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Deleted member 17706
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Really sad state of affairs and nutrition education doesn't seem to be improving at all.
But a lot of restaurants featured on that show seem to have large portions of food as "eating challenges" on the menu. I mean, the large portions aren't just specially made for the show to entertain the viewers. To eat a lot in America is seen as some sort of achievement, normal even.
Is it really down to a lack a of education? I don't think it is. I think people in the US simply like to eat a lot of food regardless of the health consequences. That's the impression I get as a non-American. I live in the UK where we seem to be following in the US's footsteps, albeit at a slower pace. I see a lot of fat people who look educated loading up on unhealthy food at the supermarket. They know it's unhealthy because the packaging tells them it is, but they still do it.
i hope veganism continues to grow in popularity and helps this somewhat
... Did you try a grocery store?Took me 4 days to encounter an actual edible apple on my trip to the USA. Not shocked.
Ended up shoving sweets as a snack into me until I had to throw up. Made me feel truly american.
One night in college my old roommate ate a pizza as big as a wagon wheel.
When I asked him why he was drinking a bottle of water with his giant pizza, he said "to make it healthier".
true story.
Good god, no, that is not the answer for almost anyone.
Took me 4 days to encounter an actual edible apple on my trip to the USA. Not shocked.
Ended up shoving sweets as a snack into me until I had to throw up. Made me feel truly american.
pasta is a treat once a week for the kids,
Education =/= laziness, or gluttony.
And that won't happen because the republicans are committed to thoroughly gutting education. Kids in school can't even learn proper world history at this point. Rip+1. There is so much confusion about what causes the body to actually store fat, it would take a huge sea change from official channels and then years of re-education to turn things around.
Whenever the topic comes up of obesity comes in the UK, people always like to point to a lack of education as the main reason behind why the population is becoming fatter. I've never bought into that theory myself.
Truth. There are so many herbs/spices that aren't hot (at least not in the amounts needed to flavour food) like tarragon, basil, marjoram, thyme, allspice, juniper berries, anise, dill, fennel, fenugreek, caraway, cilantro/coriander (both leaves and seeds), bayleaf etc.I love spices and herbs. I load up my food with them and don't add much oil when I cook and can count the number of savory dishes I regularly cook and add any sweetness to on one hand, and even then it's not much at all. I loves spice and lots of flavor and it doesn't even have to be hot/spicy.
I'm not convinced that 40% of people here are just lazy. Like what does that even mean?
Yep. Everyone is well aware of which foods they should eat and which they shouldn't.Whenever the topic comes up of obesity comes in the UK, people always like to point to a lack of education as the main reason behind why the population is becoming fatter. I've never bought into that theory myself.
Where I'm from fast food and soda aren't the cheapest foods. A meal at McDonald's isn't very cheap, you can get pre-made salads for much cheaper in grocery stores. Hell, fruit and vegetables are quite cheap compared to fast food.I don't even see how we can solve this outside of educating people. How's the rest of the world fighting this problem?
And you're convinced that 40% of the population just dont care and are "lazy" without there being any sort of systemic issues influencing them and making these l"bad food choices" more probable to occur?They know they could make better food choices but can't be bothered.
Whenever the topic comes up of obesity comes in the UK, people always like to point to a lack of education as the main reason behind why the population is becoming fatter. I've never bought into that theory myself.
Well, that same "lazy" person probably busts their ass working a job or two, managing a home, and raising children.I think youre looking at common traits, rather than cause-effect. Someone whos lazy is likely to be uneducated and eating crap. That doesnt mean the lack of education causes them to eat that stuff.
Yep. Everyone is well aware of which foods they should eat and which they shouldn't.
Almost every food available has the guided daily amount listed on it.
The truth is people are becoming increasingly obese due to unhealthy food tasting good and general laziness with regards to exercise and food preparation (easier to buy takeaways microwave meals than cook your own).
Eating is fundamental to the human animal and the animal knows that eating is good and rewarding.
Combine this with a society that leaves people in a constant state of anxiety and fear, where everyone but the rich are pushed to the breaking point, and there is no refuge, and you're going to see any number of health crisis. Because people only have so much psychological energy available.
And the western style food industry has naturally capitalized on this, by creating a world of convenience foods.
this still blows my mind
But that's the issue. The same poor person worked two jobs to put food on the table 40 years ago, but wasn't fat, nor were his/her children. And that's because the food available at the time wasn't hyper-refined ultra-processsed garbage with a shitload of salt, sugar and (refined) fats.Well, that same "lazy" person probably busts their ass working a job or two, managing a home, and raising children.
They know they could make better food choices but can't be bothered.
Yep. Everyone is well aware of which foods they should eat and which they shouldn't.
Almost every food available has the guided daily amount listed on it.
The truth is people are becoming increasingly obese due to unhealthy food tasting good and general laziness with regards to exercise and food preparation (easier to buy takeaways and microwave meals than cook your own).
I mean some places have sugar taxes, etc., but there are basically two sprawling, entangled areas where the U.S. is falling down.
1. The food chain is completely compromised with additives and mass farming methods that are under-regulated and distorted by dumb federal and state incentives. Americans like cheap food--and many of them need cheap food because of widespread poverty--and aren't willing to pay for better ingredients. They also broadly oppose the government intrusions that would reduce sugar content and force producers to be actually honest about what their products contain. Americans en masse have chosen a culture where the aim is to drive down prices, not raise wages.
2. Broader cultural forces make American eating habits worse. Sprawl means people are farther from the places where fresh food is harvested or slaughtered. Autocentric culture means people cycle less and walk far, far fewer steps per day than, say, Europeans. Again, deep-seeded inequities mean many people can't buy fresh ingredients, fruit, vegetables locally even if they wanted to. And American work-life balance is so fucked that people exercise less, eat less with their families, have less time for food preparation (and food education), and snack more. The availability of fast food here--and the broad acceptance of it as a regular meal, not a treat--is staggering. Even small things, like free refills on drinks; in Europe, there aren't soda fountains, and you pay for each serving.
Yeah I know. But also wages remain stagnant social mobility doesn't exists neither does job security and workers rights have been gutted. So it's a different climate on a multitude of fronts. Contributing to things like people cooking for themselves less and opting for shitty convenience foods.But that's the issue. The same poor person worked two jobs to put food on the table 40 years ago, but wasn't fat, nor were his/her children. And that's because the food available at the time wasn't hyper-refined ultra-processsed garbage with a shitload of salt, sugar and (refined) fats.
And you're convinced that 40% of the population just dont care and are "lazy" without there being any sort of systemic issues influencing them and making these l"bad food choices" more probable to occur?
And you're convinced that 40% of the population just dont care and are "lazy" without there being any sort of systemic issues influencing them and making these l"bad food choices" more probable to occur?
All menu at items at food chains have to have calories posted right on them.noe here in Canada.
Does USA have that?
Your portion size is ridiculous. When I visited San Francisco, I ordered this for lunch:
I was shocked when I got it as in the picture didn't look this big. This to me looks like it could feed 2-3 people. Normally when I order something here in Sydney, the portion would be 1/4 or at most, 1/3 of that bowl. I was already full by the time I ate 1/3 of that bowl so I thought I'll put it in takeaway container and eat the rest for dinner. But during dinner, I still couldn't finish the rest. It was just too much.
As I said with my own post, people don't want to solve this problem. It's very easy to just write people off as lazy than to address the underlying systemic factors at play.
When the topic of food deserts comes up, no one has anything to say. I live in a city that has 3 or 4 colleges/universities near each other and the entire avenue they're close to doesn't have a single grocery store. lot's of fast food options and pharmacy, no grocer though.
I don't believe Hispanics and blacks are inherently more "lazy" than whites and asians. There is obviously more going on here than just lazy people overeating.
Agreed on all points. Also, real groceries are nearly unavailable to inner cities. Many there have no choice but to eat unhealthy food.Isn't the problem that fast food is cheaper than actual fruits and vegetables?
If some guy can go buy a burger and fries for $2, vs spending $10 having to buy all the ingredients to make a salad, then where's the incentive in eating healthy?
And with cost of living going up, with wages going down, the trend will only continue where people don't have time to cook proper meals because they're working more hours at a job.
I agree. honestly and I'm not calling anyone out in this thread but people just wanna shit on fat folks to feel better about themselves. I'm not convinced folks actually care about a healthier society based on how this conversation goes.As I said with my own post, people don't want to solve this problem. It's very easy to just write people off as lazy than to address the underlying systemic factors at play.
When the topic of food deserts comes up, no one has anything to say. I live in a city that has 3 or 4 colleges/universities near each other and the entire avenue they're close to doesn't have a single grocery store. lot's of fast food options and pharmacy, no grocer though.
You can't make people do the right thing, sure. But as a society you can make it easier for them to. It's why we have laws that deter people from doing bad things and punish them the ones that do. It kinda worksThe amount of posts blaming everything but people choosing not to be active and choosing to eat more than they need to is hilarious.
Can't make people do the right thing.