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OP, it might help you to know that the food industry is geared toward creating flavors and textures that humans find irresistible. It's entrapment, seriously. They have psychologists and taste-ologists studying this stuff and working on ways to hook the consumer. They calibrate saltiness, crunchiness, sweetness, etc. This is what you've fallen for, most of us do at some point in life, and then we have to extricate ourselves from the trap. It's all a gigantic marketing scheme to sell us more cr@p we don't need. You have been bamboozled.
In the greater scheme of things that is what capitalism makes them do, and it plays right into the human weakness for sense pleasures. Some people fall for cigarettes with tobacco washed in a nicotine wash, others for alcohol or sugar.
Things are generally not so bad here in Europe, there are a lot of health food stores and most supermarkets carry organic or biological products. The less chances you give the 'big food' industry to mess with things the better, it's scary what they do with ready meals even here.
@Kerome It's the same here. There's one national chain of grocery stores that carries all healthy foods, most of it--organic, that's very popular, and there are independent food cooperatives in many cities, that focus on selling locally-grown organic veggies and other "healthy" organic foods, gluten-free items, and so forth. The popularity of such stores has forced the ordinary grocery chains to have organic sections in the vegetable department. Now there's even a grocery store chain that sells discount organic food, for those who can't afford to shop at the other one.
Still, a lot of people don't "believe" in organic foods, and aren't informed about the issues, so they still eat very ordinary food and snacks that aren't good for them. They think the "clean"-food stores are for extremists or fanatics.
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Anybody read "The Marshmallow Test"? Have just begun it and already it's interesting reading...
big mac sauce is pretty much thousand island dressing with some extra stuff. And because it's McDonald's, it probably has about 37 ingredients.
different things work for different people as far as what makes us pay more attention. For me, living in the US, I read a couple of books about our food science and what goes into making our food. Some of my favorites became far less crave-worthy when I found out how manipulative companies were.
If you think they don't add the yummy crust to the nuts because they know exactly what amounts of fat, sugars and salts to put in there to make your body crave them, then you are probably wrong. That is exactly what food scientists do and any company that packages their food with an ingredients list, has food scientists. If there is a lengthy list of ingredients (as in more than 2-3 ingredients) then they designed to food to make you want to eat it. It is exactly how they turn healthy natural foods (raw nuts) into something not so good for us-by appealing to the exact combinations of things that make people crave more. Then we excuse it by saying that nuts are healthy for us.
RAW nuts are healthy. A small amount of salted nuts can be ok for some people. Glazed, coated, etc nuts become something else entirely. I was tired of being used that way. So I stopped buying those products. Particular sweeteners are as addictive as cocaine, they just kill you alot more slowly.
I read up a lot on meditative eating. TNH has some great stuff on it. Also, read up on Japanese Oryoki. TNH co-wrote a book called "Savor" that I quite enjoyed. However, the other author focused quite a bit on weight loss, which caused the wonderful, heartfelt information by TNH to be a bit lost. If you can read around it, it's a worthy read.
I kept a very detailed log for a while. In a journal, what I ate, what time it was, how I felt before and after (and even hours later if it mattered), the weather, even the moon phase. Noting the patterns in my mood and emotions was a big eye opener.
Train yourself not to eat on the run. Don't just grab stuff and eat. In my meditation, when I note I am following a thought, I mark it "thinking again" and then return to my breath. Me noting I have wandered off is what brings me back. Same with eating. Make a point to start eating only when you sit down to eat. Make yourself fix a spot at the table and sit down and eat. Not only does it make you more mindful when you do eat, but it'll stop you from eating unnecessarily because a handful of nuts may well not be worth the work to sitdown to eat. When you reach for the nuts, stop yourself like you might in meditation and determine if you are going to set up a proper eating environment just for a handful of nuts. It'll stop not just grabbing the nuts, but all mindless snacking.
Putting a really good effort into how, what, where you eat will change how you think about everything you put in your mouth. You are nourishing, healing, and fueling your body with everything you consume. It is the one thing in life we should put the effort into focusing on, because it is what keeps us alive. I am home alone most of the day, but I no longer eat in front of the computer or tv or in the car. I fix a spot at the table full with a napkin, utensils, a candle and flowers (or whatever). I am cautious to be mindful of making my food, and I sit down with it and practice gratitude for my plate and every bite I eat and I imagine what all my cells are doing with the food I am eating and whether it is nourishing me. Sometimes, I partake in dessert or a glass of wine. Perhaps it doesn't nourish my body, but sometimes it nourishes my mind or connections with people. But when you do it mindfully, you aren't just drinking down the wine and stuffing cake in your mouth. It is an experience.
LOL can you tell I like this topic? I could write all day about it sorry to ramble on so much. Oryoki really is a wonderful thing to read about
Comments
In the greater scheme of things that is what capitalism makes them do, and it plays right into the human weakness for sense pleasures. Some people fall for cigarettes with tobacco washed in a nicotine wash, others for alcohol or sugar.
Things are generally not so bad here in Europe, there are a lot of health food stores and most supermarkets carry organic or biological products. The less chances you give the 'big food' industry to mess with things the better, it's scary what they do with ready meals even here.
Very interesting insight into flavour enhanced junk nuts and junk food guys.
Again I would suggest eating more foods. More real food. Nuts you open with a nut cracker. More fruit and veg.
How to eat. Details:
http://opcoa.st/0Lp6k
@Kerome It's the same here. There's one national chain of grocery stores that carries all healthy foods, most of it--organic, that's very popular, and there are independent food cooperatives in many cities, that focus on selling locally-grown organic veggies and other "healthy" organic foods, gluten-free items, and so forth. The popularity of such stores has forced the ordinary grocery chains to have organic sections in the vegetable department. Now there's even a grocery store chain that sells discount organic food, for those who can't afford to shop at the other one.
Still, a lot of people don't "believe" in organic foods, and aren't informed about the issues, so they still eat very ordinary food and snacks that aren't good for them. They think the "clean"-food stores are for extremists or fanatics.
Anybody read "The Marshmallow Test"? Have just begun it and already it's interesting reading...
big mac sauce is pretty much thousand island dressing with some extra stuff. And because it's McDonald's, it probably has about 37 ingredients.
different things work for different people as far as what makes us pay more attention. For me, living in the US, I read a couple of books about our food science and what goes into making our food. Some of my favorites became far less crave-worthy when I found out how manipulative companies were.
If you think they don't add the yummy crust to the nuts because they know exactly what amounts of fat, sugars and salts to put in there to make your body crave them, then you are probably wrong. That is exactly what food scientists do and any company that packages their food with an ingredients list, has food scientists. If there is a lengthy list of ingredients (as in more than 2-3 ingredients) then they designed to food to make you want to eat it. It is exactly how they turn healthy natural foods (raw nuts) into something not so good for us-by appealing to the exact combinations of things that make people crave more. Then we excuse it by saying that nuts are healthy for us.
RAW nuts are healthy. A small amount of salted nuts can be ok for some people. Glazed, coated, etc nuts become something else entirely. I was tired of being used that way. So I stopped buying those products. Particular sweeteners are as addictive as cocaine, they just kill you alot more slowly.
I read up a lot on meditative eating. TNH has some great stuff on it. Also, read up on Japanese Oryoki. TNH co-wrote a book called "Savor" that I quite enjoyed. However, the other author focused quite a bit on weight loss, which caused the wonderful, heartfelt information by TNH to be a bit lost. If you can read around it, it's a worthy read.
I kept a very detailed log for a while. In a journal, what I ate, what time it was, how I felt before and after (and even hours later if it mattered), the weather, even the moon phase. Noting the patterns in my mood and emotions was a big eye opener.
Train yourself not to eat on the run. Don't just grab stuff and eat. In my meditation, when I note I am following a thought, I mark it "thinking again" and then return to my breath. Me noting I have wandered off is what brings me back. Same with eating. Make a point to start eating only when you sit down to eat. Make yourself fix a spot at the table and sit down and eat. Not only does it make you more mindful when you do eat, but it'll stop you from eating unnecessarily because a handful of nuts may well not be worth the work to sitdown to eat. When you reach for the nuts, stop yourself like you might in meditation and determine if you are going to set up a proper eating environment just for a handful of nuts. It'll stop not just grabbing the nuts, but all mindless snacking.
Putting a really good effort into how, what, where you eat will change how you think about everything you put in your mouth. You are nourishing, healing, and fueling your body with everything you consume. It is the one thing in life we should put the effort into focusing on, because it is what keeps us alive. I am home alone most of the day, but I no longer eat in front of the computer or tv or in the car. I fix a spot at the table full with a napkin, utensils, a candle and flowers (or whatever). I am cautious to be mindful of making my food, and I sit down with it and practice gratitude for my plate and every bite I eat and I imagine what all my cells are doing with the food I am eating and whether it is nourishing me. Sometimes, I partake in dessert or a glass of wine. Perhaps it doesn't nourish my body, but sometimes it nourishes my mind or connections with people. But when you do it mindfully, you aren't just drinking down the wine and stuffing cake in your mouth. It is an experience.
LOL can you tell I like this topic? I could write all day about it
sorry to ramble on so much. Oryoki really is a wonderful thing to read about 
Outstanding post @karasti
http://bicyclebuddha.org/zen-in-a-napkin-how-oryoki-kicked-my-ass/
Junk food = junk mind in a junk body.
I likes fruit. Yum. Now that is what I call a snack ...