Vegetables Out of Balance

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

So its 5 in the morning, I've got another hour or two before I'll be tired enough to go to sleep, and I'm wondering...everything in the world seems to have its purpose fulfilling some sort of balance. Living things require water, so we are surrounded by it and it not only replenishes itself, but also purifies itself, on a regular basis. Our bodies shiver to warm up and sweat to cool down. Man + Woman = Offspring. We feel pain as a warning so we don't screw something up. So on and so forth.

But why are vegetables so out of the system? You'd think that the things that are normally the most nutritious things for us would be the things that we're wired to enjoy eating the most, right? Our body lets us know when we need food and it lets us know when we're stuffed. Spoiled food tastes bad. Fresh food tastes best. So why is it that vegetables like spinach are so commonly hated but so good for you, while something like chocolate is so bad for you but so tasty? Why don't string beans taste like Cheetos? Why doesn't a greasy bacon cheeseburger taste like cauliflower and vice versa? Sure, there are many people out there that really enjoy eating vegetables and tofu and all that, but not even remotely close to the majority of people fit into that category. Most people will go for a slice of pie before they'd go for a head of lettuce.

It just seems to me like the healthiest foods for us should be switched in the taste department with cake and cookies and everything that the average person enjoys eating exponentially more.

Massive oversight? Flaw in the chassis? Glitch in the system?

Your thoughts...

 

[klunderbunker]

Oddly enough, I've thought of this before as well.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

You didn't do the research so you could help answer it in the future? Lol.

 

[klunderbunker]

I just thought that I was drunk, despite not having drank a drop. It sounds stupid, but its an interestign question.

 

[Rusty]

Anything that tastes really good is bad for you. Its common knowledge.

 

[Mr. TM]

Broccoli is the most tasty thing on this earth. Or fresh peas. Rusty loses.

 

[Mr. TM]

Actually, poutine does put up a fight, I just never eat it. Rusty doesn't lose.

 

[HBK-aholic]

It's not that they taste 'worse'. It's because we crave the things we know we shouldn't, or are bad for us, hence making them seem tastier than they actually are.

 

[justinsayne]

It's not that they taste 'worse'. It's because we crave the things we know we shouldn't, or are bad for us, hence making them seem tastier than they actually are.

Yeah, I think he's asking why we don't crave healthier things like vegetables more than the stuff that's bad for us

 

[HBK-aholic]

Yeah, we don't crave healthier things because they're good for us. I believe it's purely psychological. If we were told chocolate was good for us and spinach was bad for us all through our life, more people would crave spinach.

 

[justinsayne]

Yeah, we don't crave healthier things because they're good for us. I believe it's purely psychological. If we were told chocolate was good for us and spinach was bad for us all through our life, more people would crave spinach.

Chocolate is not necessarily bad for you though, granted in large quantities it's prolly not good for you, but there are some health benefits in chocolate, read below

Health

While chocolate is regularly eaten for pleasure, there are potential beneficial health effects of eating chocolate. Cocoa or dark chocolate benefits the circulatory system.[49] Other beneficial effects suggested include anticancer, brain stimulator, cough preventor and antidiarrhoeal effects.[50] An aphrodisiac effect is yet unproven.

On the other hand, eating large quantities of any energy-rich food such as chocolate increases risk of obesity. There is concern of mild lead poisoning for some types of chocolate. Chocolate is toxic to many animals because of insufficient capacity to metabolize theobromine.[1]

A study reported by the BBC indicated that melting chocolate in one's mouth produced an increase in brain activity and heart rate that was more intense than that associated with passionate kissing, and also lasted four times as long after the activity had ended.[51]

Circulatory benefits

Recent studies have suggested that cocoa or dark chocolate may possess certain beneficial effects on human health. Cocoa possesses a significant antioxidant action, protecting against LDL oxidation, perhaps more than other polyphenol antioxidant-rich foods and beverages. Some studies have also observed a modest reduction in blood pressure and flow-mediated dilation after consuming dark chocolate daily.[52] There has even been a fad diet, named "Chocolate diet", that emphasizes eating chocolate and cocoa powder in capsules. However, consuming milk chocolate or white chocolate, or drinking fat-containing milk with dark chocolate, appears largely to negate the health benefit.[53] Processed cocoa powder (so called Dutch chocolate), processed with alkali greatly reduces the antioxidant capacity as compared to "raw" cocoa powder. Processing cocoa with alkali destroys most of the flavonoids.[54]

One-third of the fat in chocolate comes in the forms of a saturated fat called stearic acid and a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. However, unlike other saturated fats, stearic acid does not raise levels of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream.[55] Consuming relatively large amounts of dark chocolate and cocoa does not seem to raise serum LDL cholesterol levels; some studies even find that it could lower them.[56] Indeed, small but regular amounts of dark chocolate lower the possibility of a heart attack,[28] a result of cholesterol imbalance according to the lipid hypothesis.[28]

Aphrodisiac

Romantic lore commonly identifies chocolate as an aphrodisiac. The reputed aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate are most often associated with the simple sensual pleasure of its consumption. Additionally, chocolate's sweet and fatty nature may stimulate the hypothalamus, inducing pleasureable sensations as well as affecting the levels of serotonin.[57] While serotonin has a pleasurable effect, in high concentrations it can be converted to melatonin which in large amounts reduces sexual drive.[57] Finally, chocolate has been shown to contain unsaturated N-acylethanolamines which might activate cannabinoid receptors or increase endocannabinoid levels resulting in heightened sensitivity and euphoria.[58] Although there is no firm proof that chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac, a gift of chocolate is a familiar courtship ritual.

Other benefits

Several population studies have observed an increase in the risk of certain cancers among people who frequently consume sweet 'junk' foods such as chocolate. However, very little evidence exists to suggest whether consuming flavonoid-rich dark chocolate may increase or decrease the risk of cancer. Evidence from laboratory studies suggests that cocoa flavonoids may possess anticarcinogenic mechanisms, but more research is needed to prove this idea.

Studies suggest a specially formulated type of cocoa may be nootropic and delay brain function decline as people age.[59]

Mars, Incorporated, a Virginia-based candy company, spends money each year on flavonol research.[60] The company is talking with pharmaceutical companies to license drugs based on synthesized cocoa flavonol molecules. According to Mars-funded researchers at Harvard, the University of California, and European universities, cocoa-based prescription drugs could potentially help treat diabetes, dementia and other diseases.[61]

Other research indicates that chocolate may be effective at preventing persistent coughing. The ingredient theobromine was found to be almost one third more effective than codeine, the leading cough medicine.[62] The chocolate also appears to soothe and moisten the throat.

Flavonoids can inhibit the development of diarrhea, suggesting antidiarrhoeal effects of chocolate.[63]

Now keep in mind I got that from Wiki BTW

 

[HBK-aholic]

It's a really good point. But we're told chocolate is bad, not good. People dieting stay away from it, mothers try to stop children eating it etc. The more that happens, the more people will want it, IMO.

 

[justinsayne]

It's a really good point. But we're told chocolate is bad, not good. People dieting stay away from it, mothers try to stop children eating it etc. The more that happens, the more people will want it, IMO.

True, this is the main reason why I think most teenagers feel the desire to smoke and drink

 

[HBK-aholic]

That, and pressure from all their friends. Who do it because it's 'wrong'. So yeah, basically the same thing.

 

[Spunky]

My favourite food is Butternut Squash, I'd have that over anything.

 

[justinsayne]

Wow....that was kinda random

 

[LigerBomb]

Remember that besides fructose and honey there really aren't many natural things that are sweet. By that I mean all the sweets we crave are man made. Nature gave us good tasting things and foods scientists mucked around and gave us Pop Tarts instead. Same with other "bad for you" foods be them of the salty or fatty variety. Were man not so hell bent on destroying itself the natural tastes of fruits and vegetables would have been enough for us as we would never have known the pleasures of cakes and cookies (biscuits too) and be able to compare it to the relatively bland taste of Mother Nature's bounty.

 

[Raccoon]

This may surprise you, but the truth is most people on this planet eat, and enjoy, vegetables on an everyday basis. If you are a sincere truth-seeker, and want to take a moment to learn something about yourself, listen up

First of all, you were probably born and raised in North America. North America fosters a culture of endulgence. I don't know how much you have studied about geography and world culture, but the truth is: people in America think and act in a way radically different from people in other regions. And it may also be true that most of the people you know feel the same way that you do about vegetables. However, in India, China, Philipines, and many other places, NEARLY EVERYONE LOVES VEGETABLES. That's the majority of people on this earth. Traditional Asian recipes almost all feature veggies as the main ingredient.

There is much more to be said though, about why a person living in the heavily endulgent culture of North America would prefer the flavors of potato chips over vegetables. It has to do with the pleasure center in the brain. Early in your life, when you're brain experienced pleasure beyond what was expected, it released dopamine. Dopamine is central to our experience of pleasure, and it helps the brain build up memory of where the pleasure came from. It keeps flavors alive in your mind, which is why you want to experience them again and again.There is a lot more to it than that, which includes your early food choices in life, and many other complex factors, but I think you get the idea.

I hope this post has made you think outside the box a little, and realize that your ideas are heavily influenced by the fact that you are North American. Take Care! =)))

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

But see, its not an issue of "do Americans over-indulge". Its an issue of "why aren't our bodies wired to like vegetables more"? And its not an issue of "nobody likes vegetables". Even I like some vegetables. But why don't we like them THE MOST.

LigerBomb pointed out what I guess could be considered "synthetic" or "manipulated" food...but that's not the reason. Cause if it was a case of "mankind and its technology has exceeded the human body and can rewrite the laws of balance", then the whole system would screw up lol. Sure, manipulated food might taste better, but why aren't our bodies wired to reject it? Why do our bodies allow a potato chip to register as more pleasurable in our minds than broccoli? We still may love broccoli (one of my favorite vegetables) but if you were given the same exact nutritional benefits in both, damn near everyone would prefer a potato chip's taste. So why is it that our bodies don't taste the chip and say "hey, this isn't that healthy" and our brains tell us that, by proxy, it doesn't taste good, but when we try spinach, our bodies know its healthy, but we never register that its 1000x better than a chip?

Answers like "because you tried it and now you like it" or "because you're not supposed to have it, so your body wants it more" or "because Americans are fat" or even "not everyone would prefer cake to cauliflower" don't really answer the question, because it has nothing to do with balance. Everyone feels pain, and the only time you don't is when you take an extra chemical that blocks it in some way. But once that wears off, everyone still reverts back to feeling pain, because pain is one side of the scale that offers balance in alerting us of danger. Without pain, many people would die because they simply would have no idea what they were getting into. Our brains register pain when we put our hands on the stove so we know not to do it again because if we felt NO pain, we'd keep doing it and our hands would be burnt to a crisp. So why is it that our brains don't register healthy foods as the best tasting and the most pleasurable to eat when we know for a fact that they're the healthiest and without them, we could be in serious trouble? Why do so many people have a problem with vegetables when it should be imprinted at birth that we enjoy them the most? If you try to answer it with "experiences in our lives damage us so its a mental condition as to why we prefer the taste of junk food", then that basically means everybody who'd rather eat a burger than a beet has some sort of psychosis lol. That many people in the world fell into that mental hole?

"Different people have different tastes", yeah, but everybody feels the need to eat because without it, we'd starve, and everybody gets sick when we eat something that goes against our body (because our bodies tell us that that won't work and not to do it again). The different tastes come in where people would rather eat corn than string beans or whatever. So why is it that these foods are the healthiest for us, but somehow, it isn't a baseline instinct in the global blueprint of humankind to enjoy them the most, when it would be so much more beneficial to the human race if it did?

Think about it. If everyone enjoyed vegetables as their #1 favorite group of food, people would be much healthier as a whole. This hurdle of "I know its better for me, but it doesn't taste AS GOOD as something worse for me" makes no sense.

 

[LigerBomb]

P

But see, its not an issue of "do Americans over-indulge". Its an issue of "why aren't our bodies wired to like vegetables more"? And its not an issue of "nobody likes vegetables". Even I like some vegetables. But why don't we like them THE MOST.

We don't like them the most because man has manipulated his own wiring.

LigerBomb pointed out what I guess could be considered "synthetic" or "manipulated" food...but that's not the reason. Cause if it was a case of "mankind and its technology has exceeded the human body and can rewrite the laws of balance", then the whole system would screw up lol.

It actually is the reason. And take a look around America -and countries who import the western diet-, the whole system is screwed up! I work with unhealthy and obese people all day long who for lack of a better word are broken and need to be fixed. They have low level addictions and compulsive behavior towards processed and manipulated food simply because its designed to do so.

Sure, manipulated food might taste better, but why aren't our bodies wired to reject it? Why do our bodies allow a potato chip to register as more pleasurable in our minds than broccoli?

Our bodies allow it because they have been conditioned and tricked into such allowances. Food scientists have been able to separate specific areas of taste from the body's defense and protection mechanisms. Not to mention the fact that unlike your pain analogy mentioned below the body doesn't know that the food you eat today that gives you instant gratification with be the arbiter of your death later via clogged arterial walls and a dissolution of proper blood glucose/insulin levels. Acute pain is an immediate response to an immediate threat to the body, whereas the long term consequences of improper eating habits may not be felt or seen for years.

Our brains register pain when we put our hands on the stove so we know not to do it again because if we felt NO pain, we'd keep doing it and our hands would be burnt to a crisp.

Exactly. As you say, pain which is one variation of the touch sensation acts as a warning system. Acute pain via the conditioning response teaches you to avoid the stimuli causing it. By that same process pleasurable tastes which are themselves only one segment of the taste sensation when repeatedly encountered will created a favorable conditioning response. Aversion therapy -where pain is artificially manipulated to override a positive response thereby reconditioning behavior- is basically the inverse manipulation of the sense conditioning mechanism that makes people want junk food rather than vegetables. In the case of the former junk you have an artificial super positve taste stimuli that overrides the negative characteristics of the food source.

So why is it that our brains don't register healthy foods as the best tasting and the most pleasurable to eat when we know for a fact that they're the healthiest and without them, we could be in serious trouble?

Because for lack of a better term; we've hacked or systems.

Why do so many people have a problem with vegetables when it should be imprinted at birth that we enjoy them the most? If you try to answer it with "experiences in our lives damage us so its a mental condition as to why we prefer the taste of junk food", then that basically means everybody who'd rather eat a burger than a beet has some sort of psychosis lol. That many people in the world fell into that mental hole?

I'm not an addiction specialist but I must say that that hole you make mention of is quit easy to fall into. Especially when we create and maintain it, digging it deeper and deeper every year. It's not that people have a problem with vegetables inherently. It's that we've created items that have usurped their -along with fruit- position on the scales of taste/desire/pleasure.
BTW burger meat -and red meat in general- is quite healthy for you if you know what to look for when purchasing it.

Think about it. If everyone enjoyed vegetables as their #1 favorite group of food, people would be much healthier as a whole. This hurdle of "I know its better for me, but it doesn't taste AS GOOD as something worse for me" makes no sense.

It makes perfect sense when you give critical study to the manipulated and delayed physiological/psychological responses the human body encounters while eating a variety of foods junk and healthy included.

It seems to me that the real question in relation to your initial inquiry would be why haven't we evolved, both mentally and physically, past this predicament. In that regard all I can think of is that said physical evolution or psychological awareness is too slow a process. Also in relation to all of human history the problem is very recent and it may take a while for it to be recognized for the danger it truly is.