Obescity epidemic

[Lark]

I have been listening this morning to news that there is a global obescity epidemic, more than a third of the world is obese, and they were talking about what can be done about it, they were actually talking about shaming and stigmatising as a solution? This idea is older than it sounds, there is an account of either Plato or Socrates taking a citizen to task for being unfit and, they thought, therefore disgracing their community and the republic they were part of (this needs to be understood in the context of religion and politics/war fighting at the time though). What are your thoughts? Can it be combatted this way? What are some of the more creative ways of countering it that you've heard of?

 

[TinyBubbles]

it's a convenience factor, really. unhealthy food has become too cheap and easy to get, and healthy food remains expensive and generally more effort to obtain and cook.

 

[Eventhorizon]

I believe this is due largely in part to processed food. Before I began eating gluten free I varied between 30 to 60 lbs overweight. Because of going gluten free I have cut out all fast food and primarily eat whole foods though not all the time now. Before finding processed gluten free food that I like I ate only whole food and at that time I lost a huge amout of fat. I was lean. Since finding processed gluten free food I like I am about 15 lbs overweight.

The human body doesn't know what to do with all the additives. Mo anyway.

 

[the]

I believe this is due largely in part to processed food. Before I began eating gluten free I varied between 30 to 60 lbs overweight. Because of going gluten free I have cut out all fast food and primarily eat whole foods though not all the time now. Before finding processed gluten free food that I like I ate only whole food and at that time I lost a huge amout of fat. I was lean. Since finding processed gluten free food I like I am about 15 lbs overweight.

The human body doesn't know what to do with all the additives. Mo anyway.

Pretty much sums it up. A few years ago I read how vegetables are bizarrely expensive, supposedly in Greece vegetables are dirt cheap.

for humor see the South Park episode of gluten free Ebola.

 

[SpecialEdition]

There is a very deep level of ignorance when it comes to how food interacts with the body. I think a lot of people genuinely believe that whatever you eat, your body only absorbs what it needs and the rest is passed through. This is just simply not true. There's so many different intricacies and interactions that happen on a cellular level that happen as a direct result of our food. Our mental and emotional well being is affected by food. Our digestive health, our hormones, our gut bacteria/microbiome... everything. People just simply do not understand the fundamental biology of it all and are more concerned with the emotional aspect of eating than using it as a fuel source.

I say this as a formerly obese person who ate predominantly "healthy" foods (as prescribed by the food guide and the media... which is bullshit) and I just had no idea how deep the problems went. Personally I cannot even being to describe all of the overwhelming benefits from changing to a whole foods diet and eliminating all the garbage. My whole life changed on every level because I took control of what I was consuming and it made my life better. I see so many people who complain of X, Y and Z ailments but they refuse to look at food as something that can heal them and don't realize that food can actually cause serious physical damage to them. Look no further than Type 2 diabetics.

I think many people cannot conceive of eating a whole foods diet and are so used to the convenience and ease of pre-packaged food. People get attached to whatever new fad is on the market. Everything wants to do that "one crazy thing!" to fix their health but they won't engage in a diet and lifestyle change that could change their lives.

I could go on forever.

 

[SpecialEdition]

Pretty much sums it up. A few years ago I read how vegetables are bizarrely expensive, supposedly in Greece vegetables are dirt cheap.

for humor see the South Park episode of gluten free Ebola.

I just watched that episode a while ago, it was hilarious. It really does depict how over zealous people can be about going Gluten Free. It's about a lot more than Gluten, but it's easy to stick it under that umbrella.

Whole foods are the way to go!

 

[sprinkles]

Not to mention comfort eating, boredom eating, and plain overeating in addition to being sedentary. Add processed unhealthy foods into this and you have a recipe for disaster - pun intended.

I don't understand how some people eat so much. It is grotesque.

 

[say what]

Obesity is a complex issue - it involves both individual behaviours and genetics, but also broader macro issues such as policies, environments, health inequalities, etc. To blame the individual, is to put all responsibility on them, but we know that teaching someone health behaviours and instilling a sense of self-efficacy and motivation for them to engage in them, is only part of the battle. If you're in an environment that doesn't facilitate or allow you to easily and actively participate in those behaviours and choices, it becomes difficult to maintain those behaviours longterm.

Many cities are not built for active living, and we are often forced due to lack of time, resources, and access to resort to poor eating habits. We can have the best intentions and desires, but they can be thwarted if we aren't in an environment that allows us to enact on them.

 

[say what]

Side note: I watched a documentary that suggested obesity was actually a disease...it was really interesting and ridiculous all at the same time. Thought I would put that in this conversation as a side topic...I don't believe it, but it's an interesting perspective to consider.

 

[Lark]

I think a lot of this has to do with exercise and fitness, not just diet by a long stretch.

The environment and policy doesnt support those things, in Russia there's means why which you can get free travel on the trains by doing enough squats in front of a camera, that's just a little, maybe gimicky way of encouraging the fitness but its a start.

There's other changes which I think should be commonsense too.

Like replacing competition and team sports in Physical Ed classes which only result in people who arent fit being left until the last to be picked etc. with gym equipment and a fitness culture, with before or after schools time or clubs using the same equipment for the people who need or want to catch up, even coaching on specific or spot training.

Then for those who want to take it more seriously have specific meals in the canteen which are tailored to those aiming to lose weight or gain muscle etc. Take all the guess work out of it, make it as easy to lose or positively gain as it is presently to just pig out and get fat.

 

[Eventhorizon]

Here is an interesting entry.
I have two cats. I feed them high quality cat food. Have to go to a special store or order it online.
One eats a lot, the other does not. The one that eats a lot is lean and sometimes I wonder if she gets enough food. The other eats very little and she is clearly over weight.
While I fully believe the largest part of this problem is the type of food people eat, its clearly not all there is to it.

 

[muir]

Most people are absorbed by work because between taxes, wages and interest rates the government makes sure that most people ahve to work full time

This tires people out and this leaves little time and energy to invest in slow food (which is generally the healthiest)

People want fast food to fit into their busy day and eating ends up being a chore instead of a social event like in some mediterrenean countries

Also the mass produced food lacks nutritional value and is highly processed and full of sugar, corn oil, E numbers, GMO's and a whole host of things that are basically hostile to the human body

So i think peoples energy levels to spend time on food and exercise are often being taken up with work and the commute so to improve health we need to stop working so much as a society

Studies have shown that a lot of time at work is spent browsing the internet or chatting around the water-cooler etc so long hours do not= productivity

 

[Vict]

It's a personal thing to be addressed on an individual basis, if at all. Someone's gotta want it.

I don't know what all society can do besides outright bans and forced physical activity. That won't fly. Taxes on food are a joke. I think back on the fatty food and soda upbringing many of us had and think if individuals choose to change, and convey those values to their kids, then maybe. Maybe.