I made it a whole week! I really feel terrific. I got a short anaerobic workout in yesterday to combat muscle atrophy without burning too many of my precious calories. I have found that an afternoon nap of one to three hours keeps me from feeling too tired or hungry throughout the day.My body feels good, and my stomach isn't growling. The times that I feel hungry are consistently times that I am bored. I am used to always having a snack or a beer around the house, and that habit means needless calories (or fat or alcohol).
Still I am not getting enough calories, vitamins, or minerals. The letter-grade I post at the end of each day is an objective grade from About.com's Calorie Count, but it doesn't take into account a lack of calories. I think the site is designed for people trying to lose weight. (Indeed, when I entered a one-pound weight-loss, the site gave me a thumbs-up!)
I recognize that this experiment does not precisely replicate poverty, but the fact remains: food is expensive, and healthy food is a luxury. I can eat all the carbs I want, because of current agricultural subsidization makes some commodities artificially affordable. Feed grains, cotton, wheat, and rice are the top four most subsidized crops. Not one fruit or vegetable is subsidized.
Why? Doesn't the USDA want us to be healthy? Didn't they write the food pyramid? The one that encourages us to buy and eat lots of grains, meat, and dairy? Why are we still encouraged by the government to eat fatty, unhealthy food? Why would anyone want us to be unhealthy? I wonder how deep that rabbit hole goes: politicians, lobbyists, cattlemen, drug manufactures...
Total Intake: 7,326 calories (B+)
Fat - 22.7% (186 grams)
Protein - 13.3% (245 grams)
Carbohydrates - 64.0% (1,181 grams)Daily Calorie Intake - 1,046 cals
Daily Sodium Intake - 1,304 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 20 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 215 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 9 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 17 grams
3 comments:
i recently found out that we don't grow enough food or vegetables in the country for each person to eat their "pyramid" amount of those sections. fascinating? It doesn't count all the stuff we import -- bananas are the #1 sold produce item in N. America and ALL imported. Mangos are #1 in the rest of the world. This is what i get for working at a grocery retailer :) -- Lizzy Eads
oops, i meant "fruit or vegetables". silly me.
Wow! What interesting factoids from someone in the industry! Thanks for the [horrifying] info.
Post a Comment