The easiest way to avoid regrets is to ask yourself this question, "If not now, when?" It's a powerful way to put life and our decisions about how we spend our time into perspective"
We are being duped
Posted by Delta on 8/7/2025, 3:51 pm
I was reading a research article (yes, again) that was done in Europe on food. It was very long and dry, but here is the summary.
In not one, but several regions, with differing numbers of people from several ethnicities, both male and female they fed half the people real food, freshly cooked. The other group got what was considered "healthy food" from restaurants, fast food places, and grocery stores; convenience foods. They made sure to get food labeled as a healthier choice and reflected that on the nutrition label. No one was put on a diet. They could eat as much as they wanted at the meals.
After a few weeks, most of the people eating the real foods had lost at least 10 pounds, even the ones not considered overweight when starting.
Most of the people eating the "healthy" foods had gained weight, though a few stayed the same, but none lost weight.
Then they made a point that Europe has way fewer options of processed foods than the US (Canada wasn't mentioned, Krista).
They also referred to an article and a documentary (I saw that) where Ray Kroc hired chemists when he bought McDonald's in order to make foods that people would become addicted to and return to buy his food. Other restaurants followed. Shortly, food companies were producing convenience foods for home use and started doing the same. Bottom line is that for most or all of our lives, we have been an ongoing experimental lab rats.
Now they are finding that eating that way eventually changes hormones in the body, especially in women, and even DNA in some cases. They don't know if it is the additives or gaining weight from being addicted to the foods.
Their advice was to skip restaurants most of the time and shop only the fresh meat and produce aisles with eggs and butter added, but we have to check the butter for more ingredients than cream/milk and salt. They suggested that we make our own bread or visit a bakery that makes it fresh every day with no additives and our own yogurt as well as farmers cheese or cream cheese. It was also suggested that we buy only European hard cheeses with few ingredients. All American made cheese has too many chemicals added.
It was suggested that if Americans followed this way of eating that we would all lose weight and maintain much easier without dieting.