The root of America's weight problem (Page 2)

cardenas1 - 2009-07-21 3:02 PM

Go to any county fair and you will get a taste of what average America is turning into. Another great example is at Disneyworld. Compare the International Tourists with those from America and the lifestyle choices are beyond obvious. The following were selling like crazy at the fair this weekend:
Chocolate covered Bacon
Deep Fried Twinkies/Snickers
Elephant ears, cotton candy etc.
I am not saying everyone should fit into the same box, but there is a balance.

rkreuser - 2009-07-21 4:02 PM
- Ride your bike, the rest of the world does. And walk (or run), everywhere you can. Or swim. Or whatever.
- Keep hobbies that are healthy for the mind and body. Step away from the video games.  
- Eat something healthy. Our labeling system rocks, FWIW. And no culture has the available selection of fresh fruts and veggies we have in the US.   
- Don't eat the entire On the Border Wet Burrito Platter. That's too much food.  Real portion sizes, real food.  

It's absolutely no secret how we got where we are. And the solution is the same as it was 100 years ago, 10 years ago...stay active, eat well in moderation, and *poof* good to go.   

SweetK - 2009-07-21 9:52 PM  The simple solution is to eat less and exercise, but honestly we have become an instant gratification society where where many people can't wait for anything because they need it immediately. We thrive on convenience versus patience of not too long ago.

rkreuser - 2009-07-21 10:41 PM



Agreed on all fronts. The question is...whose issue is it that that's the way it is?

The point of what I posted was it's not the government's problem, and insurance problem, or a corporate problem to manage weight and diet....It's an individual responsibility to  learn about and  be judicious with what you put in your bod, and how much you exercise to tone your bod.

It's not OK to let 'society said' be the excuse for the fast food revolution, that's eschewing individual responsibility.  If you can spend $7 on a Super-Sized #3, I'm sure you could make your way to a subway for $4, or the grocery store and get three healthy sandwiches worth of stuff for less than $7.  

Yeah, fast food is there. Yeah, it's easy. Yeah, you KNOW I partake in it (at least the diet pepsi and mcmuffin food groups). But I accept responsibility for it as a choice, no one's forcing me to do that.  I understand that government policies may make these less-than-healthy foods much more affordable than healthy ones, but government does what we, the peeps, vote for. And apparently we've voted for cheap, easy, and unhealthy...again, an individual choice. 

SweetK - 2009-07-21 9:52 PM

The government likes farmers to plant lots of corn and soybeans and factory farm lots of animals fed the wrong diets in order to allow us to buy the cheap convenience foods loaded with fat, HFCS and refined grains.

We have a two-fold problem...if the government mandates that our food pyramid is in fact incorrect (and it is...read "Food Politics" by Marion Nestle) you will see that the economy relies on this farming and cheap fatty protein sources. The outcome of all these cheap food sources is a diet sufficiently high in calories, low in nutrients and poor health. I read that back in the 1950's, we only had enough planted goods to support 700 calories in the american diet compared to now where we produce about 3,000 calories per US person after sending supplies to other foreign nations. We clearly have a surplus. In order to rid of this surplus, "super size" and "mega" portions are offered, buffets are aplenty and so on.

So what do we do? The obvious is to produce less but it may crash the agriculture sector? Or keep producing like we are doing now and continue to fuel our health problems, as well as the rest of worlds who chooses to consume the western diet. The government does not pay the "organic" farmer to produce healthier goods - that is why they are so expensive. Also companies like ConAgra and ADM cannot control the seeds, they like farmers to buy their genetically altered seeds every year...therefore there is no such thing as heirloom varieties with those companies. We would rather convert corn into 40,000 products, yes thats true - corn is converted into 40,000 products - quite amazing actually.

The simple solution is to eat less and exercise, but honestly we have become an instant gratification society where where many people can't wait for anything because they need it immediately. We thrive on convenience versus patience of not too long ago.

D.Z. - 2009-07-21 10:59 PM

That is my point. The individual needs help getting the right information.

rkreuser - 2009-07-21 11:26 PM



That's where we disagree.

The individual, between labels, the food pyramid (which isn't all that far off), the interwebs, and people around them have the ability to put their diet into the 99th percentile of good by doing some very basic things that don't require a dietician.  Especially someone on a triathlon site with access to the nutrition forum. But I digress. 

My point is...it's not the government's job, or insurance company's job, to get anyone the right information. Those two entities, at the end of the day, only have economic reasons for providing the 'right' information, and the information may be tainted by their corporate policies or lobbyists.

People should want that information first and foremost because it relates to what you're about to put in your body, and that's the only one they get. I'm completely going to struggle to understand any argument that makes it anything other than an individual's responsibility to know what they're putting in their mouth. Especially with our labeling system...can't get much easier.   

Gaarryy - 2009-07-21 9:03 PM i think the best money I spent was really an investment.. .

One of the local RD is does a package of 4 visits with one of them is her going to a grocery store with you to show you how much crap is in some food, what to buy and meal planning.  Even if she was covered by my insurance it was less than what my deductible is so I would have paid it anyway\

I'll admit I don't follow all of the advice all of the time,, but at least I feel more empowered

D.Z. - 2009-07-22 8:11 AM And to expect the average American to stop by a tri related website to get food and nutrition information is asking too much. Considering that as of 2007, 66% of Americans had access to the internets, there's a few million people who simply CAN'T get that info. Relying on the food pyramid is no guarantee.

mattierocks - 2009-07-22 8:54 AM

People actually didn't eat before the internet.

D.Z. - 2009-07-22 8:21 AM Thanks for the smarmy reply. Nor has the available food changed in the last 50 years. People were gulping down HFCS, monosodium glutamate and deep fried snickers bars at since the end of WWII.