The way the Duggars eat

[daharyn]

You know, my farmer's market takes food stamps/WIC, and I've seen plenty of people using them there. I think it is an awesome thing. But I happen to live in a section of this city that ISN'T a food desert--meaning, aside from the farmer's market there are other healthy options available. My understanding is that in other neighborhoods which are food deserts, it's harder to get people using benefits to spend them at the farmer's market. You don't go directly from the dollar menu to the locally grown green beans (mmm, I had some for lunch, they were so tasty), you know? There are steps in between. And any step forward someone takes is cause for celebration--not condemnation for having not done "enough," either for themselves or their kids. I think there is a real tendency to think of poor parents as selfish, or inadequate, just because the best they can do is not the best you can do. Moreover, I think many people distrust poor parents--the assumption is that if you are poor, there is no way you are making your best effort. That's generally a misreading of poverty and its effects.

I also think that family structure can make it easier or harder to learn to cook well. I think that if you are lucky enough to grow up in an extended family, even if you are poor, there is a good chance someone will know how to cook, and that that knowledge will be passed on. I think that the fewer adults that children have in their lives, the more likely it is that they're going to miss out on a lot of adult skills--eating healthy is one of them.

There are food deserts in my city where there are no grocery stores within "walking distance" (for me, that's a few miles, but it would be less for someone who doesn't walk much, or someone disabled, or someone with six kids). Please, think about that. NO groceries. None. Produce? Maybe a few cans of preserved things at the bodega, and it's been marked up like crazy because the store doesn't make much money on it. Keeping people fed is about way more than the poor not doing enough in your eyes.

I think the Duggars are likely just crappy cooks, too. Every once in a while I think about making tater tot casserole, and I just can't stomach it. I cook for one, and I roast a chicken every couple of weeks, and get my fresh produce at the farmer's market on the weekend. I find that the more nutritious stuff you have in the fridge, the less money you spend on take-out. So really, even if you're spending more to get the locally-grown green beans (and yeah, they're more expensive than the ones at the supermarket), it still works out in your favor.

[emmiedahl]

I think children deserve more than a diet of chickenetti and fast food. It's not that I lack compassion for the poor, it's that I have endless compassion for a child who has heart problems and type 2 diabetes because the adults in their life are feeding them poison. It's abuse, just as much as beating them with plumbing line or stacking them on Costco shelves.

We snark on fundies all the time who are not doing enough for their kids, even when they are really doing their best. I don't think barely minimal parenting standards should be limited to people who are Christian extremists. The government needs to be part of the solution, but the government can only do so much. The parents need to make changes as well. Parenting takes work; if you are poor, it takes more work. That does not mean that your children deserve less than a middle class child.

For most American people, it is completely possible and requires only reasonable effort to keep a barely adequate diet that will not literally scar your children for life. Those people should be expected to do so, even if it means adding more effort to an already overburdened life. For a very small number of people, it simply is not possible, and in those cases the children are the losers. Then we get into issues like: if you cannot even minimally feed your kids, CPS involvement may be necessary. Because children deserve more.

[Wolfie]

I've never had Velveeta, because my mom share's most of your sentiments about it (I think maybe her mother cooked with it when she was growing up, and she hated it), but from what I've seen of it, it looks like it would easily melt to create a very thick cheese sauce, a la boxed mac and cheese or nacho dip. I think that would be a little harder to do with real cheese, so if that's what you want, maybe Velveeta is your best bet? Also, it seems to come in enormous blocks, even bigger than the big blocks of cheese you can get, so it's good for feeding a crowd. And am I correct in thinking it doesn't need refrigeration? The Duggars seem to have lots of pantry space and lots of freezer space, but I don't recall that we've ever seen a larger than normal size fridge (have we). That could explain some of their love of cans.

It's better than boxed mac and cheese, I use it as a sometimes food, but it's awfully salty, and I've become much more sensitive to over salty foods. (when I use it it's pretty much only for mac and cheese, and I use it to give a creamier texture than just a regular white sauce and cheese will do. I add a lot of real cheese and sometimes sour cream or yogurt too.)

[Haterblocker]

Tree huggers chill out

l. What give you the right to pick apart the foods that they eat? What difference does it make? America is unhealthy. Just because ranch dressing is high in calories doesn't mean the duggars can't eat it! Millions of Americans eat it everyday. And I can tell you right now that they don't serve tator tot casserole or chickenetti for every single meal. That's just what gets put on tv and obline cuz it's unique

I am not apart of a big family but I do know what it takes to feed a small family and it's not cheap. So the fact that they used canned veggies or paper plates is not because they're trying to be unhealthy, but because it is the most economically effenient way to feed that many people. Can you imagine how much it would cost for them to use fresh produce for everymeal?? It's expensive to so that. Cannes veggies are much more economic. And so is velveeta. As gross as it is.

So many of us eat unhealty every day. So to criticize the duggers for some of their favorite dishes is extremely hypocritical.

[Wolfie]

I think children deserve more than a diet of chickenetti and fast food. It's not that I lack compassion for the poor, it's that I have endless compassion for a child who has heart problems and type 2 diabetes because the adults in their life are feeding them poison. It's abuse, just as much as beating them with plumbing line or stacking them on Costco shelves.

First of all I do agree that malnutrition is abuse. But, do you know that type 2 diabetes is a genetic illness? It can be brought on young by a poor diet, but it's not "caused" by the diet, but by genetics. (it runs strongly in my family and if we take care of ourselves it doesn't hit until our 50's or 60's, but the genetic part is there. And don't tell me that it's because we've learned bad habits, nope- my great uncle was very athletic, and ate well, my great grandparents too, great grandma got up to play tennis before breakfast every morning, grandma walked a couple miles every day even in her 80's.)

[emmiedahl]

Type 2 does have a genetic component, but it's occurring in children younger and younger. It has been linked pretty conclusively to being overweight, not in every case but a link is there. So if a child is obese and living on fast food and genetically predisposed, they are going to get it at 8 instead of 50. And that should be prevented at all costs. It's not fair to a child that they get to deal with chronic illness their whole life because it is too hard for the parents. Not to mention that this hypothetical child probably goes to worthless schools, is surrounded by crime, doesn't have toys, etc.

[ADoyle90815]

Another issue with childhood obesity is that through NCLB, recess and physical education has been cut from schools so they can focus on standardized tests, so children aren't getting the exercise they really should. Another issue is that children don't seem to be allowed to walk to and from school anymore or even play outside. I live about a block from a middle school that's next to an elementary school, so during the school year, it's often hard to get in or out of my neighborhood because of the traffic jams from parents dropping off or picking up their special snowflake.

[Wolfie]

Another issue with childhood obesity is that through NCLB, recess and physical education has been cut from schools so they can focus on standardized tests, so children aren't getting the exercise they really should. Another issue is that children don't seem to be allowed to walk to and from school anymore or even play outside. I live about a block from a middle school that's next to an elementary school, so during the school year, it's often hard to get in or out of my neighborhood because of the traffic jams from parents dropping off or picking up their special snowflake.

In CA physical education is mandated in the ed code. The fact that it is "gone" from schools is a myth. Same with recess- teachers need their potty breaks too! But yes, a lot more parents do drop their kids off at school instead of having them walk or ride bikes. and NCLB has done a lot of bad things to schools.

[muffynbear]

Tree huggers chill out

l. What give you the right to pick apart the foods that they eat? What difference does it make? America is unhealthy. Just because ranch dressing is high in calories doesn't mean the duggars can't eat it! Millions of Americans eat it everyday. And I can tell you right now that they don't serve tator tot casserole or chickenetti for every single meal. That's just what gets put on tv and obline cuz it's unique

I am not apart of a big family but I do know what it takes to feed a small family and it's not cheap. So the fact that they used canned veggies or paper plates is not because they're trying to be unhealthy, but because it is the most economically effenient way to feed that many people. Can you imagine how much it would cost for them to use fresh produce for everymeal?? It's expensive to so that. Cannes veggies are much more economic. And so is velveeta. As gross as it is.

So many of us eat unhealty every day. So to criticize the duggers for some of their favorite dishes is extremely hypocritical.

What gives me the right to pick apart their food? Umm... maybe because they have a t.v. show. Btw, buying paper plates and Styrofoam isn't very economical. Why not just use REAL dishes? Then they wouldn't have to keep buying styrofoam crap. The fact that they use styrofoam and paper plates bothers me more than eating unhealthy. No, I'm not a Tree-hugger, but I do care about the environment and the earth. I'm not a fanatic about it, but I do wish the Duggars would be more considerate about how their way of life affects the Earth. The Duggars do whatever they can to be environmentally unfriendly. They don't give a shit about things over-population or pollution. Josh and Anna driving a Hummer? Yeah, those Duggars REALLY care about their environment. :roll:

[Wolfie]

Type 2 does have a genetic component, but it's occurring in children younger and younger. It has been linked pretty conclusively to being overweight, not in every case but a link is there. So if a child is obese and living on fast food and genetically predisposed, they are going to get it at 8 instead of 50. And that should be prevented at all costs. It's not fair to a child that they get to deal with chronic illness their whole life because it is too hard for the parents. Not to mention that this hypothetical child probably goes to worthless schools, is surrounded by crime, doesn't have toys, etc.

There is some recent research that is noting that being overweight may be caused by type 2 diabetes, not that being overweight causes the diabetes. There is a link, but it's not as clear a cause and effect as people once thought. It is worrysome that kids are getting it younger and younger, and I wonder if part of it is that we now have better medical care to catch it earlier than we once would. I think that children should have healthy, balanced diets, and I see some of the stuff that my students bring in to eat and I cringe, but other than the energy drinks, we all ate some junk in middle school.

And to be honest- I've taught at some seriously "ghetto" schools, and the incidence of obesity is no higher than in the upper middle income schools that I've also taught at. I agree that some parents make very bad choices for their diets and their child's diets- but a lot of the weight thing is genetic too. (I had a friend comment that a child didn't need that much sugar when I mentioned that my whole family was surprised to learn that my nearly 5 year old niece wasn't allowed to have hard candy. Even with the diabetes in my family, we DO NOT have weight issues with just minor watching of our diets, so sugar is not a big deal in moderation. Her family does not have type 2 diabetes, but does have obesity issues, so they restrict their childrens' sugar intake, and watch their diet a whole, more than we do.)

BTW- we also have high cholesterol issues, and you wouldn't expect it by looking at us, or even watching our diets.... Kidney stones too. (yeah, my diet is already somewhat restricted.)

[whirlygirly]

NFW are paper/styrofoam plates more economical. A couple months ago I was bored and browsed Corelle dishes on Walmart's website, and figured up that with the plain white ones and inexpensive silverware, for around $500 they could get 40 full place settings- enough for the Duggar and Bates clans combined! And if another megafamily joined them, they could stretch that out by serving the younger kids on the salad plates/forks. And, you can get a box of 24 glasses pretty cheap, that would be enough for all the grownups, at least for "nice" meals. For the kids or for everyday use, plenty of restaurant/fast food/convenience store drinks come in plastic cups that you can take home and re-use indefinitely. Those Corelle dishes are pretty indestructible, they would last them for YEARS. I bet they spend more than $500 on throwaway plates and cups every six months, easily. It has nothing to do with cost, it's just flat-out laziness and not giving a shit. Maybe the SODRT should take a field trip to the landfill so they can see the mountains of waste they produce. I don't believe we've ever seen any recycle bins in their house either, have we? And then there's Jim Bob's hairspray- remember the episode where the kids were cleaning Mom & Dad's bathroom for them, and every surface was literally CAKED with hairspray? I'm still grossed out by that.

As for Anna's bragging that even though she drives a Hummer, she uses cloth diapers- WTFever. They don't cancel each other out. Besides, she doesn't use cloth exclusively. In one of the video clips they were talking about how Mackynzie loves to help, and to demonstrate Anna asked her to "go get Mommy a diaper" and Mack came back with a disposable. I can totally understand using disposables for convenience when you're traveling or just out and about, but this was in their own living room.

[debrand]

SOme of their defenders act as if the Duggars are short of funds. The Duggars are NOT poor. There is no reason for them to eat the way that they do.

My family has had times when we were very broke. After he retired from the military, my husband could not find a job and we were temporarily on food stamps. For a short period, we had to eat Ramen noodles or scrambled eggs for many meals. But I always tried to make a couple of meals each week from fresh produce. When our finances changed for the better, the first thing that we invested in was better food.

The Duggars don't have to cook elaborate meals but they could use more fresh produce and less canned soup.

And again....The Duggars are NOT poor.

[Jessica]

I am not apart of a big family but I do know what it takes to feed a small family and it's not cheap. So the fact that they used canned veggies or paper plates is not because they're trying to be unhealthy, but because it is the most economically effenient way to feed that many people. Can you imagine how much it would cost for them to use fresh produce for everymeal?? It's expensive to so that. Cannes veggies are much more economic. And so is velveeta. As gross as it is.

Oh puhleez. They can send their kids on "mission trips" to El Salvador and Indonesia, be members of ATI (a rather pricey organization for how little it actually offers) buy new (used) vehicles on a regular basis, and afford braces for (so far) 7 kids but they can't afford fresh vegetables instead of canned? My husband is a full-time student and works in between classes. I am a stay at home mom. Thus, our income is below the poverty level and we qualify for food stamps. Yet somehow we manage to eat a very healthy diet of whole foods, mostly organic, for under $150 a month. I'm also growing a garden of kale, carrots, and squash in the 2x6 ft patch in our front yard. It's not much, but it's something (I'm just sharing my story, not saying anything about other people below the poverty level... we make it work because I'm able to stay at home and have the time to cook from scratch). The Duggars make $20,000+ per episode of their show in addition to the money they make from the cell phone tower and rental properties and live on 20 acres and use none of it for anything worthwhile (unless you count a basketball court worthwhile?)... yet go on TV and brag about how frugal they are. For pete's sake they are spending THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH on groceries!!! Skip the cereal and get oatmeal. Skip the cookies and candy and buy a few packages of spinach (it's $2.89 for a pound of organic at Costco, if anyone would like to argue that fresh vegetables are "expensive"). Ditch the Velveeta and cream of _____ soups and make your own from scratch (butter + flour + milk + salt = cream of mushroom soup) and use the money for beans, lentils, lean meat, whatever... They are wasting money on sugary cookies, candy, soda, and ramen noodles instead of things with any nutritional value. It is BS to say that the way they eat is the most economically efficient. What the heck does Michelle do all day that prevents her from making up a batch of beans (10 minutes of actual effort to make) and chopping a few tomatoes and avocados (10 minutes?) for a healthy meal? What do the boys do that keeps them from being able to pitch in and help out their overworked sisters?

[mstee]

As many people have said, even frozen vegetables are way better than anything canned, and in my experience they aren't more expensive. And they don't have all of that sodium etc. And they could even take it a step further and buy the organic frozen veggies (okay I know too much to ask for). But the amount of sodium that they consume is staggering. I would be 500 pounds if I lived in that family. And I'll never forget that episode a while back when JB went on weight watchers- and Michelle hands him a can of tomatoes to have as his dinner. Eww. That's not a diet.

[antifundie]

You know, I don't like the way they eat either, but I'm thinking it may be because the J'slaves do most of the cooking. I can't imagine the burden that would be (and, omg, what if they have picky eaters???), so I can understand why an 18 year old would just make giant gross casseroles and serve on paper plates. Yes, obviously fresh veggies are better, but I don't even want to think about the chopping involved in making a salad for the group.

Of course, this gets to the "don't have so many children that you can't chop up apples for them" issue, but I do wonder how much that plays into it.

I know that for a short period of my life at age 13, my sister and I were responsible for making dinner for anywhere from 4-20+ people, and what did we make? Yep, giant casserole+cake mix cake. I think there may have been bagged salad as well.

Opening up a bunch of cans and dumping them into a pan is easer than making even a "healthy" (aka, made with raw, fresh ingredients) casserole, and since those girls have to do so much work already, I can't really blame them for that. And if they do have picky eaters, they would be responsible for the "discipline" of making those picky eaters finish their meal, so that might be a giant hassle too.

I wonder if they pay for water and that's why they don't like to use regular dishes?

[emmiedahl]

Surely the water costs less than the disposable dishes?

[debrand]

You know, I don't like the way they eat either, but I'm thinking it may be because the J'slaves do most of the cooking. I can't imagine the burden that would be (and, omg, what if they have picky eaters???), so I can understand why an 18 year old would just make giant gross casseroles and serve on paper plates. Yes, obviously fresh veggies are better, but I don't even want to think about the chopping involved in making a salad for the group.

Of course, this gets to the "don't have so many children that you can't chop up apples for them" issue, but I do wonder how much that plays into it.

I know that for a short period of my life at age 13, my sister and I were responsible for making dinner for anywhere from 4-20+ people, and what did we make? Yep, giant casserole+cake mix cake. I think there may have been bagged salad as well.

Opening up a bunch of cans and dumping them into a pan is easer than making even a "healthy" (aka, made with raw, fresh ingredients) casserole, and since those girls have to do so much work already, I can't really blame them for that. And if they do have picky eaters, they would be responsible for the "discipline" of making those picky eaters finish their meal, so that might be a giant hassle too.

I wonder if they pay for water and that's why they don't like to use regular dishes?

I agree. Part of the problem might be that the girls are the ones responsible for cooking, cleaning the house and caring for the children. Their jobs must be exhausting. Under such circumstances, I would probably make anything that was easy.

Plus, when they're cooking, the little kids are running around in the kitchen. One or two small children might not be so bad, but the Duggars have several hyper little kids. If the girls are going to do the bulk of the cooking, their parents or brothers should keep the kids out of the kitchen.

Sometimes, we cook together as a family. Everyone does something to preparing the dinner. For a family that bragged in the first special that they were organized, they don't seem very to organize labor well.

[emmiedahl]

I think they expect the older girls to organize the labor now, which is definitely outside of an average teen girl's skill set. It brings up the perennial questions: what DOES Michelle do?

[antifundie]

I don't know the costs of paper v. water, but who knows?

The other thing I thought of is hot water usage--maybe they don't have enough for baths and showers if they run the dishwasher? I don't know that hot water heater situation, but I do know that when I was growing up (4 people in my family) if we all showed in the morning we'd run out of hot water. We had one standard water heater, and I'd hope they have more, but it could be part of it.

[slickcat79]

I don't know the costs of paper v. water, but who knows?

The other thing I thought of is hot water usage--maybe they don't have enough for baths and showers if they run the dishwasher? I don't know that hot water heater situation, but I do know that when I was growing up (4 people in my family) if we all showed in the morning we'd run out of hot water. We had one standard water heater, and I'd hope they have more, but it could be part of it.

I think I remember from the moving in special that they have 2 tankless water heaters (though I could be confusing them with the Bateses). I know we've seen them use the woodstove system to heat their water, and the hot water pipes under the floors that provide radiant heat. That has to be a fairly labor-intensive system, but probably the cheapest way they could provide heat and hot water. Since they lost so many trees in that ice storm, they haven't even had to buy wood.

[acheronbeach]

I also wonder what Michelle does all day.

For that matter, what do the boys do all day?

There's no way in HELL I would've wanted to steam fish and chop veg and potatoes for 21 people when I was a teenager.

[Wolfie]

I don't know the costs of paper v. water, but who knows?

The other thing I thought of is hot water usage--maybe they don't have enough for baths and showers if they run the dishwasher? I don't know that hot water heater situation, but I do know that when I was growing up (4 people in my family) if we all showed in the morning we'd run out of hot water. We had one standard water heater, and I'd hope they have more, but it could be part of it.

In my experience, commercial dishwashers heat their own hot water.

[jenny_islander]

They could probably eat a lot better if they weren't making some overworked, perpetually exhausted teenage girls do all of the cooking, that's for sure. It sounds like what some people call the Standard American Diet--SAD for short.

Here's a tastier, less crappy dinner to serve instead of chickenetti:

Buy a turkey when turkeys go on sale for less than a buck a pound. Make it one of those super-juicy self-basters--they're usually cheaper IME. Roast it like a huge chicken, without any stuffing, in a pan deep enough to catch all the juices. Just paint the top side with melted butter and sprinkle it with salt before roasting. Make the man of the house get off the couch when the turkey's done to get it from the oven to the serving platter.

For the starch, make a pot of white or brown rice with salt and olive oil or butter.

For the veg, buy broccoli if it's on sale and boil it briefly in a big pot of lightly water. It can be broken apart with the hands right into the water--no chopping required. It can be scooped out into a bowl with a slotted spoon; save the cooking liquid. Season with a bit of lemon juice if desired. If two veg are desired, boil some baby-peeled carrots in a small amount of water or chicken broth with dill and butter--again, no chopping required.

After dinner, everybody who has long enough arms washes their hands and takes apart the turkey. Leftover breast meat is sliced for sandwiches. Dark meat is chopped and set aside. The thoroughly picked over carcass goes into the broccoli pot along with the juices from the roasting pan, an onion if desired, a piece of celery ditto, perhaps a bay leaf. Make the broth between dinnertime and bedtime. Spoon it through a colander into a bowl and chill. The next day, lift off the fat and voila, turkey broth. Tall children, regardless of sex, spoon the broth into freezable containers for later use. AND EVERYBODY WHO IS TALL ENOUGH TAKES TURNS SCRUBBING THE DARN DISHES.

The leftover dark meat, carrots, broccoli, and rice can be turned into turkey fried rice for lunch.

[Patsy]

As people have pointed out, there are mass recipes of the "chuck it all in a pot and leave" variety that don't require any (or much) extra labour - tinned tomatoes and chopped-up potatoes and beef have to be better than tinned cream-of-chicken, velveeta and processed potato bits, even if they're not local fresh produce. I think it's less of a labour/cost thing and more that they are set in their ways (to the same extent that most groups of people are) and have never really thought to rehaul that.

[DamnPrecious]

I can't cook, I don't like cooking, and I hardly like even eating. I'm a very picky vegetarian (pasta-tarian to be honest)and to make meals from scratch would be too time consuming for the payout for me, honestly. I hate spinach and mushrooms and every "easy" meal has those and I don't know how to substitute.

I think I need a TV in the kitchen or something, because cooking to me is torture. I am hoping to try to learn cook better before I breed.