Are we to FAT in the USA?

[Bonnie]

Please change the subject to reflect proper grammar. “To Fat” should be “Too fat.” That grammar is killing me lol.

Me, too! You are certainly not alone, it’s just that too many of us consider it a losing battle. Though I know someone who gets upset when people confuse the loose/lose couplet. There are also your/you’re, there/their/they’re, than/then, phase/faze, its/it’s - not to mention (though I will) the poor, wandering apostrophe.

I’m the daughter, granddaughter, sister, and niece of teachers - and it shows. To the question, “Who’s there?” I still respond, “It is I.”

 

[jediliz]

yes, we are. We have obese children, we have a higher instance of diabetes, and we have too many processed foods out in the market which are basically some of the few things that people on food stamps can afford because healthier items like fresh fruit are more expensive.

I am changing my lifestyle to eating better foods. I cut back on processed foods (used to eat a lot of frozen dinners) and I learned to read labels and understand what was bad for me (for example, if you have high cholesterol, you should avoid Trans Fats (partially hydrogenated oils of any kind) as those increase your bad cholesterol.

I even learned to make my own homemade chili (bought grass fed beef, cooked it, and added it to a few cans of tomatoes and beans. My mom provided the seasonings). Just cooked some more meat this afternoon to freeze to add to spaghetti sauce when it gets colder this fall. I’m also going to learn how to make a favorite casserole my sister in law made for me a few times, at my own house (hence the learning how to cook ground beef by myself).

If everyone was able to make lifestyle changes, the cost of health care would decrease drastically as there would be less illness. And yes, I know not everyone can afford to do this.

edit to add: I see someone mentioned aspartame - that stuff is a known neurotoxin, so its best to be avoided if possible. And HFCS can cause obesity in the long run - its really dangerous and its in nearly everything - ketchup, pickles, bbq sauce…

 

[freeRadical]

yes, we are. We have obese children, we have a higher instance of diabetes, and we have too many processed foods out in the market which are basically some of the few things that people on food stamps can afford because healthier items like fresh fruit are more expensive.

How is fresh fruit more expensive then processed foods? Where are you shopping?

Processed foods are not why people are obese. Overconsumption of food is general is why people are obese.

 

[dee_burk]

First off, why? Are you implying that the government should be able to tell people what they can and cannot eat? As long as people demand buffets, businesses will provide buffets.

Second, there is nothing wrong with HFCS. Hasn’t that been debunked many times already?

No silly, thats just an expression.
As for the HFCS…the problem i have is "IT IS IN EVERYTHING now even stuff that isnt supposed to be sweet. I get so mad when i am reading labels to find healthy alternatives that are easy to make and corn syrup or sugar is in it.

 

[freeRadical]

It’s not HFCS that’s the problem - it’s the fact that it’s sweeter than plain sugar. Nutrasweet (aspartame) and Splenda (galactose) are also much sweeter than sugar. Because of this, people’s taste buds are programmed to want things sweeter - which makes it so that things made with real sugar are made with huge amounts of real sugar so that they are sweet enough for the palate of their customers.

Do you have any proof of these claims? That HFCS causes people to crave things that are sweeter than sugar and, thus, companies that use real sugar put huge amounts of sugar in their products?

 

[freeRadical]

No silly, thats just an expression.
As for the HFCS…the problem i have is "IT IS IN EVERYTHING now even stuff that isnt supposed to be sweet. I get so mad when i am reading labels to find healthy alternatives that are easy to make and corn syrup or sugar is in it.

If HFCS is not bad for you, than why does it matter that it is in “everything”?

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Growth hormones and antibiotics are in most of our meats. Few can afford organic. If they are thinner on the coast, then inland, it can’t be the food only.

 

[freeRadical]

And HFCS can cause obesity in the long run - its really dangerous and its in nearly everything - ketchup, pickles, bbq sauce…

Please provide proof of this claim:

It’s really dangerous.

As for your other points, anything can cause obesity in the long run. Overconsumption causes obesity. It doesn’t matter if its french fries or fruit, if you eat too much, it is going to make you fat.

 

[jediliz]

How is fresh fruit more expensive then processed foods? Where are you shopping?

Processed foods are not why people are obese. Overconsumption of food is general is why people are obese.

Convenience foods are what people go for, not fresh fruit, which if you buy a pound of can add up compared to a can of something like a can of fruit with sugary syrup in it.

Actually, its a combination of processed foods AND over consumption of such foods. I stopped eating so many processed foods and have lost weight because of it. I found alternatives or I didn’t buy the item anymore. Like doritos: artificial dyes, msg and a ton of stuff I don’t need to consume. Stopped buying those - found Beanitos Nacho cheese. Cheetos - stopped buying and found Barbaras Bakery Cheese Puffs - no dyes and no msg. The key is moderation of course. And only buying the item on sale - if its not on sale, unless I am traveling or buying it for a family get together - I skip it and buy it when its on sale. I buy REAL Maple Syrup instead of “pancake syrup” cause it has HFCS in it.

Learning to read labels opened my eyes - a LOT…

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Yes. But if anyone makes fun of us over it, show them Olympic medal counts and ask how such a fat nation does oh so well.

That and we have “races” for every known cause in the world. Breast cancer? There is a race for that. Toe jam, race. Diabetes, race. LOL I think in some race or another I was in Mcdonalds was a sponsor!

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Do you have any proof of these claims? That HFCS causes people to crave things that are sweeter than sugar and, thus, companies that use real sugar put huge amounts of sugar in their products?

Coke actually went the opposite direction. Cane Sugar is not available in US coke products, which is why Mexican Coke is so much sweeter (and better)

I would think Coke, would know if they were making things sweeter in the US because of diet drinks (they aren’t)

Sugar substitutes are not sweeter than sugar, nor do they taste anything like real cane sugar.

 

[freeRadical]

Convenience foods are what people go for, not fresh fruit, which if you buy a pound of can add up compared to a can of something like a can of fruit with sugary syrup in it.

What are you talking about? Bananas are $0.50 a pound in the local grocery store in my city. Apples about $1.00 a pound. Way less expensive that a can of fruit.

Actually, its a combination of processed foods AND over consumption of such foods. I stopped eating so many processed foods and have lost weight because of it. I found alternatives or I didn’t buy the item anymore. Like doritos: artificial dyes, msg and a ton of stuff I don’t need to consume. Stopped buying those - found Beanitos Nacho cheese. Cheetos - stopped buying and found Barbaras Bakery Cheese Puffs - no dyes and no msg. The key is moderation of course. And only buying the item on sale - if its not on sale, unless I am traveling or buying it for a family get together - I skip it and buy it when its on sale. I buy REAL Maple Syrup instead of “pancake syrup” cause it has HFCS in it.

There have been studies done on this. The main contributor to obesity in the US is overconsumption of food in general, not just processed food. You can eat processed food and not be obese as long as you don’t overconsume it. Again, you can become obese by eating too much healthy food. The problem is overconsumption, not “healthy” and “unhealthy”.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Coke actually went the opposite direction. Cane Sugar is not available in US coke products, which is why Mexican Coke is so much sweeter (and better)

I would think Coke, would know if they were making things sweeter in the US because of diet drinks (they aren’t)

Sugar substitutes are not sweeter than sugar, nor do they taste anything like real cane sugar. At no point, in the history of the world has anyone ever taken a giant swig of diet soda and then said, “wow, that is too sweet, give me a regular one”

 

[adawgj]

I would say yes we are. So crank up that Richard Simmons morning workout America it’s time to get skinny.

 

[Isca]

We spend half the year in Italy, in a community that would be described as ‘working-class’ in the UK. People are not well-off at all, the recession has hit hard and they struggle.

I often go and read the death notices (which are posted up in public here) outside the church.
I can honestly say that the vast majority of deaths are of people in their late 80s or 90s. They live a long time here - and I have wondered why, as most folk don’t have an easy life, they work very hard, all hours of the day. I have kind of concluded that its because a) virtually no-one is fat and b) everyone walks everywhere, even when they are very elderly and struggling to do it. They just walk more slowly, but they walk for miles (and this village is on a steep hill).

People eat a lot of high-carb food, loads of pasta. However, they also eat loads of green vegetables (which they grow themselves, everyone has a little plot in their garden), tomatoes and fish. They take time to cook every day and they eat as a family.

I admire their lifestyle, and their tenacity. I also think that the influence of the Catholic Church plays a part - it’s the centre of the whole community and family values are strong.

 

[MaryT777]

Brit here. I’m afraid in my country, the USA is held up as the bad example of what happens when there is a lot of cheap fast food available, combined with a sedentary lifestyle (particularly, too much use of cars when a person could walk). In the UK, I’m sure many Americans know what we pay for petrol/gasoline (about $3 a litre now), but you’d be very surprised to see how much it costs to buy a Big Mac and fries, too! I’ve travelled quite extensively in the USA and the cheap cost of eating out and the proliferation of fast food in huge portions always amazes me.

One incident has always stayed in my mind. I was on a trip in Atlanta, and the bus driver was an enormous man. We were stopping for a short visit somewhere in the morning. I got chatting to him, he said “I’m going for some food”. Half an hour later, we got back on the bus. “What did you have to eat?” I asked him. “Three Big Macs and fries”, he replied. And an hour later, he went for lunch!

We all know what it does to your health and the burden it puts on the healthcare system, never mind your self-esteem. I’m a retired nurse who allowed herself to get very overweight, but when I hit my late forties, I thought “No more”. I changed things around, stopped eating chocolate, chips and other stuff I liked and got walking. At first, the walking was hard, it was uncomfortable and I felt awkward. But after a while, I found I could walk much faster and for longer distances. I’m now literally half the weight I was 10 years ago. I’ve had no help with this, I just used willpower.

I’m saying this not because I want any congratulations, because it was entirely my own fault that I got fat in the first place - I wasn’t fat as a child and neither were my parents. I just think we have to take responsibility for this. Yes, there are people who have medical conditions that make it very difficult or impossible to get much weight off, but they are actually few and far between. Most obesity is self-inflicted, and the cure is also up to the individual. As an adult, no-one forces you to put high-calorie food in your mouth!

Well said!~ Congrats too

 

[dee_burk]

If HFCS is not bad for you, than why does it matter that it is in “everything”?

um, it doesnt need to be in everything. are you a paid spokesperson for Monsantos???

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

um, it doesnt need to be in everything. are you a paid spokesperson for Monsantos???

My wife is a paid scientist for one of the big 5. And the demonetization and rhetoric that some have against these companies have no scientific basis and really is just fear mongering. By invoking the “evil” monsanto, you are tipping your hand and showing your bias, not your knowledge.

 

[MaryT777]

Yes. But if anyone makes fun of us over it, show them Olympic medal counts and ask how such a fat nation does oh so well.

Good point!

 

[Cat]

Fruit and vegetables are very cheap compared to things like soda, chips, and snacks.

Not true. You can buy a big bag of tater chips for $1.50 or two medium apples for the same cost. Or you can buy the bag of yucky little apples for $3.00, but they’re so hard and bitter, you’ll end up throwing them out for the squirrels to eat. Or making pie out of them, with lots of sugar to cover up the bitterness. (Yummy, pie!)

Soda is 25 cents/12 oz. (on sale–the real brands, not the off brands), while milk is 75 cents for 8 oz. In some parts of the country, milk is even more expensive.

In the Midwest, fruit and veges frankly look pretty bad in the middle of January. They’re all shipped in from overseas and look like they’ve spent many days on a ship. Yuck. Chips are always fresh and yummy.

You can’t buy bags of carrot sticks in a vending machine.

I’m not saying that we should spend our money on chips, soda, and snacks. I’m just stating that for many families, the fruits and veges are too expensive for what you get.

I’ve often asked our hospital cafeteria (I work in a hospital) to switch the prices on the healthy foods vs. the “unhealthy” foods. e.g., Charge $1.50 for the bag of Fritos, and 75 cents for the bowl of fresh fruit. Or charge $1.50 for the piece of broiled fish (the size of a fish stick), and $4.00 for the big hamburger.

They just smile at me. They’ll never do it.