Obesity and fast foods - there's little doubt about the link. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United states. And it's an epidemic that has grown side by side, step by step with the the fast food industry.
Eric Schlosser in his brilliant and shocking book, Fast Food Nation, describes the US as "an empire of fat," and he lays the blame for this clearly and convincingly at the door of the fast food industry.
Obesity Fast Food Data
Twice as many American adults are obese today as in the 1960s. More than half of all adults and a quarter of all children are now obese. Over this same period, fast food has become cheaper and easier to buy. Further evidence for the link between obesity and fast food can be found outside the US. Since the early 1980s, American-style fast food culture has spread like wildfire around the world... And obesity has followed, accompanied by its many unwelcome side effects: heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and other ills.
As people in countries like Japan and China have abandoned traditional healthy diets in favour of fast food, the rates of obesity and associated diseases have soared.
In countries which have resisted the spread of fast food culture, like France, Italy and Spain, obesity is far less of a problem. The good news is that there is now more awareness about the ill effects of fast food than ever before, thanks in part to books like Fast Food Nation and documentary movies like Morgan Spurlock's popular and punchy Super Size Me.
There also seems to be a genuine change in people's attituded to to food and how it is produced. As Schlosser says modestly of his book: "its success should not be attributed to my literary style, my storytelling ability, or the novelty of my arguments.
"Had the same book been published a decade ago, with the same words in the same order, it probably wouldn't have attracted much attention. Not just in the United States, but throughout western Europe,people are beginning to question the massive, homogenizing systems that produce, distribute, and market their food. The unexpected popularity of Fast Food Nation, I believe, has a simple yet profound explanation. The times are changing."
What can we do about fast food and obesity?
So what can we do to as consumers to tackle the problem of obesity and fast foods?
First, we can stop supporting the traditional, unhealthy fast food chains. Let's rather buy from outlets that sell healthy alternatives. More and more of these restaurants and delis are opening. There should be at least one near you. Support it!
Another thing we can do is to lobby our congressperson (or MP or some other political representative if we're in a country outside the US) to ban all advertisements that promote foods high in fat and sugar to children.
As Schlosser points out, prevention is far better than cure. "A ban on advertising unhealthy foods to children would discourage eating habits that are not only hard to break, but potentially life-threatening."
Such a ban may sound far-fetched, until you remember that 35 years ago a ban on cigarette advertising sounded equally unlikely. Five years later Congress banned cigarette ads from television and radio. And those ads were directed at adults, not children.
Smoking has declined ever since.
It's time we did something similar with obesity and fast food
Alan Cooper is a journalist with 20 year's experience and the publisher of http://www.obesitycures.com, a site with the ambitious aim of being a "one-stop-shop" for impartial information on obesity and weight loss solutions - including fad diets, prescription weightloss pills and herbal diet aides.
Chicago limo Skokie ..One of the most popular diets is the low carb... Read More
"I tried that diet and lost 8 pounds in the... Read More
Are you feeling down and out? Do you feel even... Read More
If you're like me, you probably wish that there was... Read More
These days, Jennifer Secrist has little interest in idle activities.... Read More
In this age being ignorant is like committing a crime.... Read More
The government, nutritionists, doctors, and dietitians implore us to eat... Read More
Nice girls don't speak up. Nice girls take care of... Read More
How many calories you consume has a big impact on... Read More
Weight training combines building muscle tone and working the cardiovascular... Read More
The South Beach Diet was not created by your typical... Read More
The term 'thermogenic' refers to a group of drugs or... Read More
"Unless that apple tastes like the best apple you've ever... Read More
Sometimes it's good to just let the feelings flow. Take... Read More
If only there were a 'better body boot camp', we'd... Read More
We are inundated by exhortations to lose weight - from... Read More
I personal lost 60 pounds in 2003. Here are some... Read More
WARNING: Don't weight train until after you've lost weight! No,... Read More
A pound of fat represents approximately 3500 calories of stored... Read More
Yesterday, out of the blue, without any foreboding gossip or... Read More
Only if you're trying to fool the scale on a... Read More
A common claim from gastric bypass detractors is that after... Read More
One of the most talked about topics in any political... Read More
Low carb beer and lite beer are two different animals.... Read More
Ever heard of the expression, "Getting up on the wrong... Read More
limo O'Hare Bonfield ..Hannah was distressed that, with all the inner work she... Read More
Today, Ephedra is an herb of controversy. It contains ephedrine,... Read More
1. Drink 8-10 glasses of water each dayOkay, for many... Read More
Some Say I'm Strange. I Prefer to Think of Myself... Read More
World Health Organization has observed that obesity has now reached... Read More
Plan to eat two to three hours and pack health... Read More
Lean turkeyLean ground beefChicken breastFish, halibut, orange roughy,More fish, shark,... Read More
It is well known that about two-thirds of the U.S.... Read More
Did you ever think about the fact that losing 2... Read More
When most people think of low carb diets they automatically... Read More
IntroductionObesity is the most common health problem facing children today.... Read More
We have all set them, and we will revisit them... Read More
For about 50 years now, Americans have been eating low... Read More
What is the link between Hispanics and obesity? Are people... Read More
There Is A Right Way to Chew!Chewing your food is... Read More
There have been many diets and weight loss plans that... Read More
Making the Decision:Whether you are interested losing ten pounds that... Read More
Is this even possible?Well hold on to your seat because... Read More
Which diet is the best? ALL of them and NONE... Read More
As a woman, your body is very complex. Throughout every... Read More
Weight loss is one of the biggest industries in the... Read More
The general approach for treatment of obesity is to suggest... Read More
Have you ever worried about something so much it paralyzed... Read More
I want to talk about the "all or nothing" outlook... Read More
Welcome to lesson #2. First of all, I believe that... Read More
Weight Loss |