Thursday, August 14, 2008

Healthy Food

In a nutrition class, I remember hearing that if given the choice, humans, particularly young ones, would choose healthy foods as their bodies craved nutrients for their growing bodies. If this is true, why are we a nation in the middle of a health crisis? We obviously are not choosing broccoli at the StuffMart.

More complicated than that, the human body has been programmed to go first for high fat, something rare and hard to attain when one had only a rock to bring down one's steak for the night. Think it's just us humans, though? Horses crave grain, something they must search for tiny morsels in the wild. Given the chance to get into it, they eat enough grain to kill themselves.

Many people don't know that chickens love meat. If I throw them the kitchen slop, they go after meat first, fighting over it and carrying it to a corner to try to keep it to themselves. After meat, they crave white carbs, particularly bread, but also cake, pancakes, corn cobs, anything white. Fruit comes in third with veggies coming in last - just like many of today's Americans.

Speaking of chickens, Arby posted about his crowing hen. I have heard of that, Arby, especially in the absence of a rooster. And, you need to re-think calling them "dumb". Chickens are very smart - at being chickens. How many human adults do you know that if turned loose in the woods, could fend for themselves, finding food, finding mates, and reproducing? Chickens, however, are another story.

Arby also asks, "What are the odds of getting four roosters in batch of four eggs?" Great math problem. So readers, what are the odds that having hatched four eggs, all four are roosters? Answer tomorrow.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

The vast majority of the writing at Arby's Archives reflects the writer, not the subject matter. My chickens are excellent at being chickens. The biggest problem they have is putting up with the city boy taking care of them, but they tolerate my abject ignorance quite well. I still do not understand the attraction that three of them have with roosting on the back of a patio chair, side-by-side, their beaks inches from my patio door, sleeping after the sun sets, but I have five other chairs to choose from, so we all get to enjoy the cool evening air. Maybe tonight I'll try squatting on the back of the chair...

Junosmom said...

Well, Arby, no offense meant - I sometimes shake my head at my chickens, too. They also prefer finding their own roost to going into the chicken tractor. In our case, however, it might have something to do with a door being open one time and a giant monster (the raccoon) coming in to eat several of them. They've not been right since, and I can't leave a nightlight on for them. And, what animal is daily taken care of by the same human - fed, watered, picked up, etc and still is scared to death to let you touch so much as a feather? Clucks uproariously if you reach into the coop to pet? Perhaps that is survival instinct, but you'd think they'd eventually get that I'm not going to eat them. Then again, humans always have in the past, and perhaps they are programmed to know we can't be trusted. Interesting image of a man roosting with his chickens on a chair. If you can't beat 'em....

pita-woman said...

All I know about chickens is: dip them in batter & fry or bake them, and they are delicious. Especially cut up over a tossed salad.

pita-woman said...

Oh wait a minute, this blog started off talking about health-food.
I admit, I go in spurts... get on a healthy kick, lose a few pounds, have something to "traumatize" me & I revert to junk food & regain. It's a vicious cycle (although I seem to be keeping it off this time around).
As for the horses eating themselves to death, it has amazed me that two at the center have become diabetic, and that so many of them are over weight. We're working to correct the problem, but our animals are often a reflection of ourselves.

Gregory Anderson said...

"How many human adults do you know that if turned loose in the woods, could fend for themselves, finding food, finding mates, and reproducing?"


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