huge topic:Americans keep getting fatter

[Eugene]

[quote=ocrenter]
There is something inherently wrong with the current food supply out there that is causing dramatic increase in weight.
[/quote]

Yeah. It’s too cheap and there’s too much of it!

http://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/1/1.full

[quote]Historical records from developed countries indicate that height and weight increased progressively, particularly during the 19th century. During the 20th century, as populations from better-off countries began to approach their genetic potential for longitudinal growth, they began to gain proportionally more weight than height, with the resulting increase in average BMI. By the year 2000, the human race reached a sort of historical landmark, when for the first time in human evolution the number of adults with excess weight surpassed the number of those who were underweight.[/quote]

[scaredyclassic]

We are weak because energy is too cheap

[scaredyclassic]

We are weak because energy is too cheap

[scaredyclassic]

We are weak because energy is too cheap

[scaredyclassic]

We are weak because energy is too cheap

[scaredyclassic]

We are weak because energy is too cheap

[ocrenter]

Here’s the deal.

If 3/10 has a weight issue, yes, blame that 3 out of 10. Yes, those folks probably have self control issues.

If within 50 years suddenly 7 out of 10 has a weight issue, what, all of the sudden everyone just decided to get completely out of control with their food choices?

Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. A huge part of this is secondary to government subsidies which artificially suppress the food prices. Another issue is the food industry grew rapidly and became extremely powerful, it is minimally regulated, it is allowed to use misleading labels, and it is allowed to target the kids with billion dollar ad campaigns aimed at getting them hooked on sugar.

There is a huge imbalance when it comes to the food supply that are presented to WE THE PEOPLE. Most of the food is highly salted to increase flavor and improve shelf life. Most of it also overly refined and overly processed. The portions also grew significantly. And because of the extra processing as well as the subsidies, this food got a whole lot cheaper.

So you tell me that there is no food supply problem in this country.

When it came to the housing bubble, the lending industry CREATED the loans that enabled WE THE PEOPLE. Of course there was personal responsibility, and that’s why the bubble bloggers were trying to rescue people from making bad mistakes. But ultimately the bad loans had to stop for the general population to stop buying.

Same thing with the obesity crisis. Of course it is up to the individual. And most folks on this blog probably do a decent job navigating away from cheap bad food. But do you think WE THE PEOPLE do a good job in general? Of course not.

The same WE THE PEOPLE that fell for the toxic loans offered to them are also buying 2L cokes for 99 cents and loading up on extra large pizzas for $5. Someone is offering that to them and they are taking it.

The masses ultimately will fall inline with what is available and what is cheap. That is what the masses do.

In the 19th century the Chinese masses were offered cheap opium by the British and huge numbers got hooked.

In the 80’s the masses in our inner cities were offered cheap crack and huge numbers got hooked.

This last couple of decades the American masses were offered cheap food by the giant food industry of this country and they too got hooked.

So don’t tell me we do not have a food supply issue.

[ocrenter]

Here’s the deal.

If 3/10 has a weight issue, yes, blame that 3 out of 10. Yes, those folks probably have self control issues.

If within 50 years suddenly 7 out of 10 has a weight issue, what, all of the sudden everyone just decided to get completely out of control with their food choices?

Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. A huge part of this is secondary to government subsidies which artificially suppress the food prices. Another issue is the food industry grew rapidly and became extremely powerful, it is minimally regulated, it is allowed to use misleading labels, and it is allowed to target the kids with billion dollar ad campaigns aimed at getting them hooked on sugar.

There is a huge imbalance when it comes to the food supply that are presented to WE THE PEOPLE. Most of the food is highly salted to increase flavor and improve shelf life. Most of it also overly refined and overly processed. The portions also grew significantly. And because of the extra processing as well as the subsidies, this food got a whole lot cheaper.

So you tell me that there is no food supply problem in this country.

When it came to the housing bubble, the lending industry CREATED the loans that enabled WE THE PEOPLE. Of course there was personal responsibility, and that’s why the bubble bloggers were trying to rescue people from making bad mistakes. But ultimately the bad loans had to stop for the general population to stop buying.

Same thing with the obesity crisis. Of course it is up to the individual. And most folks on this blog probably do a decent job navigating away from cheap bad food. But do you think WE THE PEOPLE do a good job in general? Of course not.

The same WE THE PEOPLE that fell for the toxic loans offered to them are also buying 2L cokes for 99 cents and loading up on extra large pizzas for $5. Someone is offering that to them and they are taking it.

The masses ultimately will fall inline with what is available and what is cheap. That is what the masses do.

In the 19th century the Chinese masses were offered cheap opium by the British and huge numbers got hooked.

In the 80’s the masses in our inner cities were offered cheap crack and huge numbers got hooked.

This last couple of decades the American masses were offered cheap food by the giant food industry of this country and they too got hooked.

So don’t tell me we do not have a food supply issue.

[ocrenter]

Here’s the deal.

If 3/10 has a weight issue, yes, blame that 3 out of 10. Yes, those folks probably have self control issues.

If within 50 years suddenly 7 out of 10 has a weight issue, what, all of the sudden everyone just decided to get completely out of control with their food choices?

Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. A huge part of this is secondary to government subsidies which artificially suppress the food prices. Another issue is the food industry grew rapidly and became extremely powerful, it is minimally regulated, it is allowed to use misleading labels, and it is allowed to target the kids with billion dollar ad campaigns aimed at getting them hooked on sugar.

There is a huge imbalance when it comes to the food supply that are presented to WE THE PEOPLE. Most of the food is highly salted to increase flavor and improve shelf life. Most of it also overly refined and overly processed. The portions also grew significantly. And because of the extra processing as well as the subsidies, this food got a whole lot cheaper.

So you tell me that there is no food supply problem in this country.

When it came to the housing bubble, the lending industry CREATED the loans that enabled WE THE PEOPLE. Of course there was personal responsibility, and that’s why the bubble bloggers were trying to rescue people from making bad mistakes. But ultimately the bad loans had to stop for the general population to stop buying.

Same thing with the obesity crisis. Of course it is up to the individual. And most folks on this blog probably do a decent job navigating away from cheap bad food. But do you think WE THE PEOPLE do a good job in general? Of course not.

The same WE THE PEOPLE that fell for the toxic loans offered to them are also buying 2L cokes for 99 cents and loading up on extra large pizzas for $5. Someone is offering that to them and they are taking it.

The masses ultimately will fall inline with what is available and what is cheap. That is what the masses do.

In the 19th century the Chinese masses were offered cheap opium by the British and huge numbers got hooked.

In the 80’s the masses in our inner cities were offered cheap crack and huge numbers got hooked.

This last couple of decades the American masses were offered cheap food by the giant food industry of this country and they too got hooked.

So don’t tell me we do not have a food supply issue.

[ocrenter]

Here’s the deal.

If 3/10 has a weight issue, yes, blame that 3 out of 10. Yes, those folks probably have self control issues.

If within 50 years suddenly 7 out of 10 has a weight issue, what, all of the sudden everyone just decided to get completely out of control with their food choices?

Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. A huge part of this is secondary to government subsidies which artificially suppress the food prices. Another issue is the food industry grew rapidly and became extremely powerful, it is minimally regulated, it is allowed to use misleading labels, and it is allowed to target the kids with billion dollar ad campaigns aimed at getting them hooked on sugar.

There is a huge imbalance when it comes to the food supply that are presented to WE THE PEOPLE. Most of the food is highly salted to increase flavor and improve shelf life. Most of it also overly refined and overly processed. The portions also grew significantly. And because of the extra processing as well as the subsidies, this food got a whole lot cheaper.

So you tell me that there is no food supply problem in this country.

When it came to the housing bubble, the lending industry CREATED the loans that enabled WE THE PEOPLE. Of course there was personal responsibility, and that’s why the bubble bloggers were trying to rescue people from making bad mistakes. But ultimately the bad loans had to stop for the general population to stop buying.

Same thing with the obesity crisis. Of course it is up to the individual. And most folks on this blog probably do a decent job navigating away from cheap bad food. But do you think WE THE PEOPLE do a good job in general? Of course not.

The same WE THE PEOPLE that fell for the toxic loans offered to them are also buying 2L cokes for 99 cents and loading up on extra large pizzas for $5. Someone is offering that to them and they are taking it.

The masses ultimately will fall inline with what is available and what is cheap. That is what the masses do.

In the 19th century the Chinese masses were offered cheap opium by the British and huge numbers got hooked.

In the 80’s the masses in our inner cities were offered cheap crack and huge numbers got hooked.

This last couple of decades the American masses were offered cheap food by the giant food industry of this country and they too got hooked.

So don’t tell me we do not have a food supply issue.

[ocrenter]

Here’s the deal.

If 3/10 has a weight issue, yes, blame that 3 out of 10. Yes, those folks probably have self control issues.

If within 50 years suddenly 7 out of 10 has a weight issue, what, all of the sudden everyone just decided to get completely out of control with their food choices?

Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. A huge part of this is secondary to government subsidies which artificially suppress the food prices. Another issue is the food industry grew rapidly and became extremely powerful, it is minimally regulated, it is allowed to use misleading labels, and it is allowed to target the kids with billion dollar ad campaigns aimed at getting them hooked on sugar.

There is a huge imbalance when it comes to the food supply that are presented to WE THE PEOPLE. Most of the food is highly salted to increase flavor and improve shelf life. Most of it also overly refined and overly processed. The portions also grew significantly. And because of the extra processing as well as the subsidies, this food got a whole lot cheaper.

So you tell me that there is no food supply problem in this country.

When it came to the housing bubble, the lending industry CREATED the loans that enabled WE THE PEOPLE. Of course there was personal responsibility, and that’s why the bubble bloggers were trying to rescue people from making bad mistakes. But ultimately the bad loans had to stop for the general population to stop buying.

Same thing with the obesity crisis. Of course it is up to the individual. And most folks on this blog probably do a decent job navigating away from cheap bad food. But do you think WE THE PEOPLE do a good job in general? Of course not.

The same WE THE PEOPLE that fell for the toxic loans offered to them are also buying 2L cokes for 99 cents and loading up on extra large pizzas for $5. Someone is offering that to them and they are taking it.

The masses ultimately will fall inline with what is available and what is cheap. That is what the masses do.

In the 19th century the Chinese masses were offered cheap opium by the British and huge numbers got hooked.

In the 80’s the masses in our inner cities were offered cheap crack and huge numbers got hooked.

This last couple of decades the American masses were offered cheap food by the giant food industry of this country and they too got hooked.

So don’t tell me we do not have a food supply issue.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=ocrenter] . . . Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. . . [/quote]

I’ll tell you what the has happened in the last 50 years.

First of all, when I hear on this blog of an $8 tomato at “Whole Foods,” THAT is part of the problem (I don’t shop there).

Produce got a LOT more expensive.

Lean meat got a LOT more expensive.

Dairy products and eggs got a LOT more expensive.

Junk food got a LOT cheaper at fast food outlets (i.e. 99 cent offerings).

Today’s workers do not purchase enough groceries or are too lazy or unorganized to prepare a nutritious lunch for their workday, or both.

Many people spend a LOT of time sitting and “texting.”

Many people (myself included) spend a LOT of time on the internet.

You can sit in a car on the internet now (up to 3 hrs. before needing charging) whereas in the past (before “computing era”), you might have gotten out and walked around while waiting.

Households are now smaller so it doesn’t make sense to buy exorbitant amounts of fresh food that will spoil.

Kids DO NOT habitually play outside anymore. They are too busy texting, playing video games and watching u-tube.

Most adults don’t stay with their workout/programs at a gym.

Kids don’t run and play outside with neighborhood kids until dark anymore, ie. tag, hide & seek, kick the can, bicycling, etc.

Kids don’t build forts anymore.

Kids don’t want to physically go to each other to talk or play because they can virtually send each other photos as to what they’re doing that day. So they don’t visit and engage in activities together as much anymore.

Adults have such smart vehicles that are so comfortable that they don’t need to get out of them (100% have A/C, etc).

Workers can now sit at their computers and transmit messages and files that I had to walk a minimum of a 1-1/2 blocks and up/down one or more elevators and even across the street to hand-deliver in a large rolling basket with heavy metal dividers, going to each department separately and handing to the bailiff in 3+ lb “packages.”

PE in schools is no longer mandatory every year.

Individual sports “prone to injury” (i.e. gymnastics, tumbling, wrestling, etc,) and, as a byproduct, cheerleading, have now been “dumbed down” to much lesser skill levels to compete, due to potential lawsuits.

Instrumental music has all but been done away with in most schools, due to instructor budget cuts and high cost of renting/owning instruments. This leaves more time for texting and watching u-tube.

Low income adults (esp in “food desert” parts of the US) are choosing to purchase cheaper highly-refined prepared food over fresh food they have to prepare at home.

The multitude of cable/satellite channels (in high-def no less) is keeping many glued to the TV (and couch).

The minimum wage is so low in most parts of the country that fast food outlets can afford to make the high-fat/calorie 99 cent offerings. 30-40 years ago, today’s .99 FF offering was about .79 (basic hamburger was .39 to .49) and the minimum wage was +-$2.00 hr.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=ocrenter] . . . Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. . . [/quote]

I’ll tell you what the has happened in the last 50 years.

First of all, when I hear on this blog of an $8 tomato at “Whole Foods,” THAT is part of the problem (I don’t shop there).

Produce got a LOT more expensive.

Lean meat got a LOT more expensive.

Dairy products and eggs got a LOT more expensive.

Junk food got a LOT cheaper at fast food outlets (i.e. 99 cent offerings).

Today’s workers do not purchase enough groceries or are too lazy or unorganized to prepare a nutritious lunch for their workday, or both.

Many people spend a LOT of time sitting and “texting.”

Many people (myself included) spend a LOT of time on the internet.

You can sit in a car on the internet now (up to 3 hrs. before needing charging) whereas in the past (before “computing era”), you might have gotten out and walked around while waiting.

Households are now smaller so it doesn’t make sense to buy exorbitant amounts of fresh food that will spoil.

Kids DO NOT habitually play outside anymore. They are too busy texting, playing video games and watching u-tube.

Most adults don’t stay with their workout/programs at a gym.

Kids don’t run and play outside with neighborhood kids until dark anymore, ie. tag, hide & seek, kick the can, bicycling, etc.

Kids don’t build forts anymore.

Kids don’t want to physically go to each other to talk or play because they can virtually send each other photos as to what they’re doing that day. So they don’t visit and engage in activities together as much anymore.

Adults have such smart vehicles that are so comfortable that they don’t need to get out of them (100% have A/C, etc).

Workers can now sit at their computers and transmit messages and files that I had to walk a minimum of a 1-1/2 blocks and up/down one or more elevators and even across the street to hand-deliver in a large rolling basket with heavy metal dividers, going to each department separately and handing to the bailiff in 3+ lb “packages.”

PE in schools is no longer mandatory every year.

Individual sports “prone to injury” (i.e. gymnastics, tumbling, wrestling, etc,) and, as a byproduct, cheerleading, have now been “dumbed down” to much lesser skill levels to compete, due to potential lawsuits.

Instrumental music has all but been done away with in most schools, due to instructor budget cuts and high cost of renting/owning instruments. This leaves more time for texting and watching u-tube.

Low income adults (esp in “food desert” parts of the US) are choosing to purchase cheaper highly-refined prepared food over fresh food they have to prepare at home.

The multitude of cable/satellite channels (in high-def no less) is keeping many glued to the TV (and couch).

The minimum wage is so low in most parts of the country that fast food outlets can afford to make the high-fat/calorie 99 cent offerings. 30-40 years ago, today’s .99 FF offering was about .79 (basic hamburger was .39 to .49) and the minimum wage was +-$2.00 hr.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=ocrenter] . . . Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. . . [/quote]

I’ll tell you what the has happened in the last 50 years.

First of all, when I hear on this blog of an $8 tomato at “Whole Foods,” THAT is part of the problem (I don’t shop there).

Produce got a LOT more expensive.

Lean meat got a LOT more expensive.

Dairy products and eggs got a LOT more expensive.

Junk food got a LOT cheaper at fast food outlets (i.e. 99 cent offerings).

Today’s workers do not purchase enough groceries or are too lazy or unorganized to prepare a nutritious lunch for their workday, or both.

Many people spend a LOT of time sitting and “texting.”

Many people (myself included) spend a LOT of time on the internet.

You can sit in a car on the internet now (up to 3 hrs. before needing charging) whereas in the past (before “computing era”), you might have gotten out and walked around while waiting.

Households are now smaller so it doesn’t make sense to buy exorbitant amounts of fresh food that will spoil.

Kids DO NOT habitually play outside anymore. They are too busy texting, playing video games and watching u-tube.

Most adults don’t stay with their workout/programs at a gym.

Kids don’t run and play outside with neighborhood kids until dark anymore, ie. tag, hide & seek, kick the can, bicycling, etc.

Kids don’t build forts anymore.

Kids don’t want to physically go to each other to talk or play because they can virtually send each other photos as to what they’re doing that day. So they don’t visit and engage in activities together as much anymore.

Adults have such smart vehicles that are so comfortable that they don’t need to get out of them (100% have A/C, etc).

Workers can now sit at their computers and transmit messages and files that I had to walk a minimum of a 1-1/2 blocks and up/down one or more elevators and even across the street to hand-deliver in a large rolling basket with heavy metal dividers, going to each department separately and handing to the bailiff in 3+ lb “packages.”

PE in schools is no longer mandatory every year.

Individual sports “prone to injury” (i.e. gymnastics, tumbling, wrestling, etc,) and, as a byproduct, cheerleading, have now been “dumbed down” to much lesser skill levels to compete, due to potential lawsuits.

Instrumental music has all but been done away with in most schools, due to instructor budget cuts and high cost of renting/owning instruments. This leaves more time for texting and watching u-tube.

Low income adults (esp in “food desert” parts of the US) are choosing to purchase cheaper highly-refined prepared food over fresh food they have to prepare at home.

The multitude of cable/satellite channels (in high-def no less) is keeping many glued to the TV (and couch).

The minimum wage is so low in most parts of the country that fast food outlets can afford to make the high-fat/calorie 99 cent offerings. 30-40 years ago, today’s .99 FF offering was about .79 (basic hamburger was .39 to .49) and the minimum wage was +-$2.00 hr.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=ocrenter] . . . Something happened within the last 50 years that led to the dramatic weight issue. And especially over the last 20 years. The quality of the food got A LOT worse and the BAD food got A LOT cheaper. . . [/quote]

I’ll tell you what the has happened in the last 50 years.

First of all, when I hear on this blog of an $8 tomato at “Whole Foods,” THAT is part of the problem (I don’t shop there).

Produce got a LOT more expensive.

Lean meat got a LOT more expensive.

Dairy products and eggs got a LOT more expensive.

Junk food got a LOT cheaper at fast food outlets (i.e. 99 cent offerings).

Today’s workers do not purchase enough groceries or are too lazy or unorganized to prepare a nutritious lunch for their workday, or both.

Many people spend a LOT of time sitting and “texting.”

Many people (myself included) spend a LOT of time on the internet.

You can sit in a car on the internet now (up to 3 hrs. before needing charging) whereas in the past (before “computing era”), you might have gotten out and walked around while waiting.

Households are now smaller so it doesn’t make sense to buy exorbitant amounts of fresh food that will spoil.

Kids DO NOT habitually play outside anymore. They are too busy texting, playing video games and watching u-tube.

Most adults don’t stay with their workout/programs at a gym.

Kids don’t run and play outside with neighborhood kids until dark anymore, ie. tag, hide & seek, kick the can, bicycling, etc.

Kids don’t build forts anymore.

Kids don’t want to physically go to each other to talk or play because they can virtually send each other photos as to what they’re doing that day. So they don’t visit and engage in activities together as much anymore.

Adults have such smart vehicles that are so comfortable that they don’t need to get out of them (100% have A/C, etc).

Workers can now sit at their computers and transmit messages and files that I had to walk a minimum of a 1-1/2 blocks and up/down one or more elevators and even across the street to hand-deliver in a large rolling basket with heavy metal dividers, going to each department separately and handing to the bailiff in 3+ lb “packages.”

PE in schools is no longer mandatory every year.

Individual sports “prone to injury” (i.e. gymnastics, tumbling, wrestling, etc,) and, as a byproduct, cheerleading, have now been “dumbed down” to much lesser skill levels to compete, due to potential lawsuits.

Instrumental music has all but been done away with in most schools, due to instructor budget cuts and high cost of renting/owning instruments. This leaves more time for texting and watching u-tube.

Low income adults (esp in “food desert” parts of the US) are choosing to purchase cheaper highly-refined prepared food over fresh food they have to prepare at home.

The multitude of cable/satellite channels (in high-def no less) is keeping many glued to the TV (and couch).

The minimum wage is so low in most parts of the country that fast food outlets can afford to make the high-fat/calorie 99 cent offerings. 30-40 years ago, today’s .99 FF offering was about .79 (basic hamburger was .39 to .49) and the minimum wage was +-$2.00 hr.

[Author]

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