Somehow, it's Boosh's fault.The DemoRats have accused Republicans of trying to cut school lunch programs for the "poor"... looks like we were doing those poor fat slobs a favor.
Unless you try, say, cooking from scratch.
Somehow this must be Bush's fault.
Somehow, it's Boosh's fault.Something that's not exactly hidden in this article is that for many families, either there isn't the time, or someone doesn't want to make the effort to actually cook food.
I have to admit that when I get home from work, the last thing that I want to do is actually make a healthy meal. But to say that fast food is cheaper than eating "real" food is silly. Sure, fast foods loaded with empty carbs and calories seem pretty cheap, but they're really not. What they are is quick and easy to serve and gulp down.
I know for a fact that in 30 minutes or less, I can make myself a healthy meal for the same or less than I would spend at a fast food restaurant. The problem is being willing to put in the effort.
Mark
I really don't think we are in the middle of an obesity crisis.
Sure, some kids are a little bit overweight, but some kids have been overweight for a long time.
I think it comes down to personal responsibility. You should have the freedom to be overweight, but when you have consumers threatening to sue companies like McDonald's for making them fat, we have a major problem. THAT is the crisis, not the obesity.
Now McDonald's has gotten rid of super sized meals. I enjoy super sized meals and they got rid of them. It was a real bargain at only 39 cents extra. I blame it on the food nazis.
''You can have my parking space, my office, I don't care, but I will never negotiate the kids. Those children's lives are my responsibility. Not only academically -- their lives physically are in my hands.''
This form of Socialist Humanitarianism has become the new religion among the intellectual elite.They have devalued children into spongy blobs,severed parental responsibility,destroyed families,fostered drug use,squandered government resources,encouraged sexual deviancy, and are determined to remove God from all public locations.
Also, the changes in the amounts and types of foods available in the grocery stores (frozen pizzas, prepared packaged foods, breads, pastries, etc.) have greatly increased carbohydrate consumption overall. Also, the profile of the types of fat consumed in the modern diet (more hydrogenated fats and chemically processed vegetable oils deficient in Omega 3 fats) is drastically different from the fats consumed by our grandparents and is probably contributing to health problems. Even meat foods and eggs available to us today do not have the same nutritional value (such as Omega 3 fat content) as they did in the past due the changes in what animals are fed. And yes, despite the assertions of many commenters on this thread, carbohydrate based foods bought at the grocery store cost less than meat and vegetables and are quicker to prepare and take less cleanup time.
Cooking all the meals "from scratch" for a family requires a lot of planning, shopping, preparation and cleanup time. And don't forget, one must also have the knowledge and cooking abilities to prepare good tasting food, an interest and talent that seems to be in short supply in modern families. To do this job cost effectively requires constant monitoring of grocery store sales and prices and shopping at several stores. If you are really interested in improving nutrition you might even seek out organic or locally grown fresh vegetables, something that is harder, takes more time and costs even more. I remember going to a local vegetable stand close to our home with my mother twice a week or more to get fresh vegetables in suburban Houston in the 1960's, something that is not available to many people today.
No one wants to address this fact but there are serious consequences for families and society in general to eliminating the at home, full-time caregiver and the obesity problem, in my opinion, is just one of them.
I think brick laying, roofing and landscaping must all be fattening.
Proclaim the GOOD NEWS! The biggest problem for poor people in America is obesity! Only 70 years ago, (1935) some people were going hungry.
bump and save
There's your answer right there. Why is this a big "mystery?"
The Hispanic fertility rate in the US is about 3.0 children per woman, which is almost twice the Caucasian fertility rate. If "thrifty genes" really are the cause of much Hispanic obesity, and if Hispanics are having twice as many kids (almost) as the general population, *do the math.*
Further, unlike the past, there's no strong negative selection pressure *against* those children that have the most obesity-causing genes. In the non-medical past, those at the extreme would have developed Type 2 diabetes and died without passing on their genes (assuming they even got enough to eat to develop diabetes in the first place.)
In any case, in this medicalized society, those who develop Type 2 early on *will* probably go on to have children. Combined with the higher fertility rate, it's no surprise that the rates of both obesity and diabetes are increasing *in this population set.*
If this is a New Yorker poking fun at flyover country, I do have to admit that Manhattan contains many beautiful, fit and slender ladies...is this article worth reading?
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Mexican kids would be much better off eating burgers at McDonald's, Wendy's and Jack in the Box than eating traditional Mexican food. Selected correctly, fast food can be healthy diet food.
Have you ever looked at the label on a package of plain burritos? They're almost nothing but fat with some carbs. Refried beans? Huge fat content. And poor quality fat at that. Grease, grease, grease and lack of protein and green veggies are a recipe for disaster.
I lived on the Mex-Tex border many years ago and it was always amazing to me how many overweight people I saw on frequent trips to Mexico. I do not in any way believe it's genetic. But it does seem more acceptable in the Mexican culture to get fat and stay fat.
I cook Mexican food occasionally and know it can be done on a high-protein low-carb and fat basis. But you have to ditch those tacos and burritos and eat only meat or fish dishes with delish Mexican seasoning.
quote:
'... the first generation of American children to have shorter expected life spans than their parents.'
Even the story was fat!