Super Genius
Posts: 1,274 
June 24th, 2006, 11:49 AM
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature6.cfm?REF=391
I don't agree with this article's idea that there is no more room to grow better food than grains, but they do make a good point about how corporations have directed the masses [you and I] to consume the crops that provide the best profits, not the best nutrition.
Our health problem of obesity has a few factors, like watching TV ads that make us salivate and the go to the fridge like a bunch of automatons, but the primary problem of obesity is what we put in our mouths, of course.
What we put in our mouths has been largely dictated to us by years of conditioning and by economic persuasion. We see the cheap food made with the industry chosen crops, and it tastes good, so thats what we eat. If carrots were cheapest and on TV day and night, is there any doubt we would all be eating more carrots?
Bread. Carbohydrates. Sugar. It is no "Wonder" [bread] that we are fat and ill. Wonderbar. WonderBread. No wonder we are fat. Cheap to produce, big profits, to heck with people's health - just tell them lies, add sugar, and they will eat it.
Crops that use fossil fuels for fertilizer, and for pulling the plow , are the favorite of corporations bent on the biggest profits compared to the inmvestments required. That means cereal crops, the carbos.
To make these bland grains taste better and have a nice texture, we add Trans Fats. Ummmm, yummy - "but my Tummy is bloated! Plus now I am a diabetic, and I have heart disease" - and then the doctors will say: "Take a pill, this is normal, don't complain - everyone else is handling it so much better than you are"
This "Epidemic of Bad Foods for the human race" is not because we are running out of croplands - much good land sits idle, farmers paid to plow up fields to keep the prices up. If we don't seem to have room to grow real food, it is an artificially created problem.
humans thrive on "whole foods" - stuff that grows and can be eaten "as is". Be it meat or veggies or fruits or eggs or seeds and nuts, these are the whole foods that provide humans with what we need most for nutrition. Bread is not it, but bread is what we are fed, with a spoon full of propaganda to make the corporations happy, and humans in ill health.
Be a wise consumer, and "get wise" to the corporate inspired diet that is ruining our health.
...or die fat and unhappy 25 years too soon...and die as you lived - totally unaware of the world around you.
Karlin
[/url]
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature6.cfm?REF=391
Quote:
This is yet another example of governments acting on behalf of corporations, not the people the government is supposed to be representing.
"Farmers going broke as populations run out of alternatives to grain."
I don't agree with this article's idea that there is no more room to grow better food than grains, but they do make a good point about how corporations have directed the masses [you and I] to consume the crops that provide the best profits, not the best nutrition.
Our health problem of obesity has a few factors, like watching TV ads that make us salivate and the go to the fridge like a bunch of automatons, but the primary problem of obesity is what we put in our mouths, of course.
What we put in our mouths has been largely dictated to us by years of conditioning and by economic persuasion. We see the cheap food made with the industry chosen crops, and it tastes good, so thats what we eat. If carrots were cheapest and on TV day and night, is there any doubt we would all be eating more carrots?
Bread. Carbohydrates. Sugar. It is no "Wonder" [bread] that we are fat and ill. Wonderbar. WonderBread. No wonder we are fat. Cheap to produce, big profits, to heck with people's health - just tell them lies, add sugar, and they will eat it.
Crops that use fossil fuels for fertilizer, and for pulling the plow , are the favorite of corporations bent on the biggest profits compared to the inmvestments required. That means cereal crops, the carbos.
To make these bland grains taste better and have a nice texture, we add Trans Fats. Ummmm, yummy - "but my Tummy is bloated! Plus now I am a diabetic, and I have heart disease" - and then the doctors will say: "Take a pill, this is normal, don't complain - everyone else is handling it so much better than you are"
This "Epidemic of Bad Foods for the human race" is not because we are running out of croplands - much good land sits idle, farmers paid to plow up fields to keep the prices up. If we don't seem to have room to grow real food, it is an artificially created problem.
humans thrive on "whole foods" - stuff that grows and can be eaten "as is". Be it meat or veggies or fruits or eggs or seeds and nuts, these are the whole foods that provide humans with what we need most for nutrition. Bread is not it, but bread is what we are fed, with a spoon full of propaganda to make the corporations happy, and humans in ill health.
Be a wise consumer, and "get wise" to the corporate inspired diet that is ruining our health.
...or die fat and unhappy 25 years too soon...and die as you lived - totally unaware of the world around you.
Karlin
[/url]
Bright Spark
Posts: 265
July 21st, 2006, 01:39 PM
I dig your thoughts and the delivery, Karlin. Nice to see something a little more radical (though not necessarily incorrect) brought up in these forums.
Reply with quote
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature6.cfm?REF=391
Quote:
"Farmers going broke as populations run out of alternatives to grain."
This is yet another example of governments acting on behalf of corporations, not the people the government is supposed to be representing.
I don't agree with this article's idea that there is no more room to grow better food than grains, but they do make a good point about how corporations have directed the masses [you and I] to consume the crops that provide the best profits, not the best nutrition.
Our health problem of obesity has a few factors, like watching TV ads that make us salivate and the go to the fridge like a bunch of automatons, but the primary problem of obesity is what we put in our mouths, of course.
What we put in our mouths has been largely dictated to us by years of conditioning and by economic persuasion. We see the cheap food made with the industry chosen crops, and it tastes good, so thats what we eat. If carrots were cheapest and on TV day and night, is there any doubt we would all be eating more carrots?
Bread. Carbohydrates. Sugar. It is no "Wonder" [bread] that we are fat and ill. Wonderbar. WonderBread. No wonder we are fat. Cheap to produce, big profits, to heck with people's health - just tell them lies, add sugar, and they will eat it.
Crops that use fossil fuels for fertilizer, and for pulling the plow , are the favorite of corporations bent on the biggest profits compared to the inmvestments required. That means cereal crops, the carbos.
To make these bland grains taste better and have a nice texture, we add Trans Fats. Ummmm, yummy - "but my Tummy is bloated! Plus now I am a diabetic, and I have heart disease" - and then the doctors will say: "Take a pill, this is normal, don't complain - everyone else is handling it so much better than you are"
This "Epidemic of Bad Foods for the human race" is not because we are running out of croplands - much good land sits idle, farmers paid to plow up fields to keep the prices up. If we don't seem to have room to grow real food, it is an artificially created problem.
humans thrive on "whole foods" - stuff that grows and can be eaten "as is". Be it meat or veggies or fruits or eggs or seeds and nuts, these are the whole foods that provide humans with what we need most for nutrition. Bread is not it, but bread is what we are fed, with a spoon full of propaganda to make the corporations happy, and humans in ill health.
Often the alternatives are not only healthy, but they end up saving you heaps of cash, which can ultimately mean even time.
I can make my own homemade cereal for about five to ten times less than a box of brandname, and it's more healthy, less processed, and free of the extra crap they love to add (refined sugar, preservatives, et cetera).
A lot of people think making their own food is actually more expensive; they just aren't going about it the right way.
Quite the toxic society we live in. You are right that the answer they often give is to prescribe a pill for all the diseases of affluence and modern society - people are strapped for time, and love to believe a miracle in the form of a pill will solve things - it's what makes money.
I dig your thoughts and the delivery, Karlin. Nice to see something a little more radical (though not necessarily incorrect) brought up in these forums.
Reply with quote
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature6.cfm?REF=391
Quote:
"Farmers going broke as populations run out of alternatives to grain."
This is yet another example of governments acting on behalf of corporations, not the people the government is supposed to be representing.
I don't agree with this article's idea that there is no more room to grow better food than grains, but they do make a good point about how corporations have directed the masses [you and I] to consume the crops that provide the best profits, not the best nutrition.
Our health problem of obesity has a few factors, like watching TV ads that make us salivate and the go to the fridge like a bunch of automatons, but the primary problem of obesity is what we put in our mouths, of course.
What we put in our mouths has been largely dictated to us by years of conditioning and by economic persuasion. We see the cheap food made with the industry chosen crops, and it tastes good, so thats what we eat. If carrots were cheapest and on TV day and night, is there any doubt we would all be eating more carrots?
Bread. Carbohydrates. Sugar. It is no "Wonder" [bread] that we are fat and ill. Wonderbar. WonderBread. No wonder we are fat. Cheap to produce, big profits, to heck with people's health - just tell them lies, add sugar, and they will eat it.
Crops that use fossil fuels for fertilizer, and for pulling the plow , are the favorite of corporations bent on the biggest profits compared to the inmvestments required. That means cereal crops, the carbos.
To make these bland grains taste better and have a nice texture, we add Trans Fats. Ummmm, yummy - "but my Tummy is bloated! Plus now I am a diabetic, and I have heart disease" - and then the doctors will say: "Take a pill, this is normal, don't complain - everyone else is handling it so much better than you are"
This "Epidemic of Bad Foods for the human race" is not because we are running out of croplands - much good land sits idle, farmers paid to plow up fields to keep the prices up. If we don't seem to have room to grow real food, it is an artificially created problem.
humans thrive on "whole foods" - stuff that grows and can be eaten "as is". Be it meat or veggies or fruits or eggs or seeds and nuts, these are the whole foods that provide humans with what we need most for nutrition. Bread is not it, but bread is what we are fed, with a spoon full of propaganda to make the corporations happy, and humans in ill health.
Quote:
While I cannot force people to stop eating all the crappy goodies available on the market, I do love to promote the sort of alternatives that are available.
Be a wise consumer, and "get wise" to the corporate inspired diet that is ruining our health.
...or die fat and unhappy 25 years too soon...and die as you lived - totally unaware of the world around you.
...or die fat and unhappy 25 years too soon...and die as you lived - totally unaware of the world around you.
Often the alternatives are not only healthy, but they end up saving you heaps of cash, which can ultimately mean even time.
I can make my own homemade cereal for about five to ten times less than a box of brandname, and it's more healthy, less processed, and free of the extra crap they love to add (refined sugar, preservatives, et cetera).
A lot of people think making their own food is actually more expensive; they just aren't going about it the right way.
Quite the toxic society we live in. You are right that the answer they often give is to prescribe a pill for all the diseases of affluence and modern society - people are strapped for time, and love to believe a miracle in the form of a pill will solve things - it's what makes money.
Member
Posts: 59
Location: Newfoundland
Location: Newfoundland
August 11th, 2006, 11:05 AM
Wow... as an ex-farmer I am surprised at the lack of creativity people use with grain. I grew many kinds of grains in Saskatchewan along with many oilseeds and pulses. People are getting fat because they eat TOO MUCH bread, poorly made bread, and spend too much time sitting at their computers. There are so many grains you can use in foods and in so many ways. White gooey wonderbread is not a great example of grains in your diet. Oat muffins or cereal (not the sugary kinds) would be better. Wheat is cheaper to grow...tolerates a prairie climate...is healthy...and delicious. A bowl of Cream of Wheat with a little honey in it is a wonderful way to start a day. And most farmers who value the land they have spent their lives trying to pay for, use min-till methods to their farming. Saves a LOT of fuel and saves on soil erosion. Good for the land, good for our wallets, and good for our waists. I never knew a farmer (and I know a LOT of farmers) who plowed under crops to drive up prices...Maybe because the crop was of very poor quality and was worth less than the costs of harvesting it. In any case, they made good fertilizer. Find out how much money farmers get for their grain...I know when I quit I was losing money on it. So were all my friends and neighbours.
Wow... as an ex-farmer I am surprised at the lack of creativity people use with grain. I grew many kinds of grains in Saskatchewan along with many oilseeds and pulses. People are getting fat because they eat TOO MUCH bread, poorly made bread, and spend too much time sitting at their computers. There are so many grains you can use in foods and in so many ways. White gooey wonderbread is not a great example of grains in your diet. Oat muffins or cereal (not the sugary kinds) would be better. Wheat is cheaper to grow...tolerates a prairie climate...is healthy...and delicious. A bowl of Cream of Wheat with a little honey in it is a wonderful way to start a day. And most farmers who value the land they have spent their lives trying to pay for, use min-till methods to their farming. Saves a LOT of fuel and saves on soil erosion. Good for the land, good for our wallets, and good for our waists. I never knew a farmer (and I know a LOT of farmers) who plowed under crops to drive up prices...Maybe because the crop was of very poor quality and was worth less than the costs of harvesting it. In any case, they made good fertilizer. Find out how much money farmers get for their grain...I know when I quit I was losing money on it. So were all my friends and neighbours.
Bright Spark
Posts: 265
August 14th, 2006, 01:00 AM
Right on Liz. I respect you at least somewhat for having been a farmer. To me, it is an admirable occupation; one of those things where ideally, I cannot find too many bad things to say, like fire fighters and doctors. Vital to the community.
Too bad they seem to get effed in the A a lot. They often do not deserve it for having such an integral role in everyone's life.
Right on Liz. I respect you at least somewhat for having been a farmer. To me, it is an admirable occupation; one of those things where ideally, I cannot find too many bad things to say, like fire fighters and doctors. Vital to the community.
Too bad they seem to get effed in the A a lot. They often do not deserve it for having such an integral role in everyone's life.
Metal King
Posts: 907
Location: Golden Horseshoe, Ontario
Location: Golden Horseshoe, Ontario
August 14th, 2006, 08:42 AM
It's gonna be pretty harsh when the farm conglomerates decide that growing food is no longer profitable and all's we're left with is food made out of petroleum byproducts eh??
Seriously tho, I have eaten a vegetarian diet ever since reading the history of mass-market agriculture, it is a HORRIBLE mess we have created and it only seems to get worse.
It's gonna be pretty harsh when the farm conglomerates decide that growing food is no longer profitable and all's we're left with is food made out of petroleum byproducts eh??
Seriously tho, I have eaten a vegetarian diet ever since reading the history of mass-market agriculture, it is a HORRIBLE mess we have created and it only seems to get worse.
Member
Posts: 59
Location: Newfoundland
Location: Newfoundland
August 14th, 2006, 09:44 AM
I raised cows and sheep to suppliment my grain farm. I also worked full time in the city. This meant many round the clock work days for my partner and I. Especially during seeding time, harvest time, calving time, lambing, etc. When I wasn't hard at work in a warehouse, I was in a tractor or watering cows. In Canada right now farming grain (and now thanks to BSE, cattle farming too) are not profitable. Producers in general do it to save a lifestyle that generations of their families have enjoyed. My parents sold their farm in hopes that none of their children would take up the expensive habit.
My cattle were as "organic" as they get. (I hate that term). They grew for many many generations on the same farm. I bought the herd and land all at once. Never had these cattle had shots, or were fed sprayed feed, or were branded, or chased, yadda yadda yadda. They were sold at the same market that all the other cows were sold at and made the same ground beef that they all do. In hindsight they should have been marketed to the politically correct and overpriced "organic" markets...but it's all beef. I think even though I got the same lousy price for my beef that my neighbours got, I was lucky. I didn't have the input costs. I was too broke to buy the shots anyway. BUT, it was very risky (ok, irresponsible) to NOT vaccinate, brand, etc. I do not condone it. Those are all things done for the benefit and safety of the cattle and the consumers. AS well as the producers. I could have had an illness wipe out my herd. I could have had every cow stolen and untraceable. We all know now how important it is for animals to be trackable. I would rather feed my daughter beef that went through a feedlot where there was mandatory testing for disease and each animal's origin could be found than from a market where the meat may or may not be safe. My cattle were well taken care of (pets if you will) but many with the same credentials are actually "organic" because they are neglected.
I raised cows and sheep to suppliment my grain farm. I also worked full time in the city. This meant many round the clock work days for my partner and I. Especially during seeding time, harvest time, calving time, lambing, etc. When I wasn't hard at work in a warehouse, I was in a tractor or watering cows. In Canada right now farming grain (and now thanks to BSE, cattle farming too) are not profitable. Producers in general do it to save a lifestyle that generations of their families have enjoyed. My parents sold their farm in hopes that none of their children would take up the expensive habit.
My cattle were as "organic" as they get. (I hate that term). They grew for many many generations on the same farm. I bought the herd and land all at once. Never had these cattle had shots, or were fed sprayed feed, or were branded, or chased, yadda yadda yadda. They were sold at the same market that all the other cows were sold at and made the same ground beef that they all do. In hindsight they should have been marketed to the politically correct and overpriced "organic" markets...but it's all beef. I think even though I got the same lousy price for my beef that my neighbours got, I was lucky. I didn't have the input costs. I was too broke to buy the shots anyway. BUT, it was very risky (ok, irresponsible) to NOT vaccinate, brand, etc. I do not condone it. Those are all things done for the benefit and safety of the cattle and the consumers. AS well as the producers. I could have had an illness wipe out my herd. I could have had every cow stolen and untraceable. We all know now how important it is for animals to be trackable. I would rather feed my daughter beef that went through a feedlot where there was mandatory testing for disease and each animal's origin could be found than from a market where the meat may or may not be safe. My cattle were well taken care of (pets if you will) but many with the same credentials are actually "organic" because they are neglected.
