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It probably has to do with having the most disposable income, mixed with, again, the victim society we live in. It is anyone's fault they are fat. It is society's. It is Ronald McDonald's.

Well, it's not a matter of disposable income. Obesity in the U.S. is more prevalent among the poor, though the affluent are catching up.

 

I don't blame society or anyone else for my own weight issues. I just like to eat, way too much, and I've spent my life making pretty poor choices about food.

 

That said, the food industry does have a role in the current epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Processed foods are evil, and a lot of bad information has been disseminated by food producers over the past several decades. News flash: Wonder Bread is not good for you. It's basically sugar. Foods that are advertised as "low-fat" or "fat-free" are often pretty evil in other ways (they tend to be high in sugar, which isn't technically "fat," but it's worse than fat in the long run).

 

I'm trying to do better now, but it's hard to break old habits. I'm also pretty lazy -- I've never been too fond of putting in all the prep work to make a decent meal. One of my projects for the coming year is to overcome that laziness and learn to cook enough healthy, appealing dishes that I'm never tempted to go the easy, unhealthy route for dinner.

 

Wait, what the hell am I talking about? More bikini pics, please!

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It probably has to do with having the most disposable income, mixed with, again, the victim society we live in. It is anyone's fault they are fat. It is society's. It is Ronald McDonald's.

 

Though I agree with you in theory, you

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It probably has to do with having the most disposable income

 

It's the opposite. Soda is cheaper than Milk. A bag of doritos is cheaper than a bag of apples. A box of cookies is cheaper than a jar of nuts.

 

That's why so many poor folks are obese.

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It's the opposite. Soda is cheaper than Milk. A bag of doritos is cheaper than a bag of apples. A box of cookies is cheaper than a jar of nuts.

 

That's why so many poor folks are obese.

And ignorance. Let's not forget the ignorance. I teach a "Nutrition" lesson weekly (with the food to match) and it's amazing how little the kids know about what is good for the body and what isn't. It's an inner city school and a lot of the kids simply don't eat well because their parents don't.

 

However, it's not just an economic thing. TIn a lot od cases, the sizes of fast food portions has quadrupled (or so) the last 10-15 years and it's not uncommon to see people from all economic strata walking around with 64 oz. soda cups slurping away. It's amazing.

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Someone should print this thread and send it to Jessica Simpson. She'd probably be impressed that an innocuous question like this thread title could lead to such deep philosophical ruminations. Or something. :stunned

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I hear she likes free range, ocean bred chicken.

 

Michael Pollan wrote two stealler books on the subject. The Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense of Food

 

They are both on my wish list. Would you recommend one over the other?

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And ignorance. Let's not forget the ignorance.

 

Oh, without doubt. I definitely spoke too broadly. I didnt mean economics was the sole factor -- just that being poor is a much larger factor than twobobs said when he blamed too much disposable income.

 

As for the ignorance, well, that certainly knows no economic limits. I am constantly amazed at how little people know about nutrition. People just don't realize (or ignore the fact) that the piece of fish and the side of veggies they ordered at the restaurant last night were both cooked with a stick of butter. Each.

 

It is virtually impossible to be healthy when you eat at a restaurant. There's a reason why the chicken breast I cook at home to be healthy tastes like cardboard and the one at the restaurant down the street tastes great. Butter.

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I hear she likes free range, ocean bred chicken.

 

 

 

They are both on my wish list. Would you recommend one over the other?

 

read both. In simplest ternms Omnivore's is a 'what is the problem' book. The second is what to personally do about it.

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all valid comments about food manufacturing and/or restaraunts...there is indeed a 'complex mesh of causalities' but you are only focusing on one element of obsesity. what about lack of exercise/physical activity? it's not rocket science, diet is one part of the equation...but a lot of the 'evils' of the food we eat can be deterred from regular exercise.

 

and, physical activity is free. if you aren't doing anything in that realm...then, unless of course you have some legitimate physical handicap that prevents you from doing so, it's laziness. plain and simple.

 

i have taken on a bit of a spare tire in the past year or two...i can and don't exercise enough/eat right. i've been lazy. to say that the 'epidemic' of obesity is the fault of anybody but the individual is ludicrous. 'introduction of sugar and corn syrup into just about everything we eat, a persons level of income, advertising, etc.' are contributors, but we hold accountability over our own bodies (or, at least, should).

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all valid comments about food manufacturing and/or restaraunts...

 

to say that the 'epidemic' of obesity is the fault of anybody but the individual is ludicrous. 'introduction of sugar and corn syrup into just about everything we eat, a persons level of income, advertising, etc.' are contributors, but we hold accountability over our own bodies (or, at least, should).

 

Couldn't agree with you more -- I was lamenting the ignorance. I don't blame restaurants for making their spinach taste as good as possible. That's what they are there for. All it takes is common sense and some initiative to figure out why it tastes so good. And that's free too.

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And ignorance. Let's not forget the ignorance. I teach a "Nutrition" lesson weekly (with the food to match) and it's amazing how little the kids know about what is good for the body and what isn't. It's an inner city school and a lot of the kids simply don't eat well because their parents don't.

 

However, it's not just an economic thing. TIn a lot od cases, the sizes of fast food portions has quadrupled (or so) the last 10-15 years and it's not uncommon to see people from all economic strata walking around with 64 oz. soda cups slurping away. It's amazing.

 

I'll post a picture, but you've gotta read to get to it.

 

I taught cooking classes for kids a few years ago. When I first started, I was completely disgusted by how little the kids and their parents knew about nutrition. It was across all economic lines. I was working at a non-profit arts center, so my students included kids from affluent families as well as inner-city kids on scholarships. On the first day of class, we'd go around the room and talk about favorite and least favorite foods. Overall, it was rare to have a kid who wasn't eating fast food several times a week. There was also the belief that if something pre-packaged was labeled "low-fat", it automatically meant it was healthy.

 

There are so many misconceptions about food out there, and why would the industries make any attempts to change them? There's a lot of money to be made from processed food and diet programs.

 

Ignorance is a biggie, too. Ignorance of how our bodies work, how metabolisms differ (excellent point, THDW). I'm overweight, partially due to a hormonal disorder. Went through years of unhealthy dieting that only made the problem worse.

 

Thank you for reading. Here's my boobs:

 

2131754138_a16cb8623f.jpg

 

Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal Vegetable Miracle" is another good read on the topic of food politics.

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