Global Obesity

[karadekoolaid]

I've just answered a white vs brown rice post in which an author made what seemed to be an off-the-cuff comment... which was very relevant.
Whilst not wanting to get "serious" in this wonderful forum, I think our next challenge as foodies/ chefs/wannabe chefs/ gourmets/ parents is here:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/hot/o/obesity.html

I'd like to hear some thoughts on this. As a former smoker, I quit in 1997, just in time to avoid the healthy H-bombs blasted at "innocent" smokers.
I wonder if as much interest would be raised by the Al-Quaeda Obesity Liquuidation Lobby? Is there one? The problem is FAR more serious than smoking, guys...

 

[amber]

I'm confused with regards to your question and the link. The link refers to obesity, and your question is about smokers.

I'll just address both. First of all when smokers quit, they sometimes eat more.

Second, in school lunch programs, at least here in the states, they are trying to revamp and make things healthier...ie, no soda, no junk food in the vending machines, healthier options if kids eat at school, though I prefer to send my lunch rather than having my child buy school lunch.

Hope that answers your question.

 

[Ellen]

I think the definition of malnutrition needs to be far more encompassing in popular understanding Clive. Those who are clinically under or over weight are mal-nourished. I find the sight of a plate overloaded with food, impossible to eat generally, as distressing as the sight of stick thin children shown on fund raising ads., staring vacantly at the TV camera. Is this problem of distribution a political one? I believe it quite often is. Zimbabwe used to be a power house of productivity, but since the farmers have been driven from the land they have been food importers. And the same thing goes in many countries. It is either palaces or poverty. Terrible waste or desperate want.

But it is a very complex problem isn't it. Developed countries also cop it both ways. Social engineering has a lot to answer for. A good healthy weight is considered by many to be overweight, and we have young, and sometimes old people starving themselves to death in increasing numbers. Even the male of the species seems vulnerable now, and young men have been joining the ranks of the "model thin". I think these very thin models look just awful. And yet the 'look' is pushed unceasingly. Perhaps people are getting more obsessive, look how food fads sweep whole countries, silly diets and so on.

So where to start with the malnourished. The eco/political thing doesn't seem to work, neither does common sense with the 85 lb wisp. I could go on about the parents of some infants who feed them fat free milk, and if they don't die, turn them into made up tiny beauty queens. Insanity.

I guess the question about malnourishment (in western countries) is why are we so obsessed. With food, with weight, with fads, with magic bullets. Why do we eat such corrupt food, instead of whole foods with real tastes. It appears no matter which country we look at, there is dietary disaster ready to engulf us. I could go on about food marketing etc. a huge subject. But, I shall spare you. (Vast supermarkets, and the opposite, food deserts for an example).

PS. I remain a smoker Clive, it gives me something to argue about.

I suppose

 

[Gayle]

Not long after I started my kids in public school, I noticed not only that they were getting fat, but they were showing signs of behavioral problems and were, frequently, sick. I pulled them out and started homeschooling them. We grow almost all of our own food, organically. They are now healthy, slim, and fairly well-behaved (for teenagers)

And I still smoke, too.

 

[buckytom]

wow, 2 great posts, and then you both blew it, ellen and gayle.

cancer or emphysema and the complications thereof are just around your well educated and otherwise physically fit corners. hopefully, you'll be one of the less than 1% of people who are genetically unaffected by carcinogens. (all smokers have decreased lung capacity, no matter who you are.)

i find it interesting (incredible actually) that you don't trust public education or food programs, but don't have a problem with the tobacco industry. it'd be like eating food you know was injected with carcinogens and addictive compounds. but because of the addiction, you turn a blind eye.

if you grow and smoke your own, then i apologize for misunderstanding.

sorry to hijack the thread clive. now back to fat people, of which i am becoming one because of all of the things i've learned here.

 

[lulu]

Mylegisbig, I am sorry, I know two people who have died from smoking marijuana. One was 17 and had an allergy. He died within minutes. I understand this is more common than generally accepted. The other was just about the most beautiful looking man I ever knew. He developed a canibis psychosis and commited suicide in his early twenties. I have meny, many friends who smoke it though. Many this leads me to have faith in the statistic that 1 in 4 canibis users will develop some form of mental illness, most commonly depression. If you ask me this statistic is conservative. Of all the drugs I find this the most dangerous because of its perceived innocuosity. If people want to use it thats fine by me, so long as they know and understand and accept the risks.

Sorry Clive, back to obesity.

Yes. Its a killer. And our attitudes are so mixed up. Both Husband and I have had eating disorders as teenagers. He was anorexic (thankfully a brief period, resolved by love of food and growing up) I was bulemic and a "compulsive exerciser". The really sad thing is I seriously damaged my metabolism during this period. When I developed a serios illness, about four years ago, my metabolism could no longer cop, and I more than doubled my body weight in a matter of months. So, I have seen it from both sides.

Packeted, highly processed food, is, in my opinion, addictive. I seriously limit what is in our home. Generally if we are going to have cake/biscuits/burgers whatever: I make it. At least that way I no what is in it and can make allowances in the rest of my diet. Despite food labelling, I never really feel I can equate it to the rest of the food in my life, so its easier for me to home make as well. But is a whole lifestyle issue. Its not just what we put in, it is our out put, so to speak. Our dependence on cars, and our "time is money" lifestyle, imposed by economic pressure, means we are often almost forced to make quick options, (car instead of walking for groceries, and school runs). I just can't see that changing anytime soon.
Personally, I look at the designer clothes I used to be given for smart events and smile but I don't even want to be that thin again. My husband found me more attractive at a "normal" healthy weight. I just want to, as mylegisbig says, move around with out breathing heavy. I want to feel fit and strong and that I can rely on my body to get me through the demands of the day. If I have children I want them to eat wholesomely, healthily and with pleasure and prudence in equal measure. I only hope that the abuse I put my body through in my teens and early twenties to conform to what I thought society wanted of me has not permanantly damaged my body's mechanisms and that this is possible.

Fat IS gross, but we know that. What are we going to do about it is the question?

 

[Mylegsbig]

One was 17 and had an allergy. He died within minutes.

Care to cite a peer reviewed medical study on death due to cannibus allergies? I'm interested. If it happened to your friend surely its happened to others. Perhaps a newspaper clipping detailing the death?

 

[Mylegsbig]

"Many this leads me to have faith in the statistic that 1 in 4 canibis users will develop some form of mental illness, most commonly depression."

These days they say everyone is depressed.

Apparently, 15% of people are depressed in the united states.

source: [SIZE=-1]www.fda.gov[/SIZE]

 

[Mylegsbig]

Of all the drugs I find this the most dangerous because of its perceived innocuosity.

You think Marijuana is the most dangerous drug?

Do a little reading.



The Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan. 19, 2005, Vol. 293, No. 3, p. 298, reported on the leading causes of death in the United States:

• Tobacco (435,000 deaths)
• Alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths)
  

 

[Chef_Jen]

You know my problem with obesity is that there isnt enough information. Sure every doc will tell you

Eat better
Excersize more..

But there are different types of obsesity and that is where the medical profession and the nutritionist fail us. There is the people who eat and dont excersize and gain weight.... there are the ones that diet excersize do everything and gain weight This is due to an underlying medical issue like thyroids hormones and metabolism. I dont think we consider this option. I think society is too quick to say "your fat loose weight" and we dont realize wait a sec maybe there is something wrong.

This is where i feel the medical society needs to pipe in. In england we are giving kids LIPOSUCTION- Yes thats right we are putting childern under the knife rather then looking at what is actually the problem. We all know kids are active etc there is no reason to be putting them under the knife.

As chefs/foodies/parents/family members we have a responsibility especially to children to insure they are eating correctly. Why are chefs putting fatty foods on their childrens menu????

personally its like selling alchol to a minor you wouldnt do it, so why give them bad food. On my kids menu i have things like curry but i dont offer chips, I have pizza on a pita bread with salad. You would be surprised how many parent thank me for that!

 

[kyles]

I am obese.

18 months ago I was morbidly obese with a BMI of 46, now it's 33.

How many days per year did I eat fast food? Less than 10.

I got fat eating home cooking, medicating my emotional issues with food, and not moving my body.

I was, bizarrely, a healthy obese person. Perhaps having age on my side helped but my blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol was all within a healthy range. I hardly ever went to the doctor, I work full time, I'm not a drain on the countries medical resources.

I decided to something about my weight whilst I was still healthy, still able to exercise, and didn't have any mitigating factors which might prevent a healthy, moderate rate of weight loss.

As a formerly morbidly obese person, I think the problem is very complex. Once you are morbidly obese, your lifestyle has developed in such a way that you can't see any way out. Much like an alcoholic or a smoker, you can't see yourself living any other way. it is possible to break out of that, but it's hard.

And with obesity, and we've seen ample evidence in this thread, there is such a stigma, and a culture of blame. What is the point making the obese person feel even crappier about themselves than they do already?

I'd liek to see a posititive approach to weight loss for the morbidly obese, one that supports the individual to re educate themselves, to receive lifestyle advice, and to learn to love themselves as they are now, right at this moment.

I have said many times that losing a lot of weight is much easier from a position of self love and acceptance than self hatred and loathing.

 

[Mylegsbig]

You know my problem with obesity is that there isnt enough information. Sure every doc will tell you

This is due to an underlying medical issue like thyroids hormones and metabolism.

there are drugs like t-3 and t-4 for people with thyroid problems

as for metabolism, its like anything else..some people work out only get average gains..some people get huge and strong

the people with the metabolism problem just have to be that much stronger..and eat healthy..you dont even have to exercise a bunch

most fat people you say they are on a diet, or eating healthy, etc, just say that to save face, in secret, they wolf down anything in sight.... they aren't honest..which gives people with true metabolism disadvantages bad names

If i appear a little heated on this, its because im from houston one of the fattest cities in the WORLD..and i get sick and tired of seeing these 35-40 year old 400lb people rolling around the grocer on those little machines..parking in handycap spts....for god;s sake do thing about your self How do these people clean their bodies?

very unfortunate

 

[Mylegsbig]

I am obese.

18 months ago I was morbidly obese with a BMI of 46, now it's 33.

How many days per year did I eat fast food? Less than 10.

I got fat eating home cooking, medicating my emotional issues with food, and not moving my body.

I was, bizarrely, a healthy obese person. Perhaps having age on my side helped but my blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol was all within a healthy range. I hardly ever went to the doctor, I work full time, I'm not a drain on the countries medical resources.

I decided to something about my weight whilst I was still healthy, still able to exercise, and didn't have any mitigating factors which might prevent a healthy, moderate rate of weight loss.

As a formerly morbidly obese person, I think the problem is very complex. Once you are morbidly obese, your lifestyle has developed in such a way that you can't see any way out. Much like an alcoholic or a smoker, you can't see yourself living any other way. it is possible to break out of that, but it's hard.

And with obesity, and we've seen ample evidence in this thread, there is such a stigma, and a culture of blame. What is the point making the obese person feel even crappier about themselves than they do already?

I'd liek to see a posititive approach to weight loss for the morbidly obese, one that supports the individual to re educate themselves, to receive lifestyle advice, and to learn to love themselves as they are now, right at this moment.

I have said many times that losing a lot of weight is much easier from a position of self love and acceptance than self hatred and loathing.

you dont look obese in that pic.... what is the UK's definition of obese?

i mean@ 6' 220 i may be obese over there

 

[Mylegsbig]

I got fat eating home cooking,

this is a REALLY SIMPLY piece of advice i will offer obese people.

I gained 50lbs over two years moving in with my fiancee. all home cooking, but heavy alcohol consumption. i just LOVE FOOD.

Well these days, i eat food JUST AS GOOD, but in a different way.

instead of

butter

bread

potatoes

sugar

soft drinks

pizza

cream

milk

i eat things like this - JUST AS MUCH FLAvpr

chicken breast, bone in, skin on them. Just peel it off

95% lean hamburger meat

vinegar

hot sauce

mushrooms

onions

garlic

carrots

bas

o poi

 

[Mylegsbig]

lost 30lns in 2 months for. eat small meals when i want to

 

[kyles]

In that pic I'm about 210 lbs. I was 262 lbs and 5'4'', obese in any country!!!! I've always had a fairly slim face, you should have seen my hips! "caution wide load"!!!

And your preaching to choir with your food suggestions!!! LOL!!!

I used to cook with a lot of butter and cream. I still use a bit of butter, but no cream. And I used to bake - and then eat the produce.

Unfortunately, because I have polycistic ovary syndrome, weight loss is terribly slow. I have lost 64 lbs and have about 40 or so to go.

 

[lulu]

... what is the UK's definition of obese?

i mean@ 6' 220 i may be obese over there

I believe the definition of obese is the same, but not sure. We use BMI charts. BUT we do have different, narrow bands for things like thyroid function. In US someone being treated for thyroid problems might come with in our "normal" band because it is a much smaller that in US, and I am told, much of the rest of the world. Thus, my mother, who returned to her doctor repeatedly over the last ten years with a goitre was told her thyroid was functioning, but now they are removing the whole gland this month: because it doesn't work both my sister (very slim) and I both fall with in the US treatable range but outside UK range where tests read normal. My sister gets her thryroxin when she is in US and remains very very slim. We also do not get medifcal treatment for other weight effecting issues, like PCOS, a women's syndrom, that I think is treated with the diabetic drug metformin in US. These are the two I know about.

Lifestyle and diet do of course still play the biggest part in these things, I do not mean to undermine them: still the bottom line.

 

[licia]

Kyles, you have done so well and I bet you feel so much better.

 

[urmaniac13]

Kyles, you have done so well and I bet you feel so much better.

I second that, Licia, Kyles, I wish you could be a mentor for our poor Lucilla, Cristiano's 10 year old daughter!! (150cm/5' - 77kg/170lb)

She is one of the more complex victim of obesity, she doesn't gorge on junk foods, and while her diet seems to be quite unbalanced (she lives with her mother) she doesn't eat THAT much to be so overweight. And while she is never a sportive type, she is passively active and plays with her friends outside often and doesn't spend all her time sitting in front of the telly. She has been to numerous, various testings at hospitals in search of possible cause however nothing definitive has come out and we are still in the dark as to why she is in this condition and we are becoming desperate, as she is not getting any thinner, and at this age she could become more and more self conscious and develop some serious psychological problems.

And Lucilla is not alone. Childhood obesity has become a major problem also in Italy (it became the leading "fat" country around Europe, according to the statistics). To combat this problem, for a start, along with the common sense "eat healthy and in moderation" and "exercise more" of course, I think proper education on nutritions needs to be incorporated at schools. This is something very undervalued and overlooked at this stage, it is something absolutely essential to one's wellbeing and everyone needs to have a proper knowledge as to how to manage their own health. And with this program being present, schools will have no excuse to serve unhealthy lunches to the students.

 

[Maidrite]

For one, being obese is Gross. You can't move around without breathing heavy, they generally smell bad, they eat 40lbs of junk food, etc. Also, it is causing the health industry god knows how many millions to get all new equipment for fat people. More on health industry, as far as i know, obese people pay normal premiums dont they? Why should I, who has been to the hospital twice, and the doctor 3 times, im 15 years, pay the same health insurance as some 400 lb walking heart attack?


Let me share something with you, "MyLegsBig" I am working on my weight and yes I have ate to much at times "BUFFETS ARE A KILLER" stay away from them . When I was 14 years old there was a kid in school who stab me twice in class when the teacher had to run to the office for a minute. When they asked him why he did it he said, "Because I wanted to see if he would (POP)" Everyone in class started to laugh, That moment crushed my spirit for a while. I pay much more in insurance rates because of my size and I haven't been to the Hospital in 20 years except to visit others. And I will be the first one to agree we need to work on weight problems.
Be a friend I can tell you no one wants to be under or overweight.
Just say no to Rudeness theres no place or reason for it, Thats a much bigger problem in our world today !