Hamburger Helper

[dreamcastrocks]

Sounds like another X-Lax moment.

I'm usually good after hamburger helper.

Yep, it leaves nasty remnants behind and causes all sorts of craptastic inner workings to take place. The food part comes out, but the garbage stays.

I'm definitely in the In Defense of Food camp.

I'll disagree with you to a point. Much more garbage goes out than actually stays in.

 

[Linderbee]

YES. Absolutely. And yes yes on it tasting better.

You can buy something like 25 pounds of basmati rice at costco for $14 or so. That will make roughly a bajillion servings. Couple that with some frozen or fresh veggies (frozen if you are super tight budget), some olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe some cajun spice, and whatever hamburger you were going to throw into that weird little potholder-man's mesh of chemicals, HFCS and preservatives. You got yourself meals for a long, long time. Healthier, and the same cost. Hell, maybe even less.

Meh. Sometimes I like to just have it done for me. Hamburger Helper is way faster than anything else you have goin' on above.

...and as far as chemicals & HFCS blah, blah, blah...I'm NEVER sick...I've literally had maybe 3 colds my entire adult life. THREE. My kids are very thin, very healthy, always have been, no illnesses or anything, and are pretty darn smart. So I think it's not hurting anything.

If it works for you, groovy. This works for me.

 

[Louis]

You can buy quick cook rice. Basmati takes too damn long.

For example last night we had the 5 minute brown rice. Over it we had steak sliced into thin strips, white onion, broccoli, and soy sauce. If we are pinching pennies we'll use hamburger instead.

Took me 20 minutes to prep and cook.

A few nights ago we had chicken fajitas over rice. Similar to the above meal but we added tomato juice, peppers, and onions to the rice. The fajitas were seasoned with adoba sauce and a few chipotles in them. That took 30 minutes for prep and cook. (baked rice for 20 minutes).

 

[Linderbee]

You can buy quick cook rice. Basmati takes too damn long.

For example last night we had the 5 minute brown rice. Over it we had steak sliced into thin strips, white onion, broccoli, and soy sauce. If we are pinching pennies we'll use hamburger instead.

Took me 20 minutes to prep and cook.

A few nights ago we had chicken fajitas over rice. Similar to the above meal but we added tomato juice, peppers, and onions to the rice. The fajitas were seasoned with adoba sauce and a few chipotles in them. That took 30 minutes for prep and cook. (baked rice for 20 minutes).

Yes, true...and although I may sound extraordinarily lazy...you had to slice steak, slice onion, cut up your broccoli, peppers, chicken...like I said, sometimes I just like it done for me. I usually make all our meals from beginning to end, but I don't think Hamburger Helper once a month or so is going to kill anyone.

 

[Louis]

I buy the frozen chopped broccoli. Often we ask the meat guy to slice the steak or chicken and when it's time to cook you just saved yourself some time. By the pre-cut fajita veggies in the produce area.

 

[Shane]

I'm with you Linder!

To much hype about the "whats in food" revelation.

 

[Linderbee]

I buy the frozen chopped broccoli. Often we ask the meat guy to slice the steak or chicken and when it's time to cook you just saved yourself some time. By the pre-cut fajita veggies in the produce area.

Okay, you have me on time. But you don't have me on price. Hamburger Helper = $1.00 (always buy it on sale). Can of green beans = $.75. Done & done. Ground beef is a wash since you said you use it sometimes.

Face it, for price & convenience, it can't be beat. For nutrition, sure, it gets the crap kicked out of it. I don't care.

 

[Linderbee]

I'm with you Linder!

To much hype about the "whats in food" revelation.

We agree on something!!!

 

[Rivercard]

I'm usually good after hamburger helper.

Hamburger Helper helps your hamburger help you make a great pile.

 

[Gizmo Williams]

I don't know why the call it Hamburger Helper....it tastes just fine by itself.

 

[D-Dogg]

I'm with you Linder!

To much hype about the "whats in food" revelation.

Not really. Look around the airport and try to say that even 20 percent of the people you see give two craps about nutrition. And with 1 out of every 3 kids born after 2000 to develop diabetes, I don't really think there can be "too much hype" over something that not many give a crap about. Look at the posts on the Food Inc movie thread. Hype?

 

[Shane]

Not really. Look around the airport and try to say that even 20 percent of the people you see give two craps about nutrition. And with 1 out of every 3 kids born after 2000 to develop diabetes, I don't really think there can be "too much hype" over something that not many give a crap about. Look at the posts on the Food Inc movie thread. Hype?

First off this country hasen't been overtly healthy for a long long time. Yet for some reason the average age people are living to keeps going up. I attribute fatter and lazier society to technology not just food.

There is no way in hell they can say that 1 in 3 kids born after 2000 will end up with diabetes. That is true conjecture and no way to back that up. That is a guess and nothing more.

 

[Linderbee]

First off this country hasen't been overtly healthy for a long long time. Yet for some reason the average age people are living to keeps going up. I attribute fatter and lazier society to technology not just food.

There is no way in hell they can say that 1 in 3 kids born after 2000 will end up with diabetes. That is true conjecture and no way to back that up. That is a guess and nothing more.

QFT (ftw)

 

[Louis]

I attribute fatter and lazier society to technology not just food.

Tell that to the commercials telling me to play Wii and eat Taco Bell for a healthy lifestyle.

 

[D-Dogg]

First off this country hasen't been overtly healthy for a long long time. Yet for some reason the average age people are living to keeps going up. I attribute fatter and lazier society to technology not just food.

What is your definition of a long, long time? Does it happen to coincide with the rise of agribusiness? With the subsidization of corn? Because that's about the timeframe when obesity began to rise, and then skyrocket in the US.

And average lifespan has increased 8 years over the past 50 years. EIGHT years. In an era of the greatest medical technology, medicines for everything, incredible inventions like the artificial heart, insane operations and scans to catch things before they happen, yet only 8 years in half a century? Yes, technology is helping keep sick people alive longer, that's for sure.

Agribusiness, crappy food, glucose out the ying yang, fast food and lack of exercise programs have a great deal to do with why people are needing that technology to help them live. Of course, there is always liposuction and staples. More technology.

There is no way in hell they can say that 1 in 3 kids born after 2000 will end up with diabetes. That is true conjecture and no way to back that up. That is a guess and nothing more.

You can take that up with the CDC, as the the validity of their source data, but they said it, not me:

CDC: For individuals born in the United States in 2000, the estimated lifetime risk of being diagnosed with diabetes is roughly 1 of 3 for males and 2 of 5 for females. The lifetime risk of diabetes is even greater for ethnic minorities: 2 of 5 African Americans and Hispanics, and 1 of 2 Hispanic females, will develop the disease.3 With lifestyle changes, this course can be changed.

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/faq/prediabetes.htm

 

[Linderbee]

btw, I checked 4 different varieties of Hamburger Helper at the store today. No HFCS in any of them. So there.

 

[abomb]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/64980/hamburger_helper_is_killing_me_and.html?cat=51

 

[Pariah]

I don't think any one is arguing that HH is faster than making the meal yourself. But even if you're not fat and sick now, to donald's point about the garbage in, garbage in...you're building up a lot of toxins in your system.

Look, I'm no food preacher. I eat poopy things, too. I just don't turn a blind eye to what it's doing to me.

 

[D-Dogg]

btw, I checked 4 different varieties of Hamburger Helper at the store today. No HFCS in any of them. So there.

Super dee dooper, gang!

And Linda, you understand I don't think it is an issue for you, as you state you make most of your food and only do HH every once in a while. You aren't the dirt-poor family that eats stuff like this all the time.

Hell, I ate MORE than my fair share of HH in college, but I don't think I've touched the stuff in 12 years. We tend to avoid most boxed stuff (though i do admit I will eat Mac & Cheese, or Kraft Dinner to you Canadians, but not often).

The problem is this cheap (in content and value) food is shoved into the hands of Americans and it becomes their staple food. That isn't good for us. It isn't good for the exploding health care costs, either. So just because you may be ok eating HH every once in a while, many others eat it and similar fare a LOT more often, and they aren't going to be ok eating it.

Like Pariah says, we all eat crap. But I refuse to sing its nutritional praises when I know it's just cheap tasting crap that attacks my tastebuds with fats and fake stuff that tastes good. (See: Cheetah, Chester.) Sure, I'd love it if everyone ate grass-fed beef over wild grain rice and fresh, in-season vegetables, but that isn't realistic (edit to note, it isn't realistic for me, either). I don't think I should stop begging people to stop, though.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

What is your definition of a long, long time? Does it happen to coincide with the rise of agribusiness? With the subsidization of corn? Because that's about the timeframe when obesity began to rise, and then skyrocket in the US.

And average lifespan has increased 8 years over the past 50 years. EIGHT years. In an era of the greatest medical technology, medicines for everything, incredible inventions like the artificial heart, insane operations and scans to catch things before they happen, yet only 8 years in half a century? Yes, technology is helping keep sick people alive longer, that's for sure.

Agribusiness, crappy food, glucose out the ying yang, fast food and lack of exercise programs have a great deal to do with why people are needing that technology to help them live. Of course, there is always liposuction and staples. More technology.



You can take that up with the CDC, as the the validity of their source data, but they said it, not me:



http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/faq/prediabetes.htm

Explain why a country like Japan that has had virtually the same healthy diet (and arguably better health care system) for over 150 years has seen their life expectancies plateau as well?

There is a limit to how old we can be. Throughout history, it has been technology and medicine that has determined life expectancies and not so much the food they eat.

 

[D-Dogg]

Explain why a country like Japan that has had virtually the same healthy diet (and arguably better health care system) for over 150 years has seen their life expectancies plateau as well?

There is a limit to how old we can be. Throughout history, it has been technology and medicine that has determined life expectancies and not so much the food they eat.

Look at the percentages of their population above certain ages, I believe they are higher than ours. Also, look at their relative health across age levels compared to ours. And they are a good 4 years longer than the US. In the past 5 years, even with it over 81 already, it has rose another year to 82.

And also, in roughly the same time that Americans saw a gain of 8 years in life expectancy, the Japanese saw a rise of about 22 years. Health care and medicines and diet combined put them there. In the 50's and early 60's, before the rise of agribusiness, our diet and health care was more solid, and we had maybe 9-10 years on them. They got solid health care, tech improvements and maintained their diet and gained 22 years. We got agribusiness, increased health care and medicines and we gained 8 years.

This article also adds "contentment" to the list of why they are living so long:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/09/1089000356464.html

And, there are concerns about their diet already:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17406997/

Life expectancy rises even higher in Japan

Women born there can expect to live 85-plus years

updated 4:30 p.m. MT, Thurs., March. 1, 2007
TOKYO - Life expectancy for Japanese women — already the longest in the world — has risen by nearly one year, the Health Ministry said Thursday, citing the latest census data.

Female life expectancy increased to 85.52 years in 2005 from 84.60 years in 2000, Health Ministry official Morio Akimoto said.

The latest figures were calculated based on the fixed census data taken in 2005. The census is taken every five years in Japan.

Akimoto said Japanese women’s life expectancy remained the world’s longest for the 21st straight year, ahead of Hong Kong and Spain, according to U.N. demographic figures.

For men, life expectancy rose to 78.56 years from 77.72 years, the fourth-longest in the world after Hong Kong, Iceland, Switzerland, Akimoto said.

Japan has long been touted as one of the world’s longest-living populations, but experts are worried that changing eating patterns — from the traditional fish and rice-based diet to fast food such as hamburgers and instant noodles — may soon change this.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

[Rivercard]

You know, when you think about it, HH is only pasta and spiced up powder, so I don't know why they can't make it be more "inner-body friendly". Is Tuna Helper crap too, or is that a little better?

 

[D-Dogg]

You know, when you think about it, HH is only pasta and spiced up powder, so I don't know why they can't make it be more "inner-body friendly". Is Tuna Helper crap too, or is that a little better?

In theory, they could. But they add a ton of salt, low-to-no nutrient ingredients, and such in order for it to have a long shelf life.

Tuna helper, likely crap. Buy some whole grain pasta, whip up a sauce and mix with tuna.

Honestly, I haven't looked at packages of this stuff in ages so I don't know which is "better" for you of the two. I'm kind of shocked still they don't have HFCS in them (though abomb's link says they do have corn syrup of some type).

I really recommend reading In Defense of Food. You may not change all your habits afterwards (I did a lot of them, such as us making all of our bread) but you will probably change some and the ones you don't you will kick yourself for until you do change them (I am still planning to buy a quarter cow from a local rancher, grass fed and humanely raised, just haven't gone all in on that yet).

 

[Pariah]

I really recommend reading In Defense of Food. You may not change all your habits afterwards (I did a lot of them, such as us making all of our bread) but you will probably change some and the ones you don't you will kick yourself for until you do change them (I am still planning to buy a quarter cow from a local rancher, grass fed and humanely raised, just haven't gone all in on that yet).

Awesome book. I'm so much more aware of my diet now. My biggest change is probably also with bread, though I don't make my own. I do, however, read the labels much more carefully looking for the best trifecta of low carb, low sure, high fiber.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Awesome book. I'm so much more aware of my diet now. My biggest change is probably also with bread, though I don't make my own. I do, however, read the labels much more carefully looking for the best trifecta of low carb, low sure, high fiber.

Any brands/types of bread you can suggest for those of us who haven't read this book??