Comments on: A New Future for Foodie Culture?

By: Migraineur

Migraineur — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:19:07 +0000

Judy - my thoughts exactly. I think more about food, spend more money on food, and take more time to shop for and prepare food than most people I know. And I am losing weight - about a pound a month. I think I could lose faster by skipping my occasional (about once a month) treat of a really nice dessert or a serving of potatoes or bread; and I could probably lose even faster if I ate less fruit (right now about 1 serving a day). But I’m actually OK with the snail’s pace - it helps me understand what my personal food limits are (in my case, starch and sugar = not good), which is an understanding that will last me a lifetime. I hope this will help me become one of those rare people who loses weight AND keeps it off.

I am sure there are the James Beard-type gourmands out there who care a lot about food and eat just too damn much of it, period. (Beard was obese and pretty unhealthy.) So it’s certainly possible to be an unhealthy foodie. But mindfulness about eating goes a long, long way in helping maintain physical and mental health.

By: Judy

Judy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:09:17 +0000

Well from my own personal experience, the “foodies” I know, and those who would never be called that but who enjoy their food the most, are some of the healthiest. They are much more careful about what they eat, where it comes from, and they take the time and effort to truly enjoy the food. I don’t know anyone, personally, who is overweight and would be able to honestly say they eat because they really care about and enjoy their food.

The overweight/obese unhealthy people I know got they way mostly from eating lots of processed food, fast food, chain restaurants, and the typical “Western” diet, none of those being things that led themselves to a real enjoyment of food and things that I associate with the “foodie” culture.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:02:18 +0000

“If 1960s Las Vegas had its Rat Pack and 1980s cinema its Brat Pack, early 21st century food has its Fat Pack.”

Maybe I’ve been reading the wrong blogs and hanging out at the wrong juice bars, but I didn’t know the gluttons had much of a voice. I hear more from the fitties than the foodies.

Just look at the NY Times Non-fiction best seller list. Of the top five books, #1 is “Losing It”–a woman’s journey through weight loss–and #4 is “In Defense of Food” which despite it’s title preaches a very Primal Nutrition-like creed of “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

By: McFly

McFly — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:53:56 +0000

This also came from the same article…

‘ “I think enjoyment of food has never proven to be harmful to anyone’s health,” said Mr. Shaw, who turned from practicing law to writing about food ‘

Hmmmm…Elvis comes to mind. And a nation of diabetic children.

By: Birdie McGillis

Birdie McGillis — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:49:41 +0000

” ‘Cramming more than three meals into a day, once the last resort of a food critic on deadline, has become a way of life.’ ”

I actually do 5 meals a day, and I’ve been trying to get my friends to do more than 3 meals a day too. Of course my meals come in at around 400 calories, so I guess it’s a bit different.