The obesity epidemic is the result of a perfect confluence of conditions in this country since the 60’s:
–families gradually moved from single income to double income or single parent households, translating to less in home cooking and more take outs/eating out or reliance on easy to cook processed food.
–expansion of suburbia, which also translate to increased reliance on cars and increased commute time. this eliminate walking as integral part of daily life.
–the increased reliance on restaurant food/processed microwave ready food means increased amount of dollar in that area. this drives competition for this expending dollar. the expending food industry realized if they maximize taste (increase in grease and salt), maximize portion size, and improve efficiency (thus lower cost), they can maximize their profit.
The above is how we got here, here is how things will unfold.
expect the obesity crisis to get worse for the foreseeable future. we have an entire generation of children raised on sweets and fat. their brains are programmed to respond to sweets and fat, in essence they are lost. if they are not fat, they will be once they reach adulthood. this generation will likely reach 50% obesity rate, most of them will likely start having diagnosis of diabetes and cholesterol problems in their 30’s to 40’s, a lot of them will have heart disease and strokes in their 50’s and 60’s, a drastic worsening in comparison to the generation before them.
the problem will get so bad that government reaction to fat and sweets will rival that of smoking. it will no longer be a partisan issue because the problem would be so overwhelming. the rate for heart failure, amputation, and dialysis for what would have been perfectly healthy 50 year olds would be staggering in comparison to the prior generations. the argument that government would be infringing on personal rights with sugar tax and public campaigns and strict regulations on food would hold very little water.
luckily, the generation after this lost obese generation will fare much better. much like the generation after the anti-smoking era, they will realize food is not to be abused and parents need to be parents by restricting exposure of their children to harmful food.
but make no mistake about it, there will be a lot of casualties and a lot of money spent on the way to health for this country.
