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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] The Perfect Meal
  • Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:41:06 -0600




The Perfect Meal
May, 2005
by True Warner
http://netptc.net/flowermanoat/wSAgHTM/Pages/articles.htm#perfectmeal

It’s a typical day. You’re hungry so you drive to a fast-food place and spend
$7.00 on a Mad Cow artery clogger, some potato-filled grease sticks, and a
high fructose carbonated beverage. Where’s the sense in that? We are eating
expensive, unhealthy food and we need to change what we have for dinner.

How many of you have taken any type of cooking class in high school? Schools
formerly offered cooking courses. Perhaps.....it is a conspiracy by the fast
food corporations to make us depend on their food. By patronizing fast food,
we are like a little baby drinking milk from the teats of Philip Morris and
Tricon Global Restaurants incorporated. It’s despicable.

Today I want to show you the serious problems that the fast food industry is
causing. And stay tuned because later on I will explain my solution.

In our country, working at minimum wage salary for an entire hour will buy
you a greasy, fattening meal at a fast food megacorporation. Not only is
eating at fast food chains exceedingly unhealthy it's expensive. It is
causing health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.
A report by National Public Radio indicated that American consumers owe $1.7
trillion in credit card and other debt. That means that the average person
owes $56,000. And if you buy all your meals at “fast food”, it could cost at
least $7,000 per year. That‘s a lot of money to spend on low quality food.

Direct and indirect problems caused by eating fast food are significant. With
overty rates higher than ever, is this a wise way to spend money? As I
pointed out, many health problems can be at least indirectly attributed by
eating at fast food megacorporations that have been plaguing our country.
These corporations continue to need deeper pockets for the populous that
often can least afford either their meals, or the ensuing health problems.

So why do we eat at fast food? There are a number of reasons. We are
programmed to like the taste of fat and sugar, but we actually need very
little of it; enough of it can be found in the basic food groups. The
advertising industry tempts us into eating fast food by bombarding us with
commercials of good-looking people patronizing their establishments. And lest
we let them get off the hook easily, should the restaurant industry also be
blamed for selling unhealthy food?

As a solution, we might consider cooking for ourselves! Many healthy foods
are cheap, easy to cook, and are a complete source of vitamins. One of the
few things left of the Native American diet are the common bean varieties
that too few of us now eat today.

May I propose that beans are a delectable choice for protein, and they have
such a wide range of nutrients that you could live off them alone. Also,
vegetables provide a substantial source of vitamins. My personal favorite is
swiss chard because it is easy to grow. More reasons that I like swiss chard
are because it is loaded with nutrients, is easy to grow at home, and it
produces high yields.

Since the 1500’s, the potato has been crucial to western civilizations in
times of war and famine. They are easy to cook, good for you, and taste
great. Beans, vegetables, and potatoes are easy to find in a store (much
cheaper than boxed and prepared alternatives) and not that difficult to cook.

Beans can be bought at market—a 25-pound sack for just $10.00. Potatoes are
among some of the vegetables grown on our small farm but a 10 pound sack of
them at a market can be had for as little as a dollar. How many bags of
frozen french-fries can be bought for that...or for that matter, how many
boxes of dehydrated mashed potatoes?

These foods are among the simplest to prepare. Do a search on the internet
and you will have directions in no time. By choosing to prepare beans,
vegetables, and potatoes instead of buying expensive, unhealthy fast food,
financial and health benefits would be substantial. A home-grown meal, for
example could cost as little as 15 cents—much less than what a meal costs at
any restaurant! Beans, vegetables and potatoes are far superior to fast food
in almost every way. Eating beans, vegetables, and potatoes every day will
produce immediate health benefits and you will feel better physically and
mentally. You will likely end up losing a few pounds which might even improve
your social image. Growing fresh produce is cheap and rewarding.

It’s not easy to quit eating foods loaded with sugars and fats; some have
compared the addiction to nicotine. It doesn’t help that we can’t watch
television for ten minutes without a commercial popping up that triggers
these cravings. The people that make those commercials study the human psyche
and find ways to exploit it that would impress Adolph Hitler himself.

It’s time to "just say no" to the fast-food megacorps which are causing so
many problems in our society. Plant some swiss chard in your backyard and
walk down to your nearest grocery store, then go purchase a big sack each of
beans and potatoes.


References
A Nation in Debt
www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2003/jan/debt/

History of the Potato
www.westernpotatoes.com.au/schools/history/cfm

Stevko, Phillip J. Everything You Need To Know About Beans
http://waltonfeed.com/self/beans2.html

Warner, John. Degree in Horticulture. Personal interview. 2 May, 2005.





  • [Livingontheland] The Perfect Meal, Tradingpost, 08/25/2008

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