I almost lost control of my car yesterday when I heard this staggering statistic: 1 in 3 ADULT Americans is obese. WHAT?? That is just crazy to me. It is no worse than in Mississippi were 7 in 10 adults is overweight or obese. Lets not even talk about the kids who are just learning these very bad habits thanks to society and mass food production. Here is the link to the NPR story I heard yesterday about obesity in America. Mississippi Losing the War with Obesity
With that, I also came across this article today from Planet Green. The ingredients in foods aren't completely to blame, it is peoples eating habits and lack of knowledge that is the real culprit. No, eating a whole sleeve of Vienna Fingers for dinner is not a healthy meal. However, I did find it funny that there is now a lawsuit over the use of the word sugar. Wasn't a problem till the bad press came around.
The term 'childhood obesity' and the current movement driven by this administration to label children (often using faulty measurements like the BMI to determine the overall health of a child w/out considering how fit a child is) is disturbing, to say the least. There are serious health concerns for any citizen, regardless of weight, who eat most foods endorsed and subsidized by our government through food lobbyists and farm subsidies. If the government really cares about the health of its children, it will stop wagging its finger at its citizens and point it back at itself, and then start changing the way food is produced in America.
ReplyDeleteWhen you mention eating habits and lack of knowledge are also to blame for children being fat, I would like to point out two important and related things: what people can *afford* to eat, and the limited access many Americans have to fresh fruits and vegetables. I've included a link that talks about 'food deserts,' which offers a reminder that in many parts of this country, people eat unhealthfully out of necessity.
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/08/133506101/l-a-community-starved-for-healthful-food-options?ft=1&f=1053