Is this healthy?

[genericname85]

so as a german i see in a lot of food related American media that everything that´s "organic" or has somewhat plant related stuff in it, it gets the label "healthy".

For example take an artery clooging double beef patty burger, put a leave of lettuce on there and it´s called healthy.
or take some sugar and chocolate coated sweet, put a banana in it and it´s called healthy as well.

are you one of those fools? do most americans really not know the difference between "organic" and "healthy" ?

If it´s organic, it has to be healthy

it looks like plants are in it -> it´s healthy

"healthy" is way more differentiated than that for me.

[meowcow]

I don't think you actually understand the American concept of "organic". Judging by your question, you have confused the concept with something else.

Technically, everything that you eat is organic, if you use the scientific definition of something being carbon-based. However, to the general public, "organic foods" are simply foods that are grown without the use of artificial chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides... or animals raised without the application of antibiotics or hormones. Organic foods are supposed to be free of artificial chemical residues or additives.

That means the greasy hamburger with triple bacon can be organic if the meat and bread were grown/raised organically. But nobody in America considers it healthy, regardless of how much lettuce you put on it. It may be perceived as a better alternative to traditionally raised beef.

It is an observation that in Germany, the diet is generally unhealthy for the majority of the population. It's very difficult to find fresh produce, and people do not really eat fruits and vegetables often. Much of the German diet is comprised of sausages, salted or preserved meats, potatoes or bread and a giant mug of beer. That's very low on the healthy scale.

[genericname85]

yeah i know what organic means and i really hope that people understand it the way you do. though your observation about germany is stereotypical. for me personally i don´t eat sausages whatsoever. beer is just drunken at parties or special occasions not to every meal xD we actually eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. whole grain bread and salads. though i have to admit, potatoes are a big thing in my case.

[meowcow]

The observation is based on a visit to Germany where the restaurant food all seemed very heavy (meat and potato) with few fresh fruits or vegetables on the menu or in the supermarkets. At least, I had a hard time tracking fresh produce down.

[genericname85]

must have been a good traditional fare restaurant then. the traditional stuff is heavy on calories and protein, cause that´s what people at the time needed (ww1 and 2) vegetables and fruits were rare so people mostly ate meats, cereal related things (mostly bread) and potatos.

[Likes2drive]

I know better than that , I'm still in good health since I know what is really no good for our bodies but I do have weakness for chocolate and sweets once in awhile😊

[genericname85]

i feel you XD for me it´s burgers.

[Likes2drive]

I bet you would really love an American burger 😊

[genericname85]

hell yeah i would :( burgerking and mc donalds are soo freaking crappy and expensive on top of that...

[Likes2drive]

They have them there in Germany? I grew up near a burger joint called all American burger and it was awesome , and they are the only one on Long Island and still in business

[genericname85]

they are all over the world, i guess. but i heard they´re so crappy most americans don´t even go there... so i´d really like to taste an American quality burger even if it cloggs my veins XD

[Likes2drive]

Well if you ever visit New York let me know and I'll show you the best ones 👍

[genericname85]

lol i´d definitely go for white castle because of harold and komar :D (i heard it´s only on the east coast of the us) for the rest i´d be sure to ask you ^^

[genericname85]

*kumar

[Likes2drive]

Oh yeah I have plenty of those where I live , I am on the east coast

[Likes2drive]

Pretty much have it all here, Thanks for the MHO

[Prettygurl12]

Greens are healthy.

Putting a leaf of lettuce on a burger does not make the burger healthy.

No sane person in America will tell you that chocolate dipped fruit is healthier than a plain piece of fruit.

[genericname85]

yeah to me and obviously to you this is logical. but i´ve seen this exact thing being told a lot. maybe not as exaggerated as my example but pretty damn close.

[Gigglebytes]

Organic just means that it's not processed. It's all natural, heirloom garden fresh vegetables, meat that's free of sreroids and medications, and filtered water. I'm glad I was born to health nut parents.😊

[genericname85]

yeah same here XD

[longjohndan]

Well, I'd say as a german, you really don't see a lot about American food. Slapping a piece of lettuce on a burger doesn't make it healthy, calling something organic doesn't make it healthy and putting fruit inside of a sugar coating doesn't make it healthy.

I'm not sure where you are getting that but I'd have to say either something is getting lost in translation, or you are leaving out context.

[genericname85]

i´m just exaggerating of course. but i´ve seen a lot of things getting the label "healthy" where i just thought: no way... so much sugar and fat, how can you speak of that shit as healthy?

[longjohndan]

Well, a lot of companies, cooks etc make statements of relativity, not absolute. So for instance a fatty double bacon burger with cheddar cheese and Bleu cheese dressing can be a part of a healthy balanced diet. Well, yes , it can, but eating a couple every week is going to be a problem. Or a 16 ounce grass fed t bone steak is better in comparison to 16 ounces of pen raised garbage fed pork belly. That being said, most people get what's healthy and what is not.

[genericname85]

i really hope, you represent the average guy :D i do get the feeling a lot of people don´t think like that though.

[longjohndan]

Well, I have to agree, you wouldn't know it by looking at a lot of americans.

[genericname85]

nice fish by the way xD i wish i could just go fishing but you need a license here and most lakes have interest groups owning them so you are not allowed to fish like that :(

[hellionthesage]

Perhaps you are confused, organic means no chemicals used (ie pesticides) and/or not geneticly modified. So healthy and organic are two different things. As for americans being fools, I think you have misunderstood parody and reality then applied said misunderstanding to the entire 300 million plus American population which is illogical at best.

[genericname85]

yeah i understand that. it just struck me as something a few americans don´t understand according to media, i consume. i wasn´t actually going to insult anybody xD just genuinely was confused about what you´d think about it.

[hellionthesage]

No, its purely parody.

[genericname85]

ok then :) thanks

[TheDevilInside]

Döner. Healthy as fuck. It has plants in them, different kinds. So it's basically a salad.

[genericname85]

chocolate too. it´s made out of plants so it´s basically a salad :D just like beer.

[TheDevilInside]

Sugar is also made of plants.

[Anonymous]

Okay... I don't think any of those example you used can be classified as "organic", maybe some of those things are spun as "healthy" but most people know better, others lie to themselves to justify their unhealthy habits.

[genericname85]

well the burger in my example could be in fact completely organic.

[Anonymous]

It's more a concern about the fuckload of chemicals on everything over here with the organic movement than with overall health.

[THE_Godfather]

Big Mac, Large fries & a small diet coke. What's the logic behind that?

[genericname85]

i´m exaggerating in my examples.

[THE_Godfather]

Yes, people in the US order the above.

[genericname85]

i think you didn´t get the idea. the idea is labeling things comparable to that "healthy".

[THE_Godfather]

Never mind. You don't get it.

[Anonymous]

"An artery clooging double beef patty burger, put a leave of lettuce on there and it´s called healthy.
or take some sugar and chocolate coated sweet, put a banana in it and it´s called healthy as well."

Personally I haven't seen such a thing.

[genericname85]

was exaggerating but i´ve seen things similar to that a lot.

[Anonymous]

The odd burger isn't a problem. It's healthier than the fries or soda.

Given how American beef is raised, organic is indeed healthier.

[genericname85]

well yeah it´s better than straight up poison xD but that doesn't exactly make it "healthy" XD

[Opinion Owner]

Most heavily processed food is shit.

If we're talking about vegetables, meat, etc, then most are healthy in the right proportions, not so healthy in the wrong proportions. The idea that food is 'good' or 'bad' is part of the problem. Real food as part of a healthy overall lifestyle is good.

There have been a number of e-coli outbreaks linked to hamburgers, and it's always the 'cheap' ones. Here's a description of the beef source of the burgers behind one outbreak:
"made from a mix of slaughterhouse trimmings and a mash-like product derived from scraps that were ground together at a plant in Wisconsin. The ingredients came from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria."

Is a piece of chuck from an organic, hormone free, grass fed cow, that was ground and formed into a patty healthier?

Yes. Yes it is.

[genericname85]

yeah i have to agree

[jakeofalltrades]

I don't even connect healthy to organic.

[genericname85]

maybe it´s just shit that´s in the media, not actually in peoples heads.

[jakeofalltrades]

it is a marketing stunt. if you can make people think they are eating healthier you get to charge them more

[9mfeo]

Organic is definitely NOT always healthy.