No fat, salt, sugar, or flavor.

[babylonsister]

That, in a nutshell, is what Bill Maher advocates. In other words, eat to live, not live to eat.

There must be a happy medium.

[robinlynne]

1. Bill Maher, of all people?

[TwilightZone]

2. There is, of course, a happy medium.

Life without some degree of enjoyment doesn't seem like much of a life. Moderation is the key.

[DS1]

3. Yeah right, wait till he sparks up his first joint after that goes into effect

:eyes:

[lordsummerisle]

11. I was thinking the same thing

If he's snacking on healthy food with all the dope-smoking he hints at doing, then hats off to him...

[Triana]

4. plenty of flavorful, healthy foods are not sugary, fatty, salty, or fried

Just sayin. People may no longer know how to prepare or eat foods like that - but there are plenty.

[UndertheOcean]

5. If , if you smoke a joint , cow dung will be flavourful

for those who don't get it , Maher is a pothead

[Canuckistanian]

6. I met a doctor like that

He said that food gave him no pleasure. He ate when he was hungry and didn't really care how things tasted.

I looked at him like he was from another planet.

[babylonsister]

9. That is the mindset I got out of Maher and his guest's opinions.

Very weird to me.

[krabigirl]

94. Weird, since Maher basically worships the French.

[customerserviceguy]

43. Some people have a greatly diminished sense of taste

and I'm not just talking fashion here. It might be the reason he'd smoke a doobie every now and then, to get more enjoyment out of what he does consume.

[Canuckistanian]

49. I've heard about "supertasters", people who have overactive taste buds

You'd think that they would be the gourmets, the ones who seek out new flavors, but no.

Supertasters are more than satisfied with meatloaf and potatoes every night, because exotic flavors are too much for them.

Maybe Maher is like that.

[pansypoo53219]

51. you could say i am a supertaster

plus maybe food allergies. but i like flavor. 1 of my grandma's cooking had no flavor. luckily i got my other grandma's cooking ablities. but like that simpson, i do keep the heat low on my asian/mexican, but i love flavor. complex flavors.

everything is relative.

[Scout]

98. supertasters are much more sensitive to bitter tastes

hence their strong dislike for vegetables

also, many times it's the texture of a food that is problematic and not necessarily the flavor.

[OnyxCollie]

135. John Lee Supertaster

They Might Be Giants

When I was 39 years old, I heard a story. I found out that there people walking among us who have superpowers. These people are called Supertasters. To a Supertaster, bitter fruits taste far more bitter, and sweets far more sweet. Then, just a few months ago, I had the chance to meet a real, live Supertaster named John Lee.

And this is his true story:

Nothing tastes the same (nothing tastes the same)
To a Supertaster (Supertaster)
When he tastes a pear (tastes a pear)
It's like a hundred pears (it's like a million pears)

He's got superpowers (superpowers)
He is a Supertaster (Supertaster)
Every flavor explodes (explodes and explodes)
Explodes and explodes

John Lee Supertaster
Tastes more than we do
Everything has a flavor
Some flavors are too much

Can't shut his mouth (can't shut his mouth)
'Cause he's a Supertaster (Supertaster)
Though he looks like a man (talks like a man)
He is a Supertaster (Supertaster)

Can't drink coffee or beer (coffee or beer)
'Cause he's a Supertaster (Supertaster)
Loves ice cream and pie (ice cream and pie)
He is a Supertaster

John Lee Supertaster
Tastes more than we know
Everything has a flavor
Some flavors must go

[Kalyke]

116. I'm becoming more and more that way.

Because of some weight-loss issues I had, which, ironically, had more to do with sleep apnea than overeating, I've lost my taste for food.

My metabolism was so low from lack of sleep, that tiny handfuls of food, daily, would even prevent me from losing weight. Now, even though I've had some surgery to repair the OSA and am sleeping better and regulating my metabolism, eating very little only when I'm hungry has become so ingrained, that I think of food as more utilitarian than pleasurable.

My husband, on the other hand, lives to eat. Luckily, I still like to cook, even if I don't necessarily want to eat much of it. :)

[Canuckistanian]

119. I have sleep apnea, too

And my metabolism and appetite didn't change a bit. I'm using a CPAP machine. I thought about getting the surgery, but my doctors didn't recommend it.

[PM Martin]

7. But smoking a joint is o.k?

:eyes:

Mr. Maher once again proves himself to be an ass.

[ZombieHorde]

14. I imagine bad food is less healthy than pot. nt

[Drunken Irishman]

24. It doesn't matter if it is or not...

He makes a point of slamming people who are opposed to him smoking pot, but then he gets all Holier Than Thou about people who eat fatty foods.

I don't care if Maher smokes or drinks himself stupid and he shouldn't care if I eat myself to 500 pounds (and I am not a healthy eater, but I am healthy and in decent shape, go figure!).

[dysfunctional press]

38. one big problem maher has with fatty foods is that they used to be animals...

he's a big supporter of the nutjobs at peta.

[wickerwoman]

69. He's not a vegetarian

which would seem to be the logical next step.

[ZombieHorde]

100. I don't think he was getting Holier Than Thou,

I think they were just discussing the effects of certain foods on the brain and why diets don't work.

[Medusa]

8. I don't understand people who are wired like that

it's like denying yourself pleasure. :shrug:

[babylonsister]

12. Exactly. But they're healthy! Maher went so far as to suggest the gov't

put a referendum on fatty, salty, sugary foods, a la the eventual tobacco tax. :wtf:

[PM Martin]

17. Again, Maher is an ass.

Some "libertarian" he is.

[JI7]

37. i don't think he is really libertarian on taxes and other economic issues since Bush

and he has always supported gun control

[aquart]

19. I saw this movie. "Demolition Man."

[EOTE]

86. That wasn't a movie.

It was a documentary!

[Tangerine LaBamba]

23. Oh, dear ....................

Wait until Maher finds out he's gonna die, just like everybody else, only he'll have missed out on SO MANY GREAT MEALS!!!

I figured out a long time ago that if it tasted good, it was good for me, and that's worked out very nicely so far. When I die, my regrets - if I have any - won't be that I wish I'd had that cheeseburger.

Maher is such a fatuous ass. If he hadn't ripped off Bill Hicks (even as everyone knew that Hicks was dying), he'd have had no career at all.

Consider the advice given by Warren Zevon when asked by David Letterman, in his last TV appearance, if he had anything to say to people. Remember what Zevon said?

"Enjoy every sandwich."

That's about it for me ................................

[babylonsister]

27. ! Maher sounded so bitter to me, and so presumptuous that

he was right and everyone else is wrong who doesn't do what he does.

That didn't sit well with me.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

41. That's probably why he's a fifty-something bachelor

whose most adventurous romantic interlude was being sued by a former girlfriend for not keeping promises he allegedly made to her. THAT story disappeared and got hidden really fast.

It's OK for Maher to mock everyone else, but don't you DARE bring up his escapades. He's a lot like Bill O'Reilly like that............

[babylonsister]

53. I don't really care about him, as much as I care about

what he said. He's kind of a whackadoo depending on the topic.

[MADem]

139. She was a Delta Airlines flight attendant.

My very accurate sources tell me that she was er, "overstepping." And that her modus operandi included a bit of opportunism.

She thought she could do a little shakedown and get a "shhhh--go away" payday. He wasn't playing. He has said for years that he's a confirmed bachelor who is uninterested in serious relationships. That, in itself, is an insight to his personality. As I remember, he won the case, she was laughed out of court.

A walk down memory lane: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1111041coco1.html

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/12-1-2004-62384.asp

http://dlisted.com/taxonomy/term/231

http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/palimony%20case%20against%20maher%20dismissed

[MADem]

30. I think we oughta legalize and tax the shit out of pot, myself.

We'd see that deficit go up in smoke in no time, mon!

[tabatha]

10. The human body cannot do without some (good) fats.

Also the flavor of curry is one of the healthiest on the planet.

Same for ginger, cinnamon, cloves, rosemary, sage, thyme, etc.

[dustbunnie]

16. I don't think he's talking about those fats.

He means saturated animal fats, the kind that congeals into white gooey globs in the pan after you're done frying something.

You've made me hungry with the mention of curry. Yum! :)

[shugah]

136. and you've made me hungry for bacon!

not white gooey globs so much as one thick layer of white gooeyness grossness that is a pain in the ass to clean - but damn! BACON! yummmm...

[csziggy]

59. And I don't think most herbs and spices have very many calories

No fats or sugars, either! ;)

[Retrograde]

125. Or salt

in small amounts, of course, much less than one gets in the standard American diet. Most people get more than enough, but there's a reason grazing animals are attracted to salt licks.

And there are sugars in most if not all plant-based foods, just not pure simple ones. I'll stick with Pollen's recommendations: eat food, mostly plants, not a lot of it and as close to the source as you can get.

[flvegan]

13. We'd be much better off believing "eat to live, not live to eat"

And one can live that way and still fully enjoy what they eat. Food is fuel, and folks have forgotten that.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

25. Food is also medicine, and, let's not forget,

food is fun.

Eat what you want, and enjoy it. These culinary Mother Superiors just need to be ignored, that's all. Shaming nannies who think they know best.

Deliver me and pass the pizza ........................

[babylonsister]

26. Sure we would be, but without the three things that make eating

enjoyable?

And for some, wheat is out of the mix, peanuts for others, dairy, etc.

[flvegan]

35. I don't think it would be possible to completely remove

fat, sugar and salt from our diets. Not without existing on preprocessed shit which is even worse than the aforementioned three. The body also NEEDS a bit of fat as it is.

[Codeine]

40. Eating can be perfectly enjoyable

while still controlling consumption of those things.

[Codeine]

39. Well said.

It's just calories for burning. Burn it lean and clean and you'll be much better for it.

[krabigirl]

93. No, we woud not. The French LIVE to eat. And they aren't fat.

Maybe we should ENJOY life a bit more in this boring, puritanical, stupid country. I am this ready to expatriate from this godforsaken boring place.

[Name removed]

102. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Demit]

15. Avoid fat, salt, sugar & flavor so that you live longer and have more time to not eat fat, salt,

sugar or flavor. Sounds great. No thanks.

[mwb970]

81. Exactly!

Make yourself miserable in order to extend your life of self-imposed misery.

:shrug:

[jakefrep]

87. Avoid fat, salt, sugar & flavor so you can get hit by a bus and die anyway.

[SheilaT]

18. Actually, I think a real problem with

a lot of food consumed in this country is that it is not particularly flavorful, which may be a reason so many over consume.

I've completely given up fast food, and have eaten in a restaurant exactly twice in the last six months. I'm preparing all my own food and eating better than ever before, and I've lost twenty pounds in the same six months. Coincidence?

[dgibby]

21. Good for you!

[wickerwoman]

72. Yep, it's mindless zombie eating that gets people in trouble.

People eat way too much of foods they don't even really enjoy just because it's in front of them. Most of the pleasure in any dish is in the first three bites. But enormous portion sizes and a lingering guilt about wasting food/money compels people to keep eating long after they have stopped enjoying the dish and long after they feel full. And you're dead right that so much restaurant food tastes like cardboard after you've cooked for yourself for a while.

My "diet" would be eat whatever the hell you want but don't eat more than three or four spoonfulls if it's high in fat, sugar, salt or calories. Eat five or six vegetables, two or three fruits and treat yourself every day to something either totally new or something you know you'll love.

"Eat to live" just encourages the same old zombie mindset with the added disadvantage of turning one of life's big pleasures into a chore.

Turn off the TV and pay attention to what you eat. Don't eat in the frickin' car or standing over a sink. Take small bites of your daily treat and enjoy the fact that you're eating it instead of stuffing it down "for energy".

It's not what you eat, it's how much and in what context.

[krabigirl]

95. Yes, but plenty of very good food IS made from fats, sugars, and salt.

[underseasurveyor]

20. There is a happy medium with an abundance of flavor out there.

That's what herbs, peppers and garlic are for. And sugar? Use agave nectar for sweetening it's better for you anyway. Salt? Eh use a little sea salt. And fat? There are good fats.

There's plenty of great eatin'. People just have to get back to preparing real food again instead of depending so much on pre-prepared junk.

[yorgatron]

22. I'm trying to retrain my tastebuds.

for instance,I eat oatmeal for breakfast usually 4-5 times a week,because it's cheap and nutritious.
when I 1st started eating oatmeal regularly (pun intended) I added brown sugar and a little pat of butter in addition to raisins and milk.
now I like it with just raisins and 2% milk.
I had some maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal this morning,I couldn't stand how overly sweet it was.
salt is another thing I've gotten out of the habit of using,I used to put salt on just about anything,but now I only add it when I'm cooking something that needs it,and I'm a lot more sensitive to how much other people use it when they're cooking.

[underseasurveyor]

64. I also eat a lot of oatmeal many times for dinner or even dessert

I use the steel-cut kind not that nasty, gooey, instant stuff and when it's done cooking I add some really yummy Madagascar vanilla bean paste. When I prepare a bowl I add vanilla soy milk and agave sweetener to it.

[Fumesucker]

83. You must be a *real* Scotsman..

Oatmeal=porridge and no real Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge..

;)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

115. Cook your oatmeal in milk. It's much better that way.

I also put butter and vanilla and sea salt in it. And a bit of brown sugar.

YUMMY!!!

[SPedigrees]

34. I'm tired of people slamming sugar. Most foods are sweetened with HFCS & it's a zillion times worse

The food thingie is just another of Bill's fad causes. He's also anti-medicine. For awhile he was gung ho about PETA.

Despite his tendency to embrace the craze of the day, Bill Maher has a smart side and can condense political truths into succinct paragraphs. One of those truisms got him banished from the networks after 9/11. His most recent one was that fundies need only look at the swine flu to see evolution at work, in real time.

[underseasurveyor]

66. Huh?

You're tired of people slamming sugar?

heh heh

I wish that was one of the highest irritants on my list of things I'm oh so tired of...

[SPedigrees]

73. I'm tired of those who mistake HFCS for sugar. Most people haven't tasted sugar since the 1980s.

What I'm really sick of is having my food supply poisoned by high fructose corn syrup, and having to bake from scatch and read the label of every food item I buy to eliminate it from my diet. Hearing this poison referred to as "sugar" is damned annoying. It isn't anything as benign as sugar.

Except for having to home cook for my pets to avoid melamine, HFCS in human foods has caused me the most stress and extra work of all things food-related.

[underseasurveyor]

75. Personally I enjoy cooking/baking everything from scratch

It tastes the best and preparing great food that nourishes the body and soul isn't a chore it's a pleasure.

[SPedigrees]

77. If you like to cook it's a pleasure. If you don't, it isn't.

And while I sometimes like to cook, I certainly don't like to have to spend the hours at it each week that I'm forced to by the corn industry and China.

[underseasurveyor]

78. You are forced by the corn industry and China? What am I missing?

And I sure I am missing something.

[SPedigrees]

103. Review my posts above. I'll try to rephrase it more clearly:

Hours spent reading every label of every food item, something I've always done, but in a cursory fashion. Now I must scrutinize carefully to avoid buying anything that contains HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) because it is in EVERYTHING from ketchup to bread.

Hours spent cooking nearly every meal from scratch to avoid any prepared foods that contain the high fructose poison, as well as any preserved/powdered milk products that are likely to be contaminated with deadly melamine in China. Yes virtually all powdered milk and wheat or rice gluten products (which are in many products) come from China, and greedy Chinese business owners have deliberately contaminated many of these with melamine. (Baby formula, petfood, chocolate...)

Hours spent cooking petfood from whole recognizable ingredients for 100 lbs of dog collectively and one cat to avoid melamine poisoning for my beloved pets. I have been doing this since 2007. That's a lot of hours stirring a giant pot on the stove.

Stress of not trusting the safety of the meat products I buy. Melamine was discovered in feed ingredients from China that was fed to virtually all American raised chickens. I can only hope it is minimal and is not damaging our kidneys.

Get it now?

[underseasurveyor]

114. OO Well excuse me.. I guess I DO get it now.

Apparently my diet is much more simple than yours. No meat, fish occasionally, no dairy, and I sweeten with stevia or agave. I don't eat much bread and when I do I make my own and I juice my own fruits and veggies that I get locally from farmers markets. And before I lost my dog 2 years ago I did home make all his food too... I felt better, my dogs quality of live improved and I was glad to do it. So two positives there.

I might disagree with you when you say that "virtually all" powdered milk comes from China. Having worked in the dairy industry myself for a number of years (in a large US wide creamery corp. where that's all that plant produced was powdered milk), companies like Kraft, Beatrice, numerous small food companies, and the US Government bought thousands upon thousands of tons of powdered milk from them every day. However I should say that there is a reason why I don't drink milk anymore but that another sad and sick story that has nothing to do with HFCS or melamine.

I'm sorry, that it's such a chore for you to be "forced" into taking charge of your own diet and health by making sure you, your family and your pets are safe from unsavory food industry practices. Damn can't trust anyone anymore. Life just so sucks when we can't depend on someone else to do it for us. You poor thing.

[SPedigrees]

118. Glad that you're ok with the poisoning of America's food supply.

But I guess that's not a concern if you live on nuts and berries... oh wait! Pistachio nuts and peanuts!

I'm guessing your employment at the American factory dairy farm was pre-PNTR status for China.

[underseasurveyor]

138. Oh yea I'm so OK with that.

:freak:

Guess I'd rather eat them than be one. Fruit or nut, you pick.

[Creena]

123. A fellow farmers market fan!

Here in Southern California we have amazing access to such great fruits and vegetables. More people need to become involved with their local farmers market or CSA. I'm currently subscribed with an organic CSA where I pick up my box at the farmers market after grabbing a few additional items, which is absolutely perfect.

I'm big on making things from scratch. I just feel more comfortable knowing exactly what goes into the foods I eat, and knowing those ingredients are the healthiest possible. I make my own bread too. I currently have a rosemary olive oil loaf planned for this week. Not big a fruit juice drinker, but I do make smoothies with fresh fruit I previously frozen, homemade yogurt, and agave.

I haven't transitioned to feeding my dog strictly homemade meals, but she does eat a high quality kibble supplemented with fresh food. I even make her biscuits and other treats from scratch, partially to save money, but more for quality.

[underseasurveyor]

134. Hi and a BIG Welcome to DU fellow farmers marketer

:hi:

And you know that's just it... I'm more comfortable knowing what's in the food I eat. And the quality and flavor and the price of farmers market items you just can't beat.
But oh my gosh I love my juicer. Aside from just making my own juices I make all kinds of frozen fruit sorbets with it and if I had the milling attachments I'd grind my own flours too but since I can get organic flours at Sprouts Market in Seal Beach or Whole Foods Market that just makes my baking a tad bit more convenient.

A superfood shake every morning, yum yum I'm ready for the day.

Again Welcome

[MADem]

28. So, if Bill Maher told you to jump out the window, would you do it?

To quote a common parental retort....

Screw Bill Maher. He's not perfect. He's often sexist, and sometimes he comes across like a Republican who wants to smoke pot.

He's no oracle. He's a comedian whose schtick is politics and current events. He is often amusing, as performers are.

He can say stupid things, and he can make lame jokes. He's not always right, either. Just because his taste buds are broken, and he doesn't enjoy food, doesn't mean you have to be like him.

Everything in moderation...enjoy!

[babylonsister]

117. No, I wouldn't. Just like I'm not going to stop

eating meat, enjoying salt in/on some things, and occasionally sweets. I never said I agreed with him.

[MADem]

137. I was using the parental argument! I think folks should worry less about

what Bill Maher or any other gumflapper says. He's not an authority. He's a clever bigmouth. He has opinions, and a quick wit. Often he's funny when he expresses his opinions.

But we know about opinions--they're like assholes, and everyone has one!

[alarimer]

29. The problem with living longer is that all those extra years come at the end.

I mean, who the hell wants to live longer? It just means more years in Depends or in a nursing home. Sounds like a kind of hell to me.

Me, I want to enjoy life (and food), even if it means I won't live to a ripe old age.

[1]

47. +1000

old sucks.

leave a pretty corpse, i say!

[KG]

31. if it's not fatty, salty, or sugary, can it properly be discribed as food?

:P

[Tangerine LaBamba]

42. Yep, if you have this:

[babylonsister]

61. Bwhaha! I've been to Bali about 17 times, that is ketchup. Their

ketchup, that I wouldn't touch with any stick. It's freakin' hot.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

70. Yeah, well, there are lots of hot sauces out there,

but Sriracha isn't Balinese. Somebody tell you it is? They were wrong.

It's made in Southern California, and we all want to buy American, don't we?

I've eaten hot food all over the world, but I've found some of the hottest in West Africa - Ghana, to be exact. Man, they have some mindblowing peppers, bless them all.

That reminds me - I've got to find the new Heinz organic ketchup - I'm told it's mighty tasty..

[babylonsister]

84. It's marketed in SoCal, maybe, but it's Thai.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha

I didn't know it was a generic name, so that's where the confusion might be. And this isn't the stuff I'm talking about.



I do know there's a hot sauce by that name that my Indo friend brought from Indonesia to use and remind her of home for 6 weeks while she was here getting cancer treatments at MD Anderson. She used it like ketchup, where my fair taste buds couldn't tolerate it.

There's also a version on every Balinese table in most restaurants, similar to cajun hot sauce here.

:shrug:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

89. No, it's manufactured in Rosemead, CA,

and has been for years.

http://tinyurl.com/daqc3f

Never trust wikipedia as any kind of authoritative source - it's only as good as what people choose to put in it - it's a good starting point, but in this case, you drew a completely inaccurate conclusion from the very limited information there................

[NeedleCast]

108. Damn it, now I have to go have Vietnamese for lunch

That stuff is so good.

[Retrograde]

126. Ingredients: Chili, Sugar...

Ingredients: Chili, Sugar, Garlic, Salt, Distilled Vinegar, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Bisulfate as preservatives, and Xanthum Gum.

Of course, you only use a little at a time. The point is, sugar and salt are not in themselves evil, it's the overuse that should be avoided. A few drops of Sriracha (if you add no other salt) is going to give you enough sodium (3% of RDA according to the label - that's for a teaspoon) to stimulate the salt receptors in your tongue.

I got addicted to Sriracha sauce at a former company, where the cafeteria had large bottles of it on the condiments table.

ETA: Joining the origins debate - I first saw it at work, where we had large Chinese and Vietnamese groups. I associate it mostly with Vietnamese restaurants in the Bay Area, although some Thai restaurants stock it.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

129. Would you believe.....

I never bothered to read the ingredients on Sriracha? I read EVERY list of ingredients, and I never read those.

Well, thanks for this. And, yes, you're right - all things in moderation, that's the way to go.

I grew up in a house where we ate hot sauce (made by my Italian grandmother) on our pizza, so hot sauces are a normal part of my life. Sriracha is just the most prevalent, sort of the everyday hot sauce, but I have a friend who makes his own hot spice - from peppers he grows himself, including Scotch bonnets - that is my latest addiction.

From the information on the company's website, it was started by a man from Vietnam who emigrated here, but I've seen it in Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, too. Once, in a Burmese place, too, in Washington, DC.

Again, thanks, and let us all be thankful for Sriracha........................

[omega minimo]

32. What are you talking about?

:popcorn:

[NV Whino]

33. As long as I have my wine....

I'm a happy camper.

[dysfunctional press]

36. "eat to live, not live to eat" -sounds like a good plan to me.

i am definitely NOT a food-centric person. i had to give up ALL dietary starch, due to an autoimmune disorder, and one thing i've learned is that aside from the obvious survival aspect- food/eating is not the most important aspect of "living" a full life.

[NeedleCast]

109. True, but for those of us on the opposite end of the spectrum

its one of our favorite things to do.

[dysfunctional press]

128. then be satisfied to live with the results of your actions.

if someone's idea of a full life is to eat themselves to an early grave- that's their prerogative. :shrug:

[Stellabella]

44. Fat is healthy. The good fat, at least.

Our bodies need fat to survive. So totally eschewing fat is not going to make you healthy.

And if you eat foods like fresh produce or simply prepared salmon, there's nothing more flavorful.

[BlooInBloo]

46. Or a nice big steak! grilled med-rare! With butter and cracked pepper!

But you're right of course - there's NOTHING more flavorful than "simply prepared salmon".

:rofl:

[babylonsister]

54. Get back to that steak: with grilled onions and mushrooms. And steak sauce.

Yea. :9

[1]

45. hey, why not go all the way? no sex, no adventure, no travel, no human contact...

hell, you might just live forever!

[Quantess]

76. But, if unhealthy eating habits ruled your life, and you became obese,

eventually you could end up saying goodbye to sex, goodbye to travel.

[krabigirl]

97. Um, ever heard of a thing called exercise?

[krabigirl]

96. lol, good one. It's the direction I see this country taking, to be honest.

[dustbunnie]

48. He's right. We don't eat to live, we eat to be sick.

He hasn't said give up all fat, nor does he say everything should taste like wallpaper paste.

He has a beef with people eating crap, going to the doctor to get medicated, eat more crap, get sicker from crap + medication, go to doctor to get new medication to counteract bad effects from last one + crap food... and the cycle continues. If people got rid of sugar in their diets alone, we'd be healthier and much better off.

People who are used to eating good food mostly flavored with herbs and spices, often find themselves wretchedly ill when they eat fast food garbage. That's because it's garbage and it's also toxic.

[babylonsister]

55. I appreciate good food and know what not to buy, but once

every 6 months, we buy fried chicken. I know it's bad, but it's fat, salty, and filling. If I thought abuot it more, and I have, I will try to stop it.

Then again, homemade. Yum.

[dustbunnie]

57. Lol, between mention of curry and fried chicken, I'm STARVED now.

:) Homemade is best!

It's the mass-produced chemical-laden stuff that's a killer. I guess few people need to get rid of all sugar, salt and saturated fat, but we just overdo it so badly. And as he said, people eat badly, end up with diabetes or joint pain, go to the doctor, get a scrip, suffer from side effects, get another scrip, when just cutting out a portion of the bad stuff, even just sugar, and there's less need for all the medication in our lives.

[LisaL]

50. Why?

Yea you might live longer, but at what price?

[joshcryer]

52. Bill Maher is an idiot on most issues. It's not what you eat, it's how much.

Simple.

[LeftyMom]

56. That's simplistic and simply wrong.

If you're eating high quality healthful food careful portion control really isn't as key as it would be if one were eating a pile of crap full of saturated fats and refined starches.

Some people, for health reasons or due to emotional issues, don't have a feeling of satiety when they've eaten enough, and thus need to monitor portions, most people could eat as much as they wanted provided they made wiser food choices.

[babylonsister]

58. Wow. I wish I made the right choices. I don't. nt

[flvegan]

67. No it's not.

And nobody could argue that point in any way to make it valid.

[Quantess]

71. That's just plain ignorant. Simple.

If you're talking about caloric intake and weight, then you might have a point.

But, this topic is about nutritional value. Are you not aware that some foods are more nutritious than others?

[Scout]

90. so as long as i didn't eat too many calories of it

i'd be ok on a diet of just chocolate! yippee!

:eyes: another diet simpleton

[krabigirl]

92. You are right. Look at the French, you naysayers, and tell me if you still disagree.

Duh.

[AllieB]

106. The French eat a lot of meat, organ meat and saturated fat.

They have the lowest rate of heart disease in the Western world and among the highest longevity. It's not as simple as calories-in, calories out. It's highly nutritive, whole food that helps the body function properly. Eliminating sugar and refined foods is the best strategy for health.

[LeftyMom]

133. They walk everywhere.

Americans would be less fat if they parked their cars once in a while.

[Stevenmarc]

60. Bill Maher is a political satirist not a nutritionist.......... NEXT!

[jdp349]

62. that's like saying have sex only to reproduce

Fuck that.

Abstaining from life's pleasures makes life not worth living. Embracing this kind of over the top stoicism is a absurd. Live, love, eat, enjoy, and be happy!

[babylonsister]

65. You're right,. and welcome to DU!

:fistbump:

[krabigirl]

99. Yep! Totally agree.

[InvisibleTouch]

63. It's got to be healthier to eat what you LIKE and truly enjoy it...

...than to choke down disgusting slop because it's "healthy," or to worry about the ingredients of every bite you eat.

[babylonsister]

68. Not really. That's the point. nt

[Scout]

104. yes really

"...than to choke down disgusting slop because it's "healthy," or to worry about the ingredients of every bite you eat."

many "healthy" foods do not taste good. if you don't like the taste then yes, it must be choked down, swallowed like a pill with liquid, etc. no one wants to live longer if you can only eat food that you dislike while you're living longer.

[Quantess]

74. It actually isn't healthy to eat whatever you feel like eating.

You need to find joy elsewhere, beyond food.

[InvisibleTouch]

120. Oh, I have plenty of joy elsewhere...

...and I'm not particularly food-oriented, but I do refuse to eat something I don't like merely because it's "healthy," and I don't worry about enjoying something I do like merely because it contains some sugar, fat, or salt. That's just no way to live.

[Are_grits_groceries]

79. After looking through some diet books,

it seemed that the only thing I could do was go in the yard and graze. Bleahh!

[dipsydoodle]

80. What ! - no jam doughnuts ?

x(

[Skidmore]

82. So what does he chow down on when he has the munchies?

Just askin'.

[guitar man]

85. Is that how you live to be 80?

I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive Lab tests, he said I was doing 'fairly well' for my age.
A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, 'Do you think I'll live to be 80?'
He asked, 'Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer or wine?'
'Oh no,' I replied. 'I'm not doing drugs either!'
Then he asked, 'Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?'
I said, 'Not much... my former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!'
'Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?'
'No, I don't,' I said.
He asked, 'Do you gamble, drive fast cars, play loud rock and roll, or have a lot of sex?'
'No,' I said.
He paused, looked at me, and then said....

'Then, why do you even give a shit?

:rofl:

[NeedleCast]

112. +1

[Hubert Flottz]

88. He's a comedian and...

he swiped that line from all those doctors I've been too. I never did think that joke was a damned bit funny.

[krabigirl]

91. Wow, Maher? He's a left libertarian, so he screwed the pooch on this one.

[Lilith Velkor]

122. Or he could be making fun of the smoke Nazis

Funny how people say "He's a satirist, not a nutritionist" and then completely fail to connect the dots.

No, really, it is funny... :rofl:

[graywarrior]

101. Have been doing that for weeks now (also no oil, dairy or flour)

My gallbladder pai has nearly vanished.

[AllieB]

105. Sugar is the culprit. Your brain needs fat to function.

I would shoot myself if I couldn't eat fat. He seems like he has some kind of eating disorder.

[Dreamer Tatum]

107. Bill Maher appeared in Playboy magazine with a naked woman doused in chocolate

So which Bill Maher are we supposed to listen to?

[Individualist]

110. My philosophy: all things in moderation.

[Demit]

124. Including moderation.

:)

[NeedleCast]

111. People Like Maher Pretend (like most things) that this is a black and white issue

You're either eating healthy with a "eat to live" attitude or you eat nothing but crap.

I love to eat tasty food. I eat too much, but for me it's the difference between living to be 75 and enjoying most of my meals or living to be 85 and being miserable. I've also discovered as I've gotten older that people who I can sit down and enjoy food with are often the people who I develop lasting relationships with.

[Catherine Vincent]

113. Oh yeah? Well some being put fruit and sugar cane on this earth

and I will eat it! :)

[Missy Vixen]

121. Let's see if I can do this without violating my own rule

;-)

Let's consider the source here. I've seen Bill Maher lately. He does not look especially healthy -- no color in his face, etcetera. The lack of any extra weight also makes him look much older than he is.

IMHO.

[cwydro]

127. Exactly.

And hell, Julia Child lived into her 80's and ate butter, cream and all the good stuff.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

130. Didn't Julia Child enjoy Big Macs?

There was so much to love about that woman (I just found a great interview with her: http://tinyurl.com/dzkou6).

She and MFK Fisher, another of my culinary heroines, really understood food and life .............

[jmm]

131. I'm all for seeking pleasure without food but

no fat, salt, sugar, doesn't necessarily equal no flavor. The only difference between him and most people who think healthy food can't taste good is they are using the lie as an excuse for a different type of excess.

[create.peace]

132. and we care about bill maher's views on food/diet because.....nt