Life Before Fast Food

[tiltjlp]

Growing up in the Cincinnati neighbors of Fairmount and Delhi Township in the 50s and 60s, I enjoyed and benefited from many wholesome and delicious home-cooked meals. On a recent outing, I noticed that there were literally fast food restaurants placed side-by-side. That made me wonder if there are youngsters who’ve never had a real, made-from-scratch, home cooked meal. As sad as that is to ponder, it wouldn’t surprise me.

I’m sure there are even some adults who have grown up with fast food restaurants as a way of life, since McDonald’s began to appear in most cities at least in the mid to late 70s. While I have enjoyed my share of fast food fare, there is something to be said for the benefits and wholesomeness of made-from-scratch home cooked meals shared around a family table.

Now that I’m older, and don’t drive, I fix most of my own meals, some of them from scratch, such as soups and stews. Many of my dishes include either barley or rice, which I prepare in a large stockpot. After fixing the rice or barley, I add a changing variety of canned vegetables, and maybe some bacon bits or smoked sausage. Not only is home cooking cheaper than fast food, it’s healthier and usually tastier.

What is amazing to me isn’t that fast food is so popular, but the fact that there are so many different chains competing for our business, and that they all seem to thrive. While hamburgers are the most plentiful fare, you now can dine on almost endless varieties of ethnic choices, be it Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Greek, or Southern Fried. With more demands on modern families time, it’s no wonder that fast food and casual dining often win out over home cooked meals.

But just the other day I saw some things that seemed like overkill to me. Where a Chinese restaurant used to be, there is a new gourmet burger place, with a competing hot dog stand in what used to be the Chinese restaurant’s party room. But even crazier, I think, is a new strip mini-mall with twelve businesses. Nine of those places are restaurants, all but two fast food.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

yep. point-of-sale locations continue to dry up due to online purchasing, big chains, etc. while convenience stores and crappy food chains move in.

for two years running now, the "heart attack grill" guy keeled over, had a heart attack, died. can we go for the trifecta? :D

...

if possible, use jar-bottled or frozen veggies instead of canned. apparently the acidity of canned food reacts with the can over time, producing secondary compounds. this is really bad with tomatoes in particular. if it's a pure metal can you get one variety of crap, if it's plastic-coated you get BPA. that's particularly good if you're in to getting estrogen... to make your boobies bigger!

...

but i still like to make a turkey burger from time-to-time on the ol' george foreman. before i do the burger i spritz on olive oil and saute/steam onions. works great, and easy cleanup. no bun, of course.

but next time for a side i think i might try this, sans butter:

 

[tiltjlp]

Your potato thing looks good and tasty, but since they can worsen arthritis I no longer eat them. One quick low-calorie meal I have started to enjoy is nucking a can of stirfry vegetables covered with 6 oz of jarred turkey gravy.

 

[Shockman]

Growing up in the Modesto neighbors of California in the 50s, I enjoyed and benefited from two wholesome and delicious breasts.

 

[tiltjlp]

Growing up in the Modesto neighbors of California in the 50s, I enjoyed and benefited from two wholesome and delicious breasts.

Chicken or turkey?

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Your potato thing looks good and tasty, but since they can worsen arthritis I no longer eat them. One quick low-calorie meal I have started to enjoy is nucking a can of stirfry vegetables covered with 6 oz of jarred turkey gravy.

i should probably give them up as well due to the starch content, maybe because they're solanacea as well, like i think you're saying.

what is the sat fat / sodium rating for that gravy? those are the things i'm always looking at first.

one of my quick snacks is a can of low-sodium black beans mixed with dried basil, chives, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and fresh-grated garlic and ginger. heat it and put it over rice noodles or ramen if i'm feeling indulgent. not nutritionally complete, but low-cal, tasty, and is the only canned item i sometimes eat.

 

[tiltjlp]

Six ounces of the gravy is 75 calories, 3 grams of fat, and a way too high 1200mg sodium. But I only have it once or twice a week, rinse all my canned foods of added sodium, and never add salt to any of my food. So a can of the stirfry vegetables and 6 ounces of the gravy is tasty and filling, with 125 calories and 3 grams of fat.

I know I still take in too much sodium, but I've added a lot of bulk to my diet, and I'm down to 282, from a high of close to 350 about 3 years ago. My A1c is down to 6.3, and my blood pressure in under control, thanks to medication.

 

[Coil_Smoke]

God, Noooooo....

Your potato thing looks good and tasty, but since they can worsen arthritis I no longer eat them. One quick low-calorie meal I have started to enjoy is nucking a can of stirfry vegetables covered with 6 oz of jarred turkey gravy.

What, POTATOES?...Not POTATOES, Please! I have eliminated so many things from my diet. Now a link between potatoes and my aurthor-itus? What is up with that? Arsenic in rice and now arthritis from potatoes...F*ck!

 

[sleepy]

WebMD says there are no studies which support the elimination of potatoes or nightshades for arthritis relief. Others indicate that it may be an allergy to potatoes that is the reason.

http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/features/arthritis-diets-supplements

I would guess that it could be additives to preserve the potatoes that are then aged
until they have no food value that might be the reason. I've had serious reactions to starving in the past when I thought I was eating calories and instead I was eating Bran (0 calories) and one 80 calorie veggie dog for dinner.

 

[sleepy]

About arthritis, the one thing I note is that inflammations can be caused by Uric Acid,
so I would avoid anything containing Ammonium, Urine or Uric Acid.
For some reason I had a devil of a time a few years ago with slow-cook oatmeal containng uric acid. It's a dense oily acid, often found around a cat box, which is why Johnny Cat uses a clay absorber. The clay soaks up oily materials.

But after eating that bitter oily oatmeal, I was finding it in the toilet after throwing it up.

Could be that potatoes that are mishandled in storage, or are kept cool and damp are somehow contacting or producing uric acid or ammonium. Else they were raised in raw or uncured manure.

 

[sleepy]

Growing up in the Modesto neighbors of California in the 50s, I enjoyed and benefited from two wholesome and delicious breasts.

Ah, that was because you were a thriving baby boy.

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Else you were 18 at the time.

 

[Shockman]

Oh I almost forgot... Gerber banana too.

I was 2 in '59. At 18 the breasts had either a sweaty or perfume taste, depending.

 

[Shockman]

I would probably try deep-frying that potato. If you use really hot crisco or better yet, lard, instead of oil there is less saturation, and it would only take a couple of minutes instead of 40.

 

[tiltjlp]

All I know is that if I eat potatoes regularly my arthritis and stiffness get much worse. anyway, I like sweet potatoes/yams better.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

@shockman,
yea i get the flash-frying angle, which is part of the draw of woks, too, but i couldn't possibly deep-fry stuff in lard at this point.

anyway, i am trying the potato thing right now, with a light workout planned after to burn the simple carbs. a research article going around now suggests that even a light workout (like a few laps around the block) after a typical american meal are very useful for preventing the usual glycemic spikes.


@tilt,
that gravy has killer amounts of sat fat and sodium for me. one thing i am really trying hard at is to augment my meds with food, not use the meds to bail out my food choices, so to speak. for example, i just started statins (for cholesterol) and hydrochlorothiazid (for BP), but eat niacin, capsaicin, raw garlic, mono-unsaturated fats and lots of fruits / veggies to try to hit the problem from multiple angles. my body is not going to get any more efficient with age about this stuff, y'know?

if you sauteed those veggies in olive oil with some onions, dried herbs and spices, then sprinkled on a little morton's lite salt (50% NaCl, 50% KCl) i bet it would be quite yummy.

btw, the reason i stir nutritional yeast in to most of my entrees is because it tastes cheesy and has lots of protein and vitamins. been hooked ever since i discovered the stuff, and cheese was a lot harder for me to give up than gravies and fatty meats, like hamburger.


@sleepy,
thanks, interesting. my mom avoided the potatoes and tomatoes because of the nightshade thing, i think due to the advice of her rheumatologist, but i've frankly forgotten the principle.

 

[tiltjlp]

I have four jars of turkey gravy left, and then I'll be done with it. I do use Morton Lite Salt when I want salt, but try not to use it very often. I have been drinking a lot of green tea the past several months, and am eating much healthier than I ever have before. BTW, this morning I weighed in at 279.8, which is probably the first time in at least 35 years I've been below 280.

 

[JonPurpleHaze]

I still need to read this entire thread and rarely eat fast food but I'd settle for a Skyline Chili franchise...:)

 

[faralos]

Me and my gal pop for one of McD's Bacon ranch
Grilled Chicken salad every now and then but
except for that we eat healthy no more red meat.
I didn't even think about it until a few days ago we were shopping
and we both noticed the other passing right by the meat dept.
without looking for specials! We realized we eat lots of white fish
homemade salads, I drink green teas She prefers coffee decaf of course.
one cup of leaded coffee in the morning for me then green tea the rest of the day.
Chicken breasts baked are also on our list or I'll make a chowder of some sorts.
Funny I used to live on McD's at least four times a week,
now it's once a month if that.
Didn't set out to eat healthier just turned out that way!

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

I have four jars of turkey gravy left, and then I'll be done with it. I do use Morton Lite Salt when I want salt, but try not to use it very often. I have been drinking a lot of green tea the past several months, and am eating much healthier than I ever have before. BTW, this morning I weighed in at 279.8, which is probably the first time in at least 35 years I've been below 280.

yes, well done, sir!

any further nutrition / weight goals at this pt?