tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post7373435125476570808..comments2024-03-16T18:45:35.334-04:00Comments on On Second Scoop: Ice Cream Reviews: A thoughtful counterpointDubba Scoopshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135130511349727532noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post-713590963386672142010-06-06T18:14:08.903-04:002010-06-06T18:14:08.903-04:00I think a lot of the reason that Ben and Jerry'...I think a lot of the reason that Ben and Jerry's gets a "pass" when it comes to childhood obesity has to do with how they target their marketing and their business model as a whole. Sugary cereal, soda, and fast food companies tend to target children as well as adults and sell a much larger volume of their product. Also those products probably seem to be a much better "value" to uneducated parents due to the amount of food they offer for the price.<br /><br />I'm not saying that ice cream doesn't by its vary nature target children but I don't think that Ben & Jerry's makes any effort to do so for their product. Also I think it is just a lot easier for the media/nutritionists/experts to target a broad category like fast food or sugary cereals in order to try to make an impression on people.<br /><br />I guess I fall on the other side of the aisle in terms of how I feel about government regulation of what we eat. I'm all for a soda tax and I think that all restaurants should be required to release at least a rough estimate of the nutritional values of their meals. <br /><br />As both Adam and Dubba have said, in the end it all comes down to moderation and making smart choices as a parent. I can't even begin to count the number of times that I've eaten a pint of Ben & Jerry's in a single sitting, knocked back an entire bag of Doritos or finished an entire box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch + 1/2 gallon of milk over the course of two or three hours. These were all terrible ideas in terms of quantity but are all perfectly fine as long as you know when to stop.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13382595984815548865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post-49121680312929344592010-06-04T12:37:19.092-04:002010-06-04T12:37:19.092-04:00Joe,
Point taken. I took my lunch to school every...Joe,<br /><br />Point taken. I took my lunch to school everyday and was raised to eat healthy, so perhaps I did not experience the "normal" American cafeteria experience like you're making reference to. But then again, I find that often 'health freaks' (sorry for the term, but basically those in the whole 'OMG YOU'RE TAKING UR KID TO MICKY D's') stereotype anyone eating cheap or processed food as someone who LIVES off that stuff. Look, I eat very healthy all day, and will usually have one absolutely crap item to balance it out (a small fry, a donut, a box of lucky charms or so have you -- whatever I have a coupon for, lol) on some days. Maybe I'm a little sensitive based on experience, but I just don't understand how someone can decry that. In my experience, the whole situation is based on pretension. Aka, it's ok to enjoy expensive, 'organic' or 'sustainable' treats in moderation, but not enjoy anything else in moderation. And again, it goes back to activity level, balancing things, and all that stuff.Adamhttp://grubgrade.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post-21364041209741662922010-06-03T16:15:09.088-04:002010-06-03T16:15:09.088-04:00if ever there was a post for ranting, this is it!if ever there was a post for ranting, this is it!Dubba Scoopshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07135130511349727532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post-1389773258655835332010-06-03T14:41:34.477-04:002010-06-03T14:41:34.477-04:00I tend to eat healthy but in way am I a watchdog o...I tend to eat healthy but in way am I a watchdog or someone who tries to force anyone to eat differently than how they prefer, but the comments from Adam sort of confuse me.<br /><br />He says it irritates him when groups try to regulate "less" than nutritious options at schools but then those same groups do not rally against Ben and Jerry's and other similar companies. Later he says that he is all for so called bad foods in moderation. Well, the problem here is that all that crap food is not being served in schools in moderation, it's all the kids are given every day so moderation has been thrown out the window. Add to that, a lot of busy families then go out and hit up McDonald's because it's cheap and quick; that's just piling it on some more. Things like Ben and Jerry's ice cream are not considered a meal and probably aren't options that are potentially considered three times a day EVERY day like chicken nuggets or fries are.<br /><br />Love the blog, sorry for the rant!Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post-16830271722876872772010-06-03T05:55:21.598-04:002010-06-03T05:55:21.598-04:00I suppose one possible way to view Ben and Jerry v...I suppose one possible way to view Ben and Jerry versus cereals versus fast food versus etc, is that we make first a rough divide into two:<br />1) normal, everyday food<br />2) luxury items (and here "luxury" doesn't mean horribly expensive or difficult to get by, but simply something that's not a part of the normal diet).<br /><br />My opinion is, that the stuff in the first group should be healthy, and it makes sense to control the amount of fat/sugars in them. So, I'm very happy if someone controls the amount of sugar in cereals. In my opinion, there should be absolutely no added sugar in cereals, and the natural sugar should be very limited.<br /><br />When it comes to the second groups, hey, what does it really matter if these items contain a bit more fat than you should perhaps get in one serving? It is about balance, and you aren't supposed to eat Chunky Monkey for breakfast, Cookie Dough for lunch, Chocolate brownie for dinner, and Baked Alaska as snacks! (Unfortuntely. ;)<br /><br />Of course, there is the problem of people (me included) eating ice cream a bit more often than perhaps should, but that's individual choices. It's pretty obvious that this stuff is not normal healthy diet food, and that it never should be considered as one.<br /><br />Um, sorry about rambling. I'm just trying to say that if it's pretty obvious that something is a dessert, then it would be really strange if the fat contents were seriously controlled. And all natural incredients is good (because those belong to the body, and if you get a bit too much of those, well, eat a bit less the next day or go jogging, but one can't use the similar approach with something that doesn't belong to the body in the first place). And on the other hand, if it's supposed to be healthy, and eaten every morning, then I'm all for reducing sugar and controlling the amount of fat.<br /><br />Well, this was pretty obvious. Anyway, have a wonderful summer!Kristiinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post-80591255935836639562010-06-03T01:38:28.600-04:002010-06-03T01:38:28.600-04:00Thanks for posting this - I'm not 'against...Thanks for posting this - I'm not 'against' Ben and Jerry's - but I do find them to be a bit glorified, so I appreciate the expression of the different viewpoint. I appreciate all of the reviews - thanks for what you're doing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post-9127216811496675302010-06-02T21:12:02.924-04:002010-06-02T21:12:02.924-04:00great, now you have me thinking about my personal ...great, now you have me thinking about my personal favorite, frosted rice krispies!<br /><br />keep on bloggin'Dubba Scoopshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07135130511349727532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384329692727378622.post-21665778430803663332010-06-02T19:33:21.672-04:002010-06-02T19:33:21.672-04:00I appreciate the response. I still think Ben and J...I appreciate the response. I still think Ben and Jerry's gets the relative "pass," but it's clear that we both accept the idea that good tasting food that may be "bad" for you can still be enjoyed in moderation. Perhaps one of our differences is in our favorite snacks. I get off on Lucky Charms and chicken mcnuggets. They're cheap, mass produced, and have come under a lot of scrutiny because of the business models they represent. But at the end of the day, I enjoy them in moderation, and it bothers me to see the sugar police or the additive try to label me as this or that because I eat them from time to time. We’re both just passionate individuals who have a great love for our favorite foods, and I think you taking the time to respond really shows that.<br /><br />Again, appreciate the response.Adamhttp://grubgrade.comnoreply@blogger.com