Congress decided this week that pizza's are vegetables. I don't know how they did it but those lobbyists sure are good. Even the pizza at public schools which contain 2 tablespoons of tomato are considered as fruit. I think this is a very bad move from congress and a kick in the balls for everyone trying to stay healthy.
US Congress this week blocked USDA proposals that would have mandated more tomato sauce on pizzas for US school lunches to justify pizza's designation as a vegetable portion. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian Hey, America! The GOP is, yet again, looking out for you. This week, Congress took a break from voting to make sure none of your tax dollars will go to all those abortion clinics NPR wants to open in our national parks, to pass a federal law that only the nation that invented Febreze would tolerate.
They have affirmed that pizza is a vegetable. Yes, the tomato sauce on pizza is enough for American politicians to define it and allow it to be served as a vegetable in school lunch programs across the US.
Never mind that tomatoes are a fruit, and commercial tomato sauce has so much sugar in it that not only is it not a vegetable, but it should be classified as a dessert. In fact, it takes a big set of balls to even call school lunch pizza, um, pizza. I think the only chance we have of instilling any sense into these politicians is if we douse it with squirt cheese and serve it in a microwaveable pouch.
And poor Michelle Obama. The First Lady is working so hard to get kids to put down the Cool Ranch deep-fried tobacco dogs, or whatever it is they concoct with that meat substance pet food companies rejected that got sold to public schools. It is a Sisyphean task just to get these lunch programs to serve something, anything, fresh and healthy that hasn't been grown with Major League Baseball-style steroids. Why? Because we live in America, where people, who have been elected to public office, do not believe in climate science, but do believe pizza is a vegetable. I envy your tenacity, Flotus.
I knew big Pharma and the NRA had powerful lobbies, but apparently, the frozen food industry's "partially hydrogenated, tomato-ish sauce-coated, food-like cardboard substance" lobby is more influential than I had initially realised. And these big food giants have done wonders convincing us all fresh produce is insurmountably inconvenient and, like lemmings, we go along with it, buying pre-packaged versions of these clearly inedible options.
And it's not just vegetables. Fruit has also been bastardised as just too much of a nuisance to eat, so enter the frankenfooders to simplify it for us. Fruit Roll-Ups? They have brainwashed us into believing the burden of hauling around an apple or a pear had become so daunting, we needed someone to mix up fruit with some corn syrup and "Roll It Up".
See? Now we do eat fruit because it's easier. So you never have to experience that pesky fresh fruit juice squirting you in the eye or, worse, to stress out having to get up off the couch to wash it. You can just "unroll it". And it never goes bad. Ever. It's practically a miracle.
So, in a country where fertilised eggs are people and assembling burgers is a manufacturing job, and berries are better in the form of shoe leather, why not call a sugary fruit paste sauce that comes out of a can and is poured onto dough that comes out of a box, topped with cheese that's spelt Cheez and comes out of a Whiz, a vegetable.
And in case you were wondering, yes, Axe Body spray is now considered a bath.
Pizza still counts as a vegetable in U.S. public school cafeterias.
The U.S. Agriculture Department originally wanted to require a half cup of tomato paste for a pizza slice to qualify as a vegetable. But on Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives backed off from the stricter requirement. A child nutrition law bill in the U.S. called on schools to improve the nutritional quality of lunches. Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press
A slice of pizza will continue to qualify as a vegetable because it contains two tablespoons of tomato paste.
"It's an important victory," Corey Henry, spokesman for the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), told Reuters.
The trade association lobbied Congress on behalf of frozen pizza sellers, such as ConAgra Foods Inc and Schwan Food Co and french fry maker McCain Foods Ltd.
The USDA also proposed limits on french fries, increasing the variety of fruits and vegetables and limiting starchy vegetables including corn and green peas.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Center for Science in the Public Interest said the legislation would be a bigger "blunder" than when U.S. President Ronald Reagan's administration tried and failed to credit ketchup as a vegetable in the school lunch program.
"Pizza should be served with a vegetable, not count as one," the consumer advocacy groups said on its website.
The decision comes as Michelle Obama continues her campaign to combat childhood obesity.
On November 20 2011 07:49 Brees wrote: when is this thread gonna get closed/renamed? it was shown on the first page with a source that the title/article is completely misleading.
Not that misleading... Here's the list of events for those too lazy to read the article (apparently everyone)
-School pizza apparently comes with 2tbsp of tomato paste. -This 2tbsp of tomato paste is considered a vegetable, and thus this pizza slice comes with a serving of vegetables. This is important because federally subsidized meals must have certain amount of vegetables or they cannot be served -USDA comes along and says "yo wtf this is dumb, we want 8tbsp of tomato paste to qualify as a vegetable, 2tbsp is not enough" -Frozen food lobbyists realize that if this went unchallenged, then pizza would not be able to be served in schools anymore. This isn't good because they want money; who cares about the children's health. -So they do what they do best, lobby, and no change happens. 2tbsp of tomato paste is still a vegetable, pizza can still be served, and children can still get fat. Oh and they call pizza a healthy food as well. -Yay.
The first link you posted is more of a blog then an article. But like I said in the last thread, its foolish on its face. Its like saying sushi is a meat.
I lol at this now but i loled when they were trying to make smoking semi illegal too... i hope this does not catch on with EU, not that i care about school cafeteria food since i do not eat my launch at one ( i do not believe such things even exist in my country... last time i checked they did not ) but it seems kinda silly ( in a "man wearing latex pants "kinda way aka bad kinda way ) to have pizza classified as vegetable
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
On November 20 2011 00:50 eshlow wrote: U.S. Obesity health care costs currently exceed $147 billion.
But Congress thinks they are saving money by classifying pizza as a vegetable so they don't have to pay more money to get healthier foods in schools.
Makes sense to me.
Not arguing with you, but I actually learned that obesity is not a major contributing factor to rising health care costs in the US. There is a good bit of evidence that it in fact only accounts for a negligible increase in rising health care costs in the US. The primary factor in rising health care costs in the US is over consumption of medical technologies/treatment and health care products.
There's always tremendous opposition to good child nutrition standards. The kids don't like healthy food, the parents don't want the schools to force healthy food when perhaps they themselves are too dependent on fast food. Conservatives don't like it as a tactic to annoy liberals. The food lobby dislikes a move toward local & organic food.
I always put on spinach on top when I'm making mine. If you can really use only dough (which serves for carbohydrates), proper tomato sauce and spinach (vegetables) and cheese (proteins, calcium). Then Pizza is actually pretty healthy coupled with some salad.
Finally! It's about time! I ate pizza all the time in elementary school, I would have been so much healthier if they had just made it a vegetable sooner.
hamburgers should be vegetables too. even though they have meat (like pizzas), there are onions and lettuce inside, which i believe are even more of a vegetable than tomato sauce
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
If I recall correctly, the terminology of the bill refers to the "tomato paste" on the pizza as a vegetable. It's like congress even knows that school pizza isn't even real food but just doesn't care.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
Obviously. It's so much fun to see how easily people are manipulated by the media if they just affirm the people's stereotypes of others.
It's sensationalized, but still: the United States Congress gives in to pizza lobbyists that want them to count pizza as a serving of vegetables when feeding 5-15 year old children, effectively making them less healthy. Given that we know how much proper nutrition has a positive correlation with constructive behavior and good health, it's insane to have language such as this.
I would call that insane and well deserving of mockery, as they're still - in a way - counting pizza as a vegetable. Officially they're counting two spoons of tomato paste a vegetable, sure, and that's also quite silly as tomatoes are fruit and the paste used is quite sugary and only tomato-ish.
It's stupid but I don't really see why it matters. People who want to be healthy aren't going to eat a slice of pizza and say, well there is a serving of vegetables and fruit, guess I won't eat anymore, and people who don't care about eating healthy aren't trying to eat vegetables/fruit anyway.
I guess it does kind of affect schools that are required to make sure they serve X amount of serving of fruit and vegetables, but most parents that really care about their kids eating healthy send their child to school with a lunch from home. From my experience in school they always had fruit/vegetable options available (carrots/apples/graps/salad), but 95% of people didn't take it anyway so even if schools cut those out it still won't really make a difference.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't tomato a fruit? >.>
To the subject though, what does it matter what it is 'classified' as? Pizza is still pizza and I don't think this class will change peoples perceptions of how healthy or unhealthy pizza actually is unless you're like Blizzard and just cant let go of your labels...
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
Obviously. It's so much fun to see how easily people are manipulated by the media if they just affirm the people's stereotypes of others.
It's sensationalized, but still: the United States Congress gives in to pizza lobbyists that want them to count pizza as a serving of vegetables when feeding 5-15 year old children, effectively making them less healthy. Given that we know how much proper nutrition has a positive correlation with constructive behavior and good health, it's insane to have language such as this.
I would call that insane and well deserving of mockery, as they're still - in a way - counting pizza as a vegetable. Officially they're counting two spoons of tomato paste a vegetable, sure, and that's also quite silly as tomatoes are fruit and the paste used is quite sugary and only tomato-ish.
Of course, the whole thing is still ridiculous even if you take out the sensationalism. I just find the sensationalism in this case just as ridiculous. Not to mention that people get it backwards, anyhow: It's not about declaring pizza/tomato paste as vegetables, it's about preventing the bill from declaring less tomato sauce as vegetables. Tomato sauce already is being declared a vegetable.
People should pay attention to this, because the lobby groups are, in the end, only doing this to sell more pizzas to schools. But please, guys, get your facts straight.
On November 20 2011 01:13 Chewbacca. wrote: People who want to be healthy aren't going to eat a slice of pizza and say, well there is a serving of vegetables and fruit, guess I won't eat anymore
You think thats whats going on in the brain of young kids in school? When I was a kid I would eat pizza every day if I could. Letting kids do that however, is fucked up.
U.S is getting to the point we're no one is gona argue there opinions anymore with each other, but instead try to get the F out of the u.s.a. It's literally getting the point where it''s just wacky and scary. U.S.A is gona fall and fall hard and thank god. Sry if bad things happen to people, but in terms of bad people paying up. Thank god.
On November 20 2011 01:20 FrodoAndTheSlobStix wrote: U.S is getting to the point we're no one is gona argue there opinions anymore with each other, but instead try to get the F out of the u.s.a. It's literally getting the point where it''s just wacky and scary. U.S.A is gona fall and fall hard and thank god. Sry if bad things happen to people, but in terms of bad people paying up. Thank god.
Yeah the first sign of a great nation falling is always the inception of fascist pizza rules and usage.
On November 20 2011 01:18 Eishi_Ki wrote: To the subject though, what does it matter what it is 'classified' as? Pizza is still pizza and I don't think this class will change peoples perceptions of how healthy or unhealthy pizza actually is unless you're like Blizzard and just cant let go of your labels...
As far as I know, schools have to serve a certain amount of vegetables/fruits for lunch. If you define tomato paste as vegetables, you can serve more pizza and less actual vegetables. Which means people who sell pizzas sell even more pizzas than before, because kids kinda like pizzas more than vegetables.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
So everyone can grow their own pizzas in the garden now. I have a new meme: In the USA, pizza is vegetable. Underline would say: dont't laugh, they are for rela
On November 20 2011 00:59 Xiphos wrote: I always put on spinach on top when I'm making mine. If you can really use only dough (which serves for carbohydrates), proper tomato sauce and spinach (vegetables) and cheese (proteins, calcium). Then Pizza is actually pretty healthy coupled with some salad.
but thats true of almost anything that is also a fast food.
theres nothing inherently unhealthy about a burger, some bread, maybe some salad. doesnt mean mcdonalds is good for you
So what I'm getting here is that Americans love Jamie Oliver so much that they'd do this just to bring him back, or they hate him so much that they'd do this just to spite him. Either that or lobbying is evil.
On November 20 2011 01:01 r33k wrote: Since when are tomatos a vegetable?
You people act like you don't know how government works already.
Like when someone goes to the police station and comes out with bruises... it's called "falling."
Or when they decide to give raises to the public unions who are already earning more than the average tax payer.... they call it "fairness."
Invading other countries... "Defense."
This has nothing at all to do with the United States, it has to do with the fact that government is corrupt everywhere on the planet. But I get that making fun of the US is hip and shit.
On November 20 2011 01:40 TruthIsCold wrote: You people act like you don't know how government works already.
Like when someone goes to the police station and comes out with bruises... it's called "falling."
Or when they decide to give raises to the public unions who are already earning more than the average tax payer.... they call it "fairness."
Invading other countries... "Defense."
This has nothing at all to do with the United States, it has to do with the fact that government is corrupt everywhere on the planet. But I get that making fun of the US is hip and shit.
I guess you missed the posts on the first page, where people explained the angle the government was taking on this.
So tomato paste counts as a vegetable now. Very interesting decision considering how much sugar is inserted in tomato paste. 100g tomato paste contains 12g sugar 100g Coca Cola also contains 12g sugar Congress could just as well classify sodas as vegetables... While tomato paste is not really unhealthy the fact that it always comes with a slice of pizza makes for a pretty shitty nutrition for school children.
On November 20 2011 01:49 ggrrg wrote: So tomato paste counts as a vegetable now. Very interesting decision considering how much sugar is inserted in tomato paste. 100g tomato paste contains 12g sugar 100g Coca Cola also contains 12g sugar Congress could just as well classify sodas as vegetables... While tomato paste is not really unhealthy the fact that it always comes with a slice of pizza makes for a pretty shitty nutrition for school children.
fruits have a lot of sugar in them naturally. A glass of fruit juice has as much sugar as a soda. Unlike soda, they also have vitamins.
On November 20 2011 00:53 Simberto wrote: The most interesting thing about this Thread: It was started by someone from the Netherlands.
Almost all threads about sensationalized/misleading news stories about America are started by people from Europe. I'm guessing you can sell a lot of newspapers with tabloid journalism about what us crazy yankees are up to.
On November 20 2011 01:49 ggrrg wrote: So tomato paste counts as a vegetable now. Very interesting decision considering how much sugar is inserted in tomato paste. 100g tomato paste contains 12g sugar 100g Coca Cola also contains 12g sugar Congress could just as well classify sodas as vegetables... While tomato paste is not really unhealthy the fact that it always comes with a slice of pizza makes for a pretty shitty nutrition for school children.
I guess anything with 12 grams of sugar or more should count as a vegetable! Because that's exactly why tomato paste counts as one, lol...
Even if it's just tomato paste, it's still ridiculous. That shit has been through so many stages of processing that it can't be called particularly healthy.
On November 20 2011 00:53 Simberto wrote: The most interesting thing about this Thread: It was started by someone from the Netherlands.
Almost all threads about sensationalized/misleading news stories about America are started by people from Europe. I'm guessing you can sell a lot of newspapers with tabloid journalism about what us crazy yankees are up to.
Oh my god.... I just figured out how I'm going to become a millionaire. Even if the market is already saturated, the demand is simply insatiable. It's like legal crack!
On November 20 2011 00:53 Simberto wrote: The most interesting thing about this Thread: It was started by someone from the Netherlands.
Almost all threads about sensationalized/misleading news stories about America are started by people from Europe. I'm guessing you can sell a lot of newspapers with tabloid journalism about what us crazy yankees are up to.
Rofl, what a broad generalization that can not be farther than the truth.. People are waking up at breakneck speeds.. The next 10 years will be filled with riots, starting in Europe, then here at home. The financial sector has royally fucked us.
On November 20 2011 00:59 Xiphos wrote: I always put on spinach on top when I'm making mine. If you can really use only dough (which serves for carbohydrates), proper tomato sauce and spinach (vegetables) and cheese (proteins, calcium). Then Pizza is actually pretty healthy coupled with some salad.
Kinda doubt that school cafeteria's are going to be making this type of pizza, though. The problem with this isn't necessarily that pizza is super unhealthy for you, it's that considering them a vegetable means that real vegetables will be taken off of the menu with the excuse that pizza counts as enough vegetables.
Who cares about whether or not pizza can be considered "healthy". Some people live to eat and not eat to live and I cant blame them. The real problem is the people that think that they can eat whatever they want and not exercise.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
On November 20 2011 01:19 Conti wrote: Of course, the whole thing is still ridiculous even if you take out the sensationalism. I just find the sensationalism in this case just as ridiculous. Not to mention that people get it backwards, anyhow: It's not about declaring pizza/tomato paste as vegetables, it's about preventing the bill from declaring less tomato sauce as vegetables. Tomato sauce already is being declared a vegetable.
I like how, despite these two posts, everyone still just chimes in by ringing the bells of sensationalism. Congress actually made a ruling that is good (0.5 TB as vegetables would have meant Pizza had more servings, and been even more ridiculous). Furthermore, Pizza is no more a vegetable than a bunch of Oreos with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste slapped on.
Oh, and I like how the "article" throws in some GOP bashing too. We already know other countries dislike them, but I'm not even sure why they were mentioned since the "article" doesn't state much of anything about the actual process of the bill and what it had to do with political parties.
I get that it is getting classified as a vegetable because of the tomato sauce, but it's still idiotic because not only are tomatos fruits (as mentioned already), but congress's reasoning for putting this through is just to patch some hole they don't know how to deal with. Sure this will change numbers relating to health, but they're still advising pizza to be served as a replacement to actual veggies
On November 20 2011 01:40 TruthIsCold wrote: You people act like you don't know how government works already.
Like when someone goes to the police station and comes out with bruises... it's called "falling."
Or when they decide to give raises to the public unions who are already earning more than the average tax payer.... they call it "fairness."
Invading other countries... "Defense."
This has nothing at all to do with the United States, it has to do with the fact that government is corrupt everywhere on the planet. But I get that making fun of the US is hip and shit.
Meanwhile you're just sitting here 'defending America' and not actually discussing the nature or reasoning behind anything in the article. You should probably be enforcing that point in this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=283242
I'm reading many articles to try to find the right percentage of US population that is obese since this mornng i heard on the radio that nowadays it's 66%. I cant believe if you walk on any US street almost 7 person over 10 you'll see are obese... Can anyone confirm or invalidate this number because it looks unreal to me.
On November 20 2011 02:30 gds wrote: I'm reading many articles to try to find the right percentage of US population that is obese since this mornng i heard on the radio that nowadays it's 66%. I cant believe if you walk on any US street almost 7 person over 10 you'll see are obese... Can anyone confirm or invalidate this number because it looks unreal to me.
It doesn't seem anywhere near that bad, at least not where I live.
On November 20 2011 01:40 TruthIsCold wrote: You people act like you don't know how government works already.
Like when someone goes to the police station and comes out with bruises... it's called "falling."
Or when they decide to give raises to the public unions who are already earning more than the average tax payer.... they call it "fairness."
Invading other countries... "Defense."
This has nothing at all to do with the United States, it has to do with the fact that government is corrupt everywhere on the planet. But I get that making fun of the US is hip and shit.
Meanwhile you're just sitting here 'defending America' and not actually discussing the nature or reasoning behind anything in the article. You should probably be enforcing that point in this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=283242
On November 20 2011 02:26 Thug[ro] wrote: rofl stupid americans hahahahahaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
User was temp banned for this post.
I absolutely love that these two posts are right next to each other. I couldn't have planned it better myself.
There isn't much to discuss here, honestly. This thread wasn't made to discuss the nature of vegetables or sauce, it was made to make fun of the US. It's sad the moderators tolerate it so much. I've been scratching my head wondering why some of the posts on this site aren't getting warnings.
Regardless of what kind of foods are served in schools, kids are going to receive the vast amount of health-determining nutrition/malnutrition at their homes. Furthermore, there is nothing in the cafeteria that MAKES the child partake of the healthy food. That being said, the only place where we can ensure that the children actually get a legitimate opportunity to counteract foods which may be high in fat or calories is a quality physical education system and ample "recess" time for the kids to get out and exercise.
Our kids are fat as fatass... our adults are worse. Obesity because of people's laziness and ignorance is the NUMBER TWO cause of preventable death in the US. It is RAPIDLY catching up to smoking... and in 7 years will pass it at the rate its going. But don't worry, its cool. Our kids can eat pizza instead of leafy greens. Its the same thing right?
Fucking fatties. I'm so mad about this... I don't even.... arrrrgh.
On November 20 2011 00:56 hipsterHobbit wrote: It's dumb in that schools are required to serve particular servings of this and that in the first place.
It's your job as a parent to make sure your kid eats healthy. If the school doesn't serve healthy food, then the onus is on you, where it should be.
although i agree that making pizza a vegetable is laughable, the article has a clear bias. And when the bias is that blatent, I would assume it is being blown out of proportions to some extent. Regardless, I think its hilarious.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
Obviously. It's so much fun to see how easily people are manipulated by the media if they just affirm the people's stereotypes of others.
It's sensationalized, but still: the United States Congress gives in to pizza lobbyists that want them to count pizza as a serving of vegetables when feeding 5-15 year old children, effectively making them less healthy. Given that we know how much proper nutrition has a positive correlation with constructive behavior and good health, it's insane to have language such as this.
I would call that insane and well deserving of mockery, as they're still - in a way - counting pizza as a vegetable. Officially they're counting two spoons of tomato paste a vegetable, sure, and that's also quite silly as tomatoes are fruit and the paste used is quite sugary and only tomato-ish.
Of course, the whole thing is still ridiculous even if you take out the sensationalism. I just find the sensationalism in this case just as ridiculous. Not to mention that people get it backwards, anyhow: It's not about declaring pizza/tomato paste as vegetables, it's about preventing the bill from declaring less tomato sauce as vegetables. Tomato sauce already is being declared a vegetable.
People should pay attention to this, because the lobby groups are, in the end, only doing this to sell more pizzas to schools. But please, guys, get your facts straight.
It's not less tomato sauce as vegetables. It's 2 tablespoons atm and they wanted to make it 0.5 CUPS. And half a cup is more then 2 tbs. Read your own link ffs.... So much about your "Get your facts straight".
On November 20 2011 01:13 Chewbacca. wrote: People who want to be healthy aren't going to eat a slice of pizza and say, well there is a serving of vegetables and fruit, guess I won't eat anymore
You think thats whats going on in the brain of young kids in school? When I was a kid I would eat pizza every day if I could. Letting kids do that however, is fucked up.
I know it is, but that is why as a parent if you want to be sure that your child is eating healthy food you pack them a lunch from home. Schools are always going to mainly have junk food available because junk food is cheaper, and if they have both junk food and healthy food the healthy food is ignored by most.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
On November 20 2011 01:19 Conti wrote: Of course, the whole thing is still ridiculous even if you take out the sensationalism. I just find the sensationalism in this case just as ridiculous. Not to mention that people get it backwards, anyhow: It's not about declaring pizza/tomato paste as vegetables, it's about preventing the bill from declaring less tomato sauce as vegetables. Tomato sauce already is being declared a vegetable.
I like how, despite these two posts, everyone still just chimes in by ringing the bells of sensationalism. Congress actually made a ruling that is good (0.5 TB as vegetables would have meant Pizza had more servings, and been even more ridiculous). Furthermore, Pizza is no more a vegetable than a bunch of Oreos with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste slapped on.
Oh, and I like how the "article" throws in some GOP bashing too. We already know other countries dislike them, but I'm not even sure why they were mentioned since the "article" doesn't state much of anything about the actual process of the bill and what it had to do with political parties.
Nobody ever said anything about 0.5tbsp of tomato paste = now a vegetable. They wanted to make it 8tbsp instead of 2, but decided not to, as far as I can see. This is a step in the wrong direction, because now, as before, eating a pizza also counts that you're getting a serving of vegetable. Which you're clearly not, at least not in the healthy sense. Obviously if it were changed to 8tbsp, then a pizza wouldn't count as also coming with 1serving of vegetables, so it wouldn't be a valid option and may be phased out of school (gasp we can't have that)
Read your fucking sources people.
edit: on a sidenote, this quote fucking cracks me up
This agreement ensures that nutrient-rich vegetables such as potatoes, corn and peas will remain part of a balanced, healthy diet in federally funded school meals and recognizes the significant amounts of potassium, fiber and vitamins A and C provided by tomato paste, ensuring that students may continue to enjoy healthy meals such as pizza and pasta
Hear that? That's the collective sigh of USA giving up.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
On November 20 2011 00:50 eshlow wrote: U.S. Obesity health care costs currently exceed $147 billion.
But Congress thinks they are saving money by classifying pizza as a vegetable so they don't have to pay more money to get healthier foods in schools.
Makes sense to me.
makes sense if you or your children are not in school lol
this is just pretty ridiculous how can people even come up with that? but anyways those people who want to stay healthy wont eat more pizza now just because its labled as a vegetable now i guess so its not that big of a deal if you are a grown up
Anyone who thinks forcing kids to eat healthy in school is going to work is delusional anyways. The kids will eat what they like, and if the school doesn't serve stuff they like it will simply get thrown out.
Of course, you can make healthy food that tastes great. The problem is that school food is already crappy while being stuff kids do like. Getting healthy school food to taste good is a pipe dream imo.
On November 20 2011 03:27 D4V3Z02 wrote: Why did they make this step? Makes no sense at all..
They didn't make any step. Tomato pasted already counted as a serving of vegetables and they were going to change it so that it didn't. It shows how easily people can be manipulated by the media that people will repeat things like "Congress declares pizza is a vegetable" when it's not even close to the truth.
On November 20 2011 03:27 D4V3Z02 wrote: Why did they make this step? Makes no sense at all..
They didn't make any step. Tomato pasted already counted as a serving of vegetables and they were going to change it so that it didn't. It shows how easily people can be manipulated by the media that people will repeat things like "Congress declares pizza is a vegetable" when it's not even close to the truth.
No. You are wrong. Stupid americans think that pizza is a vegetable. hahaha so laughable. Dumb americans.That is why they are all so fat. Now I will go back to being from my irrelevant country with a population smaller than Mexico City.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
They just need to throw some olives and bell peppers and onions on those sumbitches and then nobody can argue whether or not pizza is considered a serving of vegetables.
And that's it, it's 'serving of vegetables', not 'pizza is a vegetable'. Those of you that aren't from the United States using this as a reason to country bash need to fuck off.
What the fuck happend to getting up 10 minutes earlier in the day and making yourself a healthy sandwitch you would bring to school? Why do you need a warm unhealthy meal in the middle of the day? Is it not normal in America to eat dinner when you get home?
The highschool I go to have a catine, even though a lot of people make their own lunch. In it you can buy different sandwitches, and monday-friday they make a warm meal that can be anything from fish to pizza. So I am taking some moral high ground here, but if people want a good lunch, steak some meat one day and put them cold on your luch with a salad. Tastier than pizza.
On November 20 2011 01:40 TruthIsCold wrote: You people act like you don't know how government works already.
Like when someone goes to the police station and comes out with bruises... it's called "falling."
Or when they decide to give raises to the public unions who are already earning more than the average tax payer.... they call it "fairness."
Invading other countries... "Defense."
This has nothing at all to do with the United States, it has to do with the fact that government is corrupt everywhere on the planet. But I get that making fun of the US is hip and shit.
Meanwhile you're just sitting here 'defending America' and not actually discussing the nature or reasoning behind anything in the article. You should probably be enforcing that point in this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=283242
On November 20 2011 02:26 Thug[ro] wrote: rofl stupid americans hahahahahaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
User was temp banned for this post.
I absolutely love that these two posts are right next to each other. I couldn't have planned it better myself.
There isn't much to discuss here, honestly. This thread wasn't made to discuss the nature of vegetables or sauce, it was made to make fun of the US. It's sad the moderators tolerate it so much. I've been scratching my head wondering why some of the posts on this site aren't getting warnings.
Well I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then. I think there is potential for proper discussion behind this, and I'm clearly not the only one since there are multiple people here posting in a civil manner. It's a shame that some people come in here and either simply bash the US or whine about people bashing the US. It's those people that manage to get the thread closed (as well as conversations like this now); the moderators simply allow the opportunity to not completely fucked it up. That post after mine you quoted demonstrates that as well. There isn't a lack of American moderators either, so I think that also goes to show something.
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
They just need to throw some olives and bell peppers and onions on those sumbitches and then nobody can argue whether or not pizza is considered a serving of vegetables.
And that's it, it's 'serving of vegetables', not 'pizza is a vegetable'. Those of you that aren't from the United States using this as a reason to country bash need to fuck off.
"In America 2tbs of tomato paste count as a vegetable" Still funny and enough fuel for people to bash America if they want
This is stupid to say the least I can eat chocolate covered strawberry but I wouldn't dare call that my daily serving of fruit. This is a very American idea though people will eat a salad then feel that it will be okay if they can eat dessert.
Absurd thin-skinnedness has claimed a potentially excellent thread as its victim, turning it into what could easily have been a series of quotes from an average DotA game where all the players have been forced to watch Jack and Jill - after a weekend marathon of Catwoman.
It's a shame, really, for there are a lot of goodies in this whole chirade. Anything from blatantly insane laws to provably incorrect article headlines spreadling like wildfire to how exactly these law processes even function - but no. We cant ever have nice things if touchy subjects like ethics, religion or a mentioning of the US are involved.
I'm both disgusted that Americans are dumb enough to think Pizza is a vegetable, but i'm also happy for the kids who will get Pizza in school more often.
I just want to say in this thread that, while this is ridiculously stupid, tomato actually can be and is considered a vegetable. The term "vegetable" itself doesn't have any scientific merit, and is entirely a culinary term by itself. While botanically a fruit, there is no rule that demands that fruits cannot be considered vegetable (and, in fact, they aren't mutually exclusive at all).
But it's still stupid to try and legitimatize the junk they serve in schools as "food" >.<
On November 20 2011 00:55 Conti wrote: No, that's not correct.
This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
Seriously? This isn't how to raise the overall health of the nation. Now people can justify their obsession with pizza even more by just telling everyone "oh, its a vegetable" and being okay with it.
Most entertaining are reactions of people who actually think, that US Congress indeed claimed pizza a vegetable
Unless anything covered in 2tbs of tomato paste is considered vegetable I don't see a problem at all. I've heard that potato paste maintains potato nutritious values rather well.
On November 20 2011 04:57 Latrommi wrote: Seriously? This isn't how to raise the overall health of the nation. Now people can justify their obsession with pizza even more by just telling everyone "oh, its a vegetable" and being okay with it.
Pretty sure someone who would stoop that low or be that stupid could find other excuses to eat pizza...
On November 20 2011 03:26 Conti wrote: This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
The USDA wanted half a CUP, which is more than you find on a pizza, not half a tablespoon of tomato sauce to be counted as a serving of a vegetable, the bill that was just voted on stopped that from being implemented, keeping it down at two tablespoons. Hence people saying that congress has ruled pizza to be a vegetable, which in the context of school lunches, they have done. If they hadn't passed the bill, it would have gone up to half a cup, which would have made pizza not a vegetable.
It annoys me that this post is going to be ignored and people are going to keep treating your post as if it's made of gold.
On November 20 2011 03:26 Sideburn wrote: This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
The USDA wanted half a CUP, which is more than you find on a pizza, not have a tablespoon of tomato sauce to be counted as a serving of a vegetable, the bill that was just voted on stopped that from being implemented, keeping it down at two tablespoons. Hence people saying that congress has ruled pizza to be a vegetable, which in the context of school lunches, they have done. If they hadn't allowed this, it would have gone up to half a cup, which would have made pizza not a vegetable.
It annoys me that this post is going to be ignored and people are going to keep treating your post as if it's made of gold.
I didn't ignore your post :D Reading articles is always a good idea, even if someone has good intention when providing summaries.
Shouldnt it be "contains vegetables" instead of "being a vegetable". As far as i know, Pizza's doesnt grow freely in nature and shouldnt be called a vegetable. If they wanna call it a vegetable dish then go ahead but not a vegetable
If i throw a slice of tomato on top of my burger it doesnt make it a vegetable, it makes it a... hamburger with some vegetables ><
On November 20 2011 03:26 Sideburn wrote: This is about whether tomato paste should count as vegetables or not. The whole "Pizzas are now vegetable!" meme is a pure invention. In fact, two table spoons of tomato paste already count as vegetable, so by the media's logic, pizzas already are vegetables.
The new bill initially proposed to change "2 tablespoons of tomato paste counts as vegetable" to "0.5 tablespoons counts as vegetable", but now they're back to the status quo (2 tablespoons instead of 0.5). That is all.
But of course it's much more fun to claim that the US now declares pizza a vegetable. People will go to your news site to read about that, regardless of whether it is a made-up fantasy or not.
The USDA wanted half a CUP, which is more than you find on a pizza, not have a tablespoon of tomato sauce to be counted as a serving of a vegetable, the bill that was just voted on stopped that from being implemented, keeping it down at two tablespoons. Hence people saying that congress has ruled pizza to be a vegetable, which in the context of school lunches, they have done. If they hadn't allowed this, it would have gone up to half a cup, which would have made pizza not a vegetable.
It annoys me that this post is going to be ignored and people are going to keep treating your post as if it's made of gold.
I didn't ignore your post :D Reading articles is always a good idea, even if someone has good intention when providing summaries.
I seriously recommend everyone does read the article Conti posted by the way, it lays out the other things this bill has done for the frozen food industry. The other main thing being that the USDA wanted to restrict starchy foods (fries and the like) to two servings a week.
But of course, people will continue to accuse others of American bashing, instead of looking at how congress just screwed American children.
I absolutely hate this type of sensationalist "news reporting." The stupidity, the ignorance, the complete disregard for what is actually important. These reporters who try so hard with lines like "Who needs leafy greens and carrots when pizza and french fries will do?" only embarrass the profession. They delude themselves into thinking they're a part of some sort of modern day muckraking, when all they do is write meaningless sensationalist articles purely intended attract the attention of masses with their simplified narratives, dumbed down enough that any person out there thinks they understand the issue by reading a few of their lines.
And to clear up one of the very simple logical errors in this story and the interpretations. When something doesn't change, you can't view that which was already there as a change just because it was not changed. So to fix your title, while still preserving the sensationalist simplified stupidity of it, it should read "Pizza is still a vegetable (well in the US it is)"
There are deep issues with public school cafeterias, and there are deep issues with the incentives of food industries not being in line with public health. But articles on subjects like this do nothing to help either. They simplify the issue and disguise it as "politicians are dumb sellouts and the food industry is evil." It only addresses a symptom, but not the cause.
Pizza a vegetable who would ever have thought that??? Pizza is actually healthier then some foods that are out there these days it all depends whats on it.
I've recently been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. He's trying to change the menus in schools to be healthier, but unsurprisingly is up against a lot of resistance. On one episode it's revealed that the USDA classifies french fries as vegetables as well. Worth a watch:
That little abortion jab in the beginning was completely unnecessary, can't believe a sane newspaper editor would let that by.
But I'm glad those Congressmen have our best interests in mind with that categorization. 2 tablespoons of processed tomato paste... should not be considered a vegetable.
yes, its stupid, but its not like they are saying pizza is a vegetable, it is saying that it has a serving of vegetables in the tomato paste. either way its stupid as hell, but not as stupid as people going "lol they think pizza is a vegetable"
On November 20 2011 05:56 Newbistic wrote: That little abortion jab in the beginning was completely unnecessary, can't believe a sane newspaper editor would let that by.
But I'm glad those Congressmen have our best interests in mind with that categorization. 2 tablespoons of processed tomato paste... should not be considered a vegetable.
I laughed soo hard at the write-up, and the situation in general... love my country sometimes!!!! pizza CAN be healthy, but I remember eating that elementary school pizza and it was just awful, tasted like cardboard topped with rubber...no way it had nutritional value......
Two tablespoons of tomato paste is not a vegetable. It's disgusting how this bill passed. What else does the pizza count as? Butter? Bleached flour? The amount of "vegetabe" on the pizza is so minimal relative to the rest of the ingredients that this is just a slap in the face to the health of America's youth. Can't wait to see the life expectancy to lower down to the age of 40 here (exaggeration). So much for the future. But really, what example is this showing the kids? If they start to think "Well the government says it's a vegetable", it'll clearly stick in their minds. As time passes, there will be "justifiable" reasons on why pizza really is a vegetable-based food, and dare I say, deem pizza healthy! Of course there's healthy pizza, but honestly, if anyone has seen an American school cafeteria, it's usually drowning in its own fat. =/
This one time, I was on skiing vacation in Switzerland near the Italian border. We stopped for lunch somewhere, and they served pizzas. We all agreed to order pizza, and my eye was on the Pizza Végétarienne: eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and radicchio.
So I order that, and (no joke) the waiter brings me a pizza with carrots, cauliflower and broccoli.
On November 20 2011 05:56 Newbistic wrote: That little abortion jab in the beginning was completely unnecessary, can't believe a sane newspaper editor would let that by.
But I'm glad those Congressmen have our best interests in mind with that categorization. 2 tablespoons of processed tomato paste... should not be considered a vegetable.
oyu are right, tomatoes are fruits!
This is both true and a hilarious response. If somebody is trying to justify poor eating habits then they will find a way. Is a deep fried banana still a banana? Sure it is, but its not what most would consider healthy. There is no reason to not classify a certain amount of tomato product as equivalent to eating a fruit if they have similar nutritional benefits, but there is no reason to then smear it on bread with cheese and call it healthy.
Lawl at dumb people who read tittle and think they know everything on the issue. 2tbs of tomato sauce counted as vegetables before and it does now also, not like anything changed. people are dumb.
putting pineapple on pizaa is almost the same as genocide....
think this is indeed just sensational tabloid news. They made the right decision, best would be to stop seeing tomato souse as a vegetible I would never consider tomato souse a vegetable... i try to eat 200 grams of vegies a day. Frozen stuf doesn't count for me, it kinda feels like i am cheating
On November 20 2011 06:16 Kuja wrote: Lawl at dumb people who read tittle and think they know everything on the issue. 2tbs of tomato sauce counted as vegetables before and it does now also, not like anything changed. people are dumb.
You're completely wrong sir. Maybe two table spoons of tomato sauce alone is a vegetable, but now they classified pizza itself a vegetable because of the sauce. As someone stated earlier, it was just a way to spend less money on healthier foods in schools.
A school cafeteria seems like a good way to raise funds for the school, in which case whatever sells well.... Why though, are any parents stupid enough to encourage their children to eat it, or to not actively discourage them from eating it? If parents are really so concerned with their children's health, which they are apparently not, then the solution is rather straight forward. What the government's responsibility is in arbitrarily labelling food as "a portion" of this or that I don't understand in the least. It should be entirely obvious to anyone, as the negative responses to school lunch pizza in this thread demonstrate, whether frozen fast food is healthy or not in complete disregard of any government mandate. Ignore the government, use your own judgement. And while you're at it, stop holding any expectations at all of the government in their issuing of such mandates, it only encourages them.
If you don't like it...send your kids to school with a bagged lunch? The problem I suppose is for the poorer families who can't afford to do so. I'm confused though, I always got a side of "salad" from my school whenever I got my pizza (Friday was pizza day! The best day of the week. And the only day I didn't bring in soup or a sandwich). Would this mean that now schools can SKIP that because the vegetables are now counted as a part of the pizza? Because I don't think that's smart...
Heh. I know the meme because it's a song that people use in China to facilitate teaching English. Heard it for the first time as a bunch of Chinese-English teachers were discussing songs to help teach a particular lesson. Never listened to the song as a kid, but apparently it's what a lot of non-Americans consider Americans to actually partake in. Can't really stop a world from believing something it wants to, "Ah fuck it, pizza is a vegetable." No use arguing.
HILARIOUS.....thats the usa i love....i remember this documentary where they show a elemental school somewhere in the usa, which has a lot of fast food for sale to the children....they interviewed one of them eating french fries everyday....it said :"its healthy because potatoes are vegetables" this is what it got told by its parents. altough potatoes really are vegetables, you get the point. thats how your kids are raised in america....good luck in the future....if your country has one..... the american goverment wants their people to be stupid, because if the majority wouldnt be stupid, there would be alot more riots going on against all the shit your goverment is doing every day
On November 20 2011 06:04 BreakfastBurrito wrote: I laughed soo hard at the write-up, and the situation in general... love my country sometimes!!!! pizza CAN be healthy, but I remember eating that elementary school pizza and it was just awful, tasted like cardboard topped with rubber...no way it had nutritional value......
At our school they actually told the kids the pizza was from Godfathers to make them "feel better" about it. Those were the days.
On November 20 2011 06:16 Kuja wrote: Lawl at dumb people who read tittle and think they know everything on the issue. 2tbs of tomato sauce counted as vegetables before and it does now also, not like anything changed. people are dumb.
You're completely wrong sir. Maybe two table spoons of tomato sauce alone is a vegetable, but now they classified pizza itself a vegetable because of the sauce. As someone stated earlier, it was just a way to spend less money on healthier foods in schools.
Food in American public schools was already absolutely awful in many places when I went to school. That it's getting worse is just completely ridiculous, especially since it affects poor families who rely on reduced price/free lunches the most.
On November 20 2011 00:50 eshlow wrote: U.S. Obesity health care costs currently exceed $147 billion.
But Congress thinks they are saving money by classifying pizza as a vegetable so they don't have to pay more money to get healthier foods in schools.
Makes sense to me.
Not arguing with you, but I actually learned that obesity is not a major contributing factor to rising health care costs in the US. There is a good bit of evidence that it in fact only accounts for a negligible increase in rising health care costs in the US. The primary factor in rising health care costs in the US is over consumption of medical technologies/treatment and health care products.
As someone who worked in the healthcare industry for a while, I think this man speaks the truth. I am curious where the $147 billion figure comes from, as well. Often, optimistic guesses are rationalized in the name of awareness and promotion.
I doubt cafeteria pizza has changed much from my elementary school days in the late 80s. 75% nasty cheese, 20% uncooked dough, and 5% toppings/sauce. This is why good parenting is essential. No amount of laws can create morals to govern society, but internalized morals can help people govern themselves.
On November 20 2011 06:20 henkel wrote: putting pineapple on pizaa is almost the same as genocide....
think this is indeed just sensational tabloid news. They made the right decision, best would be to stop seeing tomato souse as a vegetible I would never consider tomato souse a vegetable... i try to eat 200 grams of vegies a day. Frozen stuf doesn't count for me, it kinda feels like i am cheating
WTF are you talking about, pineapple pizza is amazing.
On November 20 2011 00:56 hipsterHobbit wrote: It's dumb in that schools are required to serve particular servings of this and that in the first place.
It's your job as a parent to make sure your kid eats healthy. If the school doesn't serve healthy food, then the onus is on you, where it should be.
errrr... what? of course schools should be required to follow certain standards in what food they provide... what planet are you from? + Show Spoiler +
Actually the tomato paste based pizza sauce on the pizza is considered a vegetable. The media likes to SAY that they called the whole slice of pizza a vegetable, but the tomato paste is considered a vegetable, since it has a substantial amount of your daily servings of vegetable in it. And this one slice of pizza isn't going to hurt kids. What really hurts kids is all the damned soda dispensers which parents have to give them x amount of dollars everyday to afford, parents giving them cellphones so they don't pay attention in class, parents not keeping a close eye on what they are doing so they go off and do drugs, and parents not giving a shit if their kids skip class. Oh and parents being lazy and giving them fast food all the time instead of cooking for them, preparing sack lunches in the morning, etc.. like my mom. My mom worked full-time and still found the time to watch over us sufficiently. There are more problems in the school than kids getting a slice of pizza on occasion.
On November 20 2011 07:47 Sinensis wrote: Pizza doesn't contain vegetables unless you're putting vegetables on top of them. Tomatoes are fruit.
My country is silly.
"While it is botanically a fruit, it is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes (as well as by the United States Supreme Court, see Nix v. Hedden), which has caused some confusion. The fruit is rich in lycopene, which may have beneficial health effects."
"Lycopene may be the most powerful carotenoid quencher of singlet oxygen,[20] being 100 times more efficient in test tube studies of singlet-oxygen quenching action than vitamin E, which in turn has 125 times the quenching action of glutathione (water soluble)[citation needed]. Singlet oxygen produced during exposure to ultraviolet light is a primary cause of skin aging.[21] Given its antioxidant properties, substantial scientific and clinical research has been devoted to a possible correlation between lycopene consumption and general health. Early research suggested some amelioration of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and even male infertility.[22]"
BUT GET THOSE FUCKING TOMATOES OUT OF MY KIDS FOOD! NOW!
lol
Furthermore, a potato is botanically a vegetable, but culinarily speaking a "starch" now you know a potato is not STARCH per se, but it is a "starch" and that line of thinking would obviously be accepted by you correct? Do you think kids can replace their vegetables in their diet with starches (potatoes) and be healthy? Obviously not, so knock it off, it's classification as a fruit is botanical symantics, nothing more.
The crazy thing is that this won't save any money. Vegetable are dirt cheap, probably the cheapest food you can buy. It just makes the food companies feel better about themselves, that somehow the food scientists at Congress have signed off on their so called healthy lunches.
EU officials concluded that, following a three-year investigation, there was no evidence to prove the previously undisputed fact.
Producers of bottled water are now forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict, which comes into force in the UK next month.
Last night, critics claimed the EU was at odds with both science and common sense. Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said: “This is stupidity writ large.
“The euro is burning, the EU is falling apart and yet here they are: highly-paid, highly-pensioned officials worrying about the obvious qualities of water and trying to deny us the right to say what is patently true.
“If ever there were an episode which demonstrates the folly of the great European project then this is it.”
I swear, the whole western economy is going to hell in a hand basket and governments are too concerned over whether pizza is a vegetable or water can prevent dehydration. Are they even trying?
On November 20 2011 07:49 Brees wrote: when is this thread gonna get closed/renamed? it was shown on the first page with a source that the title/article is completely misleading.
Not that misleading... Here's the list of events for those too lazy to read the article (apparently everyone)
-School pizza apparently comes with 2tbsp of tomato paste. -This 2tbsp of tomato paste is considered a vegetable, and thus this pizza slice comes with a serving of vegetables. This is important because federally subsidized meals must have certain amount of vegetables or they cannot be served -USDA comes along and says "yo wtf this is dumb, we want 8tbsp of tomato paste to qualify as a vegetable, 2tbsp is not enough" -Frozen food lobbyists realize that if this went unchallenged, then pizza would not be able to be served in schools anymore. This isn't good because they want money; who cares about the children's health. -So they do what they do best, lobby, and no change happens. 2tbsp of tomato paste is still a vegetable, pizza can still be served, and children can still get fat. Oh and they call pizza a healthy food as well. -Yay.
EU officials concluded that, following a three-year investigation, there was no evidence to prove the previously undisputed fact.
Producers of bottled water are now forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict, which comes into force in the UK next month.
Last night, critics claimed the EU was at odds with both science and common sense. Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said: “This is stupidity writ large.
“The euro is burning, the EU is falling apart and yet here they are: highly-paid, highly-pensioned officials worrying about the obvious qualities of water and trying to deny us the right to say what is patently true.
“If ever there were an episode which demonstrates the folly of the great European project then this is it.”
I swear, the whole western economy is going to hell in a hand basket and governments are too concerned over whether pizza is a vegetable or water can prevent dehydration. Are they even trying?
I have a strong feeling that the news outlets choosing to cover this (not that many) are taking things completely out of context to try to make a story out of nothing.
Even just reading the article you posted, they are banning putting it on bottles as a matter of public policy because apparently most cases of serious dehydration are not remedied by drinking water - but rather by addressing the underlying disease or illness causing the dehydration.
Classic case of journalists trying to make news out of nothing. You should read it as a kind of entertaining idea and story, but don't take it too seriously.
You do realize that attention like this is the exact reason why the media is getting out of control? It's only sensationalized because people blow it out of proportion. Seriously, what school DOESN'T serve fucking pizza for lunch? Surely, if we abolish pizza from our diet, all of the fatasses of the world will disappear!
Uh...what? What the shit? Did I read that hilariously wrong? Does it really say that pizza is, according to US congress, a vegetable like carrots or potatoes?
Its amazing what our government does to cut corners so fcuking dumb ... I am sorry the rest of the world for some of these American DUMBASS that we have live here no excuse for this lol.
Pretty dumb but pizza shouldn't be removed from school lunches. I think schools should be forced to have healthy options but that doesn't mean everything that isn't healthy or doesn't have x servings of vegetables needs to be removed.
Guys... Every country sucks in some ways. The main reason is Politics are corrupt everywhere.Why the hell do you think cigarettes are legal and Canabis is not? Becouse canabis gives you Weird ideas, so you are more difficult to control, while cigarettes lower your life expectancy, so you will not recive your monetary support for long (dont know how you call in english the money that you are given once yu are too old to work).
All those things are based on the same crap: Treat people like a whole (not like individuals), and factor them as benefit or a cost.
Anyone who even considers this idea will notice that its OBVIOUS, not some sort of rumor or consiracy. If yu look at JFK or Clinton, both short termed their time in power, and both were doing something that seemed good.
You would be amazed if you googled a bit the things out there. For instance, Global warming, where it started, how, how it was denied. Programed Obsolecence. Im guesssing there are quite more, but i decided its better to live dumb and happy than smart and sad/angry especially when a single human would have 0 influence on the sstem that rules us called sociaty.
The reason why good politicians have no chance is becouse bad ones will use BAD STUFF to beat them...
And why did they decide that? Was it like "kids don't eat enough vegetables, but every doctor says vegetables are really important to eat. So pizza will be a vegetable so kids will eat a lot of vegetables and it will be good for them" or what?
Can we get this thread renamed/closed please? The title is extremely misleading and as such is leading non-americans off on wild circle jerks about how much the USA sucks.
Furthermore, while tomatoes are indeed considered fruits by a botanist, they are most definitely considered vegetables in the kitchen.
On November 20 2011 09:22 bloodorc44 wrote: Can we get this thread renamed/closed please? The title is extremely misleading and as such is leading non-americans off on wild circle jerks about how much the USA sucks.
Furthermore, while tomatoes are indeed considered fruits by a botanist, they are most definitely considered vegetables in the kitchen.
Yeah i agree that its a bit cirkle jerkie, but the title in it self isnt the problem, its more that the OP doesnt explain what really was voted on ^^
On November 20 2011 09:04 mbsupermario wrote: Because it's not like that with politicians everywhere? The only reason shit like this gets attention is because foreigners LOVE to HATE America.
Pizza is not the reason people get fat. McDonalds is not the reason people get fat. A lack of moderation is why people get fat.
"foreigners" doesn't love to hate America. We just laugh at some of the things your government do/decide. I know that Americans are great people and friendly as hell, but sometimes you government is pretty messed up (yes even when compared to the rest of the "civilized" world),
You mean all that free pizza I ate throughout college was good for me?
Who is even the lobbyist behind this? I wouldn't have expected tomato farmers to pull much political weight (would be less surprised by corn-syrup to be labeled a vegetable that pizza. The fact that the government throws money at research for corn-ethanol to "protect the environment" is a good example of this.)
On November 20 2011 09:37 sheaRZerg wrote: You mean all that free pizza I ate throughout college was good for me?
Who is even the lobbyist behind this? I wouldn't have expected tomato farmers to pull much political weight (would be less surprised by corn-syrup to be labeled a vegetable that pizza. The fact that the government throws money at research for corn-ethanol to "protect the environment" is a good example of this.)
"It's an important victory," Corey Henry, spokesman for the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), told Reuters.
The trade association lobbied Congress on behalf of frozen pizza sellers, such as ConAgra Foods Inc and Schwan Food Co and french fry maker McCain Foods Ltd.
So remember, money for agribusiness is more important than children's health.
Parents can always pack lunches and there are plenty of healthy options. At least at my school we could get tuna/turkey on whole wheat bread-- skim milk is fine and there were plenty of fruit and veggie options.
No wonder USA is losing it's international presence day by day... This is just beyond words seriously. The article almost has to be leaving some information out..... Is ketchup also a fruit in USA? Is Fanta also a fruit?
This really doesn't matter much, the US school lunch system is terrible. There is a specific quota on servings of vegetables, fruits, proteins, etc and many ridiculous items are considered things they are not. A perfect example is ketchup, which is counted as a vegetable when its like PURE sugar and extremely unhealthy. In many schools NOT serving it with a school lunch is against the law as it means the lunch isn't meeting the vegetable quota, thus the school can get fined, sued, or other ridiculous things for NOT serving your child a 'complete meal'.
On November 20 2011 10:18 Sina92 wrote: No wonder USA is losing it's international presence day by day... This is just beyond words seriously. The article almost has to be leaving some information out..... Is ketchup also a fruit in USA? Is Fanta also a fruit?
We may be losing our international presence, but it's not from this. Seriously, how does labeling pizza as a vegetable really affect anything? There are so many bigger problems in the world. Yea, the USA may be "dumb" or do things differently than other places, but it's still the most influential and powerful country in the world. People like to shit on the US, but the USA gives more $ to charity than any other country in the world.
On November 20 2011 10:18 Sina92 wrote: No wonder USA is losing it's international presence day by day... This is just beyond words seriously. The article almost has to be leaving some information out..... Is ketchup also a fruit in USA? Is Fanta also a fruit?
We may be losing our international presence, but it's not from this. Seriously, how does labeling pizza as a vegetable really affect anything? There are so many bigger problems in the world. Yea, the USA may be "dumb" or do things differently than other places, but it's still the most influential and powerful country in the world. People like to shit on the US, but the USA gives more $ to charity than any other country in the world.
On November 20 2011 10:18 Sina92 wrote: No wonder USA is losing it's international presence day by day... This is just beyond words seriously. The article almost has to be leaving some information out..... Is ketchup also a fruit in USA? Is Fanta also a fruit?
We may be losing our international presence, but it's not from this. Seriously, how does labeling pizza as a vegetable really affect anything? There are so many bigger problems in the world. Yea, the USA may be "dumb" or do things differently than other places, but it's still the most influential and powerful country in the world. People like to shit on the US, but the USA gives more $ to charity than any other country in the world.
The same people that passed pizza as a veggie decide whether to go to war or not. It explains alot... I like americans, some of my friends are americans and I hardly have a bad thing to say about them, but when it comes to the congress & government the list is long.
And so what if they are giving money to charity? Nintendo spent more money on game development than USA did on their own schools. It's easy to pull facts out like that. Anyways, american people: generally very very good. The US government: occasionally making decisions that only 9 year olds would make...
On November 20 2011 10:25 fatworthlessvirgin wrote:
On November 20 2011 10:18 Sina92 wrote: No wonder USA is losing it's international presence day by day... This is just beyond words seriously. The article almost has to be leaving some information out..... Is ketchup also a fruit in USA? Is Fanta also a fruit?
We may be losing our international presence, but it's not from this. Seriously, how does labeling pizza as a vegetable really affect anything? There are so many bigger problems in the world. Yea, the USA may be "dumb" or do things differently than other places, but it's still the most influential and powerful country in the world. People like to shit on the US, but the USA gives more $ to charity than any other country in the world.
Not as % GDP.
Nor per capita...
It is not that people like to shit on the USA per se, it is just that the states have a lot more exposure and has proclaimed itself a rolemodel for the western world - which obviously will attract people shitting on them...
Let's go over the ingredients of a basic pizza: Crust - Grain Tomato Sauce - fruit/vegetable (you can take whatever side of the debate you want) Cheese - Dairy Toppings - Meat(more often than not)
Sooooo..... according to Congress --> Grain + Fruit + Dairy + Meat = Vegetable
if you dont like it dont eat it. dont blame fat kids on the government. people need to take responsibility for their actions. it is pretty silly that the government wants to call a fruit a vegetable though. pure corruption!
On November 20 2011 03:27 D4V3Z02 wrote: Why did they make this step? Makes no sense at all..
They didn't make any step. Tomato pasted already counted as a serving of vegetables and they were going to change it so that it didn't. It shows how easily people can be manipulated by the media that people will repeat things like "Congress declares pizza is a vegetable" when it's not even close to the truth.
No. You are wrong. Stupid americans think that pizza is a vegetable. hahaha so laughable. Dumb americans.That is why they are all so fat. Now I will go back to being from my irrelevant country with a population smaller than Mexico City.
User was temp banned for this post.
Such a magnificent failure in just two lines. Sarcasm doesn't work that way. Specifically you can't be sarcastic about the stereotype that americans are ignorant idiots and then prove you are one in the very next sentence by declaring whole countries irrelevant, because their population is under an arbitrary threshold set by you(apparently you, a population of 1, are "relevant" and "special").
Btw, Germany, the country of the first poster in the quote chain, does not have a lower population than Mexico City, so... a) You are randomly insulting a bunch of countries for no reason b) You don't know Germany has a higher population than Mexico City
So in conclusion... good job keeping the stereotype alive!
I can't help laughing that the US congress actually made the pizza a vegetable. Can now troll health activists that pizza is healthy and should be eaten daily. Seriously though, how can politicians not have common sense. Wonder how much money they were given by the lobby activists.
On November 20 2011 03:27 D4V3Z02 wrote: Why did they make this step? Makes no sense at all..
They didn't make any step. Tomato pasted already counted as a serving of vegetables and they were going to change it so that it didn't. It shows how easily people can be manipulated by the media that people will repeat things like "Congress declares pizza is a vegetable" when it's not even close to the truth.
No. You are wrong. Stupid americans think that pizza is a vegetable. hahaha so laughable. Dumb americans.That is why they are all so fat. Now I will go back to being from my irrelevant country with a population smaller than Mexico City.
User was temp banned for this post.
Such a magnificent failure in just two lines. Sarcasm doesn't work that way. Specifically you can't be sarcastic about the stereotype that americans are ignorant idiots and then prove you are one in the very next sentence by declaring whole countries irrelevant, because their population is under an arbitrary threshold set by you(apparently you, a population of 1, are "relevant" and "special").
Btw, Germany, the country of the first poster in the quote chain, does not have a lower population than Mexico City, so... a) You are randomly insulting a bunch of countries for no reason b) You don't know Germany has a higher population than Mexico City
So in conclusion... good job keeping the stereotype alive!
It's only natural for someone to get defensive and to begin making offensive responses to people when they've read 5+ pages of insults directed towards their country. Maybe try to be more understanding of his response instead of continuing to stereotype and criticize Americans. Honestly, his post was much more understandable and worthy of tolerance than many of the ridiculous nation bashing that preceded his, which have yet to receive a warning or ban I might add.
Truly shows the weight of corporate companies and advertisement in politics. Its too unrealistic to even be considered a joke. Why do I play starcraft 2? for fun, self motivation? no, to get away from idiots who make these justifications, shame on these people, the implications it will have are astounding.
On November 20 2011 03:27 D4V3Z02 wrote: Why did they make this step? Makes no sense at all..
They didn't make any step. Tomato pasted already counted as a serving of vegetables and they were going to change it so that it didn't. It shows how easily people can be manipulated by the media that people will repeat things like "Congress declares pizza is a vegetable" when it's not even close to the truth.
No. You are wrong. Stupid americans think that pizza is a vegetable. hahaha so laughable. Dumb americans.That is why they are all so fat. Now I will go back to being from my irrelevant country with a population smaller than Mexico City.
User was temp banned for this post.
i'm not fat.
it's obvious the government did this to cut corners and not have to revamp the school lunch system. it's nothing new to americans because they do stuff like this all the time, but this one is just extra funny because it makes the government look so stupid.
sigh, My school lunches when somethin like this. Frozen pizza , mexican pizza , pepperoni rolls, pizza bought from a local store, and for friday left over pizza.
Has less to do with making a ridiculous food item a vegetable and more to do with controlling what people eat. Here is what the bill does:" Block the Agriculture Department from limiting starchy vegetables, including corn and peas, to two servings a week. The rule was intended to cut down on french fries, which many schools serve daily. Allow USDA to count two tablespoons of tomato paste as a vegetable, as it does now. Federally subsidized lunches must have a certain number of vegetables to be served. Require further study on long-term sodium reduction requirements set forth by the USDA guidelines. Require USDA to define “whole grains” before they regulate them. The USDA rules require schools to use more whole grains."
Overall the story has been pretty sensationalized, as pizza is not a vegetable, but rather the tomato sauce(which is really a fruit). My question is why not regulate the "unhealthy" foods themselves instead of making these ridiculous tradeoffs involving potatoes, corn, peas, and tomato paste?
On November 20 2011 11:32 HappyChris wrote: lol only in US im wondering when burgers gonna be clasified as a vegetable
Actually, that isn't too much of a stretch in some cases lol. When I was in the Navy, the Wendy's on the Naval Air Station where I was stationed got busted for not rotating their beef patties by the Army inspectors. They ended up using the government issue (I was an SK- aka supply rating that picked these orders) hamburger patties which were something like 90% soy. I laughed everytime I went into Wendy's with their advertised 100% beef knowing full well that was BS. "Where's the Beef" indeed!
Kindof makes me wonder wtf these fast food places are really serving. Maybe pizza really is a vegetable in the US lol (that would be a relief actually) :D
On November 20 2011 01:20 FrodoAndTheSlobStix wrote: U.S is getting to the point we're no one is gona argue there opinions anymore with each other, but instead try to get the F out of the u.s.a. It's literally getting the point where it''s just wacky and scary. U.S.A is gona fall and fall hard and thank god. Sry if bad things happen to people, but in terms of bad people paying up. Thank god.
Yea and it wouldn't be a surprise with people like you in this country.
Admins. Please consider changing this thread to: "Tomato Sauce is a Vegetable (well in the US it is)" The topic is misleading and wrong. Even the reporting done on this states that pizza is not a vegetable.
On November 20 2011 14:35 metbull wrote: Admins. Please consider changing this thread to: "Tomato Sauce is a Vegetable (well in the US it is)" The topic is misleading and wrong. Even the reporting done on this states that pizza is not a vegetable.
Agreed, and that link in the OP is atrocious. It reads like a blog more than a serious news article. Making quips about defining fertilized eggs as human beings? Come on...
On November 20 2011 14:35 metbull wrote: Admins. Please consider changing this thread to: "Tomato Sauce is a Vegetable (well in the US it is)" The topic is misleading and wrong. Even the reporting done on this states that pizza is not a vegetable.
I can understand you can feel patriotic but why do you need to lie about it? I read all the articles on several news sources and the people that claim that tomato is considered a vegetable are wrong. If any change change it to "American style Pizza is considered a vegetable dish". You can't ignore the regulations that try to get children to eat more vegetables and the effect this whole pizza thing has on it.
Changing it would be both misleading and wrong and that's exactly your intention. The dough is not considered a vegetable but that's irrelevant.
Anyway, this is just another example of corruption in US politics.
Ahh, American politicians. Staying on form with insanity as usual, more in the coming hours. Stay tuned! Seriously though, this has Lewis Black written all over it. The funnies shall ensue en masse.
I was bored tonight, and after reading the OP I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I decided to do a little research into the bill itself, the vote, and whether or not this was a big deal! (The OP seemed to think it was)
First of all, let's look at what exactly this is about. The House Resolution all of the articles you are reading are talking about is H.R. 2112, also known as the "Minibus Appropriations bill." This contains the budget for a bill that was passed and signed into law known as the, "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act,(1)" or S.3307.ENR. Essentially, H.R 2112 is the budget for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
Now let's look at the first paragraph
"Hey, America! The GOP is, yet again, looking out for you. This week, Congress took a break from voting to make sure none of your tax dollars will go to all those abortion clinics NPR wants to open in our national parks, to pass a federal law that only the nation that invented Febreze would tolerate."
(2) On November 17, 2011, C-Span reported, " Here's how House members voted: 133 Republicans and 165 Democrats voted “aye,” 101 Republicans and 20 Democrats voted “nay.” 14 members did not vote. The Senate passed it 70 - 30, with all 30 votes of opposition ," So the sensationalized opening line is false, it was actually a bi-partisan vote that passed the bill.
"They have affirmed that pizza is a vegetable. Yes, the tomato sauce on pizza is enough for American politicians to define it and allow it to be served as a vegetable in school lunch programs across the US.”
Now let's look at the bill itself. It is a budget for the Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/Science, and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development, that totals 182billion dollars.
The topic that the OP talks about, that of Tomato Paste being a vegetable, is under Sec. 735, of a bill that is 158 pages long, and has 150 amendments.(3a)(3b)(3c) It is important to point out that it talks about the subject under one section. I can state with confidence that the topic of Tomato paste being a vegetable was in NO WAY the focus of the bill.
It would probably be prudent to mention what exactly this bill changed in regards to Pizza! Congress supposedly changed the amount of mandated tomato paste that is put into each pizza. The funny thing is the USFG isn't decreasing or increasing the amount. All they did was kept it the same... 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce on pizza will still be considered a serving of vegetables, as it has been for years. What they actually did was vote down a proposal that had asked for the amount to be increased to 1/2 a cup.
Is this a big deal? No. People are drawing attention to a tiny section of a much larger and much more important bill. They are saying that congress has defined pizza as a vegetable; in reality it has been that way for years. People are acting as if the intent of congress passing H.R. 2112, was to deal with nutrition in the schools. In reality it was about 182 billion dollars, going to many agencies for many reasons. It was NOT the sole purpose of this bill.
Thanks Therightside for bringing some intelligence to this thread, leave it to fuckwit redditors to make something that isn't a big deal become one, surely that doesn't happen too often.
The reason it is within the scope of congress is the fact that schools are federally funded. Any entity giving money to another expects certain regulations to be upheld. By funding the schools the federal government can create and enforce those regulations. Private schools do not need to follow them, only public.
On November 20 2011 16:49 Therightside wrote: (This is my first post! Yay!)
I was bored tonight, and after reading the OP I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I decided to do a little research into the bill itself, the vote, and whether or not this was a big deal! (The OP seemed to think it was)
First of all, let's look at what exactly this is about. The House Resolution all of the articles you are reading are talking about is H.R. 2112, also known as the "Minibus Appropriations bill." This contains the budget for a bill that was passed and signed into law known as the, "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act,(1)" or S.3307.ENR. Essentially, H.R 2112 is the budget for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
"Hey, America! The GOP is, yet again, looking out for you. This week, Congress took a break from voting to make sure none of your tax dollars will go to all those abortion clinics NPR wants to open in our national parks, to pass a federal law that only the nation that invented Febreze would tolerate."
(2) On November 17, 2011, C-Span reported, " Here's how House members voted: 133 Republicans and 165 Democrats voted “aye,” 101 Republicans and 20 Democrats voted “nay.” 14 members did not vote. The Senate passed it 70 - 30, with all 30 votes of opposition ," So the sensationalized opening line is false, it was actually a bi-partisan vote that passed the bill.
"They have affirmed that pizza is a vegetable. Yes, the tomato sauce on pizza is enough for American politicians to define it and allow it to be served as a vegetable in school lunch programs across the US.”
Now let's look at the bill itself. It is a budget for the Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/Science, and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development, that totals 182billion dollars.
The topic that the OP talks about, that of Tomato Paste being a vegetable, is under Sec. 735, of a bill that is 158 pages long, and has 150 amendments.(3a)(3b)(3c) It is important to point out that it talks about the subject under one section. I can state with confidence that the topic of Tomato paste being a vegetable was in NO WAY the focus of the bill.
It would probably be prudent to mention what exactly this bill changed in regards to Pizza! Congress supposedly changed the amount of mandated tomato paste that is put into each pizza. The funny thing is the USFG isn't decreasing or increasing the amount. All they did was kept it the same... 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce on pizza will still be considered a serving of vegetables, as it has been for years. What they actually did was vote down a proposal that had asked for the amount to be increased to 1/2 a cup.
Is this a big deal? No. People are drawing attention to a tiny section of a much larger and much more important bill. They are saying that congress has defined pizza as a vegetable; in reality it has been that way for years. People are acting as if the intent of congress passing H.R. 2112, was to deal with nutrition in the schools. In reality it was about 182 billion dollars, going to many agencies for many reasons. It was NOT the sole purpose of this bill.
2 Tablespoons of tomato sauce increased to half a cup... which is 8 tablespoons. That's the same slice of pizza with suddenly four times the normal amount of tomato sauce. I wonder how that would be implemented in practice had the bill actually passed.
On November 20 2011 18:39 Newbistic wrote: 2 Tablespoons of tomato sauce increased to half a cup... which is 8 tablespoons. That's the same slice of pizza with suddenly four times the normal amount of tomato sauce. I wonder how that would be implemented in practice had the bill actually passed.
It means that now eating pizza is as if the children are eating healthy food with lots of vegetables while if that regulation passed it would have meant pizza could no longer be served because the food they are supposed to eat has to contain ample vegetables. You can't add that much tomato paste to a pizza without turning it into a soup contained in a bowl of dough. So then maybe they would be eating dough wraps filled with vegetables instead.
That's why everyone that feels like they need to nit pit to correct the title are dead wrong.
But in reality what they need to do in the US is ban all processed food. Maybe they can then pass off tomato soup with tons of cheese as a vegetable dish. But they will still add crazy amounts if salt and fructose to the soup.
It would have just been another regulation for the pizza companies that have the contracts, for the public schools, to follow. It would have forced a change in recipe, but that's about it. It also would have increased the cost a little, but probably not by much.
Honestly, I feel like 1/2 a cup of tomato paste on a personal sized pizza would make for a rather liquidy pizza >.<
It means that now eating pizza is as if the children are eating healthy food with lots of vegetables while if that regulation passed it would have meant pizza could no longer be served because the food they are supposed to eat has to contain ample vegetables. You can't add that much tomato paste to a pizza without turning it into a soup contained in a bowl of dough. So then maybe they would be eating dough wraps filled with vegetables instead.
That's why everyone that feels like they need to nit pit to correct the title are dead wrong.
But in reality what they need to do in the US is ban all processed food. Maybe they can then pass off tomato soup with tons of cheese as a vegetable dish. But they will still add crazy amounts if salt and fructose to the soup.
Yes completely abolishing pretty much the entire infrastructure that produces food in the US is clearly the answer. No more ground beef! No more Pasturized eggs/milk! No more Beer! No more pizza!'
No. That is not what the US needs to do. People have the choice to eat non-processed foods, if they feel like paying the premium for them. Seeing as the entire world eats processed foods i'm not sure banning them in one country would matter much anyway.
It means that now eating pizza is as if the children are eating healthy food with lots of vegetables while if that regulation passed it would have meant pizza could no longer be served because the food they are supposed to eat has to contain ample vegetables. You can't add that much tomato paste to a pizza without turning it into a soup contained in a bowl of dough. So then maybe they would be eating dough wraps filled with vegetables instead.
That's why everyone that feels like they need to nit pit to correct the title are dead wrong.
But in reality what they need to do in the US is ban all processed food. Maybe they can then pass off tomato soup with tons of cheese as a vegetable dish. But they will still add crazy amounts if salt and fructose to the soup.
Yes completely abolishing pretty much the entire infrastructure that produces food in the US is clearly the answer. No more ground beef! No more Pasturized eggs/milk! No more Beer! No more pizza!'
No. That is not what the US needs to do. People have the choice to eat non-processed foods, if they feel like paying the premium for them. Seeing as the entire world eats processed foods i'm not sure banning them in one country would matter much anyway.
It would matter to the people in that country. I don't think he was suggesting it to save the world.
On November 20 2011 19:26 Therightside wrote: Yes completely abolishing pretty much the entire infrastructure that produces food in the US is clearly the answer. No more ground beef! No more Pasturized eggs/milk! No more Beer! No more pizza!'
No. That is not what the US needs to do. People have the choice to eat non-processed foods, if they feel like paying the premium for them. Seeing as the entire world eats processed foods i'm not sure banning them in one country would matter much anyway.
First, you missed the irony that all processed food in the US is loaded with additional sugar, fat salt and other substances to 'enhance' the flavor. In the US you can't get healthy processed food. This is even a problem in Europe. Those that produce the foods know very well that if they add less, people won't buy it because it won't taste as good.
Second, children don't have a choice. They are children. The decision is made for them. Right now their fate is to be fat and unhealthy.
Third, we are talking about schools for children only.
So think again because you launch into full force straw man.
On November 20 2011 01:00 deo1 wrote: Finally! It's about time! I ate pizza all the time in elementary school, I would have been so much healthier if they had just made it a vegetable sooner.
On November 20 2011 19:26 Therightside wrote: Yes completely abolishing pretty much the entire infrastructure that produces food in the US is clearly the answer. No more ground beef! No more Pasturized eggs/milk! No more Beer! No more pizza!'
No. That is not what the US needs to do. People have the choice to eat non-processed foods, if they feel like paying the premium for them. Seeing as the entire world eats processed foods i'm not sure banning them in one country would matter much anyway.
First, you missed the irony that all processed food in the US is loaded with additional sugar, fat salt and other substances to 'enhance' the flavor. In the US you can't get healthy processed food. This is even a problem in Europe. Those that produce the foods know very well that if they add less, people won't buy it because it won't taste as good.
Second, children don't have a choice. They are children. The decision is made for them. Right now their fate is to be fat and unhealthy.
Third, we are talking about schools for children only.
So think again because you launch into full force straw man.
How the hell can you say that with a straight face? All processed food? Out of all the food in the states?
It means that now eating pizza is as if the children are eating healthy food with lots of vegetables while if that regulation passed it would have meant pizza could no longer be served because the food they are supposed to eat has to contain ample vegetables. You can't add that much tomato paste to a pizza without turning it into a soup contained in a bowl of dough. So then maybe they would be eating dough wraps filled with vegetables instead.
That's why everyone that feels like they need to nit pit to correct the title are dead wrong.
But in reality what they need to do in the US is ban all processed food. Maybe they can then pass off tomato soup with tons of cheese as a vegetable dish. But they will still add crazy amounts if salt and fructose to the soup.
Yes completely abolishing pretty much the entire infrastructure that produces food in the US is clearly the answer. No more ground beef! No more Pasturized eggs/milk! No more Beer! No more pizza!'
No. That is not what the US needs to do. People have the choice to eat non-processed foods, if they feel like paying the premium for them. Seeing as the entire world eats processed foods i'm not sure banning them in one country would matter much anyway.
Millions of poor children eating reduced or free school lunches really don't have a choice. Not only that, but inadequate nutrition during children literally impedes brain development. Basically the story here is that Congress read the book The Time Machine and thought, "Hmm this is a good ideal! Fuck the poor, they should be grateful we suffer them to live!"
Not to mention, children are children. Good luck to parents who try to get their kid to eat healthy at school when they aren't even there. Some children don't care about nutrition, they care more about taste. Even if they have a choice, do you expect them to make the one you want?
On November 21 2011 01:42 WOPR wrote: USA agenda = afghanistan, iraq, iran. somewhere else and pizza!!!!!! u guys are fucked
Occupy ur brain and so something!
Butttt in US uf ay wee thinkk datt beying smmarrt makkes us nott abeul to fite in WWE. Andd dat is reel stoopid to nott fake fite. Pluss pizza tastes gooood.
Not sure if congress is troll . . . . Or just very very stupid. How the fuck did the vote get passed through? Or more like, how much money was involved in the bribery for this shit?
Every school also offers an option for you to make a small sub on wheat bread and choose all your fresh toppings. The kids who pick pizza are the football players who need the high calorie content in their food. I don't know where all these fat kids were because I graduated last year from high school and we maybe had 1 fat kid per 300 students.
On November 21 2011 06:52 SySLeif wrote: Every school also offers an option for you to make a small sub on wheat bread and choose all your fresh toppings. The kids who pick pizza are the football players who need the high calorie content in their food. I don't know where all these fat kids were because I graduated last year from high school and we maybe had 1 fat kid per 300 students.
Trust me when I say that NOT every school offers an option for a small sub on wheat bread with fresh toppings . . . .
On November 21 2011 06:52 SySLeif wrote: Every school also offers an option for you to make a small sub on wheat bread and choose all your fresh toppings. The kids who pick pizza are the football players who need the high calorie content in their food. I don't know where all these fat kids were because I graduated last year from high school and we maybe had 1 fat kid per 300 students.
"Every School"?
Most schools I've been to don't. And I've been in schools multiple states around the country. Elementary and middle school kids have VERY little choice on what they can choose on lunches in most schools. I'm sure there are even worse schools around the nation than the ones I've been to.
Congress ignoring what experts in the field recommend and catering to interest groups. What a surprise. It's just a little more shocking than usual cause they are screwing kids over and not just everyone.
I urge anyone who hasn't go and read my post on page 13 that puts this whole thing in context.
On November 20 2011 22:21 Suisen wrote:
First, you missed the irony that all processed food in the US is loaded with additional sugar, fat salt and other substances to 'enhance' the flavor. In the US you can't get healthy processed food. This is even a problem in Europe. Those that produce the foods know very well that if they add less, people won't buy it because it won't taste as good.
Second, children don't have a choice. They are children. The decision is made for them. Right now their fate is to be fat and unhealthy.
Third, we are talking about schools for children only.
So think again because you launch into full force straw man.
First, the blanket statement that all processed foods are bad for you, is false. For example, milk is considered a processed food because it's pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to keep fats from separating. You do have the option of drinking "Raw" milk, but that has a higher risk of causing food-borne illness.
Second, your wrong, children do have the choice, you can argue they are unable to make the decision, which would be a truer statement, and really depends on the grade level we are talking about. Keep in mind the parents who don't want their children eating pizza, or whatever else they may serve, will send them to school with a home-made lunch. Also we are talking about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste vs 1/2 cup. This hardly is the main cause of childhood obesity and is in no way the focus of the bill,
Third, his statement said that the US needed to outlaw all processed foods. He did not limit it to schools, so actually that in no-way was a straw man. If his suggestion was followed all of those foods I listed would be gone.
Fourth, again we are all losing sight of the fact that this bill H.R. 2112 was the budget for 5 whole departments with this issue being mentioned in only 1 section of the entire bill. It is hardly a big deal in any way.
On November 21 2011 07:32 Qwalt wrote: Lol, you're all so ignorant.
Pizza is also bread/milk/meat(depending on whats on it)
I think you guys should have paid more attention in health class.
Did any of you even read article?
Says a PORTION OF VEGETABLES.
Not that pizza=vegetable
Well the bad thing is that they can qualify something that has more bread/milk/meat/whatever in it than it has vegetables in it as a portion of vegetables. I think everybody knows pizza doesn't all of a sudden grow on plants just because congress says so.
On November 21 2011 08:47 TheGiftedApe wrote: You guys do realize that congress is doing this as a protest to michelle obama trying to force strict food regiments on Us schools right?
I doubt it. As stated previously this was a very very small part of a very very large bill. I don't think that specific section got alot of attention at all. It was hardly a coordinated effort of congress to make a statement. It was more something in the background that didn't matter much compared to the other issues in the bill.
On November 21 2011 08:47 TheGiftedApe wrote: You guys do realize that congress is doing this as a protest to michelle obama trying to force strict food regiments on Us schools right?
I doubt it. As stated previously this was a very very small part of a very very large bill. I don't think that specific section got alot of attention at all. It was hardly a coordinated effort of congress to make a statement. It was more something in the background that didn't matter much compared to the other issues in the bill.
exactly.....it was placed in the background to smite michelle obama, there would be no other reason for them to add that now. It's embarrassing that congressman actually spend their time on such nonsense. The timing would suggest I am correct, Michelle obama proposes the reform food in school bill, congress adds this pizza is a vegetable to their bill.... Either way, trolling has no place in congress imo.
On November 21 2011 08:47 TheGiftedApe wrote: You guys do realize that congress is doing this as a protest to michelle obama trying to force strict food regiments on Us schools right?
On November 21 2011 08:47 TheGiftedApe wrote: You guys do realize that congress is doing this as a protest to michelle obama trying to force strict food regiments on Us schools right?
I doubt it. As stated previously this was a very very small part of a very very large bill. I don't think that specific section got alot of attention at all. It was hardly a coordinated effort of congress to make a statement. It was more something in the background that didn't matter much compared to the other issues in the bill.
exactly.....it was placed in the background to smite michelle obama, there would be no other reason for them to add that now. It's embarrassing that congressman actually spend their time on such nonsense. The timing would suggest I am correct, Michelle obama proposes the reform food in school bill, congress adds this pizza is a vegetable to their bill.... Either way, trolling has no place in congress imo.
No, you are incorrect. The only reason it was included in this bill is because the budget needed to be approved for the bill that made the actual changes, that was passed in 2010. It was not added in to smite Michelle Obama, it was put it because it had to be. The budget for FY2012 had to be passed, and this was a tiny part of it. Read my post on page 13 to see exactly what bill i'm talking about.
Was it placed in the background to smite Michelle Obama? No.
There would be no other reason to add it. Actually as stated above the budget for the FY2012 had to be passed, and that encompassed this.
Congress adds this pizza as a vegetable to their bill. Actually they didn't they continued the current policy that 2 tablespoons of tomato paste can be considered a serving of vegetables. No change was made.
honestly, as a german i´d pity you guys over there in the states for your food policy, if and only if our status quo was any better. Well it isnt, google up german food scandals over the past 5 years, i stopped counting em.
On November 21 2011 06:52 SySLeif wrote: Every school also offers an option for you to make a small sub on wheat bread and choose all your fresh toppings. The kids who pick pizza are the football players who need the high calorie content in their food. I don't know where all these fat kids were because I graduated last year from high school and we maybe had 1 fat kid per 300 students.
On November 21 2011 10:33 Eschaton wrote: Shit just keeps getting crazier, pizza now pepper spray is a vegetable thats good for our students. Go figure!
On November 21 2011 08:47 TheGiftedApe wrote: You guys do realize that congress is doing this as a protest to michelle obama trying to force strict food regiments on Us schools right?
I doubt it. As stated previously this was a very very small part of a very very large bill. I don't think that specific section got alot of attention at all. It was hardly a coordinated effort of congress to make a statement. It was more something in the background that didn't matter much compared to the other issues in the bill.
exactly.....it was placed in the background to smite michelle obama, there would be no other reason for them to add that now. It's embarrassing that congressman actually spend their time on such nonsense. The timing would suggest I am correct, Michelle obama proposes the reform food in school bill, congress adds this pizza is a vegetable to their bill.... Either way, trolling has no place in congress imo.
Uh, the reason is campaign contributions from ConAgra and other such players. What Michelle Obama likes or dislikes is a non-concern compared to cold, hard cash.
hooray for more even shittier school food. But you guys are forgetting that the arguments aren't what really matter its the fact that lobbyists represent companies that make huge campaign contributions that sway the congressmen's decision more than a little bit.
On November 20 2011 00:56 hipsterHobbit wrote: It's dumb in that schools are required to serve particular servings of this and that in the first place.
It's your job as a parent to make sure your kid eats healthy. If the school doesn't serve healthy food, then the onus is on you, where it should be.
So if you have parents who lack education, you're not worthy of living a healthy life? Come on I don't understand how corporate interest can stop the president from giving children the chance of eating healthy food atleast when they're at public schools... So fucked up on so many levels. Even more funny considering the amount of flack Obama's recieving.
Edit. I'm totally expecting hearing that apples will be replaced by hamburgers in food stores ^_^
How this thread is still open is beyond my understanding. It's 16 pages of largely uniformed people spouting off nonsense because of a bias article or a stupid thread title. Hey, let's have another insult America's stupidity thread, those are always great!
Who needs context or facts when you can have sensationalism?
Hmm seems like the lobbyists from the food industry successfully circumvented (in a ridiculous and so obvious way) a healthy effort/law made by the government to make school food healthier and therefore push the life quality of us students. It reminds me of the health system in America, which is so corrupted by lobbyist that I as an European can only stare at it in disbelief. Why do American citizens allow that companies abuse them that way? I'm also amazed by the bullshit that Obama had to take because of his moves on the health care system. U know this lobbyists really ABUSE the fear of the average Americans of too much government control. Every little step towards that will be described as communism/socialism, but what the people don't understand is that they are being tricked into their own disadvantage if they follow that fear. In Germany f.e. everybody HAS to pay health insurance, but because everybody pays it, everybody gets the same/best treatment and therefore everybody can afford it. It is actually pretty simple once it works, but it is hard to get to that point once a country has let private corporations build up their own businesses and therefore their own rules.
On November 24 2011 08:29 I_Love_Bacon wrote: How this thread is still open is beyond my understanding. It's 16 pages of largely uniformed people spouting off nonsense because of a bias article or a stupid thread title. Hey, let's have another insult America's stupidity thread, those are always great!
Who needs context or facts when you can have sensationalism?
Well isn't the real story that the white house is trying to get pizzas out of the school lunch in favour of healthier food, but they got beaten by congress because of heavy lobby work. It's like the definition of a bribe, isn't it? What people are bashing is how politics is so heavily influenced by private money. Being able to buy the support of the congress takes away the point and the legitimacy of a democracy.
On November 24 2011 08:29 I_Love_Bacon wrote: How this thread is still open is beyond my understanding. It's 16 pages of largely uniformed people spouting off nonsense because of a bias article or a stupid thread title. Hey, let's have another insult America's stupidity thread, those are always great!
Who needs context or facts when you can have sensationalism?
Well isn't the real story that the white house is trying to get pizzas out of the school lunch in favour of healthier food, but they got beaten by congress because of heavy lobby work. It's like the definition of a bribe, isn't it? What people are bashing is how politics is so heavily influenced by private money. Being able to buy the support of the congress takes away the point and the legitimacy of a democracy.
Yeah but it's a constitutional right to bribe politicians so long as it is not an explicit quid pro quo.
My god, the OP updated his OP to claim that his title wasn't misleading, and he included a post which never once says that pizza was defined as a vegetable.
They simply said pizza CONTAINED A SERVING OF VEGETABLES. My god are people really not understanding this? We can debate all we want about the whether or not tomato paste is healthy or not. That doesn't change the fact that the title of the thread is misleading. Pizza is not being defined as a fucking vegetable.
So wait, all that pizza that made me fat was not the reason?!?!?! Thank you america! This is actually one of the more stupid things I have heard because I hate to admit it but I am one of those kids who suffered from this bull shit, it took a lot of work getting to a health weight because of the crap that I was never told not to eat.
On November 24 2011 12:07 MuATaran wrote: So wait, all that pizza that made me fat was not the reason?!?!?! Thank you america! This is actually one of the more stupid things I have heard because I hate to admit it but I am one of those kids who suffered from this bull shit, it took a lot of work getting to a health weight because of the crap that I was never told not to eat.
Wow.... just wow....
You really need government to hold your hand to tell you that pizza is not a very healthy food? Come on now... You weren't living under a rock, and you don't lack common sense do you?
I guess you just want to blame your weight on someone other than yourself. If you want to blame anyone, maybe blame your parents for not teaching you that eating healthy is important. No offense, that's just how it sounds when someone says "no one told me not to eat pizza." This is why we have nanny governments and disclaimers that say "do not put the KY jelly on bread, this is not for eating."
On November 24 2011 08:29 I_Love_Bacon wrote: How this thread is still open is beyond my understanding. It's 16 pages of largely uniformed people spouting off nonsense because of a bias article or a stupid thread title. Hey, let's have another insult America's stupidity thread, those are always great!
Who needs context or facts when you can have sensationalism?
Well isn't the real story that the white house is trying to get pizzas out of the school lunch in favour of healthier food, but they got beaten by congress because of heavy lobby work. It's like the definition of a bribe, isn't it? What people are bashing is how politics is so heavily influenced by private money. Being able to buy the support of the congress takes away the point and the legitimacy of a democracy.
Yeah but it's a constitutional right to bribe politicians so long as it is not an explicit quid pro quo.
Speaking of "constitutional", I would argue that this "congressional super committee" that made this decision is unconstitutional in and of itself. Seems like a way for public officials to avoid having scars on their public voting records on sensitive and controversial subjects that could threaten their re-election.
This wasn't just about pizza either, french fries and whole grain foods were also "on the menu".
Another reason why this is so ridiculous is that this "super committee" hasn't been able to agree on anything so far, except where special interest bribes are concerned (and at the expense of school nutrition).
If you look at any bill in the US these days, you'd find hilarity like this in all of them. Congress refused to pass a bill to give medical care to 9/11 firemen out of the fear of "some of them being terrorists and leeching off the American Health Care ssytem". They passed a bill to regulate Wall Street but made sure the bill had no funding to actually do the regulating. They spend their time reaffirming the "In God We Trust" motto rather than trying to reduce the deficit. etc. etc. etc.
It's hard to believe that at one point, a Republican President created the EPA which actually cleaned the air. I mean, who'd have thought the government can do things like helping people live a better life?
Congress doesn't decide what goes on school lunch menus. If you want your kids to eat healthier either have them bring a healthy lunch to school or convince the school to serve healthier food. There's no need to make every government decision an act of Congress.
This is just a minimum standard to receive Federal funding...
On November 24 2011 12:24 Snackysnacks wrote: Please update the op so that pizza has a SERVING of vegetables, im tired of all the country bashing and such...
Congress has a 9% approval rating with AMERICANS. Before you start getting tired of everyone else bashing America, perhaps you should first make sure Americans aren't bashing themselves?
On November 24 2011 12:24 Snackysnacks wrote: Please update the op so that pizza has a SERVING of vegetables, im tired of all the country bashing and such...
Congress has a 9% approval rating with AMERICANS. Before you start getting tired of everyone else bashing America, perhaps you should first make sure Americans aren't bashing themselves?
Did exclude "AMERICANS" from my statement. I'm well aware that half the posts in this thread comes from my country bashing upon itself.
Are you perhaps trying to say this to prove im a stupid American or something? Or that I am blind just like the rest of my country? That was not needed, Yo.
On November 24 2011 12:26 JonnyBNoHo wrote: Congress doesn't decide what goes on school lunch menus. If you want your kids to eat healthier either have them bring a healthy lunch to school or convince the school to serve healthier food. There's no need to make every government decision an act of Congress.
This is just a minimum standard to receive Federal funding...
Not a big deal.
It isn't that simple for everyone. There are many children that receive subsidized lunches that can't just bring their own healthier lunch, for example. How can parents convince schools that are facing massive budget cuts to serve healthier, more expensive food?
On November 24 2011 12:24 Snackysnacks wrote: Please update the op so that pizza has a SERVING of vegetables, im tired of all the country bashing and such...
Congress has a 9% approval rating with AMERICANS. Before you start getting tired of everyone else bashing America, perhaps you should first make sure Americans aren't bashing themselves?
Did exclude "AMERICANS" from my statement. I'm well aware that half the posts in this thread comes from my country bashing upon itself.
Are you perhaps trying to say this to prove im a stupid American or something? Or that I am blind just like the rest of my country? That was not needed, Yo.
I'm trying to imply that if something sucks, people can bash it. Not bashing something that sucks is anti-American. Hence the 9% approval rating. Preventing people from ranting about horrible government policies is... well, communism.
And please, you're trying to defend Congress on semantics. The true goal of Congress is that they want to both appease their lobbyists as well as make it seem like they're promoting healthy eating. It's this disgusting two-faced bull**** that has made the public lose their faith in the government.
On November 24 2011 12:24 Snackysnacks wrote: Please update the op so that pizza has a SERVING of vegetables, im tired of all the country bashing and such...
Congress has a 9% approval rating with AMERICANS. Before you start getting tired of everyone else bashing America, perhaps you should first make sure Americans aren't bashing themselves?
Did exclude "AMERICANS" from my statement. I'm well aware that half the posts in this thread comes from my country bashing upon itself.
Are you perhaps trying to say this to prove im a stupid American or something? Or that I am blind just like the rest of my country? That was not needed, Yo.
I'm trying to imply that if something sucks, people can bash it. Not bashing something that sucks is anti-American. Hence the 9% approval rating. Preventing people from ranting about horrible government policies is... well, communism.
And please, you're trying to defend Congress on semantics. The true goal of Congress is that they want to both appease their lobbyists as well as make it seem like they're promoting healthy eating. It's this disgusting two-faced bull**** that has made the public lose their faith in the government.
No, i just want stupid people to stop being stupid. Yes, go ahead and comment that tomato paste and ect are not a serving of vegetables. Everything you state about "congress true goal" is in fact my view on everything, i agree with you. Now, lets discuss like this.
Or, have it your way, ill take all my comments back, and enjoy a thread with posts like these
On November 21 2011 01:42 WOPR wrote: USA agenda = afghanistan, iraq, iran. somewhere else and pizza!!!!!! u guys are fucked
Occupy ur brain and so something!
On November 21 2011 04:55 Orcasgt24 wrote: Good. Now I can say I eat alot of veggies. Well done congress on making another great decision.
On November 21 2011 06:37 jax1492 wrote: i ate pizza every Friday in school when i was a kid, i don't see anything wrong with it .... but to classify it as a vegetable is insane.
All i asked for, was changed to be more correct. You take it as my point of view. I wish to stop ignorance.
It says a "serving size" of pizza contains within it the equivalent "one serving" of vegetables under the food pyramid guideline, which is... probably not true. But they didn't say pizza itself is a vegetable. I'm sure at least ten other people have said that already, why is this thread still open except some of the shit people are saying is hilarious
On November 24 2011 12:07 MuATaran wrote: So wait, all that pizza that made me fat was not the reason?!?!?! Thank you america! This is actually one of the more stupid things I have heard because I hate to admit it but I am one of those kids who suffered from this bull shit, it took a lot of work getting to a health weight because of the crap that I was never told not to eat.
Wow.... just wow....
You really need government to hold your hand to tell you that pizza is not a very healthy food? Come on now... You weren't living under a rock, and you don't lack common sense do you?
I guess you just want to blame your weight on someone other than yourself. If you want to blame anyone, maybe blame your parents for not teaching you that eating healthy is important. No offense, that's just how it sounds when someone says "no one told me not to eat pizza." This is why we have nanny governments and disclaimers that say "do not put the KY jelly on bread, this is not for eating."
Because when your in elementry school you should know better than to think that pizza is healthy for you right? In all my years in public school not once was I ever taught about proper nutrition. The only thing they show you is that outdated food pyramid thats supposed to teach you how much of which foods to eat. I had to learn about nutrition on my own when I was tired of being overweight not only from eating the food from school but also the food my parents would prepare for me. They wernt properly educated about nutrition and had I not taken it upon myself to learn I would have no clue about proper nutrition besides what the government teaches you in public school.
A lot of people are dismissing this topic, but this is a very important one for me. The quality of food and nutrition in the US is absolutely atrocious. From personal experience, I once lived as an ex-pat and at one point traveled back and forth between the US and Italy with my ex-wife. What we noticed, and everyone over in Italy, is that when we came back from the US, after a few days they would notice that we had lost some weight and our skin colour would return. When we were in the US we lived off of one meal a day (as much as we could afford at that time) and in Italy we ate like freakin' royalty... 3 huge meals a day.
A big part of it, in my opinion, is that there is no invested interest in the health of the citizens in this country- no universal health care system. Unregulated corporate capitalism that begins marketing to kids at a young age and exploits consumers with powerful advertising and marketing to a public without a safety net when they get sick. The same conservative view that wants to allow unfettered capitalism denies consumer protections to those affected by it.
There are some good books on the subject, and this interview is a good one with the author of "Food Rules".
On November 24 2011 12:26 JonnyBNoHo wrote: Congress doesn't decide what goes on school lunch menus. If you want your kids to eat healthier either have them bring a healthy lunch to school or convince the school to serve healthier food. There's no need to make every government decision an act of Congress.
This is just a minimum standard to receive Federal funding...
Not a big deal.
It isn't that simple for everyone. There are many children that receive subsidized lunches that can't just bring their own healthier lunch, for example. How can parents convince schools that are facing massive budget cuts to serve healthier, more expensive food?
The difference between the two regulations is small... so only pack a lunch every other pizza day. Probably it would cost around $50 / year... not much!! And if you are that poor just use your food stamp cash or EIC tax credits...
True that local schools are facing budget cuts but the Federal government isn't doing much better!
On November 24 2011 12:24 Snackysnacks wrote: Please update the op so that pizza has a SERVING of vegetables, im tired of all the country bashing and such...
I agree, a better title would be "U.S. Congress Supports Pizza Industry Profits Instead of Reducing Malnutrition in Schoolchildren"
On November 24 2011 12:24 Snackysnacks wrote: Please update the op so that pizza has a SERVING of vegetables, im tired of all the country bashing and such...
Congress has a 9% approval rating with AMERICANS. Before you start getting tired of everyone else bashing America, perhaps you should first make sure Americans aren't bashing themselves?
Did exclude "AMERICANS" from my statement. I'm well aware that half the posts in this thread comes from my country bashing upon itself.
Are you perhaps trying to say this to prove im a stupid American or something? Or that I am blind just like the rest of my country? That was not needed, Yo.
I'm trying to imply that if something sucks, people can bash it. Not bashing something that sucks is anti-American. Hence the 9% approval rating. Preventing people from ranting about horrible government policies is... well, communism.
And please, you're trying to defend Congress on semantics. The true goal of Congress is that they want to both appease their lobbyists as well as make it seem like they're promoting healthy eating. It's this disgusting two-faced bull**** that has made the public lose their faith in the government.
No, i just want stupid people to stop being stupid. Yes, go ahead and comment that tomato paste and ect are not a serving of vegetables. Everything you state about "congress true goal" is in fact my view on everything, i agree with you. Now, lets discuss like this.
Or, have it your way, ill take all my comments back, and enjoy a thread with posts like these
On November 21 2011 06:37 jax1492 wrote: i ate pizza every Friday in school when i was a kid, i don't see anything wrong with it .... but to classify it as a vegetable is insane.
All i asked for, was changed to be more correct. You take it as my point of view. I wish to stop ignorance.
Well, ketchup is a vegetable in the U.S. in a previous decision to fuck over untermensch children, so it's understandable how people might thing that this means pizza is a vegetable too now.
a meat-lover's pizza may be considered a vegetable i have no follow-up to the ridiculous thoughts i have, but there must be some vegetarians face-palming somewhere
On November 25 2011 07:34 Alejandrisha wrote: Nice! My diet just became more vegetable inclusive. USA FTW
Yes, because before this, your Pizza's contained Toothpaste instead of Tomato Paste. Thanks to Congress, your vegetable intake has increased.
Remind me why people are being so stupid over this? Anyone could tell you that yes, a Cheeseburger with a slice of tomatoes, onions and a few pieces of lettuce does, in fact, have vegetable content. Only an idiot would say that because those toppings add up to a single serving of vegetables, Cheesburgers magically become more healthy.
On November 25 2011 07:34 Alejandrisha wrote: Nice! My diet just became more vegetable inclusive. USA FTW
Yes, because before this, your Pizza's contained Toothpaste instead of Tomato Paste. Thanks to Congress, your vegetable intake has increased.
Remind me why people are being so stupid over this? Anyone could tell you that yes, a Cheeseburger with a slice of tomatoes, onions and a few pieces of lettuce does, in fact, have vegetable content. Only an idiot would say that because those toppings add up to a single serving of vegetables, Cheesburgers magically become more healthy.
Actually, these guidelines do state that the toppings add up to sufficient nutrition. Even if you hate children, you should just abstain from having any instead of trying to stunt the growth of other people's children.
On November 24 2011 12:24 Snackysnacks wrote: Please update the op so that pizza has a SERVING of vegetables, im tired of all the country bashing and such...
Congress has a 9% approval rating with AMERICANS. Before you start getting tired of everyone else bashing America, perhaps you should first make sure Americans aren't bashing themselves?
Did exclude "AMERICANS" from my statement. I'm well aware that half the posts in this thread comes from my country bashing upon itself.
Are you perhaps trying to say this to prove im a stupid American or something? Or that I am blind just like the rest of my country? That was not needed, Yo.
bro. calm down.
of all the things people bash our country for, this one is the most well deserved. not sure if you have some special respect for congress, but i sure as hell don't. this just goes to reaffirm the fact that america is run by yahoos. sure you can defend them and say that they're calling the content of the pizza a vegetable, but for fucks sake it's greasy tomato paste full of salt and sugar. the bigger point of the article is that there is nothing "vegetable" about a pizza, but congress doesn't give a shit because they're congress.
It doesn't really matter, when you give kids a choice they eat shit anyway, you could have a smorgasbord of fruits and vegetables in a highschool cafeteria and one pizza oven, and there would be a line a mile long for pizza.
From what I understand pizza was already considered a vegetable, and this article says that the requirement for pizza being considered a vegetable should not be altered. I don't see why this article is a huge problem for some people. I'd imagine most people on here would never consider Pizza a vegetable regardless of what the silly politicians and lobbyists have to say about it. I do, however, think this article highlights a continuing problem with health standards in the U.S. Apparently a greasy, cheesy piece of flat bread can be considered a vegetable as long as you smear some tomato paste on it (funny, because the government has previously classified tomatoes as a fruit, but that's beside the point). With that mindset I can eat fast food all I want as long as there's tomatoes and onions on my burger! It's a difficult situation. Ideally I would say kids need to be better educated on the effects of eating unhealthy food, but let's be honest, they're kids and pizza tastes good. It's tough to convince mature adults not to pig out on unhealthy food, why should we expect kids to behave better?
On November 25 2011 07:34 Alejandrisha wrote: Nice! My diet just became more vegetable inclusive. USA FTW
Yes, because before this, your Pizza's contained Toothpaste instead of Tomato Paste. Thanks to Congress, your vegetable intake has increased.
Remind me why people are being so stupid over this? Anyone could tell you that yes, a Cheeseburger with a slice of tomatoes, onions and a few pieces of lettuce does, in fact, have vegetable content. Only an idiot would say that because those toppings add up to a single serving of vegetables, Cheesburgers magically become more healthy.
Actually, these guidelines do state that the toppings add up to sufficient nutrition. Even if you hate children, you should just abstain from having any instead of trying to stunt the growth of other people's children.
Are you serious? So because Congress changed the guidelines, you're telling me that you're going to feed your kids Cheeseburgers and Pizza all the time, because it contains one serving of vegetables?
I don't need any help seeing that a slice of tomato, pieces of lettuce and onions add up to a half-decent amount of vegetables. Just like I don't need any help seeing that a Cheeseburger's nutritional value does not change because Congress changes some numbers on a guideline.
If 2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste genuinely do contain the necessary nutrients to be considered a serving of vegetables, then eating 2tbsp worth of Tomato Paste inside a Pizza means you ate a serving of vegetables. If you, or anyone else, needs their hand held by Congress to clarify that having one serving of vegetables does not constitute a healthy meal alone, then there are far more serious issues than some numbers on a chart.
On November 20 2011 00:50 eshlow wrote: U.S. Obesity health care costs currently exceed $147 billion.
But Congress thinks they are saving money by classifying pizza as a vegetable so they don't have to pay more money to get healthier foods in schools.
Makes sense to me.
Not arguing with you, but I actually learned that obesity is not a major contributing factor to rising health care costs in the US. There is a good bit of evidence that it in fact only accounts for a negligible increase in rising health care costs in the US. The primary factor in rising health care costs in the US is over consumption of medical technologies/treatment and health care products.
Actually... you're wrong, in World (more notable in US and México) the factor that contributing more to incrase the money that heatlh care sistems need is chronic-degenerative diseases all related to obesity 'cause they hit economical stability in LONG TERMS way. So diseases like diabetes, hypertension, left cardiac failure are consecuences of obesity and costs goverment the 70% of money given to health care in purposes of treatmen... that amount is still rising...
EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/UwPJZ.jpg)
no excuse for this lol.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WoJg1.jpg)
