Foods that aren’t the same as they used to be

[shovelpass]

Thats crazy.

And... we’ve increased the health problems of chickens, leading to rising medical costs.

Yeah wild stuff. Commercial grown turkeys are so large that they can only reproduce artificially.

 

[Q729]

Man, everything seems to be a downgrade now. Cereal boxes are like a friggin movie set fakeout. Same surface area on the front of the box, but then you grab it off the shelf and it's like half as thick as it used to be.

Dr. Pepper and Eggo waffles don't taste the same. I agree with whoever said Trix doesn't taste the same, too. Maybe it started when they first changed the balls into the fruit shapes. Who knows, maybe they did that to take the attention off an ingredients change.

Big Macs and Whoppers seem smaller, too. Same with the value sandwiches on the Wendy's menu. It's like eating a friggin' burger on a dinner roll now, except you don't get a bunch like White Castle.

Something feels off with Oreos, too. Smaller definitely.

 

[FaulkSF]

@Psycho_X making homemade jelly and jams are fairly simple. Watch a couple of you tube clips and try it on your own. You can even control your own sugar you put in.

@Q729 they removed the majority of saturated fats out of Oreos almost ten years ago (Crisco and heavy cream?). So their mouthfeel will definitely be thinner.

 

[Psycho_X]

@Psycho_X making homemade jelly and jams are fairly simple. Watch a couple of you tube clips and try it on your own. You can even control your own sugar you put in.

@Q729 they removed the majority of saturated fats out of Oreos almost ten years ago (Crisco and heavy cream?). So their mouthfeel will definitely be thinner.

But they grew the fruit themselves. I suspect buying stuff from grocery store won't be the same anymore. I've actually been wanting to start my own garden for years so might need to actually do that lol.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Watermelons are better. IMHO some other fruits have gotten better from the Frankenstein tinkering... grapes, strawberries, blueberries, for example... bigger, plumper, juicier.

And yea, with those lat 3 adjectives, I know what you're thinking. Back to the Boobies thread...

And please, let's not forget the wonderful avocado :

On sale in Australia: Avocados as big as your face

The world's largest avocado has been grown in Queensland, Australia. Dubbed "avozillas," these souped-up avocados are about five times bigger than a regular one.

www.cnn.com

 

[RhodyRams]

Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies


if they get any smaller you can just pour milk over them in a bowl and call it cookie crisp cereal

 

[FaulkSF]

But they grew the fruit themselves. I suspect buying stuff from grocery store won't be the same anymore. I've actually been wanting to start my own garden for years so might need to actually do that lol.

Yep, I've made fig and cherry plum jams so far since those grow in my yard and around the City. Maybe I'll do peach this year too.

Though I've been thinking of branching out just randomly buying other fruit (mango, banana, pineapple) and making combo jams.

 

[Loyal]

@CGI_Ram , yeah, the Big Mac has gotten smaller. I'm sure they reduced the size and charged the same price back in the day. I imagine the old styrofoam Big Mac cartons would show just how small the current Big Mac is....

It's funny that the food police have supposedly made things healthier, but why were people in the 70's so much thinner than today? I know people were more active back thenin getting out of the hot house, no internet and a handful of tv channels in the biggest cities. I say bring back the lard!

Oh, and soft drinks taste worse because of the use of high fructose corn syrup instead of cane sugar. I would "die" for an honest to God, cane sugar Dr Pepper in the long stem glass bottles. On a hot day before puberty, it was the closest thing to a "happy ending" you could get in the Southern California sun!

 

[Loyal]

Twinkies were always a chemist's wet dream. I remember my best friend and I would joke about the Polysorbate 60,70, and 80 in it's list of ingredients(1980's). Ding Dongs were great in the foil, but not so great now.

I am lucky that I live in a rural area because we have farmer's markets and local fruit/vegetable growers. We have a guy named Bob who runs The Orchard, and he has all kinds of wonderful farm fresh things for sale...Honey crisp apples and other varieties that you can pick for yourself or buy in his little store on the property. Same is true for organic honey (he has his own bees). He has an asparagus patch that's huge with purple and regular asparagus. He says he get 60 lbs a day if he cuts it. He makes apple cider from his apples. He is just one farmer.

Life is too short to get fruit/vegetables from supermarkets!

 

[Riverumbbq]

It's funny that the food police have supposedly made things healthier, but why were people in the 70's so much thinner than today? I know people were more active back thenin getting out of the hot house, no internet and a handful of tv channels in the biggest cities. I say bring back the lard!

Oh, and soft drinks taste worse because of the use of high fructose corn syrup instead of cane sugar. I would "die" for an honest to God, cane sugar Dr Pepper in the long stem glass bottles. On a hot day before puberty, it was the closest thing to a "happy ending" you could get in the Southern California sun!

Looks like you answered your own question about these newer generations battle with obesity. Video games, the internet, a 1000 channels of mind numbing TV options, parents less inclined to engage kids in after school activities & sports. When I was a kid everyone was engaged in something, sand lot sports, bike riding, swimming, the streets were full of kids after school and on the weekends, ... our parents would make us go outside just for their own piece of mind. Most of us had to walk or ride a bike to school, often miles each way, busses were a luxury. Child abductions seemed to start hitting the news more around the same time as this video revolution, and it wasn't long after that when the streets started to empty. I recall a commercial about a decade ago where some fat kid was phoning his grandma from another room in the same house for her to deliver another grape soda, seemed to hit the problem on the head.

I guess soft drinks didn't have the same taste impact on me after making the switch from regular to diet in my early teens. Too much sugar made me jittery, so I eliminated candy and sugary soda (high fructose syrups) early in life, and that made a huge difference for me. It was the same with caffeine, and I really like coffee, but I stopped drinking it at noon so I could sleep at night.

 

[Juice]

Mrs. Renfro's Habanero Salsa. I used to eat the stuff with a spoon. It's still good now, but it is definitely not as hot, and it runs a little watery.

 

[shovelpass]

It's funny that the food police have supposedly made things healthier, but why were people in the 70's so much thinner than today? I know people were more active back thenin getting out of the hot house, no internet and a handful of tv channels in the biggest cities. I say bring back the lard!

Looks like you answered your own question about these newer generations battle with obesity. Video games, the internet, a 1000 channels of mind numbing TV options, parents less inclined to engage kids in after school activities & sports. When I was a kid everyone was engaged in something, sand lot sports, bike riding, swimming, the streets were full of kids after school and on the weekends, ... our parents would make us go outside just for their own piece of mind. Most of us had to walk or ride a bike to school, often miles each way, busses were a luxury. Child abductions seemed to start hitting the news more around the same time as this video revolution, and it wasn't long after that when the streets started to empty. I recall a commercial about a decade ago where some fat kid was phoning his grandma from another room in the same house for her to deliver another grape soda, seemed to hit the problem on the head.

While the rise of technology has lead to less activity in children, and adults too I think this answer is much bigger than "kids these days don't go out and play". This thread is the answer, food has changed. And not for the better. Food isn't healthier now, sure there might be more healthier alternatives, but it's not accessible to anyone. The "food police" say you need to offer apples as an option for a kids meal at McDonalds, but that doesn't mean people are ordering it and more importantly you're getting McDonalds, it might be healthier but it's not healthy. Not allowing super-sized meals and drinks isn't healthy it's healthier.

Also look at the majority of the foods listed in this thread, fast food, junk food, processed food. You mentioned how soda with high fructose corn syrup tastes bad, that shit is in everything that's packaged.

A few summers ago I worked at a "resort" in Alaska, there they do a lot of outside hiring, throughout the US and some European countries. About 2-3 into working there almost all of the Europeans had gained noticable weight and their skin was breaking out. A small anecdote but a lot of other 1st world countries have tighter restrictions on food additives.

 

[Loyal]

While the rise of technology has lead to less activity in children, and adults too I think this answer is much bigger than "kids these days don't go out and play". This thread is the answer, food has changed. And not for the better. Food isn't healthier now, sure there might be more healthier alternatives, but it's not accessible to anyone. The "food police" say you need to offer apples as an option for a kids meal at McDonalds, but that doesn't mean people are ordering it and more importantly you're getting McDonalds, it might be healthier but it's not healthy. Not allowing super-sized meals and drinks isn't healthy it's healthier.

Also look at the majority of the foods listed in this thread, fast food, junk food, processed food. You mentioned how soda with high fructose corn syrup tastes bad, that shit is in everything that's packaged.

A few summers ago I worked at a "resort" in Alaska, there they do a lot of outside hiring, throughout the US and some European countries. About 2-3 into working there almost all of the Europeans had gained noticable weight and their skin was breaking out. A small anecdote but a lot of other 1st world countries have tighter restrictions on food additives.

I think you are underestimating the desire to get out of a stuffy house (no AC) and playing for hours outside. I lived it and know this is true. When I was a kid, I could be in some sort of ballgame in minutes because most other kids were told to go outside by their parents, as did mine.

That doesn't really happen now.

 

[ozarkram]

Apples.

 

[Riverumbbq]

While the rise of technology has lead to less activity in children, and adults too I think this answer is much bigger than "kids these days don't go out and play". This thread is the answer, food has changed. And not for the better. Food isn't healthier now, sure there might be more healthier alternatives, but it's not accessible to anyone. The "food police" say you need to offer apples as an option for a kids meal at McDonalds, but that doesn't mean people are ordering it and more importantly you're getting McDonalds, it might be healthier but it's not healthy. Not allowing super-sized meals and drinks isn't healthy it's healthier.

Also look at the majority of the foods listed in this thread, fast food, junk food, processed food. You mentioned how soda with high fructose corn syrup tastes bad, that shit is in everything that's packaged.

A few summers ago I worked at a "resort" in Alaska, there they do a lot of outside hiring, throughout the US and some European countries. About 2-3 into working there almost all of the Europeans had gained noticable weight and their skin was breaking out. A small anecdote but a lot of other 1st world countries have tighter restrictions on food additives.

Perhaps I was more conscious of what I personally ate because of my interest in restaurant/hospitality as a career choice and avocation. I eliminated high fructose syrups/corn sweeteners from my diet years ago, and as prevalent as this 'poison' is, that wasn't easy to do. Not many guys I know would check ingredient labels, I make it a habit.

Sinclair Lewis had a big impact on me as some of his writings were required reading, and 'The Jungle' was especially disturbing. Regulations in general fall into a political quagmire which I won't go into here, although admittedly, I side with progressives in most events.
The healthier the food, it's often accompanied by increased direct costs, but what's overlooked is the future societal costs of healthcare resulting from childhood obesity, diabetes, liver disease, stroke, heart disease, etc.
I actually favor a 'sugar tax', although this is sacrilege for many Americans, and i'm quite aware that i'm in the minority. jmo.

 

[ScotsRam]

While the rise of technology has lead to less activity in children, and adults too I think this answer is much bigger than "kids these days don't go out and play". This thread is the answer, food has changed. And not for the better. Food isn't healthier now, sure there might be more healthier alternatives, but it's not accessible to anyone. The "food police" say you need to offer apples as an option for a kids meal at McDonalds, but that doesn't mean people are ordering it and more importantly you're getting McDonalds, it might be healthier but it's not healthy. Not allowing super-sized meals and drinks isn't healthy it's healthier.

Also look at the majority of the foods listed in this thread, fast food, junk food, processed food. You mentioned how soda with high fructose corn syrup tastes bad, that shit is in everything that's packaged.

A few summers ago I worked at a "resort" in Alaska, there they do a lot of outside hiring, throughout the US and some European countries. About 2-3 into working there almost all of the Europeans had gained noticable weight and their skin was breaking out. A small anecdote but a lot of other 1st world countries have tighter restrictions on food additives.

You're on to something there. Going off topic here but one of the fears about brexit and a separate trade deal with the USA for Britain outside of the EU for a lot of people was a potential drop in food standards. We dont want any of your chlorine washed chicken!

 

[Q729]

Honeycrisp apples rule.

 

[shovelpass]

I think you are underestimating the desire to get out of a stuffy house (no AC) and playing for hours outside. I lived it and know this is true. When I was a kid, I could be in some sort of ballgame in minutes because most other kids were told to go outside by their parents, as did mine.

That doesn't really happen now.

I agree that "kids these days" aren't as active, adults too, I just don't think that it's the sole reason. I also lived it, but I also know that food has changed and fast food places are also more prevalent now. You grew up in a time where there was probably less additives pumped into your food and definitely less fast food places to go to. I bet that there was maybe one in your town or a few towns over and it was a special treat to go to it.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Honeycrisp apples rule.

I'm a fuji guy myself.

 

[Memento]

I'm a fuji guy myself.

Granny Smith for me.