like working a desk job and not getting enough exercise is a choice. I'm of the opinion that poor portion size choices is the biggest factor.

ME TOO! I think a lot of America today has had that “You’ll finish whats on your plate” mentality driven into their skulls. I know that was my Mom’s approach, because it was her Mom’s and her Grandmother’s approach. All stems from the depression.

So put that mentality on top of a hubcap sized cookie…

Depending on when your grandma made her pot roast, her cow was probably healthier.

Excellent point. Which brings us back to Do…

 

[Baja28]

I mean, pick it - birds or humans. :shrug:

Oh gawd, que the animal nutties.

 

[Nickel]

Excellent point. Which brings us back to Do…

Exactly! It's a huge mess and you have to wonder about the chain of events and silly decisions that led to the weird way food is produced these days.

 

[cattitude]

Oh gawd, que the animal nutties.

Leave me outta this. I ain't said sheet.

 

[Cowgirl]

Exactly! It's a huge mess and you have to wonder about the chain of events and silly decisions that led to the weird way food is produced these days.

WWII ruined everything!

 

[vraiblonde]

The consumer drives everything. If we all stop eating corn products and byproducts, they will stop being subsidized. Actually, that's not true because of the foreign market. But regardless, those who are arguing against corn and corn subsidies, put your money where your mouth is. Stop eating anything that was made with subsidizes corn. Boycott, if you will.

As for me, I'm getting ready to lunch on a yummy yummy hunk of grilled corn-fed cow.

 

[lnmarsh]

Exactly! It's a huge mess and you have to wonder about the chain of events and silly decisions that led to the weird way food is produced these days.

Absolutely. I am all about "progress" but sometimes in hindsight, the progress really isnt for the best. Which is the point of progress - to make things better, easier, etc.

On a semi-relevant side note...

I went camping with my boyfriend a few weekends ago. He spent a butt-ton of money on camping gear, we spent two hours driving to the middle of nowhere, etc etc etc., only to sleep on the ground, deal with bugs, no shower/toilet, etc.

He was going on and on about how great it was. I just looked at him and said "Isnt it funny that humans have spent YEARS and YEARS to come as far as we have; running water, electricity, plumbing, all the comforts of our every day, etc. Yet we consider sleeping on the ground and cooking over an open flame with no plumbing a 'fun' time to escape the 'real world.'"

Just so ironic how people feel the need to get away from the luxuries that we've strived for for so long and get "back to the way it was" sometimes. :shrug:

 

[Cowgirl]

The consumer drives everything. If we all stop eating corn products and byproducts, they will stop being subsidized. Actually, that's not true because of the foreign market. But regardless, those who are arguing against corn and corn subsidies, put your money where your mouth is. Stop eating anything that was made with subsidizes corn. Boycott, if you will.

As for me, I'm getting ready to lunch on a yummy yummy hunk of grilled corn-fed cow.

Good for you!

 

[migtig]

As for me, I'm getting ready to lunch on a yummy yummy hunk of grilled corn-fed cow.

I bet if you tried some of the cow I buy from a local farmer, that's fed mostly grass, you'd think you'd died and gone to heaven. Not to mention it's more cost effective. There is a huge quality difference.

So comparing the two...steak that's been fed corn, crowded into pens, slaughtered, washed with ammonia, processed some more, sometimes even chemically dyed, shipped, and then on your plate versus a cow that was raised locally on a farm feed grass and hay, slaughtered, and handed over for me to cook, I'll take my steak over yours. :shrug:

I always like the commercials for California cows (though they aren't selling beef) I think it's true - a happy cow is a yummy cow. Holds true for just about anything I guess.