6.281
13 (Tue) October 2015
RD’s Dinner
2.5
at Lotte Hotel Guam
-Tumon Bay, Guam-
with meeting participants
Mission to the United States, Day 4 (see previously 6.280 Chamoru Pot Roast).
In Guam. Arrived Saturday morning. Here to attend WPRO’s annual RCM — hottest event of the year — Monday through Thursday. Flying back next Saturday.
Another feast, nothing lavish, just a standard if well-executed hotel buffet.
While I did take photos of everything, I’m not showing them here, lest such a display give off the appearance, however specious, of glorifying gluttony.
Yes, yes, Vegemite is junk food. High in sodium. Plus added sugar. In fact, it would fail our nutrient profile model, an algorithm that determines which foods and beverages should be prohibited from being marketed to children. Even if Vegemite were the healthiest thing ever, it would still be kinda gross.
Okay, yes, it is high in sodium. Certainly isn’t health food
(cont.)
Sorry, phone acting up.
Anyhow, while it is high in sodium, it’s a condiment…not exactly meant to be slathered on. It is a good source of B vitamins though…(vegans?).
A serving of vegemite has less sodium than a serving of kimchi.
And without the marketing I doubt anyone would ever try it.
1. you raise a good point that beneficial nutrients (eg vitamins) also need to be considered in addition to negative ones, when determining whether a food is “healthy.”
2. you’re also right that quantity is a key consideration, whether in one sitting or over the long haul. this is why “unhealthy food” is not necessarily the same thing as “unhealthy diet.”
3. but going back to point 1, if V is consumed in small quantities to minimize the harms of sodium, then it’s also too little to provide much in the way of the good stuff.
4. and in reality, i’ve seen aussies “slather” on V, even on chinese food. roughly, 2 teaspoons per meal x 3 meals would amount to about half the daily recommended (lower) limit of sodium intake.
5. as for kimchi, i haven’t been able to find a definitive sodium content, but the few sources that i’ve seen seem to suggest that it’s far less than V, pound for pound (so to speak). but to reiterate various points above, koreans do eat kimchi in far greater quantity, so ultimately it probably does contribute more sodium to the diet, though the other health benefits would probably outweigh the bad.
6. in my job, we’re looking at marketing to children. if adults want to eat V, go ahead. but we don’t want kids growing up thinking of the product as some kind of magic food, which may then influence their consumption patterns through life.