I personally feel health is more about getting exercise than it is about what you eat or what you don't eat.  Positive attitude and of course leaving off vices such as smoking and excessive drinking. 

As a culture we have shifted.  When I was a kid we seemed to have a cultural obsession with sex.  Lots of shocking intrusions into the public diologue about sex. 

Now we are obsessed with food and diet.  You can't plan a simple get together involving a meal without getting a report from each invitee on what they will or won't eat.   You got your vegans, your vegetarians, your flexitarians, your lactose intolerant, glucose intolerant, you got those on a paleo diet, you have those that abstain from all sugar, including sugar that might be in things you don't think of as having sugar such as condiments, etc.  Those that eat no salt.  It is just a bit overwhelming. 

All of those terms we did not use and were not part of the diologue when I was a kid.  In fact most of these terms came up in the last 10 years.  And the complexity appears to keep growing and growing without any end.   I kind of what to scream "Stop the Insanity!"

Most are too poor to make the decisions they want to make, that doesn't make them mindless

Actually, being poor could be an advantage. Eating right has nothing to do with fancy, expensive foods. A simple, basic staple is more apt to be healthy that the overeating induced by the expensive concotions  that are solely concerned with taste.

 I would say there are more health problems due to overeating than undereating in this country and Europe.

"Local organic foods are often much cheaper"

Would that were generally true. I find that local produce, even non-organic, is consistently about twice the price of its equivalent at Kroger's. Apparently the smart people have convinced themselves that any price is acceptable if the product is politically correct. The farmers love it.

Feb 3, 2012 -- 4:31PM, Yavanna wrote:

Feb 3, 2012 -- 1:12PM, arielg wrote:

Most are too poor to make the decisions they want to make, that doesn't make them mindless

Actually, being poor could be an advantage. Eating right has nothing to do with fancy, expensive foods. A simple, basic staple is more apt to be healthy that the overeating induced by the expensive concotions  that are solely concerned with taste.

 I would say there are more health problems due to overeating than undereating in this country and Europe.

Local organic foods are often much cheaper than their processed, chemically filled and genetically engineered counterparts.

Eating healthy is actually cheaper. The problem is that most people are bad shoppers.

Where I live they are not cheaper. I buy some but I pay more and I'm a good shopper. When my kids were small I even cut up our chickens myself--learned from my mom. But my family has always eaten well : steaks, lambchops, standing rib roast, potatoes and a veggie. Relish trays, too. Few desserts : we didn't need them. Chicken was a weeknight meal. Standard Irish/English/American fare. No meat loaf, either.

Feb 3, 2012 -- 9:47PM, farragut wrote:

I really enjoy a good meatloaf, Jane. It can be very satisfying.

Learned to make decent meatloaf but it was a rare dinner for us. Also learned to cook with wine : we liked Burgundy Beef, yada, yada.

Bon appetit........................