Hamburger Helper

Pariah

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Any brands/types of bread you can suggest for those of us who haven't read this book?? ;)
I like the safeway brand "Eating Right Ancient Grains."

It's really tasty!

http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/...ogIdentifier=EREatingRight&identifier=ERBread
Ancient Grains Bread - 22 Oz With plenty of whole wheat and a touch of brown sugar flavor, this 100% whole grain bread is the one to turn to for sandwiches, toast, or anything else you can think of. Each serving provides 200 mg of Omega-3s, 3 grams of fiber and just 80 calories.
 

ozzfloyd

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In theory, they could. But they add a ton of salt, low-to-no nutrient ingredients, and such in order for it to have a long shelf life.

Tuna helper, likely crap. Buy some whole grain pasta, whip up a sauce and mix with tuna.

Honestly, I haven't looked at packages of this stuff in ages so I don't know which is "better" for you of the two. I'm kind of shocked still they don't have HFCS in them (though abomb's link says they do have corn syrup of some type).

I really recommend reading In Defense of Food. You may not change all your habits afterwards (I did a lot of them, such as us making all of our bread) but you will probably change some and the ones you don't you will kick yourself for until you do change them (I am still planning to buy a quarter cow from a local rancher, grass fed and humanely raised, just haven't gone all in on that yet).

This guy has great grass-fed/range-fed beef for sale:

www.paintedcavecattle.com
 

ajcardfan

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Personally, I think the level of activity has way more importance than how diet has changed. When we were kids, it was normal to run around outside all day every day. Now, you just never see kids doing much of anything physical, ever.

My 3 girls DO NOT eat the healthiest foods ever. Lord knows, we have tried and tried, and made some headway, but it is still a struggle to get them to eat things like fresh vegetables. They have come around on a few fruits. We probably have HH or TH once a week because it's one of the few things all 3 eat happily. However, they dance 10 to 12 hours a week and are incredibly fit compared to 95% of their peers. Can't see an ounce of fat, washboard abs, cut legs, etc. Meanwhile, the neighbor's kids, with a mother who is always quick to lecture about organic and natural food, are three chubby ass bunnies because they slug around all the time. I prefer our issue to that issue.


When you read what school and daily life is like for kids in Japan, you will see that they are far more physically active than our kids.
 
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Shane

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Personally, I think the level of activity has way more importance than how diet has changed. When we were kids, it was normal to run around outside all day every day. Now, you just never see kids doing much of anything physical, ever.

My 3 girls DO NOT eat the healthiest foods ever. Lord knows, we have tried and tried, and made some headway, but it is still a struggle to get them to eat things like fresh vegetables. They have come around on a few fruits. We probably have HH or TH once a week because it's one of the few things all 3 eat happily. However, they dance 10 to 12 hours a week and are incredibly fit compared to 95% of their peers. Can't see an ounce of fat, washboard abs, cut legs, etc. Meanwhile, the neighbor's kids, with a mother who is always quick to lecture about organic and natural food, are three chubby ass bunnies because they slug around all the time. I prefer our issue to that issue.


When you read what school and daily life is like for kids in Japan, you will see that they are far more physically active than our kids.

Truth!

Kids are slugs nowadays as compared to when we grew up. That's why they are fat and unhealthy. VIDEO GAME GENERATION (technology)
 

D-Dogg

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Truth!

Kids are slugs nowadays as compared to when we grew up. That's why they are fat and unhealthy. VIDEO GAME GENERATION (technology)

It's both Shane, not one or the other solely. Our diet sucks and kids don't do jack squat for the most part. Combine the two, and you get the CDC projections I mentioned above.

Diet and exercise are important. We have crappy habits of BOTH in America.
 

Linderbee

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Super dee dooper, gang! :)

And Linda, you understand I don't think it is an issue for you, as you state you make most of your food and only do HH every once in a while. You aren't the dirt-poor family that eats stuff like this all the time.

Hell, I ate MORE than my fair share of HH in college, but I don't think I've touched the stuff in 12 years. We tend to avoid most boxed stuff (though i do admit I will eat Mac & Cheese, or Kraft Dinner to you Canadians, but not often).

The problem is this cheap (in content and value) food is shoved into the hands of Americans and it becomes their staple food. That isn't good for us. It isn't good for the exploding health care costs, either. So just because you may be ok eating HH every once in a while, many others eat it and similar fare a LOT more often, and they aren't going to be ok eating it.

Like Pariah says, we all eat crap. But I refuse to sing its nutritional praises when I know it's just cheap tasting crap that attacks my tastebuds with fats and fake stuff that tastes good. (See: Cheetah, Chester.) Sure, I'd love it if everyone ate grass-fed beef over wild grain rice and fresh, in-season vegetables, but that isn't realistic (edit to note, it isn't realistic for me, either). I don't think I should stop begging people to stop, though.
I may not be dirt poor now, but I sure as hell was. And my kids (the older two, at least) ate a TON of HH growing up. Ash is 5'6" & 110 at best, Aubrey is 5'3" and 104.

At no point was I ever singing its nutritional praises. There aren't any to sing. But it's not horrible. There is PLENTY out there that is...I'm just saying HH isn't one of them. The only bad thing it has is sodium. The rest of its bad nutrition, if any, comes from the ground beef. If I made meatloaf from scratch it would be just as "bad" for them, but you wouldn't be on the same tirade you are now.
 

Pariah

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If I made meatloaf from scratch it would be just as "bad" for them, but you wouldn't be on the same tirade you are now.
Why, do you add a bunch of chemicals to your meatloaf that isn't really digestible? ;)
 

Linderbee

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I'm talking nutritional value. It sure doesn't provide 10% of the USRDA for calcium. It will have the same amount of saturated fat, more calories, I'm sure, not as much potassium. You can bash it all you want; it's not the devil you make it out to be.

Your occasional mac & cheese is just as bad as Hamburger Helper.
 

D-Dogg

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I'm talking nutritional value. It sure doesn't provide 10% of the USRDA for calcium. It will have the same amount of saturated fat, more calories, I'm sure, not as much potassium. You can bash it all you want; it's not the devil you make it out to be.

Your occasional mac & cheese is just as bad as Hamburger Helper.

It's probably worse. But I wouldn't make excuses for it either. It's complete crap and I know it. :shrug:

And HH isn't the devil; it is just a lessor demon.
 

D-Dogg

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I'm talking nutritional value. It sure doesn't provide 10% of the USRDA for calcium.

There is a difference between nutrition percentages (enriched, fortified) and actual healthy, whole foods. The ingredients list is to the nutrition chart as a royal flush is to a low straight.
 
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