What's eating at our culture and society that makes this statistic true?

1. 74

   realtalk247posted 10 years ago

   What's eating at our culture and society that makes this statistic true?
   
   A recent study reported  two-thirds of women and three-fourths of men are overweight or obese. Are we so abundantly delighted with life that we, as a society, are eating ourselves to death?  Most cultures understand you eat to live not live to eat.  Is this a matter of not dealing with issues beneath the surface?  Gluttony is a sin. Perhaps with our on the go society, lack of home cooked meals, mcdonalds and taco bell have caused damage to our health as a society?  Why is obesity a problem in the United States.  Does the mentality of eating till you explode now mirror the norm?
   
   

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2. 85

   peachpurpleposted 10 years ago

   people are lazy to cook, often using the excuses that they have tight schedules from work, school, etc. The health council should teach kids from young that eating at home is essential. Then when they grow up, they should learn how to cook in school too.

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3. 41

   ChristinSposted 10 years ago

   We also have a lot of garbage in our "food" supply that people rely on - and a lot of it contributes to obesity.  Empty calories, high fat, high sugar - people are eating way too many calories and due to lack of nutrients are still starving.  Also, food manufacturers deliberately manipulate their ingredients to trigger "pleasure centers" in the brain that lead to cravings and addictions. 
   
   When you have an addiction to cigarettes you can simply walk away from them and it makes the battle easier, but all humans have to eat.  We are also grossly uneducated in this country (likely by design) about real nutrition.  Most people will tell you they need vitamins and minerals for example - but do they know all the individual ones they need and how they work in the body?  No. 
   
   Most people also rely on their doctors for nutrition advice which is laughable as physicians are not trained beyond a few short hours in actual nutrition. 
   
   Then we have the hormones and other drugs being fed to factory farmed animals that also contribute.  There are so many factors creating this epidemic it can't all be addressed in one answer.  Many movies have been dedicated to it. 
   
   Great documentaries and books people should read like fast food nation, forks over knives, fat, sick and nearly dead, etc etc.

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4. 61

   fpherj48posted 10 years ago

   I couldn't say it better than Christin,  She has covered most of the reasons and has done it well. 
   I would only add that IMO we may have a tendency to HUGE portions.  If we overstuff a couple of times a day, how do we utilize all those calories?  Of course we know what happens.  We watch ourselves slowly grow and spread.  Before we realize it, we're busting out at the seams, literally.
   
   Going for "quick & convenient" is a bad habit to develop.  In terms of our health, there's a lot at risk.   Great question!

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5. 71

   dashingscorpioposted 10 years ago

   
   
   In the U.S. we are obsessed with food!
   I know people who think about what they're going to be eating for lunch first thing in the morning!
   Every fast food restaurant offers free refills on soda which is loaded with sugar and calories. Even the diet sodas are said to cause cancer.
   And what is up with these snack making companies?
   Ruffles feels the need to put the label "Party Size" or "Family Size" on large bags of chips. Are they afraid if they don't some fool will sit on the sofa and eat the whole bag? LOL!
   I've even noticed on some candy as well. Skittles has bags of candy with the label "Share Size". Do they really have to spell it out for us?
   Americans love "all you eat" champagne brunches and restaurants like Golden Corral. In fact most people will complain about not getting enough food for their dollar than the actual taste of the food.
   We are a sedentary nation for the most part. When I was Europe I saw lot of people walking and riding bicycles.
   Each generation is less physically active than the previous generation. When I was a kid couldn't wait to go outside to play!
   Today a lot of kids are content with staying in their rooms, listening to music on their iPod, texting friends on iPhones, watching TV or playing video games.
   When it comes to dinner many families don't eat together unless it's a major holiday. Countless times many dinners consists of pizza, burgers, or fried chicken, French fries from a fast food establishment along with large containers of soda or bottled/can beer.
   Whenever some woman has a baby, bounces back into shape, and tweets a sexy photo she is accused of "fat shaming" other women!
   The slogan "Real Women Have Curves" unintentionally is a slam against women who wear less than a size 14 dress.
   Just recently there was an article calling a "Dad Bod" (a man with a potbelly) sexy! It sounds like we're throwing in the towel!
   However the reality is Americans spend over $60 Billion per year on gym memberships, weight loss supplements, and prepared diet foods such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Nutrisystem. That does not include the 200,000 gastric bypass surgeries performed annually! Some who have the surgery have found ways to gain back their weight!

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   1. 61

      fpherj48posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thus far, I personally know 5 women who have had gastric bypass.It took a year to finally lose 100 pounds. They looked & felt great for about 8 months.  If they opt to have the bypass undone.  In 3 months they balloon back up!  The moral??

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   2. 41

      ChristinSposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Honestly, with real education and commitment, one can lose 100 pounds through hard work and exercise and learn the habits to keep it off.  Bypass doesn't teach new habits but it does make a lot of money for the surgeons.

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   3. 71

      dashingscorpioposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Americans have never been known for patience! :-)
      If a diet plan doesn't promise us we'll lose 5-10 lbs in a week we won't buy it! Gastric bypass should only be done when a person's life is at risk.
      As you said it doesn't teach lifestyle change.

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6. 84

   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   Americans can be lazy, sure, even gluttonous. But that isn't the cause of the epidemic. Fast foods, boxed foods, convenience foods, and even good-old produce has changed dramatically over the last fifty years. And not for the better. Companies can now specifically formulate their product using scientific amounts of fat, salt, and sugar so that it's addicting and doesn't fill you up (so you can keep eating). This franken-food was designed with one interest in mind: profit. It's not about delivering a quality product to your customer, it's about getting them hopelessly addicted so that they can't stop. It happened with cigarettes and now it's happening with food. The stuff in your local supermarket has become so poisonous that it needs a surgeon generals warning.
   
   There is information out there to help concerned Americans, but it is countered by scientists who are paid to muddle the issues. The same company that got you addicted to their cheesy puffs is buying doctors and researchers to refute the claims that their product is bad for us. It's no wonder we're so fat, when finding good food is the equivalent of taking an advanced calculus exam while you're starving.

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