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Forums - General Discussion - US Congress rules that pizza is a vegetable

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Jexy on 19 November 2011
Kasz216 said:


I don't know where you are shopping.  Where I buy my wheat bread it's 99 cents a loaf.

Aside from which, you are talking about very specific conditions which largely apply to you... and in general a diet that probably isn't that healthy and largely seems to rely on a lot of "I don't wanna's."   Your food WOULD run on vegetables, and run better.

Even then a lot of what your talking about tend to NOT apply to schools.  Afterall, schools DON'T cook Kosher.

Also, your totally overestimating what actual cooks make for a living.  Which is...  not anymore then cafetria workers on a per hour basis.  Unless your a high brow chef classically trained, you hardly make anything.   Minimum wage to about - $10 an hour is about standard for both a regular chef and a cafeteria worker.  Cafeteria workers make less on average cause they only work 4-6 hours a day.

You can hire just about anyone to work in a place like a school or nursing home and make healthy food.  For cheap.

Heck, one of my friends is an executive pastry chef, at an important restraunt and she only makes 12 an hour.

Also, no.... plenty of places WILL deliver to you healthy food... for cheap, where do you think a lot of resteraunts get their food from?  If you think a grocery store, butcher or fruit market isn't going to deliver to a school and lose out on that buisness your crazy.

Aside from which... whole meals for $2 bucks is actually pretty expensive.  Though actually the cheapest they tend to make meals for is $2.66 now a days due to inflation, in large part due to expensive transportation costs.  Which is where frozen foods tend to hurt you.

Although even if you wanted to stick to frozen foods, there are afterally, plenty of healthy frozen foods.


Real wheat?  Or that crap that just says wheat on it?  We talking organic or not?

I actually recently (past 4 months) started to eat more vegetables and fruit.  You know what?  They aren't filling and I'm always starving until I can get some meat in my stomach.  I actually was getting TIRED at work because of it.  And I was going through 3 times your recommended daily intake of fruits and veggies.  So help me out then, why aren't they filling at all?  I've had MRE's and those are filling and taste like crap and aren't the healthiest, but give you the energy you need.

And ok then genius... then why AREN'T those places delivering to schools?  Oh that's right, because IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE.  If it were cheaper, then schools WOULD DO IT.  It's cheaper, as a school, to get the food they get from the places they get.  You think you get free shipping from a local butcher or fruit market?  You think any of those places or a local grocery store can afford to deliver enough ingredients for whole meals for 2,500 students and faculty a day?  I don't think so.  They don't do bulk like that. 

Also, as far as eating healthy is cheaper argument, this is taken from the link you posted, and recognized as a valid point by the original poster:

"Your point of view is right on, BUT when people start equating your POV with, "Poor families could easily eat healthy food on a budget," they miss a whole slew of points.

Points like:
-To have an open mind and buy things in season and learn recipes to use what's available, you have to have the ability to educate yourself. This means books (require time), the internet (time and money), or cable (time and money).

-You also need equipment for cooking ($$) that you don't need for convenience foods. You also need time to make healthier foods that convenience foods don't require. Those who are impoverished must necessarily place a higher priority on working longer hours.

-Grocery stores in poorer areas often carry less fresh produce and fewer options in general. The Food Lion I sometimes go to has the tiniest produce aisle I've ever seen.

-Transportation to a well-stocked grocery store, farmers' market, stores for equipment, is often limited for poor families.

For many reasons, while eating healthier may be as attainable in a vacuum as eating convenience food, that's not always the case when you factor in families' contexts. Some people are still able to do a wonderful job, but we must examine our privilege in discussions like this before we start assuming it's easy for anyone."

as well as:

"Really This Concept is fantastic when someone has cooking facilities.

The number of Seniors and Baby Boomers living in SROs is Growing.  Cooking is not an option and that is when eating healthy becomes a chore.  It can still be done but with using Cereals and Dairy Products which Really are unhealthy when over used.
The Inflation that is Just Beginning in 2011 will be a huge issue in 2012 with food Inflation worldwide.  Healthy Fresh Food will be More Expensive WHEN IT IS ORGANIC.  The Other Fresh Fruits and Veggies Vary on Stores.
SAFEWAY IS A RIP OFF and CRAPPY..
WHOLE FOODS IS EXPENSIVE BUT QUALITY.
The China Town Produce is good Deal.  The Same with some Mission District Stores.  The Deals are out there.  THE RIP OFFS do not care and they Capitalize on CONVENIENCE.  They know the UPPER MIDDLE CLASS WILL PAY THE PRICE.
The Ferry Building has Great Food and it is WAY TOO EXpensive.
Yes Indeed being POOR IN San Francisco (and many places) is A Challenge when it comes to healthy eating."

That bolded part underlines why "eating healthy is expensive" is prevalent.  Many local grocery stores are crappy, yet the always more expensive whole foods is good. 



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megaman79 on 19 November 2011
mrstickball said:


Subsidies and regulations. Did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? He went into the heard of the Los Angeles school district to try to get them to embrace healthier foods. No one on the council wanted it, because the government and corporations were giving them subsidies to serve horrible foods.

Comparatively, look at private schools: They have no regulations nor subisidies, and the result is much better, healthier food.


And yet Britain has much less of a problem. Honestly, sometimes i can't even tell if you're serious mrstickball.

You got a source on healthy food being served exclusively at private schools, because i was under the impression that private colleges serve pizza too.



“When we make some new announcement and if there is no positive initial reaction from the market, I try to think of it as a good sign because that can be interpreted as people reacting to something groundbreaking. ...if the employees were always minding themselves to do whatever the market is requiring at any moment, and if they were always focusing on something we can sell right now for the short term, it would be very limiting. We are trying to think outside the box.” - Satoru Iwata - This is why corporate multinationals will never truly understand, or risk doing, what Nintendo does.

ChristianTheAtheist on 19 November 2011

Next time I eat pizza I'll grow it in my garden.



Crystalchild on 19 November 2011
-Newcloud- said:
I guess id better start eating my vegetables and get healthy


My thoughts exactly. ^_^ *Starts right now by eating a pizza*

 

but in all seriousness.. US Courts seem to have lots of time if they can come up with stuff like that and send it out as important news.



I'm a Foreigner, and as such, i am grateful for everyone pointing out any mistakes in my english posted above - only this way i'll be able to improve. thank you!

Jexy on 19 November 2011
Kasz216 said:

Again.... none of that is actually true.

First off, lowest bid contracts have REQUIREMENTS.

So if say... I offer to feed children with dirt for a penny a day... they don't have to accept it.

So you know, all it takes is setting nutrition requirments.

Secondly, most private schools AREN'T for the rich... and in general, private schools spend much less per child, on everything.  The Tuition people pay to get their kids in private school is actually less then the government pays for public school.  Hence the push for school vouchers.  More rich people put their kids in private school on AVERAGE however that's because they have the money to spend on schools that work better because they tend to avoid the wastefull school bueracracies, and in somecases even the teachers unions.  The only reason more poor people don't is because they don't have the money, often due to taxes they pay for schools anyway.  (Hence again, the push for vouchers.)

Thirdly, yes still by bulk, healthy foods are the cheapest.  Heck Armark who is one of the big food distrbutors ran one of the best, cheapest and healthy cafeteria's i've ever seen. 

None of it is true?  Really?  You don't think I know about requirements?  I thought that was a given in what I said, not needed to be said.  When I buy a car, I expect it to come with wheels. Even WITH requirements currently in place, eating less healthy IS cheaper.

You're right, setting different nutrition requirements (which I didn't mention, thus, how could it be untrue?) is a way to change things.  Ok.  Let's get them changed.  In the meantime, I'm still right, and it's still more expensive by bulk. 

Really?  Poor people can't afford to send their kids to private school because they don't have the money?  Gee wiz, there is a fact I didn't know.  Yeah, vouchers would be nice, but until they exist everywhere, you have to pay your taxes AND pay for private school.  We aren't talking about what SHOULD be in this country, we are talking about WHAT IS.  And how much does that cost per year?  Just over $8,500 a year on average (http://www.capenet.org/facts.html) and that was 4 years ago, so prices have gone up.  So let's say a poor family makes $30k a year .... you really think they can afford to spend 35% of their income to send just one child to a private school?  Please.  You need discretionary income to do that.  Which means if you can do that, you aren't poor.  Private schools raise their tuition too, and yet your average wages continue to decline, so where do you think more and more kids WON'T be going to because of no money?  Private schools.  They may not be exclusively for the rich, but they sure aren't for the poor at all.  Middle class to rich is who private schools are for... and since the middle class is shrinking... more and more won't be able to afford private schools.  Not to mention even middle classers may not be able to send multiple kids to a private school, they might just have to pick one of their children.  Which means they are still paying taxes for now on that.

Arakmark does seem to have done a good job in some places, but not where I was.  They charged an arm and a leg for their food, meals were over $6 at LEAST, and things were sloppy.  This is from CT, where I just moved from: "The unions have repeatedly criticized Aramark for poor quality food, unwise purchasing, and lack of openness about its budget, suggesting that rebates on volume purchases have not gone to the district."  http://newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/04/aramark_is_out.php  And Aramark has been known to fire workers for reporting unsanitary food conditions, not paying their people or hiring properly.  Maybe you just got lucky.  Or maybe they charged me triple what you paid to make up for the difference.

We are in agreement that things need to change.  We are in agreement that serving healthier meals for kids can be done if certain changes would be made.  But I'm talking about right now.  And right now, that isn't the case.  That's like saying we wouldn't be in Afghanistan right now if it weren't for terrorists, and all that needs to happen is for people to stop wanting to kill us.  Sounds cool, but it won't happen overnight.  Not that changing government policy on our schools is harder then getting people to stop hating us, but it sure isn't as easy as flipping a switch.



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Kasz216 on 19 November 2011
Jexy said:
Kasz216 said:
 


I don't know where you are shopping.  Where I buy my wheat bread it's 99 cents a loaf.

Aside from which, you are talking about very specific conditions which largely apply to you... and in general a diet that probably isn't that healthy and largely seems to rely on a lot of "I don't wanna's."   Your food WOULD run on vegetables, and run better.

Even then a lot of what your talking about tend to NOT apply to schools.  Afterall, schools DON'T cook Kosher.

Also, your totally overestimating what actual cooks make for a living.  Which is...  not anymore then cafetria workers on a per hour basis.  Unless your a high brow chef classically trained, you hardly make anything.   Minimum wage to about - $10 an hour is about standard for both a regular chef and a cafeteria worker.  Cafeteria workers make less on average cause they only work 4-6 hours a day.

You can hire just about anyone to work in a place like a school or nursing home and make healthy food.  For cheap.

Heck, one of my friends is an executive pastry chef, at an important restraunt and she only makes 12 an hour.

Also, no.... plenty of places WILL deliver to you healthy food... for cheap, where do you think a lot of resteraunts get their food from?  If you think a grocery store, butcher or fruit market isn't going to deliver to a school and lose out on that buisness your crazy.

Aside from which... whole meals for $2 bucks is actually pretty expensive.  Though actually the cheapest they tend to make meals for is $2.66 now a days due to inflation, in large part due to expensive transportation costs.  Which is where frozen foods tend to hurt you.

Although even if you wanted to stick to frozen foods, there are afterally, plenty of healthy frozen foods.


Real wheat?  Or that crap that just says wheat on it?  We talking organic or not?

I actually recently (past 4 months) started to eat more vegetables and fruit.  You know what?  They aren't filling and I'm always starving until I can get some meat in my stomach.  I actually was getting TIRED at work because of it.  And I was going through 3 times your recommended daily intake of fruits and veggies.  So help me out then, why aren't they filling at all?  I've had MRE's and those are filling and taste like crap and aren't the healthiest, but give you the energy you need.

And ok then genius... then why AREN'T those places delivering to schools?  Oh that's right, because IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE.  If it were cheaper, then schools WOULD DO IT.  It's cheaper, as a school, to get the food they get from the places they get.  You think you get free shipping from a local butcher or fruit market?  You think any of those places or a local grocery store can afford to deliver enough ingredients for whole meals for 2,500 students and faculty a day?  I don't think so.  They don't do bulk like that. 

Also, as far as eating healthy is cheaper argument, this is taken from the link you posted, and recognized as a valid point by the original poster:

"Your point of view is right on, BUT when people start equating your POV with, "Poor families could easily eat healthy food on a budget," they miss a whole slew of points.

Points like:
-To have an open mind and buy things in season and learn recipes to use what's available, you have to have the ability to educate yourself. This means books (require time), the internet (time and money), or cable (time and money).

-You also need equipment for cooking ($$) that you don't need for convenience foods. You also need time to make healthier foods that convenience foods don't require. Those who are impoverished must necessarily place a higher priority on working longer hours.

-Grocery stores in poorer areas often carry less fresh produce and fewer options in general. The Food Lion I sometimes go to has the tiniest produce aisle I've ever seen.

-Transportation to a well-stocked grocery store, farmers' market, stores for equipment, is often limited for poor families.

For many reasons, while eating healthier may be as attainable in a vacuum as eating convenience food, that's not always the case when you factor in families' contexts. Some people are still able to do a wonderful job, but we must examine our privilege in discussions like this before we start assuming it's easy for anyone."

as well as:

"Really This Concept is fantastic when someone has cooking facilities.

The number of Seniors and Baby Boomers living in SROs is Growing.  Cooking is not an option and that is when eating healthy becomes a chore.  It can still be done but with using Cereals and Dairy Products which Really are unhealthy when over used.
The Inflation that is Just Beginning in 2011 will be a huge issue in 2012 with food Inflation worldwide.  Healthy Fresh Food will be More Expensive WHEN IT IS ORGANIC.  The Other Fresh Fruits and Veggies Vary on Stores.
SAFEWAY IS A RIP OFF and CRAPPY..
WHOLE FOODS IS EXPENSIVE BUT QUALITY.
The China Town Produce is good Deal.  The Same with some Mission District Stores.  The Deals are out there.  THE RIP OFFS do not care and they Capitalize on CONVENIENCE.  They know the UPPER MIDDLE CLASS WILL PAY THE PRICE.
The Ferry Building has Great Food and it is WAY TOO EXpensive.
Yes Indeed being POOR IN San Francisco (and many places) is A Challenge when it comes to healthy eating."

That bolded part underlines why "eating healthy is expensive" is prevalent.  Many local grocery stores are crappy, yet the always more expensive whole foods is good. 


1)Ok, i'm starting to see your problem here, why in the world do you thinkg Organic = Healthy.  Plenty of non organic foods are healthy... way healthier than pizza tha's for sure.

In invoking "Organic only" you are creating a giant strawman arguement.

2) As for your problem, there are a ton of possible reasons.  Number one could be adding a lack of things like lentils or rice in your diet. You should be replacing meat with things like lentils, whole grain pasta/bread and nuts and the like.  I mean, do you NEED To eat meat on the days you go to an Itlian resteraunt or have Pasta?

Or it's just in general withdrawl from eating so much meat.  Which if you really eat like over 2,000 calories worth of meat for day is a total possibility.

Kidna how alchoholics feel like shit when they first quit drinking.  Yet you wouldn't argue that drinking 12 beers a day is healthy.

It's a fairly common thing.  Hell it happened to me... for about a month.  Then I felt better then ever.  Used to eat 70% meat or so between the meals my family made and fast food, then I moved in with my girlfriend and actually had to start payin for the stuff and ate healthier as a result.

Aside from which, it's not like you need to give up eating meat.  It's just a matter of making meat a smaller part of the meals you DO it.  I eat meat all the time.

Seriously though, how old are you that your eating 4,000 calories a day?  Unless your a teenager, athlete or ridiculioulsly tall that seems like a stupid high amount.

 

3) Didn't you read the article?  They don't do it because of lobbying, and because most orginzations tend to actually go the easy way, rather then reasearch to save money.  ESPIECALLY government orginizations.

4) Yes actually, plenty of grocery stores, farmers markets and butchers CAN supply enough food for that many people.  Provided they have a contract and know ahead of time.

Now as for poor people eating healthy....

1) How does it take an open mind to open your eyes at a grocery store?  Your missing his point, which is people who claim shit is more expensive then junk food is being intellectually dishonest and avoiding certain healthy foods in general and focusing only on narrow out of season fruits or vegetables.

2) You need an oven. (well you don't but it helps)  Which... is way more common then Microwave ovens.  Then cookware, which might cost you like... 5 to 10 bucks?

3&4)  Actually research has generally shown "food Islands" to be a myth, as 97% of people who live in "food Islands" own transportation.

Furthermore the number of people who live in "Food Islands" are actually VERY small part of America overall.  

So maybe 3% of 10% of America can't eat healthy. 

So...  in general that's a valid excuse for  .03% of America.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/8343417-452/obstacles-to-healthy-eating-5-myths.html

 

People in unhealthy soley because they want to.  Cause junk food tastes better.  All the excuses are actually just that.... excuses.



Jexy on 19 November 2011
Kasz216 said:


1)Ok, i'm starting to see your problem here, why in the world do you thinkg Organic = Healthy.  Plenty of non organic foods are healthy... way healthier than pizza tha's for sure.

In invoking "Organic only" you are creating a giant strawman arguement.

2) As for your problem, there are a ton of possible reasons.  Number one could be adding a lack of things like lentils or rice in your diet. You should be replacing meat with things like lentils, whole grain pasta/bread and nuts and the like.  I mean, do you NEED To eat meat on the days you go to an Itlian resteraunt or have Pasta?

Or it's just in general withdrawl from eating so much meat.  Which if you really eat like over 2,000 calories worth of meat for day is a total possibility.

Kidna how alchoholics feel like shit when they first quit drinking.  Yet you wouldn't argue that drinking 12 beers a day is healthy.

It's a fairly common thing.  Hell it happened to me... for about a month.  Then I felt better then ever.  Used to eat 70% meat or so between the meals my family made and fast food, then I moved in with my girlfriend and actually had to start payin for the stuff and ate healthier as a result.

Seriously though, how old are you that your eating 4,000 calories a day?  Unless your a teenager, athlete or ridiculioulsly tall that seems like a stupid high amount.

 

3) Didn't you read the article?  They don't do it because of lobbying, and because most orginzations tend to actually go the easy way, rather then reasearch to save money.  ESPIECALLY government orginizations.

4) Yes actually, plenty of grocery stores, farmers markets and butchers CAN supply enough food for that many people.  Provided they have a contract and know ahead of time.

Now as for poor people eating healthy....

1) How does it take an open mind to open your eyes at a grocery store?  Your missing his point, which is people who claim shit is more expensive then junk food is being intellectually dishonest and avoiding certain healthy foods in general and focusing only on narrow out of season fruits or vegetables.

2) You need an oven. (well you don't but it helps)  Which... is way more common then Microwave ovens.  Then cookware, which might cost you like... 5 to 10 bucks?

3&4)  Actually research has generally shown "food Islands" to be a myth, as 97% of people who live in "food Islands" own transportation.

Furthermore the number of people who live in "Food Islands" are actually VERY small part of America overall.  

So maybe 3% of 10% of America can't eat healthy. 

So...  in general that's a valid excuse for  .03% of America.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/8343417-452/obstacles-to-healthy-eating-5-myths.html

 

People in unhealthy soley because they want to.  Cause junk food tastes better.  All the excuses are actually just that.... excuses.

My fiance eats really healthy.  Probably won't touch the healthy food you or I even eat.  Just saying...

I eat about 3 cups of rice a day with a couple hard boiled eggs.  Is that not enough?  I like rice and eggs.  Just today I ate an entire bag of pistachios.  Didn't fill me up at all.  Shoot, right now I'm about to finish eating a case of strawberries, a case of blueberries, and a case of black berries as I've been typing this whole time.  As my snack.  I don't go to Italian restaurants and I don't like meat with my pasta when I do make it... but what about lunch?  Or dinner... if you were talking about lunch?  Maybe my metabolism is faster than normal, but I eat a lot.  I definitely don't eat 70% meat, but it does fill me up when I do eat it.

I'm 26 years old.  I'm athletic.  I'm 6'1, so not really tall, just a bit above average.  But I'm on the go a lot.  And I don't drink soda or energy drinks, so I use food as my fuel.

Researching costs money.  With budget cuts, they aren't exactly going to hire a guy to do the research that may or may not save them money.

Yes, provided they have a contract... which they would get, if they were the best and cheapest option, but they are not.

$5-$10 bucks for a cookware set?  Where the hell are you shopping?  Sounds awesome, assuming I don't get flakes from that crap cookware in my food.  Pots and pans are not that cheap.  Nevermind the spoons, measuring crap, spices, etc.  And if you want the variety that you get with instafoods and fastfoods, then you have to buy a whole array of cookware. 

Question, I used to eat those healthy choice meals (had to have 3 of them to satisfy per meal).  Would you consider those healthy overall?  Obviously healthy compared to fast food, but would they go into the healthy category?

I'm not saying it's impossible, and it would be nice if more people had your knowledge of places to go and what to get to eat "healthy" but reality is reality.  How will people gain the ability to have EASY access to healthy foods? Who will give them the knowledge to know what their body really needs?

Also, you admit that junk food tastes better.  Keep in mind most people have only good tasting food as a luxury.  That is their relaxation for the day.  The industry needs to work on making healthy food taste better.  They have done a decent job, but more needs to be done.  If some fatso wants to relax with some chocolates, doritos, or pastries at the end of the day, it would be nice to have an alternative to relax to instead.  Sure a person can spend 30 min to an hour preparing and cooking food to taste good, or he can spend 1 second opening a bag of chips.  Time is money too.  Can't forget that. 



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Galaki on 19 November 2011

Well, at least they got to spend time to pass an important bill such as this. Unlikely those stupid annoying jobs/budget bills, such complete waste of time for unimportant issues.



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Jexy on 19 November 2011
Galaki said:
Well, at least they got to spend time to pass an important bill such as this. Unlikely those stupid annoying jobs/budget bills, such complete waste of time for unimportant issues.


I know, right?



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Kasz216 on 19 November 2011
Jexy said:
Kasz216 said:
 


1)Ok, i'm starting to see your problem here, why in the world do you thinkg Organic = Healthy.  Plenty of non organic foods are healthy... way healthier than pizza tha's for sure.

In invoking "Organic only" you are creating a giant strawman arguement.

2) As for your problem, there are a ton of possible reasons.  Number one could be adding a lack of things like lentils or rice in your diet. You should be replacing meat with things like lentils, whole grain pasta/bread and nuts and the like.  I mean, do you NEED To eat meat on the days you go to an Itlian resteraunt or have Pasta?

Or it's just in general withdrawl from eating so much meat.  Which if you really eat like over 2,000 calories worth of meat for day is a total possibility.

Kidna how alchoholics feel like shit when they first quit drinking.  Yet you wouldn't argue that drinking 12 beers a day is healthy.

It's a fairly common thing.  Hell it happened to me... for about a month.  Then I felt better then ever.  Used to eat 70% meat or so between the meals my family made and fast food, then I moved in with my girlfriend and actually had to start payin for the stuff and ate healthier as a result.

Seriously though, how old are you that your eating 4,000 calories a day?  Unless your a teenager, athlete or ridiculioulsly tall that seems like a stupid high amount.

 

3) Didn't you read the article?  They don't do it because of lobbying, and because most orginzations tend to actually go the easy way, rather then reasearch to save money.  ESPIECALLY government orginizations.

4) Yes actually, plenty of grocery stores, farmers markets and butchers CAN supply enough food for that many people.  Provided they have a contract and know ahead of time.

Now as for poor people eating healthy....

1) How does it take an open mind to open your eyes at a grocery store?  Your missing his point, which is people who claim shit is more expensive then junk food is being intellectually dishonest and avoiding certain healthy foods in general and focusing only on narrow out of season fruits or vegetables.

2) You need an oven. (well you don't but it helps)  Which... is way more common then Microwave ovens.  Then cookware, which might cost you like... 5 to 10 bucks?

3&4)  Actually research has generally shown "food Islands" to be a myth, as 97% of people who live in "food Islands" own transportation.

Furthermore the number of people who live in "Food Islands" are actually VERY small part of America overall.  

So maybe 3% of 10% of America can't eat healthy. 

So...  in general that's a valid excuse for  .03% of America.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/8343417-452/obstacles-to-healthy-eating-5-myths.html

 

People in unhealthy soley because they want to.  Cause junk food tastes better.  All the excuses are actually just that.... excuses.

My fiance eats really healthy.  Probably won't touch the healthy food you or I even eat.  Just saying...

I eat about 3 cups of rice a day with a couple hard boiled eggs.  Is that not enough?  I like rice and eggs.  Just today I ate an entire bag of pistachios.  Didn't fill me up at all.  Shoot, right now I'm about to finish eating a case of strawberries, a case of blueberries, and a case of black berries as I've been typing this whole time.  As my snack.  I don't go to Italian restaurants and I don't like meat with my pasta when I do make it... but what about lunch?  Or dinner... if you were talking about lunch?  Maybe my metabolism is faster than normal, but I eat a lot.  I definitely don't eat 70% meat, but it does fill me up when I do eat it.

I'm 26 years old.  I'm athletic.  I'm 6'1, so not really tall, just a bit above average.  But I'm on the go a lot.  And I don't drink soda or energy drinks, so I use food as my fuel.

Researching costs money.  With budget cuts, they aren't exactly going to hire a guy to do the research that may or may not save them money.

Yes, provided they have a contract... which they would get, if they were the best and cheapest option, but they are not.

$5-$10 bucks for a cookware set?  Where the hell are you shopping?  Sounds awesome, assuming I don't get flakes from that crap cookware in my food.  Pots and pans are not that cheap.  Nevermind the spoons, measuring crap, spices, etc.  And if you want the variety that you get with instafoods and fastfoods, then you have to buy a whole array of cookware. 

Question, I used to eat those healthy choice meals (had to have 3 of them to satisfy per meal).  Would you consider those healthy overall?  Obviously healthy compared to fast food, but would they go into the healthy category?

I'm not saying it's impossible, and it would be nice if more people had your knowledge of places to go and what to get to eat "healthy" but reality is reality.  How will people gain the ability to have EASY access to healthy foods? Who will give them the knowledge to know what their body really needs?

Also, you admit that junk food tastes better.  Keep in mind most people have only good tasting food as a luxury.  That is their relaxation for the day.  The industry needs to work on making healthy food taste better.  They have done a decent job, but more needs to be done.  If some fatso wants to relax with some chocolates, doritos, or pastries at the end of the day, it would be nice to have an alternative to relax to instead.  Sure a person can spend 30 min to an hour preparing and cooking food to taste good, or he can spend 1 second opening a bag of chips.  Time is money too.  Can't forget that. 

Well shoot, if your 26 years old, that's not much of a surprise.  It still seems pretty high on the calories, but that explains it.   From the sound of it, you might actually have ate pretty healthy before or don't have to tweak your diet THAT Much and your definition of healthy is just skewed now because your girlfriend sounds like an extreme type vegetarian.

If your not allowed to touch even frozen or canned vegetables due to pesticide worries, then yeah, stuff's going to cost you more, largely though, due to parnoia.  Though even then "Unhealthy" vegetables are STILL going to beat out regular junk.

1) Reseraching doesn't really cost money actually, they already have someone running their food programs, they just need to actually do some work and call people.  Without the reserch or guidelines, companies will push unhealthier options because they make a higher profit margin off of them.

2) I got a lot of my silverware and stuff from a thrift store, you wash the stuff before you use it and your good, a lot I got a target too, but I don't remember it costing that much to be honest with you.  Pots and pans are pretty standard really.  I don't think i've ever met anyone who hasn't owned them, and I know plenty of poor people.   Largely because REAL poor people actually can't afford to live on junk food.  Usually the really poor people i've known tend to HAVE to cook, they cook a couple big meals a week then freeze them, saving the food for later.  I'm talking about "having to feed a family of 4 on minium wage" level poor.

3)  No, I need to eat two-three of those things as well as a meal, though I also need to eat two-three of the regular frozen meals like that.  Yet if I make the same kind of meal by hand (and it doesn't take long" it's actually cheaper, pretty filling, and healthier too since it's lower on the salt, fat and various things.

Getting yourself some meat and vegetables is actually going to be healthier than any of the healthy choice stuff.  I mean if you don't have time you spend one day cooking a couple things in big portions and freeze it for the week.

It's not like meat is the enemy or anything, it's just a matter of proportioning it right with the rest of your meal... and avoiding like... lunchmeat.

4) I got all my knowelge mostly from TV and just in general people I know.

5) I think it has to do with more people taking more responsibility for themselves and thinking ahead more.  A healthier lifestyle and spending a little extra time can gain you a LOT more time on the backend, and greatly improve the quality of your life by making you just in general feel better, not have to spend money on cholesteral medicine and all that other stuff and in general not have to go through all the shit that can occur from unhealthy living.

Heck, next to videogames, eating is my second favorite thing... like if you LOVE fastfood you could still get it once a week and still end up being pretty healthy.