Food for thought (pardon the pun!) from Dr. John at PaleoTerran:
[Industrial foods] can be more than just sustenance. You eat Paleo because it gives you the nutrients you need. But the reason industrial foods flourish in our culture is because they do more than nourish. When you’re bored, industrial foods entertain – just think of the fun shapes they take, from animal crackers to alphabet soup. When you’re sluggish, industrial foods provide a boost, whether as a caffeinated beverage, or a sugary treat. And when you need comfort, industrial foods have a variety of meals to make you feel better. … Industrial foods make a sedentary existence bearable.
Weight Maven is written by Beth Mazur. Beth believes that obesity is more symptom than cause and that the real problem is our modern culture -- especially diet. Beth writes about ancestral health, health policy, & mindfulness. And cats! 
I seem to be okay when I eat anything in small amounts, even heavily processed junk food.The problem with the processed food is that it starts me on a binge that can go on for hours.
After a binge, I feel bloated, sluggish, and sleepy.
If only I had a time machine, so I could go back a few hours and tell myself to not start on a binge.
Dr John doesn’t mention that many industrial foods are also convenient, for example, canned soup. People don’t eat canned soup for entertainment, even alphabet soup. Another example: bags of chicken and pasta in the frozen food section. I currently buy low-sodium chicken broth and add to it. One of my goals in 2012 is to learn how to make chicken broth, because I absolutely love soup, but not everyone has the time or desire to do this.
Dr John concludes in the article: “I wanted to express that the activities filling our day influence our dietary choices, and that our dietary choices influence the activities we engage in daily. Behind this was a vision of a culture transformed by Paleo, where people ate well, and then filled their lives with activities that nourished their hearts and minds.”
I believe that the above statements and his statement that “Industrial foods make a sedentary existence bearable” are a bit simplistic. It would appear on the surface that an article in today’s Los Angeles Times Health section would support this philosophy. The article described how a change of eating habits gave a young couple more energy.
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-1219-pantry-raid-follow-up-20111226,0,5673991.story
Previously, their way of eating had consisted mostly of corn chips and cheese or packaged macaroni and cheese with hot dogs added. Of course, they felt more energetic after changing to eating more nutritious food. However, I would maintain that most people don’t eat at this extreme.
People “fill their lives” with work to pay their mortgages and other bills. Many people are sedentary because the type of work that they do is sedentary, not because of their food choices. Even eating Paleo wouldn’t change a person’s need to sit at a computer for hours at a time if that person’s job required it.
Beth, I have seen the word “Paleo” used so much that I don’t know what it means anymore. Does Dr John mean Dr Courdain’s “Paleo” definition or does he mean food that is not processed?
What an incredible discussion, filled with implications about modern life. Many of us no longer LIVE, in the most meaningful sense of the concept; instead we must earn our living. We don’t choose to feel empty or isolated or powerless. We feel bad when we don’t know how to find lasting meaning and meaningful connections in spite of our busy, full lives. Any foods may provide comfort, and changing the kinds of foods we eat while hoping we will in turn change our level of need for comfort represents a kind of magical thinking.
hopefulandfree, You’re too deep for me, as I don’t understand your point.
“Changing the kinds of foods we eat” does not equate to “hoping we will in turn change our level of need for comfort.” I believe that I speak for a lot of people that their changing the foods they eat is an effort to eat more healthfully, be it to ward off diabetes, to prevent high blood pressure, to lose weight, etc.
Both a bag of chips and a nice juicy plum provide moments of pleasure. I daresay, though, that not too many people would choose the plum when they are seeking comfort.
Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who are living meaningful lives and have meaningful connections as much as they are able to.
@MrsS–I simply meant that changing our diets doesn’t change how much comforting we need in a fast paced world where close and meaningful social bonds are difficult to create and difficult to sustain. I changed my diet, got rid of metabolic syndrome and all that entails, and now feel healthier than I have in many years. But my need to feel comforted hasn’t changed because, contrary to the article, I wasn’t eating comfort foods because I felt “bored” or because I was “sedentary”. I was in emotional pain from life-long chronic stress and insecurity, and I discovered at a young age that a high carb diet (whole grains, lots of fruit, not “industrial” in the usual sense) helped my brain more readily manufacture neurochemicals that provided a kind of sedation. The same diet (and chronic stress) resulted in metabolic syndrome.