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144 sats \ 12 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 29 Mar \ parent \ on: Daily Health Principle: Junk Food Isn't Food HealthAndFitness
I don't want to make those determinations for people. We each have our own notions of what is and isn't junk. I'm just saying that you should stop even perceiving your "junk" as food.
I would say in this case it's not really important, because the point isn't nutrition. You're trying to substitute away from a bad habit. All that matters is that the substitute isn't worse.
In this case I think it was both. I needed sustenance but I'm also aware that it's full of crap and not my number 1 choice.
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On the sustenance point, I'd suggest you consider this post, then. If you don't think it's adding to your health, don't think of it as food. It's fine to be a little hungry from time to time.
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don't think of it as food.
Thats where I disagree. In a food desert where nutritious options are scarce to nil, junk is sustentance.
Disadvantaged people cannot just fast until it becomes economically feasible for them to shop at Whole Foods.
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You're totally missing my point, then. Junk food is not sustenance, because it does not meet nutrient requirements. It's excess calories and harmful additives.
"Food deserts" sell crap, because that's what the locals buy. If the locals bought healthy food, that's what would be available. You don't have to shop at Whole Foods to get something with nutritional content.
I've been very poor before and I bought and cooked beans and produce from the grocery store, because it was cheaper than buying prepared foods. The cheapest foods are beans, rice, and root vegetables. Boil them in a pot and eat a cheap healthy meal.
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I agree with your point on the whole. But I think it bifurcating sustenance vs junk food (or non-sustenance) is an oversimplification. Maybe you have more of a stringent definition of sustenance than I do.
Try telling the person who survives on a diet of mountain dew and taco bell that it's not sustaining them. There's gotta be a range of different reasons they make this choice. I can't explain why they do, but they're not starving.
In my case, I chose a pepperette because I needed something convenient, fast and containing some amount of nutrition (protien). And it certainly did tide me over until I could get home to a home cooked meal.
The cheapest foods are beans, rice, and root vegetables. Boil them in a pot and eat a cheap healthy meal.
I need a follow-up on frugal and nutrituous recipies from the resident economist 😂
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Note that I am not telling people to stop doing anything. These are purely health tips. If someone wants to drink Mountain Dew and eat Taco Bell, all I'm saying to them is that they may want to reevaluate whether some of those things are actually food. If they keep consuming them for other reasons, that's their business. As you say, "There's gotta be a range of different reasons they make this choice."
Starving is not the only concern when it comes to health. In fact, considering our obesity rates, it's not really a concern at all. There are many prevalent nutrient deficiencies, as well as chronic health conditions that are at least associated with junk food.
I'm not making a particularly stringent delineation. If you think something is bad for you, I'm suggesting it shouldn't be perceived as food.
I need a follow-up on frugal and nutrituous recipies from the resident economist
At my poorest, I was an undergrad math major. That combination led me to create a nutrition optimization program. I put in all of the local food prices and generated the cheapest diet that met nutrient requirements. It is not something you want to do, unless you have to.
I've always meant to do more with that program, though. Maybe I'll try to vibe code an app that makes use of it.
Whole Foods is overpriced and overrated
Water curbs hunger. Sometimes your body confuses thirst with hunger and vice versa
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I agree on both points
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