why do liberals tend to eat healthier?

[freeplessinseattle]

and I don't just mean vegetarians and vegans. I'm trying to sway my mom with the wisdom of liberals who knew and appreciated healthy and organic food and other products long before "healthy" became mainstream. I'm 32, and since I can remember my mom has always emphasized healthy eating and went to "the hippy store" as she called it (still does). I am grateful now, and did love most of the healthy things we had, I still love wheat germ and crave vegetables, including broccoli, but didn't care much for the daily cod liver oil before breakfast and raw egg yolk mixed with honey after breakfast. amazing I didn't have hardened arteries or food poisoning!

anyway, I was in Whole Foods today (but go to my local co-op too, was just in the area) and was thinking about how interesting it is that most of the natural, organic, healthy what-have-you consumers are liberal which makes complete sense to me, as we're more enlightened and respect our bodies and the environment more. how can I show my mom that it says a lot about "hippies" that they believed in a healthy lifestyle and homeopathic meds decades before Whole Foods existed. We knew that homeopathic medicines worked, but our beliefs were sometimes ridiculed, much like other liberal wisdom. Whole Foods shows how the libs brought a healthy lifestyle to rethugs, but we were doubted for so long. similar to liberals being told that women and "colored" people voting was ludicrous.

(I know not all liberals-or whatever individual DU'ers consider themselves-are health food nuts, just that most natural foods consumers are liberals)

[Hello_Kitty]

1. We also read more

And we study things. We don't easily believe the pabulum fed to us by the mass media.

[Nightowl_2004]

2. I have never eaten healthy

Probabally never will (Dont get me wrong, I'm not a fast food junkie I just love to indulge in cokes, pizza, etc) My doctor says I am in top physical shape cause I run varsity cross-country and track at school but I am the first to admit, I have an unhealthy diet.

Oh well, If I live to 90 and am still chowing down on pizza and guzzling back coke. I'll be proud! Quality over Quantity, lol. :crazy:

[freeplessinseattle]

4. nothing wrong with that!

and I miss pizza so bad sometimes I've had dreams since I went vegan. but in general I think that even if some dems don't eat healthy themselves (and that's relative, I have a bad sweet tooth and indulge in junk food sometimes, hey, we're human) they would be more inclined to understand or at least respect the health-nuts eating habits. funny how it seems rethugs are the only people that seem to feel a need to put down my vegan diet, and without any provacation from me, just as soon as I say, thanks, but I'm vegan, they jump all over me, which I think is so rude-I don't think their eating habits are any of my business nor mine theirs.

[Nightowl_2004]

5. Yeah, My sister is a vegan.

I could never go vegan, I'm just not cut out for it, lol! Fried Chicken is like my favorite food ever!

I respect people who are vegans. It's a choice that they made and a very respectable choice at that! Plus it takes some strong self discipline to keep on such a diet in a world with so many temptations. Everyone to their own accord I guess...

[patrice]

3. Since Liberals are less authoritarian, they accept responsibility more.

We don't just leave everything up to daddy-god because we are "saved" and Jesus died for our sins, so we don't have to worry about them.

Hare Krsna!

[Dukakis88]

6. I'm on the Michael Moore diet.

By which I'm guessing we're both guys who got fat because we tend to focus on our work more than taking care of our bodies.

[FuzzySlippers]

7. Huh? They do?

I don't. I eat absolute garbage. Oh wait. I forgot. I'm a FReeper troll. What a relief.

[freeplessinseattle]

9. they TEND to, I am not saying all of us do, but

the majority of natural foods eaters and homeopathicmed users are liberal, not that the majority of libserals are health-nuts. two different concepts.

[rot0r_head]

8. I'm not Jewish, but I'm into Kosher food

and I swear it has actually made me healthier.

[chookie]

13. please explain

I would love to know what you are eating and how it has effected you.

[rot0r_head]

15. Quite a mix, really

I get protein from Philly pepper steak sandwiches (with "contraband" cheese added--as I said before, I'm not really Jewish ;)). A bagel sandwich with cold cucumbers, tomatoes, non-fat cream cheese, onions and smoked salmon is a real treat. I try to get them whenever they're available. I'm also big on cheese quesadillas (no meat) with guacamole. I make snacks from assorted fruits as well. Most of the other food around here is pretty much junk: processed sugar, fried, etc. Since cutting out soda from my diet and going Kosher, I've been feeling better about myself and having more energy without the aid of caffeine drinks. Thanks for asking!

[chookie]

10. A Tale of Two Peasants

Most of us are descended from peasants.

There are smart peasants, and there are stupid peasants. The smart ones know the botanical lore, view themselves as part of a greater whole, and strive to live in balance with nature. They have a mystical mind, but are practical in the way they live their lives

The stupid ones have a more magical frame of mind -- they are out of balance, they are fearful, they distrust, they over-exploit the environment and get disastrous results, and then blame forces out of their control. They look for simple answers. Or are too busy to care.

Still -- most of it boils down to accessibility and price. Look into the shopping carts of the most pathologically overweight, and you usually see cheap, over-processed junk. For all the talk about "consumer choice" and the nutritionally obvious, this is the food culture of many people. It is the nutritional equivalent of cable news -- sure, we live in an "age of information," yet monopolies control access and dominate most markets which renders the spectrum pretty null and void, considering most people don't make it past CNN or Fox.

Then there is the group of folk who think eating badly is proof they are an ordinary red-blooded American. Diet can be a political choice, for heaven's sake, and a no-meat low fat diet they regard as bizarre -- same as global warming and evolution. Mind you -- they may be fat and unhealthy, but they still insist they are absolutely in the norm and far cooler than you because they don't give a fuck.

I am really bugged by the latest crop of pharmaceutical commercials, which claim that if you have high cholesterol, blame your genes, don't change your diet, and take this pill. Surrender Dorothy -- no lifestyle change will affect your health for the better -- your salvation can only be found in this high tech chemical communion wafer. Talk about creating a climate in America that is friendly to business (aka large corporate monopolies).

[miss_kitty]

11. i was in whole foods today too, freeplessinseattle

were you there when the kid had the total meltdown in the checkout area around 3?

I generally don't do them-their disabled parking was sited by an asshat. Oh yeah. It's next to the door, but try getting in or out when someone is having there groceries that get sent down to the garage Sheesh! :shrug:

Also their prices are laughable. Coffee at PCC 6.99-8.49 lb. same coffee at whole foods? 10.99 lb. produce there, highly expensive. most the vehicles in the lot? late model SUVs...Quite the shi-shi boutique grocery store. Every time I go there, I am reminded why I don't go there. I think their staff is nice friendly and helpful, though.

I am surprised when I see what and where some people on this board say they eat. I don't buy stuff or eat places based a lot on politics. I like to know where the money I spend on stuff is likely to wind up. That stopped me smoking. I had three major reasons to stop and the money grubbing avaricious greed of those assholes made it possible-necessary even-that I stop.

As for your question I don't know.

[freeplessinseattle]

16. glad I missed the meltdown! sorry you were

in the wrong place at the wrong time. You never know we may have crossed paths at Madison Market or Trader Joe's (so much more reasonable and darn healthy) or at Michael Moore last week! The employees at all 3 places are defintely some of the nicest I have ever encountered, and there is such a spirit of community and well-being with the election getting closer. I do prefer their produce over any others, but refuse to pay 2 bucks for one apple, and even their bulk foods are overpriced. Their deli is great though, with a nice veghead selection and helpful deli staff, but still pricier than the coop. and the bakery <swoon> thank god they're overpriced there too or I'd be tempted to buy more. mmm, their vegan chocolate bundt cake was heaven. That sure wasn't one of their more brilliant ideas with the disabled parking, of all places...sheesh, says a lot doesn't it, they were too distracted by their fancy tile and grocery delivery system. The Madison Market used to have straight line parking spaces, but soon changed them to angled spaces, which offered less parking but made it easier to navigate and less chance of scraping a pillar (which I did once, with my former car, an '86 Maxima, and a few weeks later the lines were changed..I didn't say anything but maybe someone else did and they chose to have happier customers rather than more customers.

Hope life is treating you well lately.

[miss_kitty]

20. three words for bakery

PCC in Fremont. Actually all the PCCs have excellent baked goods and loads of vegan baked goods. and they're good vegan baked goods.

I haven't been to trader Joe's or Madison market.

Also the meltdown incident wasn't so awful. Loud and intense, yes. But the mom was so cool. And I'd seen them earlier. He'd had a kid's cart (he was about 4) and he let a lady go down the aisle before him and there was a little love up for him-the lady thanked him, grandma gave him a hug and told him how nice and thoughtful he was, and mom got down on his level and said "I am so PROUD of you. You just did a nice thing! I love you so much! Can I give you a KISS?" He was so smitten by all this and 15 minutes later at the front of the store, it was "BUT I DON'T WANNA GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Long and loud. and mom picked him up and was talking to him, all the while he's crying, just a tired little feller. And mom just kept talking to him in low tones as she took him out. NO yelling at him, no threatening. I was, as were others around her, in awe. There WAS all that noise, but once everyone realised it was not going to be two people being loud, it was relaxed.

And things have been fine. How was Michael Moore?

[freeplessinseattle]

22. that's a sweet kid story, he just loved it there so much, I guess

I don't have children, probably won't, and admire such patient calm parenting. smart kind people-with a nice disposable income shop there-and PCC too I would imagine. Never been there either, and went to Whole Foods for the first time about 6 mos ago, usually stick to TJ's and MM, maybe I will expand my horizons..


Michael Moore was fantastic! Hilarious, emotional, inspiring, charismatic. the only thing is that the Questions for Michael Moore box by the podium never was opened maybe b/c Eddie Vetter and some other Pearl Jam guy took up too much time. Jim McDermott spoke, too, I have so much respect for him.

Moore said that he met Vetter's 4 mo old baby backstage and he was wearing a little shirt that said "I already know more than the President"

[chookie]

12. You *crave* vegetables?

You lucky thing, you.

Usually cravings involve three factors: sweet, salt, and fat. This set of cravings has been hardwired into our brains so our ancestors on the savanna could survive their harsh enviroment.

In an environment where food is scarce, cravings for high calorie high fat foods is GREAT for survival. These instinctive cravings lead people to trouble when they live in a culture where high calorie high fat foods are easily accessible.

I too *crave* vegetables. Much of that is learned, because I sure did not get it from my upbringing. But maybe you and I share some genetic trait that gives us flexibility to crave foods other than the sugar salt fat type....

"Comfort foods" are usually very high calorie sugary and salty. Maybe in the reptilian brain they scream "We're gonna make it after all!"

Much of this is still in matters of education, exposure, and consciousness. Some of us -- I conjecture -- have a gene which expresses a behavior of experimentation, whereas some of us express a gene for reiteration of learned behavior. Liberal/Authoritarian

[wickerwoman]

18. I crave veggies too

ever since I spent two months in Prague. I subsisted on nothing but pork and potatoes (I can't eat sauerkraut) and by the third week I was desperate for green veggies. You couldn't buy them anywhere. Every since then I have to have veggies at every meal and in a meal with several courses I go for the greens first. It's borderline pathological.

[AlbertoMo83]

14. I eat a lot of meat

I love meat!!!!

I also eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, I stay away from fast food, caffeine and sugar because diabetes, high blood pressure,heart disease runs on both sides of my family, I also drink a SHIT LOAD of water. Which is why I'm in great shape. :bounce:

[wickerwoman]

17. I think it's a chicken-egg problem.

I ate absolute garbage when I was in high school and college. I was depressed, tired all the time, dizzy, and had trouble concentrating on my books. I suspect people with a diet like that are, in general, more likely to watch TV than read and have a harder time understanding, let alone questioning, what they are being told. Over the course of a lifetime, that may lead to a greater susceptability to republicanism.

When I switched to a healthier diet I had a lot more energy and my concentration and thinking improved dramatically. I think people who eat hippy food are move intuned and aware of what's happening around them and, again in general, are more liberal.

[jdots]

19. If it wasn't for republicans there would't be laxatives

It's true they eat balanced meals of enriched flour,seared protoplasm,frozen or canned veggies,processed cheese like food and all the over advertised crud they can find .THIS IS WHY THEY ARE FULL OF BUSH

[freeplessinseattle]

21. b/c they're anal retentive?

sorry, that's bad, but couldn't resist. I know what you mean, though, and now I want to make a bumper sticker!

I remember in elementary school every year these food promo people would come by to basically give a promotional talk and give us samples of something appealing to kids but very processed. maybe the school got free products in exchange for their access (this was in Salt Lake City, where parents want the quickest, simplest, cheapest food to feed their 7 children) the one I remember is the Wonder bRead every year. I thought it was gross, and stuck to the roof of my mouth. so every time I got a mini loaf I would play with it like playdough. that shit is not made to be ingested.

[xcmt]

23. My take.

I think it's an issue of general mindsets interpreting the evolution of American cuisine.

The initial settlers and pioneers of our country lived in harsh and often mobile environments. As opposed to the largely settled and occupied areas of England that already had developed infrastructures, we started off mainly as bootstrappers. Meals, especially for manual laborers or people on the trail, needed to be prepared quickly and pack a maximum amount of calories. This began the tradition of American cuisine revolving around heavily salted meats and thick sauces. Biscuits and butter everywhere.

Since then, we've increasingly become a nation of fast- and junk-food consumers. It's become convenient, and sometimes necessary, to acquire our food through a drive-thru window and consume it in a minimal amount of time. Even our homecooked meals are dressed up with canned vegetables and boxed meal kits, packed with preservatives and chemicals and sodium, to save time and effort.

Either way, we ended up with an American tradition of really rich, fatty foods. Rather than attempt to adapt to the less physically demanding times, the adeptly-named conservatives went along with the trend. As a whole, they refuse to change their lifestyles, habits, or (arguably) culinary identities. There's a reason Southern cuisine is called "Comfort Food". It's what they know. It's what their parents ate. It's American. It's stubborn. It's completely Republican. And it's literally killing them.

Liberals, conversely, are open to change. We've entertained healthier lifestyles and food choices. We opened up to international cuisine, which (for the most part) is considerably healthier, and is generally fresher. We understand we don't need 3500 calories a day to be happy. Sometimes happiness is some hummus on pita tips with cucumbers. Meat doesn't need to be a part of our daily diet anymore. It's adaptive. We've identified that fresh foods are best, and that a little extra money or time is worth the better ingredients. We'll drive an extra 20 minutes to Trader Joe's, instead of checking out the prepackaged sandwiches at Safeway down the street.

So we eat better than they do.

[freeplessinseattle]

24. excellent! thank you!

you are spot on, I felt elitist pondering this concept, but it does make complete sense. That mention of Southern comfort food really highlights the correlation between eating habits and political leanings, interesting.