Is the obesity crisis the government's fault? Are fast food restaurants to blame? Is it because Americans are lazy? Is it caused by our screwed up food supply that messes with our hormones and body chemistry?
The other day my friend, Ellie, emailed with this request:
“I am writing an argument paper for my lit class and the topic I have chosen deals with obesity in the U.S. and who is at fault for this epidemic. My essay requires an interview with someone who would have legitimate knowledge on this topic (health related), and I thought of you.”
“I am writing an argument paper for my lit class and the topic I have chosen deals with obesity in the U.S. and who is at fault for this epidemic. My essay requires an interview with someone who would have legitimate knowledge on this topic (health related), and I thought of you.”Of course I agreed to help, but I'm hoping you'll also share your thoughts in the comments to give her a wider range of responses to learn from and then share with her class.
Here are the questions:
- Who do you feel is to blame for the problem of obesity in the U.S.?
- In your opinion, what should Americans be doing more of to combat obesity?
- In your opinion, what should Americans be doing less of to combat obesity?
- Do you feel that Americans are willing to put in the effort to live a healthy lifestyle?
My answers:
1. Who do you feel is to blame for the problem of obesity in the U.S.?
I believe it is a mixed bag, perfect storm situation. First look at this chart I found:
When the government gets involved, things go haywire. They jumped into the arena and started telling us to eat low-fat, fat-free, sugar-free, fake foods which tasted terrible, so food manufacturers loaded them with chemicals to improve taste and texture so people would eat them. (By now hopefully you all know that the healthy fats are the exact fats the government tells us to avoid! Saturated fats from pastured animals keep us full and provide crucial nutrients like vitamin A, D & K, along with omega 3's, cancer fighting CLA, and more. And I also hope you know how deceiving and dangerous the sugar-free trend is.)
At the same time all of this nonsense hit the streets and took hold like wildfire, they started paying farmers good money to mass produce crops like soybeans and corn that we should either be eating none of (soy), or only moderate amounts of (corn). So these foods started showing up ALL over the place, in sodas and junk food galore, because they were, and are, cheap to produce. These crops are also almost all genetically modified, so who knows what that big chemistry experiment is doing to all of us. (If possible, donate to the Monsanto Money Bomb campaign to get GMOs labeled in California, so that the rest of the U.S. will be next, and we can knock those foods right out of the food supply, just like we did with hormones in the milk and trans fats!)
Then the CAFO (confinement operation) farms became “the” way to raise animals, again, because it was more profitable, so now the top of the food chain became polluted as well.
The storm is gaining momentum…
Life has gotten busier and busier through the past few decades, so of course making meals at home became trickier, and the convenience of fast food joints became the norm. These restaurants understandably had to follow the advice from our government, and they need to make a profit, too. Needless to say, nutrient-dense meals are not high on the priority list.
And the storm kept brewing…
Combine all of that with our increasingly sedentary world full of too much TV, video games, and computer time (I'm the pot calling the kettle black on that one). Also, parents are working so much and stressed with life that they're often too overwhelmed to get out and be active with their kids, or teach them healthy habits…
And the perfect storm rages out of control.
2. In your opinion, what should Americans be doing more of to combat obesity?
Eat more whole foods (only one ingredient), go take a walk with your kids or your friends, talk about this stuff with your friends and family (but don't shove it down their throats because that doesn't work, trust me), share this post with others, organize a group to watch Farmageddon
3. In your opinion, what should Americans be doing less of to combat obesity?
They should be drinking waaaay less soda pop, preferably NONE (try making this homemade kefir soda!), and less food that comes in bags, boxes or fast food restaurants. (Try these at-home fast food meals instead.) Eat more foods from local farms so you know how your food was grown and raised. Just those few things would make a huge difference!
4. Do you feel that Americans are willing to put in the effort to live a healthy lifestyle?
Some just won't. I remember how it was to think that what we ate didn't really make that much of a difference. How wrong I was. And in many ways I was lazy, because change takes work. Some may be too stressed out by life or already too sick or lacking in energy to have the ambition to make lasting changes – it's like they're drugged by the junk.
I also have a hunch that for some who have been sick for years and years, their body chemistry and hormones are so screwed up that even if they are doing everything right, it still might be nearly impossible to “reset” themselves. All the chemicals and weird stuff in our food, not to mention the huge number of pharmaceuticals many are taking, that has to make any effort at getting healthy much more difficult, right? I'm curious if any of you are with me on this one. Obviously, this isn't the case for everyone, because I hear stories all the time of people who have been sick and/or overweight their whole lives, and then when they go back to Real Food and a more natural lifestyle, they get better. But I also know of some who, try as they might, just can't get their body back.
Others will listen and will finally be ready to get off the crazy train that leads to sore joints, digestive issues, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, cancer, and much more. When they get overwhelmed with all the changes they want to make, as we all did in the beginning, you can be there to encourage them to keep taking baby steps, and show them ways that eating Real Food doesn't have to take up all of their time and money. Maybe you could even get them a spot in my Real Food for Rookies online class, where I teach others in a few weeks what it took me years to wrap my brain around.
Now let us know what you think in the comments – this is a huge issue, and I'm sure there are many facets that I didn't even touch on!
- Do you have a favorite Weight Loss Book? Look around at that link and please email me with your recommendation, along with what you loved about it, and I'll include your suggestion in a future post. Thank you for your help!
- 16 Ways to Help Overweight Kids
- Real Food Ingredient Guide
- Is Corn Making Us Fat?
- The Dangers of Soy
- All about Healthy Fats!
Cristoforo Sartor says
I shared this post cause of the picture! love it
Raine says
There are so many factors involved in this issue, diet being at the forefront. I think a good place to start is to read Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride’s books Gut and Psychology Syndrome and Put Your Heart in Your Mouth, which talk about issues with chemicals in our environment, food, personal care products, medications, air, soil, water, etc. It’s not just one thing or one cause, it comes from all around us.
France @ Beyond The Peel says
I think it comes down to lack of knowledge….and a wack load of other things too, but that’s where I think we and the gov. need to start.
Jen says
I see a lot of people trying to figure out what is causing “The Obesity Epidemic” and not questioning the basic premises of it.
First basic premise, that obesity is the cause of lots of health problems. Yes, a gain in weight is correlated with many bad health issues, but ther is no research that shows it is the cause of those problems. Indeed, insulin resistance causes weight gain, and blood sugar does not start to get really high until your body can no longer safely put away the extra sugar away (as body fat). So the fat is protecting you from the terrible effects of high blood sugar. Of course the definition of pathology is all about the levels of blood sugar, you get fat and then you get “sick”, so the fat is seen as causing it, even though it was protecting you. Sure, some people develop type 2 diabetes without getting fat, but maybe if they could get fat, they would have has several years before their blood sugar rose.
Second basic premise, that losing weight is possible once you are fat. 95% of diets fail, around 90% of people end up larger in a couple of years. These numbers are the same across all diets. What other treatment would you accept from your healer if you were told that it had a 5% chance of helping, (but not curing, most people in this group don’t even change BMI categories) and a 90% chance of making you worse?
Third basic premise, that fat people can not be healthy. All of the research that show things like an improvement in health markers with a reduction in weight is showing this with a very small reduction in weight, but with a large increase of healthy behaviors. Even one commenter above talks about seeing fat people running 5k’s and half marathons called it a “lack of progress.” I see anyone who gets fit enouth to run such a race as showing lots of progress, and their health improve. Of course as soon as they see that the weight does not come off, they think they “failed” and quit, losing the great improvement in health.
Many people question so much that conventional wisdom tells us, but then does not apply the same skepticism to “The Obesity Epiemic”(cue scary music). Question it, google ‘health at any size’, look at the primary research, and then examine your own beliefs. As a society we are conditioned to see fat bodies as gross, as other, as not human. There is all this retoric out there about things like “fat people should not wear spandex” and a lot of body policeing and fat shaming. It is now covered in a blanket of concern about health, but how much of it is really about looks, not health.
(to make this comment short enough to be read, I left a lot out. Also try googling ‘fat acceptance’ to find out more.)
ValerieH says
Thanks for posting this. I have read Health at Every Size. It made a lot of sense when I read it, but my anti-fat programming goes too deep, I guess. It’s time to read the book again.
Amy B. says
THANK YOU, Jen!
I have been saying this for a while now — I don’t think obesity causes diabetes. I think insulin resistance and a derailed carbohydrate metabolism causes one to store fat! Broken fuel handling inside the body after years of abuse with sugar and processed foods is what causes all the nasty ramifications we’re seeing now — including but NOT LIMITED to obesity.
We know not all diabetics are obese. Not everyone with heart disease or Alzheimer’s is obese. So there have to be other factors underlying the etiology of these conditions, and there are. As a society, we’re so quick to blame everything on obesity because it’s the only thing we can SEE plain as day. And like I said above, we blame people for their weight when very often they ARE doing “the right things” and because the conventional advice on weight loss is so terribly flawed, they don’t get anywhere with their efforts.
People have said before: In terms of getting healthy and making changes to diet and lifestyle, overweight people are actually the lucky ones. They have visible proof that something’s not right. Lean/thinner people with chronic headaches, eczema, allergies, depression, anxiety, acne, what-have-you, have no reason to connect their conditions to what they eat because they “look fine.” Well I think anyone reading this blog or any of the other holistic and natural health/WAPF blogs knows darn well that being thin has nothing to do with how HEALTHY someone is. (In fact, some of the more prominent low-carb physicians out there call patients “normal weight/metabolically obese.” That is, they *look* okay on the outside, but their blood lipids and other markers [cholesterol, triglycerides, CRP, blood pressure] put them squarely in the middle of metabolic syndrome.)
I’ve learned a ton in my biochemistry and physiology classes, and I honestly believe that broken carbohydrate handling (and massive overconsumption of sugar and refined carbs) leads to insulin resistance, which is what basically opens the dam to everything else. Did you know that forward-thinking practitioners have started calling Alzheimer’s “Type 3 Diabetes?” The medical literature is stunning on this. And the connections between chronically high blood glucose, high circulating insulin levels, and heart disease are staggering.
When it comes to the sugar and processed GARBAGE our society is swimming in, *some* people become overweight. Other people stay thin but develop diabetes anyway, or heart disease, or hypoglycemia, or dementia.
Sorry to ramble…this stuff just really gets me worked up. We’re so obsessed with physical appearance and outside the “real food world,” so few people have ANY clue that most of the everyday nagging things they’ve been living with for years and popping pills for, can be remedied quickly and effectively by just eating REAL food.
Amy says
Diabetes has not been shown to be associated with sugar or carbohydrate consumption. However, it has been shown to be associated with high-fat diets. I know this isn’t convenient to WAPF ideas, and it does not mean that that high-fat diets cause diabetes (correlation does not equal causation), but the scientific evidence does not back up the fact that high-sugar diets cause diabetes.
Jen says
1. The “fact” that high fat diets cause diabetes is far from proven:
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/does-a-high-fat-diet-cause-type-2-diabetes
2. As far as I remember, the “sugar does not cause” research did not control for total carb content.
Neither point proves that carbs cause diabetes. I personally think the etiology is complex, and includes diet, genetics, chemical environment, epigentics (mother/grandmothers diet) and who knows what else.
One thing I have seen is that High Fat / Low Carb diets can greatly improve the symptoms and biochemistry of people with T2D, and can even lead to the ability to stop using medication while maintaining normal blood sugar.
Margaret says
Many people these days refuse to cook. I have 2 female friends, in their 60’s and 70’s, one of whom is overweight, that have never cooked in their lives and refuse to learn. Cooking is simply not an option for them. They just eat out or get ready-made foods. I was forced to cook from scratch starting in my mid-20’s when I found out I had food allergies, and that may have been my saving grace, getting me off processed foods. And I have never been overweight, partly because of my diet of whole foods and partly thanks to my genes.
JMR says
I, too, became obese from my endocrine system not working properly. It had nothing to do with the amount of food I was eating. I was shocked and wouldn’t have believed it could happen if it hadn’t happened to me. The thyroid and adrenals stop working and there’s no way to control the weight. Even starving yourself doesn’t help. And my diet was always a standard American “healthy” diet of low calories, low fat, lots of fruits/vegetables/whole grains and a few “healthy” fats like canola oil, with limited protein like egg whites skim milk and low fat chicken breast. I blame that for stressing my endocrine system further. Switching to a truly healthy traditional diet certainly helped me to slowly improve my health, but it didn’t remove one pound from my body. I did that with the hcg diet (not recommending it, just mentioning it), and learned to eat about 3x the food and lots of healthy fat and protein. Yes, we’re responsible for what we eat, but what we eat sometimes has no relation to what we weigh.
Shannon Hennrich says
Did you know that only 3 percent
Of our nations land is used to grow fruits and vegetables? If today every American decided to eat more fruits a veggies we wouldn’t have enough
Yes the subsidies for corn and soy are crazy and you may be able to get a burger from the dollar menu thinking wow that’s cheap but they don’t tell you how much it will cost in healthcare down he line if this type of food is your staple. Check out Weight of the Nation on YouTube. Sure to give you lots of info. Compare what happens if you are blessed to live 8 miles away from a low income area and find your life expectancy increase by ten to thirty years. Unbelievable.
Commenter via Facebook says
eating too much junk and not moving around enough
Commenter via Facebook says
i blame the frequent missuse of sugar and wheat.
Commenter via Facebook says
I am due to my endocrine system not working properly, which was likely started due to poor eating habits in teens and early 20’s – not lots of food, but not great food, along with lots of soda pop, and I smoked a lot ago.
I was always very slim, but when I started on Paxil, I gained 60 lbs in 4 months, with no change in eating habits or activity level. [I no longer drank the pop or smoked and I had 3 young children at the time, so wasn’t completely sedentary] Paxil changed my endocrine system, apparently, according to my ND. Have been chasing healing ever since. IOW, years of not eating great foods set me up, but Paxil triggered severe weight gain, among other things. I eat very healthy now, but don’t lose weight due to adrenals/thyroid/severe gut issues/lymph system being clogged, etc. I have edema most of the time, which can change my size daily, up to 2 sizes.
Just learned yesterday that iodine can trigger Hashimoto’s, which is upsetting, because so many NDs [and others] promote iodine as a help for hypothyroid. [which I have, so have been taking] Recently had ultrasound done for gall stones:- fatty liver, huge gall stone, and very small thyroid. [which means it is atrophying.] ugh
I will also say that I used to drink a lot of alcohol. Quit at age 22. Now 50. I drink moderate amounts of coffee-give it up periodically. I have had candida overgrowth issues – to the point I had my tonsils removed about 12 years ago. I had my mercury fillings removed about 10 years ago – heavy metal toxicity likely due to dentist not following clean protocol. Currently I drink a few different healing herbal teas; and raw milk has been my main staple food for about 10 weeks. Since I started eating solids again, I mostly eat beef, some chicken, bone broth, some veggies/veggie juice, occasional fruit/fruit juice, cheese-raw if I can get it. Have [mostly] given up bread and pastas. (none for 8 wks). Weight has not changed.
So, weight gain is not always due to overeating, but I can see where it can be that, too. If there isn’t enough movement; the endocrine system is screwed up; the lymph system is clogged; nutrients are not being absorbed properly; digestion isn’t working right; etc….”weight” is retained, either through most foods being eventually used as sugars and stored as fat – often due to not eating enough! – or from water retention and sludge-iness in the lymph system.
Commenter via Facebook says
I don’t use boxed food I cook everything from scratch even make bread tired of 3 dollars a loaf when I can make for about 1.50
leigh says
hoping to add bread to my repotoire (sp?) soon. yes, $3 a loaf it getting insane.
Commenter via Facebook says
Ilike food but am working on doing it healthier thanks Kelly
Commenter via Facebook says
Secret ingredients. GMO
Commenter via Facebook says
I blame myself….sort of. The bible says to “not call unclean what I call clean”. I didn’t listen…so I ate margarine instead of butter…I figured processed chemical laden food with added vitamins was better than the foods God provided in the state He provided. I am thankful I see how wrong that was and am no longer obese.
Commenter via Facebook says
The people chewing the food!!! It is this lack of personal responsibility that is the root of all our problems today.
leigh says
I believe Michael Pollen when he suggests that personal responsibility is a difficult stance when you consider how processed foods push our evolutionary buttons. It’s a both/and situation and a vicious cycle.
Commenter via Facebook says
To blame? Ourselves We are in control of what we buy and put in our mouths-Grains, processed food–so damaging and what causes people to be fat.
Commenter via Facebook says
I would imagine it’s a little bit of everything. Too much seemingly cheap convenience food, a more sedentary lifestyle, personal food issues……its complicated.
Commenter via Facebook says
“who’s to blame?” is so 1960s hippy think. If it were that easy, we would have killed that person. It is the amalgamation of many things, poor diet discipline, low nutrition, over regulation, under regulation, lazy to cook so I’ll open a box, eating food-like substances, sugar, HFCs and so forth. Obesity is a symptom of a larger societal issue. That is why diets fail and the “eat this, not that crowd” change their tune every five years or so.
Nicole C. says
I do think government is a very large contributing factor to this problem. But are we not responsible for controlling our government? Is it not our duty to do so? Doesn’t that make it fall back onto the individual?
Commenter via Facebook says
People sem to want instant gratification.If they want it they want it 30 sec’s ago.I often wonder how many folks out there could actually cook a meal these days without a box,bag or bottle?
yasmine says
Would you agree however that motherss need to get out of the workforce, or this will not take place…if a mother is actually home, wouldn’t she be able to provide wholesaome food…when women left the home, chaos ensued throuhout society
Commenter via Facebook says
Wake up people – YOU are in control of what you eat!!
Cindy says
When are people going to be accountable for what they put in their mouth. No one but you can control what goes in your stomach- quit blaming others for your own obesity!!!!!
Commenter via Facebook says
When Reverend Michael Dowd’s talk from TEDxGrandRapids is released be sure to watch it. https://www.tedxgrandrapids.org/speakers/
Commenter via Facebook says
Nutrition today is like religion. People do as they’re told instead of investigating the truth for themselves. Ultimately, it’s up to each person to wake up and stop eating processed junk.
Grace says
I think vaccines are one of the causes of obesity-because of the damage they cause to the gut/immune system.
Commenter via Facebook says
I blame the ‘culture of convenience’ -when folks were persuaded that box ‘food’ was a good as home-made, and all the labor saving devices would give us more leisure; which became instead more work because of more bills to pay.
Kat says
As with anything else, I think it’s up to parents to set good examples for their kids. I have friends that agree that they need to make better choices of what they eat, but their lives are so hectic with work, school, after school activities, etc. that it is just easier for them to grab something on the go. Yes traditional cooking does take some thought, time & expense, but It’s not impossible for working families if they are all on the same page and plan ahead. Traditional cooking can be as simple or as complicated as time allows. We live in an area that once had many small farms. Now there are just a few. It is hard to get our hands on fresh, local produce, eggs, dairy. You have to be a detective to find any of that. Progress?? I think not.
LuN says
I believe that people are so spoiled by the take a pill mentality, that they don’t really want to work at being healthy..yes, they will work at being thin, and we know why, but to be healthy requires alot of research, education(self motivated), work,and desire to feel as good as you can. Whenever people ask me why my husband and I look so good at our age, they kind of flinch when I explain all the things I do to maintain our good health…I have fibro and do all that I can to keep my body healthy, and not end up bed ridden..and taking meds that really don’t work! They are kind of hoping I would tell them about a magic pill you can take that will always keep you healthy..lol Nothing makes me crazier then seeing a small infant in a restaurant munching on a french fry..The supermarkets are loaded with organic snacks for kids..why does a baby need to snack on a french fry?
So much good health info is available today,ignorance is no longer an excuse.It’s laziness, plain and simple..
BTW, Kelly great blog…I love an open arena where there are real opinions and ideas and lots of sharing.
leigh says
I have to say that I’m at an advantage having inherited good genes from my parents, so I’ve never struggled with weight, but I have defnitely had very poor eating habits and GI problems for much of my life. But it bothers me when my MIL who is morbidly obese (nearing 400#) was fighting for her life this last fall. She had lost 100# throughout the year and you couldn’t even tell. We believe now that her cholesterol or BP meds were the culprit for her ulcers which snowballed into several of her organs shutting down and even feared a heart attack at one point. It appears now that she has gained all of her weight back since being sick. Judging by family photos, it seems she has always struggled with weight and so do her sisters and neices and nephews.
It’s frustrating that she doesn’t even walk when she’s at home, she wheels herself around in a chair. She cooks at the stove from her chair and she strains to wash the dishes from her chair. And there is never a shortage of absolute junk food at her house. You will rarely find fresh veggies or fruit there.
My dear friend travels for work and she and her husband eat out EVERY meal, even eating from the gas stations at times. She isn’t overweight, but she gets gassed pretty easily. It’s so frustrating, I want to ask her – why don’t you just TRY!!! Just start with taking your own snacks: fruit, cheese, crackers. Quit the soda!
Then there’s my co-worker whose husband is on pills for diabetes and on a c-pap machine. He has a sweet tooth for fruit and it isn’t uncommon to hear her confess, “I know it’s bad for him, but I buy it anyway.” And then to hear her complain about how much his meds are every week. Not to mention she can easily drop $30 a week bringing absolute junk (chips and candy) into the office.
RRRGG!!! Come on people! What does it take for you to finally get sick of being sick!
Amy B. says
Equally heartbreaking and infuriating, isn’t it?!
ValerieH says
I have been obese for my adult life and I have been studying it for that long, wanting to change 🙁 . I have made many changes, starting with low fat diet in the 1990’s. I’m filled with hope, regret, and disappointment. Right now I’m doing this https://personalpaleocode.chriskresser.com/
Here’s my 2 cents. Each bullet point could be expanded.
Our health crisis
* quality of food eaten
– diminished soil quality (enzymes, bacteria, minerals, beneficial insects)
– environmental pollution, pesticides, herbicides
– antibiotics, hormones (some of which cause animals to fatten)
– GMO
– food system focus on increased yield, storage, shipping
– commodity crops dominate most agriculture, leaving less acreage for food.
* choice of foods
– lipid hypothesis
– USDA guidelines
– cause people to eat more carbs and less fat
– influenced by food industry to push more commodity crops
– controls food programs such as school lunches, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons
– convenience foods with lots of chemicals and preservatives
– idea that food is supposed to be cheap
* quantity of food
– starving for vitamins and minerals
– emotional causes of overeating (vicious cycle)
– addictive nature of junk foods
* physical changes and culture
– more desk jobs
– more driving
– less recess and gym class
– more electronic entertainment
– fear of our neighbors keeps us inside more
– lack of understanding by the “experts” that guide us
– some families have genetic factors (turned on by the wrong foods), passed on to next generation
– our culture is steeped in junk food at every social occasion
There is hope:
local food movement is growing
gardening is on the rise, partly due to the economy
backyard chickens are being discussed in many cities where they are currently illegal
There are many tools available for becoming more aware of emotional processes, such as EFT
The internet provides health information if you look for it
Andrea Pires says
I could’nt have said it better myself! You can’t blame obesity on one thing. Food has been and always will be the center of our lives. EVERYTHING revolves around when, what, and why we eat. If you change one thing about your lifestyle, you’re most likely changing at least ONE thing about the food you’re eating. But, if I had to point the main reasons, I would say it is beacause of the government trying to gain control over EVERYTHING, and people’s lack of knowledge on this subject. For example: My relatives and close friends try to understand Real Food, but they have had the wrong image of how you’re supposed to eat pounded into their head for SO LONG, that it just doesn’t make sense to them. They want to eat healthy, but they just don’t know how! Also, it doesn’t help that they (meaning my relatives, and virtually every american alive) all have something seriously wrong with their health and they’re afraid to get sicker and die sooner, so they listen to the “doctors’ ” (who are getting paid by the government!) advice to take pills and eat this way and that!
I could go on ALL day if I could, but there’s a portion of what I have to say. =)
yasmine says
Wow, that pretty much summed up the new world order…are they actually going to achieve this, who knows
Kim says
I just read a lengthy article in Scientific American talking about the bacteria we have in our bodies and how much is not known about all of it, but some things they have found (my rough translation) are the overuse of antibiotics is affecting all of us and that only 6% of people are born with a certain bacteria now that we all used to have – a bacteria that is key in the process of helping us know when we are full. Unrelated to obesity, but interesting – another thing the article questioned was the rise of c-sections and how going through the birth canal exposes babies to all kinds of good bacteria and that they are missing out on this (and I had one child by c-section, so add another thing for me to feel guilty about!) and how that might be affecting gut flora/who-knows-what kind of processes. The article didn’t solve any problems, but was just telling how much there is still left to learn about our bodies and how everything is dependent on everything else. To me, it underscores real foods – why mess with what worked for so long??
I am overweight but blame it on my lack of knowledge during my younger years and all the damage I did to my body when I didn’t think it mattered because I wasn’t overweight. Now it takes weeks to lose a pound, but I could gain it back in 1 day – it gets overwhelming and I eventually give up and lose/gain the same 20 pounds year after year.
I actually have fond memories of foil t.v. dinners though, which I have to say, probably took as long or longer to cook than a real meal because you had to bake them in the oven!
yasmine says
I believe it is the design of the system. As they are trying to depopulate the world by 80 percent and so that is the fight. Bill gates already admitted vaccines are going to help kill off a lot of us, and the food will make everyone infertile about 2 generations from now..
Diane says
I agree that when the government gets involved, things mess up.
Our local hospital has a newspaper page each week with “healthy” recipes which are always “less calories, low fat.” Demonizing of saturated fat, sales of “low fat” products, and the changing of restaurants from individually-owned to FRANCHISE places where the food is never cooked in real butter or even, perhaps, prepared onsite, makes it necessary to eat at home if you want to eat right. My husband is eating omelets this week at a hotel, but I fear they are being cooked in something other than coconut oil, as I do at home.
Read Gary Taubes WHY WE GET FAT AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. We are not a whole nation of lazy people. You need to read the whole book.
leigh says
I am dreading next week b/c I have to be away from home for work. I know my kids will be eating junk in my absence b/c DH doesn’t cook (although I will make as many home-cooked meals as possible). But I’m also worried about the continental breakfast at the hotel. I’ve become very sensitive to my food and I just have a feeling that I’m going to be sick and miserable next week! I’ll be packing a cooler full of snacks for the hotel and brown bag lunches to take, as much for financial reasons as for well-being! I feel for ya with your hubs being away and not being able to care for him.
Cathy F. says
Kelly,
Great article! You hit that nail on the head once again. My dear sister is a perfect example of your answer to #4. She is obese and sick with fibromyalgia, thyroid problems, joint problems, among others. For those problems, she takes drugs that moderate her pain but make her depressed. I’ve talked to her about her diet (which includes large quantities of ice cream, processed foods, white flour and sugar–not to mention she fries everything in vegetable oil), and she admit’s I’m right, but she says…”I can’t give up my sweets.” There it is. I’m not sure at what point the misery becomes greater than the “cost” of getting well, but right now, getting well is just too difficult for her.
leigh says
I can’t take any credit for giving up sweets – I have had a major sweet tooth much of my life. Somehow, around my 30th birthday (which was also close to Halloween) last year, it’s like a switch was flipped and I don’t desire sweets as much as I used to. I have taken up eating them more since Easter, but it’s still far less than I used to eat. The GI problems it gives me along with the pain of chronic skin infections are deterrents for sure, but I’m finding myself turning into a food snob. I see all of these fat sick people approaching the sweets and it just turns me off. I get my fix now with the maple syrup in my oatmeal every morning and the honey in my tea. I can barely stand super sweet sugary food anymore.
JMR says
I’ll just give my opinion on question #4. I do think Americans are willing to put in the effort. Look at how many people are on Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Medifast, etc. Millions of people are working and working to lose weight and get healthier, and programs like those are marketed as the way to do it.
And I used to exercise hours a day…every January 2nd, I’d see lots of people out doors exercising as part of a new year’s resolution. In a few weeks or months, or when the weather was bad, the only ones of us outside still working out were the fatties. Go watch a local 5k or 10k or marathon. Half the participants will be overweight or obese. They’re putting in effort; they just aren’t making progress.
The problem isn’t lack of effort. It is that our efforts are made in the wrong direction. We’re told cutting portions, eating less fat and moving more will make us thin and healthy, so we join Weight Watchers and run marathons. And we get fatter and sicker. What is lacking is proper knowledge, not effort.
Amy B. says
“What is lacking is proper knowledge, not effort.”
YES!!
Because of VERY FLAWED health and weight loss advice coming from all kinds of sources (government, mass media, etc), we’ve come to see obesity as a character flaw. As some kind of moral failure. And we judge overweight people in that light: They must be lazy. They must have no willpower. If they just had more *discipline,* they could lose weight. Eat less and move more? HOW INSULTING. If it were really that simple, we’d all be lean and healthy. I have way more faith in people than that. People *are* making efforts. Unfortunately, their efforts are misplaced because they have the wrong information. You know what they say: It doesn’t help to row harder when your boat’s headed in the wrong direction.
I did that to myself for YEARS. I did “all the right things.” I ate low fat, low calorie, and worked out like mad. And you know where it got me? 4 pants sizes and 25 pounds *heavier* than I am now that I exercise LESS and eat plenty of fat and protein.
KitchenKop says
Very good points Amy & JMR!
Kathy (aka Mrs Dull) says
I agree … I think many people put in a lot of effort, just in the wrong direction due to incorrect information on exactly what will help. I also agree that many will have great difficulty working their way back due to toxic exposures and pharmaceuticals. But I think it’s important to keep in mind that virtually everyone will see some improvement. And the more improvements to their diet they can make over time the more improvement they’re likely to see. So it’s not an all or nothing proposition, which I think sometimes people frame it as. Like when people say things like “You can’t live forever, you’ll have to die of something” like concern with your diet is an effort at immortality. I just want to feel a little better tomorrow, and the next day so I eat real food. The obese may lose a lot or a little on a real food diet, but they will feel better in the process and that makes it all worthwhile :-).
Colleen says
Awesome Topic! And one that may never be resolved…
I agree, Kelly, many of us will never be able to “reset” even if we stop eating all the junk, GMOs and taking way too many pharamaceuticals. For some it has been hardwired into their DNA, but I honestly believe that one of our biggest problems is portion size. Even if we eat healthy, eating too much will still keep us overweight. IMHO, we need to eat healthier and we need to learn what portion size is all about and it isn’t what’s on the plate at your favorite restaurants (even heathly restaurants have sucuumbed to large portions – it’s the American way!).
And all calories are not created equal. So many people I know substitute a Snicker’s bar in place of eating FF with their burger at lunch. They justify it by saying it has the same amount of calories as the FF and they’d rather eat a candy bar. Now, we both know FF aren’t great for us (especially fast food ones), but that logic is so schewed.
On a positive note, my 11 year old son came home from school this week and told us that they had watched the movie “Supersize Me”. Wow! I was so thrilled! And I was so impressed with his impressions of the movie and how grossed out he was by the whole thing! Maybe things are starting to change…
Amy B. says
I wonder if they would ever show Fathead….
(But kudos to the school for at least getting kids a little more aware of these issues!)
Liz says
I went on my daughter’s third grade field trip this week. At lunch time I was absolutely dismayed to see what all the kids were eating. Every single lunch sack was filled with JUNK! I saw Lunchables, bologna & american cheese on white bread, Hostess snack cakes, doritos, potato chips, fruit snacks, candy bars, and the list goes on. In a class of of 29 kids I saw 3 apples and 1 slice of watermelon. My daughter was one of them, she had an organic apple. She offered to share some of her slices and the kids around her crowded in, hungrily, for an apple slice. She also had organic carrots and kids were asking for one. One child offered his hostess cupcake for her carrots! I asked her not to trade, as I had packed her a sweet treat. Now let me be clear, I caved because of the field trip and bought her juice boxes and store bought organic cookies. She wants so badly to “fit in” and have the same type of foods. She doesn’t realize how hungry these other kids are for real food. I don’t pretend that the organic cookies were healthy, but I feel they were at least less harmful — no hydrogenated oils, no gmo ingredients, no high fructose corn syrup, etc.
So the question, who is to blame for obesity in America? We all are. I talk to people every day that truly believe that Doritos and Hostess cupcakes can’t be that bad for you or the government wouldn’t allow them to be sold. People are starving for real food, but they keep filling themselves with junk. We have placed cheap, fast and large portions over nutrition.
ValerieH says
This is really important point that needs attention.
Magda says
I’m with you on this, totally!! It’s sad to go have lunch with my kid since all I see are bags of potato chips and Doritos!! I, too, pack my child a juice box (I buy Fruitables at Costco: good deal, no added sugar or colors and it’s a mix of veggie and fruit juice). He gets sandwiches and such – but everything is ‘clean’, like you said: no HFCS, etc.
I know many moms work, etc. but how hard is it to pack a few carrots or apples??? I just don’t get it sometimes. I, too, WOTH and I pack 3 lunches and 3 snacks every day plus make breakfast. I feel like I live in the kitchen sometimes but isn’t it worth it for our kids?? (off my soapbox now….)
leigh says
I was NEVER allowed fruit juices or fruit snacks in my lunch until I was in middle school. I think mom just finally caved. But I remember always having ‘weird’ food like star fruit and kiwis. But I liked ’em! And I can remember vividly the boy next to me eating marshmallow cream and PB sandwich and thinking it was weird.
My mom has always followed some sort of healthy food fad to some degree and I thank her for that example. My husband isn’t as thankful, but much of his side of the family is overweight and obese, so I consider it my duty to keep those bad eating habits out of my home. Don’t get me wrong, I still allow junk and sweets with gramma and papa and we still eat fast food from time to time. If it weren’t for needing to heal our chronic skin abscesses, I may have never gotten into all of this foodie business, but I am grateful for it and for all of you!
I still have a lot to learn, but I know where to turn now.
Jill says
Couple more related thoughts….I read a while back on a post by Sarah at The Healthy Home Economist (I believe that was where–for some reason I’m not able to get on the site right now) about the effects excess Omega 6 vegetable oils have on us. Not only are they inflammatory in excess, but there is evidence that they stimulate our appetites and work against satiation, resulting in overeating! Those are the fats that have replaced healthy saturated fats in cooking (by the USDA’s recommendation) and other processed food products, and also the fats that are high in livestock feed, which means that the CAFO beef and chicken at the store and fast food joints is very high in Omega 6 fats. Their cheap feed quickly fattens them up, and in turn makes their own fat profile fattening for us as well.
The other thing I have read is that environmental toxins tend to accumulate in our fat cells and our bodies, in their their wisdom, know that if they allowed much of the fat to be used as energy, it would release those toxins into our bloodstream, potentially making us quite ill. Apparently, sometimes, when a person who is trying to lose weight reaches a plateau and cannot seem to lose more, it is because their body is trying to wall those toxins off by holding on to those fat cells. In those cases a detox protocol can be necessary to get them to the place of being able to lose weight again. There are so many toxic substances we can be exposed to now days that it’s impossible to avoid all of them: industrial, pesticides in food (both vegetable and animal from their feed), chemicals in personal care products and household cleaners, perfumes, water treatment chemicals, building materials, paint, carpet, etc….
I have also read that the gut flora in obese people is different than that of lean people. And so many factors affect gut flora!
Our modern world has set people up for obesity in many, many ways! It is such a complex, uphill climb for people to climb out of. Sadly, the dominant opinion seems to be one of: Just eat less and move more. If only it were so simple! Wish I had links on some of these points to share, but a quick google search should turn up a lot of sources.
Aneesa says
Interesting paper topic. Would love to read it when she finishes.
Just a thought and possibly something she could look into: Is there a connection between the women’s “liberation” movement and the increased entrance of women into the workforce and out of the home and the rise in obesity in America.
I have been trying to research this myself and have found some commentary, although not much.
Amy B. says
Aneesa, I’ve wondered the same thing. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if there was a correlation between when women started doing more work outside the home and the rise of obesity. After all, there was less time and energy to devote to making homemade meals from scratch, with real ingredients. (I’m single with no children, and when I come home after a long day and an aggravating commute, some days I have a hard time just getting real food together for ONE. I can’t even imagine trying to make dinner for 4 or 5!) And just think of what must’ve happened when microwaves became the staple home appliance in the mid-1980s – you could have a frozen “meal” (and I use the term loosely) on the table literally in seconds.
There’s a reason a lot of home appliances made their appearances (or at least became more popular) after WWII, when so many women joined the workplace. (Dishwashers, washing machines, toaster ovens, etc.)
HOWEVER — and this is a big point — we should not BLAME women for the problem. It was a fundamental change in society, the economy, and family dynamics. We can’t blame women for wanting to have some financial independence and a role among adults outside the home. What we should question is why there wasn’t more of a JOINT effort among husbands and wives to start sharing more of the household load. I realize I’m generalizing here, as there are many men out there who are great cooks and good housekeepers, but I think even today, the vast majority of housework falls to the wife/mother, *even if* she works outside the home as well. If families as a whole shared more of the chores, there might be a little more time and a little less stress involved in getting a nutritious meal on the table. (Or real lunches packed from home rather than the mystery meals complete with “chicken” nuggets (soy and what filler), skim milk, and cookies in the school cafeteria line. (Again, I know I’m generalizing. I realize some people rely on reduced or free school food and it’s the only meals their children get, so thank goodness for those programs.)
And of course, there’s the issue of whether the increased salary is worth it. In today’s financial world, it might be, but it isn’t so simple. Depending on people’s priorities and where they choose to live, they can live on one income. I think a lot of families struggle to “keep up with the Joneses” and they feel like they “have to” have the shiniest toys, the latest Apple gadget, the most impressive vacation destination. And people are drowning in debt and stressful, soul-sucking jobs to maintain the very existence that’s making them crazy! Very few stop to ask themselves if it’s even worth it, and if they wouldn’t actually prefer a quieter, slower, more understated existence. (And of course, if they *would* prefer that, the hard part is *doing something* about it, right? Getting up the courage to make a major life transition…it ain’t easy.)
Sorry…didn’t mean to hijack the topic. I find it all fascinating! I’d LOVE to read a book about the sociocultural history that followed WWII and how the change in women’s roles led to processed foods and the automation of everything.
Brianne says
I just want to say that I agree that the women’s liberation movement is not the root cause of the real food crisis. I am a proud feminist and my similarly minded female friends are the best support system I can ask for. We split picking up the co-op, do soup swaps and support each other. And it’s not just the women, supportive families are the other key to making it work. Everyone is committed! Real food living and full time working can happily coexist together. It’s just prioritizing differently. I don’t watch tv when I get home from work, I plan shopping trips to minimize going out of my way and I’m still always in bed by 10:30.
I think the government pushing the wrongs agendas is where a large part of the blame should go. But I don’t think we should overlook personal responsibility. Before I switched to real food, I took everything I was told at face value. The government says olive oil is healthy? I’ll only use olive oil in all my cooking. That article says American’s aren’t eating enough fiber? I’ll grab a fiber fortified cereal or granola bar. At some point, I started questioning the logics of what I was being told and doing, and it just didn’t make sense.
Now I question everything. My doctor told my vitamin D was low and she wanted to give me some injections to fix the balance. My response: “You want to give me an injection of sunshine? No thank you. I’ll just up my intake of liver and FCLO. Thanks for the information though!”
I think we are a bit too trusting of the government, medical professionals and (especially) corporations. People need to realize that these groups can have alternative agendas that aren’t our health and well being.
For the record, I’m an excellent cook and I learned it all from my Dad! My mother occasionally tries, but cooking isn’t her strong suit. My father also helps with the cleaning, shopping and laundry. I’m proud to say that I grew up in a house hold where that was the norm and stereotypical gender roles didn’t exist. Husbands/fathers/partners must be a part of the equation too!
KitchenKop says
A couple of comments to add…
My husband is also a rockin’ awesome helper of everything around here and I *never* take it for granted. (Well, almost never!) Growing up my Dad didn’t help my Mom as much as I thought he should’ve so the way Kent is means a lot to me.
Regarding the issue of Moms working, I heard something once that Dr. James Dobson said and it made a lot of sense to me — and ticked me off, too. He said that years ago when more women began going into the workplace, the government started restructuring the tax laws — they taxed us all more basically, so it made it that much harder for families to get by on just one income.
Kelly
kathy says
a great book on that topic is Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes. The book traces that historical time period and adresses some of the very good questions you have presented.
linda st. laurent says
I don’t have any evidence of that, but my heart tells me it is true. Look around, everything is about making the working mom’s job easier. Convenience convenience. Latch key kids, moms too tired to sit outside and watch kids play, all kinds of things like that. I think you are definetly on to something.
Don’t forget along with that movement has come many broken homes, that in itself creates alot of other issues.
Maryjane says
Perhaps moms wouldn’t be so tired all the time if they were eating real food!