The stunning rise of costly obesity in America

No it wouldn't. Is there no logical part of your mind which recognises that processing and packaging costs money? If you take that 'food-like-product' and break it down to its constituent raw ingredients, you will find the cost of the 'meat' is actually higher weight for weight than the raw equivalent (because in this meal, there is likely very little actual meat - it'll be mostly fillers and water), and that white mess is more expensive than the raw potatoes which allegedly went into it. It's all an illusion. And FTR, this has been tested and retested by many different groups and individuals.

A genuinely poor person would be buying boiler chickens (purchased cheaply as retired layers from poultry farms) and pressure cooking them with beans or rice, then portioning out individual meals and freezing. Add fresh in-season vegetables each day - either raw or steamed/stir fried etc. That's the way to do it cheaply, and still have the convenience of frozen meals. But of course, for the processed foods crowd it's not actually about money - as we know.

 

Carbs are ONLY a problem if they're refined (and no one should be eating that crap), AND if you sit on your arse all day (and no one should be doing that).

 

The body metabolizes carbs (all carbs, not just refined) into glucose. Too much carbs in the diet results in body fat. Refined carbs do it faster but all carbs contribute.

The thing to watch is the GI (glycemic index) number for foods. Some unrefined carbs are better than others in how they impact blood sugar. For example refined flour white bread is an obvious one to avoid but unrefined carbs such as rice, watermelon and baked potatoes are up there as well. Most starchy foods (peas, corn etc) are a problem especially for diabetics as their carbs are quickly converted to glucose.

 

Good post. But those most afflicted with over-weight problems don't even look for the core-reasons. And, they don't even care to see a doctor because - for most of them who are poor - it's too effing expensive. (Average GP-fee in the US is around $200.)

Those below the Poverty Threshold of $25K a year for a family of four are living on $2K a month. What does that buy you any "average city" in the US today?

From here: Cost of living family of four US - A selection of costs by city.

Granted, the above selections of cities are special cases. So see here: How much money do U.S. families need to get by?:


At any salary of $25K or below, I don't see how anybody can get by ...

Also: From MIT's living wage calculator here:

 

So blame the spoon for people getting fat?

 

There goes the "global warming famine" argument.

 

I blame the standard American diet, as children we all learned that eating high carbs\low fat was good for us - the government force fed Americans that message, it was wrong

good thread to learn from

http://www.politicalforum.com/index...tary-on-netflix-i-highly-recommend-it.552217/

 

Govt is constantly force feeding messages that later prove to be wrong. They are doing it today. They did it 5 years ago. They will do it 10 years from now.

 

I was agreeing with you, just saying that would be about as close as you could get as those things are sometimes 2 for a $1 - but as I said, not healthy at all

 

what we need to do is educate people to the truth, so they can make informed decisions - it's tough when the government pushes a bad message like the food pyramid to school children for years and years

the government is starting to change course, but they will never outright admit they were wrong, the reason they are changing course is diabetes healthcare costs is becoming a burden.... they can't ignore it any longer

in sept, the new guidelines change a bit

 

I agree. But educate them to believe what? Science changes constantly. Just about every 3 years we see some study or recommendation about how a baby should be placed in a crib. One year its face down, 3-5 years later its face up. 10 years later it's doing hand stands.

Unless you can point to sole govt body purposefully giving bad advice, theres really nothing to do about it.

 

I suggest the keto diet as the best diet, but I know most could never follow that

so second I woudl recommend everything in moderation, low carbs, moderate fat and protein and to stay away from sugar, processed foods, and heavily processed seed oils

eat natural whole foods like fresh meats, fish and eggs and low carb vegetables (real food)

we know the high carb\low fat diet does not work, so start with that...

the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets the standards and they are divided between Agriculture and our health - maybe start with a new dept that is only concerned with our health

 

This does seem to be where the science is leading these days. The advice I'd give is to completely ignore anyone selling a diet book. Stick with looking at proper peer reviewed studies.

 

You who?

See the above? I clicked on "Reply" and your identification plus whatever of your text I selected to include comes back (to you). Thus you understand better the nature of my response ...

 

correct, the person I replied too

 

What if due to disability preparing food at that level is very hard on them I studied cookery and have good skills but due to disability now can't spend more than five to ten minutes preparing food at a oven or stove. I can pop a dinner in a microwave and nuke it though or make sandwiches or other simple meals so the meal posted for me is what I can eat. Take it away it removes most hot meal options. Unless I eat out spending my own limited cash. I wish SNAP would let me by say a whole prepared chicken at the grocery store which I could do the month after a hurricane hit my area and they opened that option with an extra hundred dollars on my benefits card.

 

Nope. I mix pretty much exclusively with fit and skinny athletic types (I have one fat friend .. but even she is quite fit), and we're all carb-based. Billions of people in Asia are carb-based, and obesity is rare.

The fattest people on earth are those who eat the most meat and dairy.

 

When you have to resort to rare exceptions, you're argument is lost. Sorry kiddo.

 

Don't even do that. Look at societies with low levels of obesity. That's the only bona fide test.

 

Thanks for the response.

It is a functional error, then ...

 

I have a woman with a disability living nearby me here in France.

The National Healthcare System has her sent her food plus a visit each two weeks to assure that she is "OK".

So, National Healthcare is expensive. Far more expensive than the French Defense Budget. But, then, nobody has invaded France in 80 years.

And no one has invaded the US since 1812.

The DoD-budget is a humongous boondoggle, the financing of which can do more good to Americans were it supporting a National Healthcare System ... !

 

And here is how the Federal Congressional Budget Office (CPO) WOULD LIKE to show us the Defense Budget:


See, Defense only 3%! But only if one "makes" it part of a sector called "Mandatory Spending". Thus, the DoD is only one small part of the total US Budget.

Of course, there is another way of showing the above pie-chart breakdown:


Not quite the same thing, is it?

And so, the debate goes on - does the DoD budget really merit its amount? Which depends upon how you show the world that amount as a percentage of the total.

Which depends upon you cut the pie ... chart!

 

More likely, it depends upon who sits in the catbird seat of the Congressional Budget Office. Meaning this guy, Keith Hall:

Keith Hall was CBO head from April 1, 2015 — May 31, 2019. Meaning he had been appointed by Obama! Perhaps the CBO is a politicized designation that shows the Budget according to the "flavor-of-the-day" sitting in the Offal Office ...

 

That's also a valid measure and has been done. Some of the largest studies (such as the China study) show a strong correlation between primarily plant based diets and absence of obesity, diabetes and other diseases that are known to be impacted by diet.