Anna B Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 We are in the middle of an Obesity epidemic, and it seems to be open season on fat people, one of the few groups it seems is still alright to openly abuse, because 'they only have themselves to blame.' But have they? Many obese people would argue otherwise. There's little doubt that less calories, more exercise = slimmer people, but I believe there's a lot more to it than that. For example corn syrup, used lavishly throughout the food industry, is known to disrupt hormones that control appetite. There's a programme on TV at 9'O clock tonight on BBC 2 called 'The men who made us fat.' I suggest that anyone who can tear themselves away from the football watches it. Considering there might soon be a worldwide food shortage, it's a political as well as social issue which needs regulating, but once again there are vast sums of money involved and huge profits to be made, so my guess is producers will do not what is right, but whatever gets them the most money. Anyway, it should be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cressida Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 TV channels are obsessed with food, too many cooking programmes, too many food adverts - it's like being brainwashed food is everywhere, how many people even hear the word food and start to feel like a sandwich or something and head to the kitchen? Even when a programme goes to a break we are often encouraged to go and make a cup of tea or something we have to fight back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Maybe it has something to do with the CAP and all the rubbish they put in food these days just to make a profit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffyness Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 sure theres lots of junk food with corn syrup etc but its your decision to buy it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna B Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 sure theres lots of junk food with corn syrup etc but its your decision to buy it? Yes, what you put in your mouth is still your responsibility, but convenience food is often cheap food, and obese families are often poorer families. I don't think this is just a coincidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 There are a lot of problems associated with food science advances that promote obesity whilst apparently being low calorie foods. There is loads of evidence that our bodies aren't half as easy to fool as we think that they are. If you drink a sugary drink your body expects a hit of calories, so there is increasing evidence that if you drink a diet sugary drink then you will eat more as a compensation for the lack of calories that your body is receiving (this has been tested by blind testing in groups of normal weight and overweight people) so anybody who thinks that the diet pop will reduce their calorie intake is mistaken. The same applies with a lot of foods that have been engineered to be low fat. The amount of calories saved by eating the low fat version are often outweighed by the amount of calories included in sugar to make the product more palatable once the fat has been removed, but because fat is good at making us feel full for longer, we are consequently more hungry faster than we would be if we had eaten the full fat version in the first place. I recognise that I'm overweight and that most of that is down to how much food I have put in my mouth over the years. It hasn't been helped by my disabilities, the 3 medications I'm on which cause weight gain and the steroids that I've had no choice but to take because of various conditions, or various other things, but the basic cause has been my dysfunctional relationship with food. I'm doing what I can about the situation and despite my disabilities my cardiovascular system is probably in a better state than a lot of people who are thin, but I'm not going to get myself all stressed about the things that I can't change and in the words of my palliative care consultant, I will get stressed about my weight when I have nothing bigger to get stressed about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo77 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 We are in the middle of an Obesity epidemic, and it seems to be open season on fat people, one of the few groups it seems is still alright to openly abuse, because 'they only have themselves to blame.' But have they? Many obese people would argue otherwise. There's little doubt that less calories, more exercise = slimmer people, but I believe there's a lot more to it than that. For example corn syrup, used lavishly throughout the food industry, is known to disrupt hormones that control appetite. There's a programme on TV at 9'O clock tonight on BBC 2 called 'The men who made us fat.' I suggest that anyone who can tear themselves away from the football watches it. Considering there might soon be a worldwide food shortage, it's a political as well as social issue which needs regulating, but once again there are vast sums of money involved and huge profits to be made, so my guess is producers will do not what is right, but whatever gets them the most money. Anyway, it should be interesting. Once again, it's all about money. If fresh, farm shop style food was the market leader, things would be a lot better. Unfortunately, the big supermarkets are only interested in one thing.....profit! Cheap, convenient foods are full of crap that make us fat. They also have chemicals that affect how we act, think etc. It's not good. Things are starting to improve. But, as long as people have tight budgets, quality will remain low and people will stay fat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaquis Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Maybe it has something to do with the CAP and all the rubbish they put in food these days just to make a profit? CAP? The WHO did a study of the fattest nations judged by the % of people considered overweight according to their BMI. See http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/health/101119/fat-top-10-obese. None of the top 15 were European never mind EU. Then came Greece and not longer after, us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Vader Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Yes, what you put in your mouth is still your responsibility, but convenience food is often cheap food, and obese families are often poorer families. I don't think this is just a coincidence. Absolutely. Whilst richer families can afford good lean cuts of meat and fresh fish, poorer families are relying on budget sausages for the 'meat component' of their diet or other 'reformed, mechanically retrieved, highly watered and salted products'. You are correct, obesity directly correlates with poverty in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neeeeeeeeeek Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Once again, it's all about money. If fresh, farm shop style food was the market leader, things would be a lot better. Unfortunately, the big supermarkets are only interested in one thing.....profit! Cheap, convenient foods are full of crap that make us fat. They also have chemicals that affect how we act, think etc. It's not good. Things are starting to improve. But, as long as people have tight budgets, quality will remain low and people will stay fat! Making fresh fruit and veg cheap would not make poor people buy it and suddenly start eating healthier. Loads of people moan about how expensive it is to buy fresh fruit and veg, it's generally just an excuse! The Market has what ever is in season very cheap, Aldi has great prices on Fruit and veg for people who complain they can't get to the market. You can always get frozen veg for the people who complain that they can't get to Aldi. Pulses, Chick peas, lentils etc cost next to nothing but I bet if you suggested them to someone who eats crap, allegedly for the reasons above, they would come up with another lame excuse. Eating well takes effort, people are fat and lazy and now they have corn syrup to blame! *DISCLAIMER* Not all people, some have genuine heath issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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