How To Get Fat Without Really Trying
RolandTD20Kdrummer
Posts: 13,066
An interesting look at the food and agriculture industry in America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISONN1LHj7g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISONN1LHj7g
Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
By DANIEL MARTIN
Being unhappy. Being happy. Friends who eat like a horse and never put on weight. Childhood admonishments to think of the starving in Africa.
These are some of the reasons the overweight give to explain their size because they are too ashamed to admit they simply eat too much, according to a study.
Researchers found there is such a stigma attached to being overweight that over-eaters are desperate to find something - or someone - else to blame.
The findings mirror comments by Hamish Meldrum, the head of the British Medical Association, who said patients were increasingly seeking weight-loss pills and surgery rather than trying to change their diet and do more exercise.
Karen Throsby of Warwick University questioned 35 patients who applied for such surgery on the NHS to discover why they felt it was the only solution.
She found there were three main types of excuses used by the overweight, according to a report published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.
The first was genetic, with many claiming they had a "fat gene" or that being big ran in their family. Others said they knew others who ate more than they did but never put on weight.
The second most common excuse was that the problem stemmed from their childhood. Many claimed relatives gave them food as a reward and others said their parents told them to eat up and think of the starving in Africa.
The third reason was that a stressful lifestyle had led to weight gain. Illness, divorce, bereavement and parenthood were all blamed for over-eating.
Women cited both happy and unhappy events as reasons for eating more and men said stressful occasions gave them a longing for beer, curry and fast food.
Miss Throsby said the excuses were the result of the way overweight people were pilloried by society.
"Those who become fat often find themselves needing to account for their size in order to refute the suggestion of moral failure that attaches itself easily to the fat body."
Colin Waine, chair of the National Obesity Forum, added: "Many patients seek explanations that absolve them, saying it's their genes or their glands. But in fact it's 99 per cent to do with food intake and lack of physical activity.
"Our genes haven't changed since before the Stone Age - yet obesity has escalated in the last 30 years."
—Dorothy Parker
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6902/conspiracytheoriesxt6qt8.jpg
Poor people in America are fat? Do you realize what a strange statement it is for a country to have a major obesity problem among its poorest citizens? In an article this week (April 22) in the New York Times by Michael Pollan, Knight Professor of Journalism at Berkeley, the blame is placed squarely on the Farm Bill for this problem with the author stating the most reliable predictor of obesity is a person's wealth. This professor is amazingly out of touch and elitist to surmise that poor people are fat because of the subsidization of food production by the government.
Mr. Pollan goes to great lengths to infer that Twinkies are the cheapest calories in the grocery store, along with sodas (which he calls "liquid corn"). Therefore, low income Americans are forced to buy these items but are not able to purchase expensive vegetables which are healthier for them and their children. It further slams the American food system as the reason for problems in environment, immigration and as the reason for worldwide poverty. Finally, he states: "the farm bill has so many mind numbing details that legislators from non-farm states ignore the bill as a parochial piece of legislation affecting a handful of their Midwestern colleagues."
Here is the reality of the government subsidized food system: Subsidies of targeted crops cause larger production, which increases the total food and livestock feed supply so that grain products, meat and milk are affordable for everyone in America, and millions around the world to have enough to eat every day. This is the greatest accomplishment in the history of mankind! It means that no one need face hunger and deprivation, no matter what their economic status. The United States has not had a shortage of food since the 1930s. The poor have been well fed since the anti-poverty programs of the Johnson era of the 1960s.
There are case studies of the poor in the Delta region in the 1960s before food aid and in the modern era. In the first examination, almost 50 years ago, doctors and social workers found that due to lack of food the life span was shorter and serious health related conditions manifested themselves earlier than the average population. Revisited in the last five years, health professionals found that these same people are now grossly overweight with a shorter lifespan and serious health related conditions manifesting themselves earlier than the average population. The only thing that didn't change was education. This culture remained ignorant of the benefits of healthy eating habits. It was given food and other benefits in a vacuum. A child who would have shown the effects of malnutrition in the 1950s now weighs 300 pounds at age 10 and has signs of early onset diabetes and other physical problems.
A person's education level is a more accurate predictor of health because it usually determines whether they buy Twinkies or eat a balanced diet. Mr. Pollan says our farm program makes Twinkies cheap and broccoli expensive. Have you priced cakes, cookies and cereals lately? The retail cost is totally disproportionate to the price of the raw product. Vegetables are priced more in line with their farm value. By the way, how much broccoli would you eat if it was free? We are creatures who look for comfort in food and the taste of meat, potatoes, and sugar and grain products is a whole lot better than steamed vegetables. Those who understand the food pyramid know what to eat and what to feed our children. Those who don't, eat and drink what makes them feel good today, tomorrow be damned.
Worldwide hunger is caused by U.S. overproduction is an accusation in his article. More than half of the world's food aid comes from America. If we cut that off, would people be better off in a war ravaged area of Africa? He argues that the food we send bankrupts local farmers. I can buy that argument and I'd prefer that U.S. products be sold to those who can afford them and carefully directed funds be used to buy food within the region that is impoverished. The problem in most places that get food aid, though, is lack of infrastructure. A shipload of grain dumped at a rat-infested port does not mean that a single needy person gets fed. In many places the grain is sold by the military government to friendlies and denied to enemies. Our generosity, in food or money, is often a net sum zero. That doesn't mean Christian people should not help others, it means that we often can't help them because they won't let us.
Finally, Mr. Pollan heads toward a social agenda in saying that "Enlightened eaters recognize our dependence on farmers, therefore they should support a farm bill that guarantees the people who raise our food not subsidies but fair prices." We have found out the hard way those artificial prices to protect farmers are needed because treasury-draining surpluses of food that have to be dumped at an artificially low price which causes the problem that he is attempting to correct. The marketplace should be given a chance to work with the government maintaining oversight and awareness of the need for an adequate base of farm production. By his argument, we should have been better off in the 1930s than in the 1990s.
Regardless of the criticism of up to $25 billion per year in price supports, farm legislation is evolving toward rewarding good stewardship of the land and water and ending market distorting subsidization. This isn't going to make the American poor thin or the foreign poor fat. By 2012 we may see shortages of some crops and livestock due to industrial demands for our agricultural output. Food prices could double in the next few years due to biofuel demand. We will still have a safety net for those below the poverty line and we won't demand that they be able to understand how many servings of each level of the pyramid are necessary for a balanced diet. Twinkies will still be made by the billions and fried chicken will be a lot more popular than Brussels sprouts.
Perhaps a better pastime for a Berkeley professor would be to figure out how to fuel our economy without a military presence to keep oil flowing from countries who hate our way of life. Perhaps a dissertation on his ideal number of earthly human inhabitants who could live without damaging the environment or depleting our resources and how we should dispose of the billons of people we now have in surplus would be a better use of his time.
Editor's note: Ken Root is now celebrating his 34th year as an agricultural professional. His career has spanned from being a vocational agriculture teacher to environmental consulting to farm broadcasting.
—Dorothy Parker
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6902/conspiracytheoriesxt6qt8.jpg
Think before you eat.
A truly liberal person is conservative when necessary.
Pro-life by choice.
I agree.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
It is primarily that simple. People have the power to decide what goes in their mouths. Lazy people buy prepackaged food. Some of us actually buy fresh ingredients and make healthy, nutritious food. In most cases, it is actually more cost effective to make your own healthy meal than it is to buy transfat-laden pre-packaged junk.
Fast food companies have no real power over anyone who doesn't relinquish it. Quit blaming fast food companies for creating fat people. Fat people create fat people.
I haven't eaten at McDonalds in about 2 years. I had a pretty wild (alcoholic) night a couple weeks ago so I broke down and ended up eating at McDonalds.
Honestly I don't know what borderline illegal substances they put in their food, but I craved it every day for about a week afterwards. I had to consciously tell myself no.
That just can't be good for you.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
Never spent a lot of time on steroids with illness have you jeff?
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
however with that being said, there are a lot of healthy meals you can make that taste great. it's also much more satisfying buying healthy ingredients and preparing your own meal and knowing that you are respecting your body
I haven't. Of course there are exceptions to every stereotype. I understand there are people with physical issues. But I'm guessing that most obese people in this country are not on Prednisone. I apologise if I offended anyone who is. Our own Mike McCready got a little round for awhile during a period where he was on Prednisone to treat his Chron's. But I stand by my premise that the majority of obese people in this country are obese because they're lazy about what they put into their mouths.
I love how all the "experts" around here like to come along and tell us all how f**king simple it is and how their ideas apply to everyone.
If scientists don't have all the answers what the hell makes anybody else think they know it all?
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
This board is full of "experts". Everyone has an opinion about everything. I don't mean to insult, but I think it is funny when someone blames the fast food industry for creating obesity. Unless they're engaging in kidnapping and forced-feeding, I think the blame is misplaced. That is what prompted my post.
I could stand to lose 15-20 pounds. I will admit a weakness for butter, cheese, and cream in my cooking. That and the empty calories I ingest through beer, wine and bourbon. It is something I recognize and could correct, but choose not to. Life is full of choices. Life is full of discriminating between that which you want to do and that which you should do. Sometimes I chose the former, sometimes the latter.
jeff isn't that attitude the same as me holding that all gun owners or the majority of gun owners are killers? It's not a correct assumption to make in either case.
Yes there are a lot of people in this world that don't eat well and don't exercise but not all of them are overweight. Metabolism is not something that has been completely explained by science and as it's pretty much individual I doubt we ever will. Do you ever consider that there are millions of people out there that have managed to "diet" themselves to obesity simply by restricting their intake and then having their bodies go into starvation mode? I really don't see what we achieve by laying "blame" on people for their body size. And one has to wonder why it is that we do. I don't think it's as simple as appropriating blame or considering them second class citizens. AND how can you tell the difference when you're looking at someone what their story is anyway? I'm not saying that there hasn't been a huge increase in morbid obesity stats BUT I find it interesting that much of that has happened since the introduction of fast food/convenience foods which has also flourished because people are time poor and financially better off. To me it's a chicken or egg situation. How much of it is simply because people are lazy and how much of is it because how we eat and what we eat has changed so much in the last 30years or so?
It's a very complex issue and summing it up by simply pointing the finger at people seems really unfair to me. A bit like saying that all guns should be banned because there's been an increase in mass shootings.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Well it's interesting that our "fast food" lifestyle seems to have a direct correllation to the massive influx in morbid obesity stats wouldn't you say?
I mean lets face it butter, cheese, cream, beer and wine have been around for centuries and whilst people have always enjoyed them, there hasn't been an obesity epidemic such as the one we're experiencing now right?
I understand what you're saying. People do have choices, but it's not like half the stuff you buy at the supermarket or get at fast food restaurants is even correctly labelled these days. And because we are able to get food quickly when we are hungry, the basic premise of fast food, it's pretty easy for people to eat when they are hungry and not that easy to make good choices when you're tired, or in a hurry. I think it's a symptom of the society that we find ourselves in. Yes people need to take responsibility but so to do food manufacturers. I mean do we really need that much fat in a BIG MAC? What nutritional value does it serve? McDonald's isn't going to stop making them the way they do because they know that people won't buy them otherwise. It's cheap food made with lots of additives and flavor enhancers and it's available fast when people are vunerable, when they're hungry. And the marketing people have been plugging it as delicious for years. I mean have you looked at the difference between what you see in the picture on a menu and what is actually in your bag when you open it? If we were buying anything else that was that different between the advertising picture and the actual item, I reckon there'd be a case for arguing false advertising. People are on automatic pilot. They're so inundated with images of how things should be, what they should eat, how they should dress, how they're supposed to live, who they're suppsed to love that they don't know who they are anymore.
I'm sorry, I'll get off my soapbox, but I just have to say that it's not as simple as saying fat people are lazy or that they can choose what they eat. Half the time I'm sure none of us really know what's in the food we consume. Healthy or otherwise.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Whenever I eat McDonalds my illness plays up. I have an increase in symptoms, particularly numbness down my left side. I'm thinking it's probably the massive amount of saturated fats in the stuff. I agree with you Roland, the more you eat it the more you want it. A bit like salt and sugar. Luckily (?) for me I'm not a fan of the numbness so it's fairly easy for me to avoid the stuff these days, along with most sat fats and preservatives. But I still succumb sometimes and I always regret it afterwards.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
A truly liberal person is conservative when necessary.
Pro-life by choice.
especially the beer wall.
yum
Yeah, that's not true. Gene mutation is not the sole responsible of how your genes influence your metabolism.
I wouldn't call that the greatest accomplishment. We're destroying the environment and several species, and proportion wise we have more people starving throughout the world today than 2000 years ago.
Could he be any more arrogant?
First of all twinkies and cookies aren't the only thing that can make you fat. Very unexpensive pre-cooked/prepared meals containing high level of fat can do that as well. The twinkies are thing you eat between these high fat meals, ensuring you do become fat. Whatever his pedantic arguments, a precooked meal is less expensive in money and/or in time than a healthy meal made from fresh stuff. That's a fact you can experience right now. And that is definitely part of the problem.
Concerning his "how much broccoli would you eat if it was free?", that is so stupid he might just have broken a record. I'll leave you to ponder on his question.
Ok, down there it says : "Ken Root is now celebrating his 34th year as an agricultural professional". I'm not sure what kind of a professionnal he is but I'd advise him to read before writing. US overproduction is in fact a problem : all it's production is not only given, in a christian way, to those poor africans. It is also sold under market price in those countries because american farmers can afford it. Local farmers go out of business and have to rely on the christian charity he is boasting about. As for that charity, this food is generally hijacked and sold in local markets, once again ensuring some people going out of business. I'd suggest he (and you obviously for quoting him) read some stuff on the food and agriculture organisation website.
Another exposure of pure stupidity. What did radically change between the 1930's and 1990's concerning agriculture thus killing his own argument? Hmm, I wonder. And he is a professionnal?
Ok, so the best part of the article. He continously led us to banging our heads on the wall with his arrogant and ignorant arguments to lead us to this masterpiece. I have no idea who this man is but such an arrogance is depressing.
And I don't know who that man Pollan he is quoting is, but you should have quoted his article instead, it seemed better.
My 2 cents:
Obesity is very complex disease that now effects vast numbers of humans and there is widespread evidence of genetic disposition to obesity. Some folks have multiple issues that lead to obesity. Some articles:
http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ddl204v1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11087657&dopt=AbstractPlus
http://www.muhealth.org/weightlosssurgery/understanding.shtml
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9904EFDB173FF93BA25757C0A9609C8B63
However, I do believe that eating too much is as such as an addiction as alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling. I really think the medical profession needs to look at it in this light and treat accordingly.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
So...if you are working hours, perhaps 10-16 per day, just to barely put food on the table and pay rent you haven't seen your family all day (meaning you have 'latchkey kids' another stigmatizm in this society which driven primarily by economics) you are telling me that you would travel using public transportation b/c you those groceries are heavy, come home and cook, then get what 3 hours of sleep so you can do it all over again? The hard part for many of us on this board is to imagine living in those kind of conditions, and understanding why fast food might seem to be a better choice for many families - that way they can adhere to "family values" right?
I've been losing weight all year, and making good eating choices, but its mostly because I am writing my dissertation and am writing at home for a large portion of my time. So when I decide to break for food, I have the luxury of working out and having my lunch. Most people don't have that luxury, and, when I didn't, I barely worked out.
Perhaps they don't put anything in it at all? Perhaps you just like their food?
I rarely eat at McDonalds but when I do, I don't feel sick afterwards and I don't have a craving for there food either.
I think it's weird that so many people who are against McDonalds and never eat there say these things. It's always the same story, I went there once and afterwards I felt sick, or I craved their food for a week...
I have asked my friends and my relatives about this, some of them go there about once every three months, some of them once a year, some of them once every three years... None of them say they feel sick after eating there and they don't crave for more McDonalds food.
I'm not trying to defend McDonalds here, definitely not, I'm just saying I think it's weird. Perhaps the European McDonalds isn't the same as the American one.
I don't go there because there are so many other places where I can get healthy burgers, healthy fast food and it's exactly as cheap. Besides McDonalds throws away tons of food every hour.
naděje umírá poslední
Esther's here and she's sick?
hi Esther, now we are all going to be sick, thanks
naděje umírá poslední
I am at a point where I am not a "smart shopper" in terms of price. I don't worry about what I spend at the grocery store. Therefore, I have to admit some ignorance of what things cost.
However, every now and then I see prices and fresh fruit and vegetables are not cheap. I think you can go a lot further on Hamburger helper for your family than making everything fresh. Boxed crap is dirt cheap. The center aisles are cheap.
This is the only time (and the US perhaps the only place) in world history where poverty and obesity are correlated. Historically it was always the opposite. There are a lot of reasons for it, but I have read articles that it is cheaper per "filling" if you will to eat a lot of the empty cals provided in the middle aisles.
I was 40 to 50 pounds overweight and have been at ideal for over 4 years now. For me it was about amount, plain and simple. And despite what I say above, I have grown to firmly believe that there are few overweight people that have anyone to blame but themselves. We still make choices on amount. We still spend less on chips and fruit loops (as opposed to better food) and insist on having other less important luxuries--it is harder for the poor, but they have choices too. Unfortunately, food is the one "luxury" they can afford. But they still need to be smart about it. Yeah, a trip to DQ is affordable and good, but do it once a month, not twice a week.
Our lifestyle (collectively) is bad. And it is our (collective) fault. You should see the doughnuts, candy, etc. that people at my office eat all day. (A big part of my weight loss was giving that shit up and I have eaten shit at the office fewer than 10 times in four years). These people make the decision to eat horrible empty calories that they do not need, every day. They deserve what they get.
i liek out running these fat slobs
especially our police...hahahahaa
HOW DO THEY GET THESE JOBS?
stand on this corner with a radar gun boy...and harass people on their way to lunch porky..than when your done..return your brand new impala and suck the captains cock.
The abdication of personal responsibility is frightening.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
wow got a bit of an issue with authority figurese eh?
A truly liberal person is conservative when necessary.
Pro-life by choice.
In a worst case scenerio, there are still "better" food options. Just because someone is poor and/or time restricted doesn't mean they have to choose burgers and fries. But overall, this argument doesn't really hold water. Because these same people have time to hop on buses and hit the malls, or the corner pub etc. One hour a week grocery shopping is not that infringing even if it takes three hours with combined public transportation.
A truly liberal person is conservative when necessary.
Pro-life by choice.
There are plenty of discount stores now. Even at a major chain, a box of hamburger helper would cost about $3 plus add the ground meat $2....for the same $3 the box costs, you could buy a .99c box of noodles and add the catsup and spices to make a healthier version. Plus when you buy fresh you usually have enough for at least two meals. Thus spreading your dollar further.
A truly liberal person is conservative when necessary.
Pro-life by choice.