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Location: Georgia, on the Florida line, right above Tallahassee
10,471 posts, read 15,839,921 times
Reputation: 6438
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Originally Posted by stillkit
Everything we do ultimately results in the expenditure of health care dollars if we live long enough simply because we can't avoid growing old. Age really does make a difference, you know? And, we all will grow old no matter if we eat right, exercise or do any of the other "right" things. In point of fact, if all that stuff really does work to lengthen and improve life, more people would actually live longer and cost us more!
In any case, how much have you gained financially from applying the same principles of behavior modification on smokers? How much have you been refunded on your taxes? How much have your insurance or personal health care expenses gone down? What have you gained for the trade off of personal liberty versus intrusive government regulation?
Just curious, but do you think showing a picture of a 64 oz drink ='s a cup of sugar would be bad or good? Would it affect someone's choice?
Comparing financial gain to personal health is an interesting analogy to argue against expanding public knowledge of what they consume - If that's what you are doing. I thnk if you choose to eat healthier and not get diabetees, then you will actually have more money to spend on things that are not diabetees related.
I never said, "People can't sell huge platters" That would be dumb, this is America, do what you want. It's a fact, mega platters sell. Hardee's has built a reputation for Monster burgers. I don't think we need legislation to stop it.
But a fat country is a weak country. There should be more awareness about what people are shoveling into their gaping maw.
Just curious, but do you think showing a picture of a 64 oz drink ='s a cup of sugar would be bad or good? Would it affect someone's choice?
I suspect it would have about as much effect as warning lables on cigarettes: None. All such a thing would do is up the cost of the product inside.
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Comparing financial gain to personal health is an interesting analogy to argue against expanding public knowledge of what they consume - If that's what you are doing.
I'm not against more knowledge or "raising the conciousness" of consumers, but I'm leery of where that seems to inevitably lead. The predictable pattern history shows us, from seat belts to tobacco to trans fats, is that when that additional information fails to change people's behavior's, the pressure to actually begin to FORCE change follows. New York's campaign against trans-fats is a good example.
What we should never forget is the process of incrementalism. We lose our right to chose one little step at a time, sort of like parboiling a frog. By the time anyone notices how far it's progressed, it's too late.
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I thnk if you choose to eat healthier and not get diabetees, then you will actually have more money to spend on things that are not diabetees related.
Maybe, but it could as easily mean you'll live longer and spend more years in a rest home at $4-5000 per month, so I don't know if it's worth it.
In any case, I don't worry about things like that as I don't believe we have dominion over our own health or our own future. There are too many unknowns, too many variables which can wipe out whatever you may gain by a lifetime of eating right and exercising in the blink of a eye. And, they happen regularly. Not only that, but I trust my God with my future, not myself.
In reality, all that effort at living "right" really does nothing more than increase the odds that those bad things won't happen to you. There is no clear-cut proof that, for instance, no smoking = no lung cancer. You and I both know that's not so. The same is true with any other disease you can name. Ultimately, it's just betting on a future you can't control and I'm no gambler, so I'm not playing. I see no reason to deny myself the things I like to eat or do in exchange for MAYBE a few more years. That maybe isn't strong enough to compel me to change. After all, if you believe in life after death, what possible difference will it make if you spend 50 years here or 150 years?
After a couple million years of eternity, I doubt we'll even remember this place.
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I never said, "People can't sell huge platters" That would be dumb, this is America, do what you want. It's a fact, mega platters sell. Hardee's has built a reputation for Monster burgers. I don't think we need legislation to stop it.
I don't believe in that either, but we're getting it, one place and one health "issue" after another. From banning Happy Meal toys in Santa Clara County, CA, to denying permits for new fast food joints in South LA, to the banning of salt and trans-fats in restaurant kitchens in NYC, to Arkansas kindergartner's having their body fat measured, the march of the Health Police has begun and is gaining momentum, fed by public pressure over the "obesity crisis."
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But a fat country is a weak country. There should be more awareness about what people are shoveling into their gaping maw.
Processed food is what most kids grow up. It is not healthy.
Natural food, and fats, are much easier for the body to breakdown and dispose of. (Eat real butter, just not a lot...or use whipped)
Even vegans have to watch when they buy food in a box or can.
Sadly, unless you live close to a farm, or farmers market, fresh food is not as appealing due to cost and effort to prepare. People are really getting lazy. Quick food is usually not good for you unless you are pulling it off a tree.
You Americans should eat more fresh food then. It's not only healthier, it also tastes better, don't you think?
I agree but there are a few other factors that contribute to our weight problem. People here rely waaaaay too much on their cars, not many people walk places. I have people in the building I work in take the elevator from the first floor to the second floor, give me a break! They can't even take the stairs for one floor, that's pathetic. And it doesn't help when government doesn't place a higher priority on mass transit so people can get away from their cars & maybe move their fat butts a few blocks to get to the bus station. Also, there are not nearly enough corner stores where you can quick pop in after work to buy what you need for dinner that night. People have to trudge to the mega grocery stores to stock up on food for the next week or two & guess what happens? Any fresh food they may have bought ends up rotting. I've done it myself.
Lastly, this whole "eat 6 small meals instead of 3 big ones" is a crock. It still doesn't work. Why? Because people here eat like crap & there's an over abundance of easily prepared processed food. Why are say parisians not obese like we are? Because they eat 3 normal meals a day of healthy food. I don't think you see them having to try every single diet known to man which never work, that's why the diet industry is booming.
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