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I'm not blaming FOOD for the epidemic of obesity in our country and perhaps other countries. Yes, food is the culprit IMHO but it is people who make the choices. People choose unhealthy food. People choose over processed food ~~ or should I say NON-FOOD
People choose the food !
Many individuals (including myself) are not able to exercise sufficiently due to disability or other issues. They can still maintain a healthy immune system by their choices in what to eat. It is really very simple ~~ choose to be healthy (without prescription drugs) by choosing to eat real food from nature unadulterated by processing ~ in moderation
I mentioned processed foods.. I remember eating those candy wax fingernails and lips as a child(1960's).....food has been processed for many decades(or "non-food" as you call it); yet obesity has become a real problem just the past decade or two.
fwiw "eating like a bird" isn't a good analogy - most birds eat up to 3 times their body weight per day - unless of course you mean "eat like a bird' to mean eat constantly..........just sayin'
ROFL....So True!...We feed wild birds and boy can they eat....we go through a 20 pound bag of bird food a week and a half loaf of bread a day keeping our feathered friends satiated..
I remember as a kid we only had got two of those 8oz glass bottles of Coca Cola per week growing up. Now people drink that much or more per day every day. Soda, sweets & candy, donuts & chips used to be for special ocassions but now its something the average person eats daily.
When I was really young we lived out in the country so I played from daylight till dark and my mom had to grab me and carrying me under her arm to get me to go inside. I used to cry when I was called in to eat a meal. Many times after a big meal we went for an "after dinner" walk down and back on the old country lane or through the woods or the neighbor's cow pastures. I was skinny as a rail then. We moved to the city and I started blowing up like a balloon. I think the problem is kids do not have access to land to play on that is safe. These days you can't walk down some roads without being assaulted and forget walking across some one else's property without being arrested for trespassing. These days too many kids grow up in apartment complexes.
Pittston2Sarasota ~~ I really think this thread belongs in the Health section because the issue is one of education/nutrition and the epidemic of obesity does impact ones health in a very negative way.
I am agreeing with you mostly~ except IMHO obesity is the result of FOOD ~~~~~ eating way too much of unhealthy man-made processed food rather than natural foods of the earth. Exercise is important but it does not reverse the danger of bad food, chemicals, artificial everything, more chemicals, some pesticide, preservatives, more artificial fake foods, etc.
So true. Back when I was a kid there was not fast food places all over. There were a few restaurants, but not drive thrus with processed foods. Artificial foods were not prevalent like they are today. For the most part, back in the 60's obesity just didn't exist.
My advice is, buy healthy foods and limit what you eat. Allow yourself more food in the summer than winter. Figure out what foods cause you problems and avoid them. It is so easy really, I've done it for 20 years. People have to get once and for all that skinny is a way of life.
More Americans are now obese and/or overweight than ever; with the percentages increasing yearly. Our children are becoming overweight at a rate even faster than adults. This trend is leading to more premature deaths; higher rates of disease(think diabetes) and escalating health care costs. These overall costs to society are now estimated to be 147 BILLION dollars in the United States according to Scientific American magazine.
Most researchers are blaming our food and/or eating habits, which I'm sure is a large part of the problem. But I personally feel that a lack of exercise and a sedate lifestyle is equally IF not even a bigger part of this accelerating trend.
With children for instance I seldom see them playing outdoors and walking or bicycling. These activities were the norm in the 1960's and earlier; before this health problem became more prevalent.
Here is a link with more information; with a state by state breakdown.....with Mississippi having the highest obesity rates and Hawaii the least.
Here is a Pictoral Graphic of obesity and overweight people in the United States from Scientific American magazine.....it is very informative.
Giving rates in 1980 versus 2008 for both children and adults; the numbers are both astounding and frightening. Also a breakdown of various diseases associated with obesity by gender. Follow this link for the "Graphic Science">>>>> //www.city-data.com/forum/membe...62898-001.html .
Exercise is part of it. Although, I must say that when I was younger, exercise was *not* part of my daily life, and I was never obese.
The problem, as I see it is that the QUALITY of the food is what is hurting us most. The highly processesd stuff is totally empty calories. People are eating more than 50 pounds of sugar a year for gosh sakes! Go to any grocery store and 90 percent of the food there is over processed garbage.
It is very difficult to over eat when you are consuming good quality food. In fact, I know some vegetarians who eat 75 percent raw foods and it is a constant battle to keep the weight ON because these foods are nutrient dense and naturally low calorie.
But General Mills does not get rich when people eat apples and eggplant.
Perhaps this problem is more widespread than I thought.. And as another poster mentioned.....our habits have changed and people do not walk etc...enough these days.
I too remember as a kid, walking across yards etc...to get to where we wanted to go; these days that would be unthinkable so as a society our "priorities" have shifted and people are more defensive about property and other parameters..
I still think blaming food alone is a typical modern response......it's never my fault or our fault, but somebody else's fault....this is omnipresent in American society from politics to family issues.....always blame somebody/something else, rather than searching within ourselves for solutions.
Perhaps this problem is more widespread than I thought.. And as another poster mentioned.....our habits have changed and people do not walk etc...enough these days.
I too remember as a kid, walking across yards etc...to get to where we wanted to go; these days that would be unthinkable so as a society our "priorities" have shifted and people are more defensive about property and other parameters..
I still think blaming food alone is a typical modern response......it's never my fault or our fault, but somebody else's fault....this is omnipresent in American society from politics to family issues.....always blame somebody/something else, rather than searching within ourselves for solutions.
Your last sentence sums it all up So many people lack personal responsibility for one's own health ~~ and it is so simple, really ~~ just take control over what and how much you eat.
Your last sentence sums it all up So many people lack personal responsibility for one's own health ~~ and it is so simple, really ~~ just take control over what and how much you eat.
I believe in watching what you eat. Doesn't mean that everyone who does, will be thin. Some of us, just weren't meant to be skinny. Also, please don't harp on this 'personal responsibility' thing. I know that it's popular to assert this nowadays, but it's been done to death. So much so, that if anything bad ever happens to anyone, someone is bound to pipe-up with the phrase; 'too bad, you didn't take personal responsibility'. Enough already!
Last edited by artwomyn; 11-12-2010 at 01:52 PM..
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. And as another poster mentioned.....our habits have changed and people do not walk etc...enough these days. 
Denial ~~~
