"craving" is a misused term, taken hostage by the dieting industry where the meaning of the word has been lost...
we don't crave sweets that are bad for us over sweets that are good for us...people crave water when they're thirsty and food when they're hungry...what we do when we pick one food over another is show our preferences, not our cravings...no one ever craved a snickers bar (til the snickers' people told us we did) and no one preferred a snickers bar over an orange until they'd had both -- but only if the snickers came in its colorful packaging; i'd venture to guess that the first time someone came across a snickers-like confection with no idea how it tasted, they viewed it with the same disdain you would have for a pile of dung not yet smelled...without the ad agency behind it, a snickers bar is just a brown lump...

the more relevant question is "what drives our preferences?" and clearly advertising is at the wheel...
to compare the advertising of strawberries and snickers bars -- well, you can't really because only one is actually advertised...one tasting better than the other depends on what we prefer which is largely determined by what we choose most often...even if you thought to eat strawberries instead, you gotta hand it to snickers bars: they're easier to access, easier to store, available year round, more filling, ready-to-eat, not gonna mold after a week in the fridge, and less expensive...additionally, snickers has a whole lot more advertising dollar behind it what with flashy and colorful commercials, packaging, and variety...none of that has anything to do with how it tastes but it sure does something for the decision making process...
it's simply easier and more financially feasible to grab a snickers bar -- so, many people do...
if snickers advertised with their nutrition label instead of their colorful logo, they'd be in a hurt wouldn't they?

but even for the newly informed consumers who have already tasted the sweet nectar that is high fructose corn syrup and trans fat, buying sugarless, low-cal, low-fat, foods and drinks is their way of, pardon the pun, getting their cake and eating it too...

people develop a liking for what is most readily available and most financially feasible...putting aside one or both in favor of nutrition is a relatively recent dilemma for the human diet...when just about everyone farmed, just about everyone had readily available fresh fruit and vegetables...prep time wasn't an issue because there was no choice between what they had and something else -- there was nothing else...now, just about everyone buys from the store where one aisle of fruits and vegetables must compete with several other aisles of food that can be prepared in a very short period of time for a lot less money...

time and money, while important considerations, aren't nearly as important as one's health...unfortunately, we see our time and money slipping away at a much faster rate than our health so we put more effort into conserving the former at a cost to the latter...

[ July 28, 2005, 04:07 AM: Message edited by: msdiana ]

unique, I was totally with you on the canned veggie thing -- I consider canned green beans to be a special type of abomination -- but I see frozen veggies as a way to eat things out of season. Otherwise, I buy fresh fruits and veggies mostly in season, whatever's on sale. I'll also put in my usual plug for local farmers' markets. Everything is so much fresher than at the big stores.

My husband does the bulk of the grocery shopping so sometimes the most convenient food is whatever he had 12 coupons for. However, I make it a point to have fresh produce.

Good nutritional food is a priority here. I think it's too important to do without.

Unique, I learned from studying extensively the health of vegetables that they are picked fresh in the fields cleaned thoroughly and "flash frozen" which is the halthiest process possible. This way most all the nutrients and flavor remain. I doubt anyone, even someone with an unlimited food budget could eat all the veges and fruits on those food pyramids. I think sometimes its not how much of the good stuff we eat but how much of the bad stuff we do not eat that governs our overall health!

I know flash frozen is the *best* for preserving nutrients - they just don't taste right (to me) because I'm used to fresh. I do buy frozen peas to add to pasta salad, etc. Sometimes other frozen veg to *hide* in a recipe - but just to eat plain, as in a side dish - only green peas & corn make the cut.

chatty, great point about the good and bad foods.

This time of year we have a local Farmer's Market. It's one of the highlights of my week. The atmoshpere is friendly, fun, and contagious. The fruits and veggies are to die for. Do any of you shop at local farmer's markets?

We miss my uncle's trips out east to the farm stands. (he has passed) My cousin brought us peaches from Georgia....and I could have eaten them for breakfast-lunch & dinner!!!

We luckily have quite afew produce places around here that sell fruits & veggies for less....and the quality is decent.

We are going to try and plant a garden next summer. Now that we ripped the hideous bushes out & have room!!!

We also miss my uncle's garden.....his backyard was huge! He had veggies in one section--and the rest was out of a magazine with flowers/rocks/plants!!!

Theres one outside in Henderson NV all summer and its great. Thats one of the things I miss about the Midwest, the summer markets and the apple orchards and pumpkin fields later in the year.

I used to work with a woman who lost 5 lbs just by eliminating diet soda from her diet. She began to drink iced tea instead.

I do like my diet coke.

Makes you think!
Daisygirl

Hi Ladybug! I didn't want you to think I was ignoring you. I got your email but was too busy to reply yesterday and today, hotmail is not working! I will respond ASAP.
We do seem to have a lot in common. I do not take any medications either, and I have heard all that stuff about the milk and what the hormones do to young girls. I have never liked diet soda and I only consume soda maybe once every couple of months. I basically drink water,
except for my morning coffee, and the occassional margarita! The only time I have milk is in my coffee and if I have a little raisin bran for breakfast. I walk almost every morning and I believe I'm in good health. It sounds like we have very similar views on health and spiritual issues, too. I look forward to getting to know yoou even better!