I disagree with this article on obesity..Whats your opinion?

HughFreakingDillon · March 2015

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

dignin said:
Labelling these people as lazy is misinformed.
Im sorry, but I still say you can feed a family of 4, healthy meals, for less money than junk food. Ive read what you posted, and I disagree on a few points. Maybe I am wrong calling people lazy. Lower income people have less parks, and recreational facilities? Sorry, but walking is free. Walking is a great exercise. I live in a big city, I travel all throughout this city for work. There are grocery stores at every other corner. I find it hard to believe that anywhere in this city, people cant find a store, close to home, that sells healthier food than potato chips, soda pop, and cheeseburgers. But yeah, that article makes some good points. But I have to say, I don't agree with them all.

A big conversation in winnipeg right now is that in our poorest area, dowtown, there are ZERO grocery stores that stock fresh foods of any kind. The local government is trying to bring people downtown to live and shop instead of urban sprawl issues, but no one is going to buy a $300,000 condo and not be able to get groceries.

But its also a conversation as to why; some blame it on the demand. There USED to be grocery stores downtown, but they all died out for lack of business.

And walking around dowtown is pretty widely considered unsafe, whether that perception is correct or not is not the issue. But it is true that the poor poeople that live there have nearly no access to healthy food. If they did, would they use it? Who knows.

HughFreakingDillon · March 2015

There is this perception that it actually is cheaper to eat at mcdonalds than it is to eat at home. Jim gaffigan did a wonderful bit on this on one of his comedy specials, as he is a huge lover of mcdonalds. He sawa sign that read "double cheeseburger $1". His next line was "well, i dont want to lose money by not having one!" Or something to that effect.

But honestly, on the rare occasion that we take our young daughters to mcdonalds, it runs us about $25 (I realize fast food prices arent as cheap in canada, but you get my drift). No fucking way it costs us that much for one family meal at home. Not even a fraction of that.

Last-12-Exit · March 2015

Why are the healthiest foods the most expensive? The prices of raw fruits and vegetables are out of control. "They" want us fat and "they" want our arteries clogged. Why? Because "they" want us to spend money in doctors offices and hospitals. "They" want us to buy government insurance. Living and eating healthy reduces profit margains for pharmaceutical companies. We can't have that now can we.

brianlux · March 2015

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

rgambs said:
Kishman's IGA: Bell Peppers $1.69 ea
Donuts $0.69 ea

Yowza!
Yeah but we can argue that all day.

42oz of Quaker Oats Oatmeal. Enough for 30 servings. 150 calories a serving.
$3.98

Breakfast for 4, for 7 days. If that's not enough you can add a banana and some berries.

Sounds good Speedy!

The other thing is, more and cities and towns have Farmer's Markets where you can pick up some good eats for a very reasonable price.

dignin said:
Labelling these people as lazy is misinformed.

Maybe a better what to put it is that these folks are not educated on the issue (bring back Home Economics as Mickey suggested).

Leezestarr313 said:
Sorry for the long, fuzzy post. It is a passionate topic to me lol And yes, I agree with everything you said, Speedy.

No worries Leeze, fuzzy and passionate are good!

SPEEDY MCCREADY · March 2015

paulonious said:

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

dignin said:
Labelling these people as lazy is misinformed.
Im sorry, but I still say you can feed a family of 4, healthy meals, for less money than junk food. Ive read what you posted, and I disagree on a few points. Maybe I am wrong calling people lazy. Lower income people have less parks, and recreational facilities? Sorry, but walking is free. Walking is a great exercise. I live in a big city, I travel all throughout this city for work. There are grocery stores at every other corner. I find it hard to believe that anywhere in this city, people cant find a store, close to home, that sells healthier food than potato chips, soda pop, and cheeseburgers. But yeah, that article makes some good points. But I have to say, I don't agree with them all.

A big conversation in winnipeg right now is that in our poorest area, dowtown, there are ZERO grocery stores that stock fresh foods of any kind. The local government is trying to bring people downtown to live and shop instead of urban sprawl issues, but no one is going to buy a $300,000 condo and not be able to get groceries.

But its also a conversation as to why; some blame it on the demand. There USED to be grocery stores downtown, but they all died out for lack of business.

And walking around dowtown is pretty widely considered unsafe, whether that perception is correct or not is not the issue. But it is true that the poor poeople that live there have nearly no access to healthy food. If they did, would they use it? Who knows.

I shop at a grocery store 2 miles from the house. You have both middle class and lower income people shopping there. There are a great deal of people who shop using their "Link Card", used to be food stamps, but now its a government issued credit card. I see PLENTY of people, whose carts are overflowing with nothing but junk food, paying for their groceries with their "link card." The produce is available, the lean meats are available, they make the choice to fill their cart with frozen pizzas and potato chips.

dignin · March 2015

I feel like that link that I posted is being ignored here. It references well researched data, not beliefs.

This fits right in with the War On Science thread.

You can believe these people are lazy.....but the evidence says otherwise.

HughFreakingDillon · March 2015

dignin said:
I feel like that link that I posted is being ignored here. It references well researched data, not beliefs.

This fits right in with the War On Science thread.

You can believe these people are lazy.....but the evidence says otherwise.

I think depression can be a big factor here as well (kinda falls in with thecstress data you provided). People eat and drink in unhealthy ways as a source of comfort when depressed. And over time this becomes the lifestyle, and a cycle. But also poor education. The poorest segment of my population is often seen feeding their young children from bottles, so as young as 1 or 2, and in those bottles is not milk: its orange crush! If these people truly knew how detrimental this is to their childs health, i have a hard time believing that they would be just passively disregarding of it. But also, a litre of orange crush is actually cheaper than a litre of milk, and it doesnt spoil.

Last-12-Exit · March 2015

dignin said:
I feel like that link that I posted is being ignored here. It references well researched data, not beliefs.

This fits right in with the War On Science thread.

You can believe these people are lazy.....but the evidence says otherwise.

I'm not calling them lazy, but it looks like another opportunity for someone to blame their poor eating habits on something or someone else. At some point, personal accountability has to be factored in.

HughFreakingDillon · March 2015

Last-12-Exit said:

dignin said:
I feel like that link that I posted is being ignored here. It references well researched data, not beliefs.

This fits right in with the War On Science thread.

You can believe these people are lazy.....but the evidence says otherwise.
I'm not calling them lazy, but it looks like another opportunity for someone to blame their poor eating habits on something or someone else. At some point, personal accountability has to be factored in.

To a degree, but in the same way your parents taught you how to make healthy choices and now do that yourself, these people are also following what they were taught.

Last-12-Exit · March 2015

paulonious said:

Last-12-Exit said:

dignin said:
I feel like that link that I posted is being ignored here. It references well researched data, not beliefs.

This fits right in with the War On Science thread.

You can believe these people are lazy.....but the evidence says otherwise.
I'm not calling them lazy, but it looks like another opportunity for someone to blame their poor eating habits on something or someone else. At some point, personal accountability has to be factored in.
To a degree, but in the same way your parents taught you how to make healthy choices and now do that yourself, these people are also following what they were taught.

Yea, but there comes a point in everyone's life where you question what you were taught growing up. Wheather it's politics, religion, ethics, and even eating habits. It come down to choice.

I'd be a hypocritical Christian today if I didn't question what I was taught growing up.

HughFreakingDillon · March 2015

Last-12-Exit said:

paulonious said:

Last-12-Exit said:

dignin said:
I feel like that link that I posted is being ignored here. It references well researched data, not beliefs.

This fits right in with the War On Science thread.

You can believe these people are lazy.....but the evidence says otherwise.
I'm not calling them lazy, but it looks like another opportunity for someone to blame their poor eating habits on something or someone else. At some point, personal accountability has to be factored in.
To a degree, but in the same way your parents taught you how to make healthy choices and now do that yourself, these people are also following what they were taught.

Yea, but there comes a point in everyone's life where you question what you were taught growing up. Wheather it's politics, religion, ethics, and even eating habits. It come down to choice.

I'd be a hypocritical Christian today if I didn't question what I was taught growing up.

I get what you are saying. But learning to make proper choices as an adult and taking the time to prepare is a much more difficult task than I think people are estimating.

I think its less laziness and more not understanding and/or possibly caring about the ramifications down the road.

hedonist · March 2015

mickeyrat said:
removing Home Economics as a required type class in school doesn't help either.

Hot topic! Interesting discussion too.

mickey, I took Home Ec in junior high - cooking, sewing - in addition to several shop classes. Much fun as it was, and I did learn something in each setting / experience, my parents played such a greater role in those realms, by their examples.

Food - prepared, made-with-love food - was such a part of family and growing up. The whole ritual of shopping for good deals, the occasional splurge coupled with the innovation of using what's on hand...then setting the table, the scents.

It was so warm and brought us together, and I think that has nothing to do with "class" or level of income.

QuarterToTen · March 2015

paulonious said:

Last-12-Exit said:

paulonious said:

Last-12-Exit said:

dignin said:
I feel like that link that I posted is being ignored here. It references well researched data, not beliefs.

This fits right in with the War On Science thread.

You can believe these people are lazy.....but the evidence says otherwise.
I'm not calling them lazy, but it looks like another opportunity for someone to blame their poor eating habits on something or someone else. At some point, personal accountability has to be factored in.
To a degree, but in the same way your parents taught you how to make healthy choices and now do that yourself, these people are also following what they were taught.

Yea, but there comes a point in everyone's life where you question what you were taught growing up. Wheather it's politics, religion, ethics, and even eating habits. It come down to choice.

I'd be a hypocritical Christian today if I didn't question what I was taught growing up.
I think its less laziness and more not understanding and/or possibly caring about the ramifications down the road.

How is it possible to not understand that eating fast food/junk food/convenience food is detrimental? How is it possible to not comprehend that the mentality of laziness that fast food instills, in every way, filling our landfills, filling our arteries, filling our stomachs with nothing but empty calories is a horrible way to live?

But if you are not taught this, you know no better. So sad.

dignin · March 2015

hedonist said:

mickeyrat said:
removing Home Economics as a required type class in school doesn't help either.

It was so warm and brought us together, and I think that has nothing to do with "class" or level of income.

I disagree Hedo. That is your story, and it's anecdotal.

The evidence says that class and level of income has a lot do do with it

rgambs · March 2015

dignin said:

hedonist said:

mickeyrat said:
removing Home Economics as a required type class in school doesn't help either.

It was so warm and brought us together, and I think that has nothing to do with "class" or level of income.

I disagree Hedo. That is your story, and it's anecdotal.

The evidence says that class and level of income has a lot do do with it

I agree with this. It is hard to have such experiences with parent(s) who work crazy long hours.

hedonist · March 2015

But how many stories (actual experiences) can be considered both anecdotal and an accurate reflection of what was? What can also be?

Many people use and re-use foods such as potatoes, chicken, bones, stocks. Some of it just takes some trade-off with convenience.

rr165892 · March 2015

I just got back from food shopping.I had read this thread prior to going.While at the store I kinda observed what the folks with kids were doing.In the middle rows(all the crap)The kids were hyper with joy about this sugar food or that colorful package of nutrition less garbage.The parents were obliging the requests and the carts were filling with bad diet choices.When they get to the veggies the kids are like zombies.No energy could care less about that section of the store.
So it would seem that the pre programming the advertisers are doing,coupled with parents just trying to appease the little ones create this pattern.If the parents made the selection of fruits and veggies more interactive with the kids,let them pick the apples or peppers and bag them keep them involved in good choices would that help?Start at an early age and teach proper nutrition using sweets and such as a treat not a daily diet item.Maybe that could be a start.

Leezestarr313 · March 2015

Potatoes, carrots, cabbage and the like are not super expensive and widely available anywhere. There are areas where people have community gardens, so even when their backyard does not allow growing your own food, you can go to places like that and get going. I had plant pots on my balcony in Germany, so I always had fresh herbs available. Seeds are cheap too. I think a lot of people just simply do not know what is out there and how to use it for yourself.
And the obesity problemis not just happening in America, it is the same in Germany toom maybe still not as bad as here, but it is there. Fuck the corporations and their deadly potions.

brianlux · March 2015

dignin said:
I feel like that link that I posted is being ignored here. It references well researched data, not beliefs.

This fits right in with the War On Science thread.

You can believe these people are lazy.....but the evidence says otherwise.

There are some points made in that article, dignin, that seem quite valid and like I said, calling people lazy is not at all helpful. But I still believe much of the problem is lack of education. Years ago, I lived in western New York state in a poor neighborhood of a depressed town for a few years and lived on very low income. Obesity was not a problem for me. The problem, if any, was that I was too thin. I had a neighbor who was about my age (a really great guy, by the way) and just as poor as me and he was obese. I don't disregard that poor people have a more difficult time of staying healthy-- not at all!-- but I do think much of the time the problem has more to do with poor education and poor choices.

TalonTedd · March 2015

Sue made a great point at the end of her article. Government and big biz are one in the same as far as I'm concerned. People are being made addicted to the crap food being processed and poisoned by the additive experiments in the food. Its done deliberately and for profit. The whole culture of America has gone supersized in every way, not just food. My wife and I have two children and we almost never eat at restaurants for two reasons; the expense and the ingredients. First off, we don't have money to spare, but when it come to the food we eat, we spare no expense. It's far cheaper to prepare and eat an ORGANIC diet than it is to buy fast food, in Toronto anyway. Lets say the four of us ate at Mc Collen Blows for ten bucks each for one meal. that $40 will feed us all day and thats with our expensive organic foods. I think the two main reasons for America's obesity is education and distraction. American IQ's have been on a steady decline, along with funding for education. Dumb people don't ask a lot of hard questions or research the nature of their environment much. We are so completely distracted by spectacle and entertainment that people would much rather watch tv or surf the net and disregard the chores of the kitchen. So, we find the time to surf by tossing a frozen pizza in the oven or grabbing a bucket of buzzard.....a third reason is the bucket of buzzard, lol.

I disagree with this article on obesity..Whats your opinion?

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