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Parents who allow their children to become obese through eating fast food rubbish are guilty of child abuse , restaurants do not force these pathetic parents in and make them stuff their children with their junk , if your child is obese through bad diet and overeating you’re abusing your own child
Parents who allow their children to become obese through eating fast food rubbish are guilty of child abuse , restaurants do not force these pathetic parents in and make them stuff their children with their junk , if your child is obese through bad diet and overeating you’re abusing your own child
Despite the involvement of parents, I think you are missing the core of the problem.
...fast food rubbish...
There is nothing nutritionally wrong with hamburgers, potatoes, and dairy products, whether they are cooked at home or in a fast food restaurant.
Think about the nutritional elements in fast food. Fast food tends to be high fat, high carb, and, particularly in the case of burgers, high protein. If people were lacking appropriate nutrition due to eating fast food, we would see nutrient-related health issues like rickets and scurvy in addition to obesity. We don't.
Don't forget, the original purpose of calorie monitoring in the US was to help people make sure they were getting enough calories.
Calorie intake is not really the core of the problem, nor is nutrition.
...if your child is obese through bad diet...
Diet is not the primary cause of obesity.
If diet were the primary cause of obesity, then obesity rates would not have been so much lower in the decades before the 1980's, particularly in the 1950's and 1960's when the nutritional base of home-cooked diets closely mirrored a fast food restaurant menu (high carb, high protein, high fat.)
True, the home-cooked diet was higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals due to more vegetables, but as I said, we don't see youth health problems related to vitamin and mineral deficits.
What changed in the past decades is how much time kids spend outside running around, and more importantly, how much time kids spend inside sitting down.
Doing enough to use the calories in fast food is the problem.
Living a sedentary lifestyle is the problem.
Televisions, computers, and video games are probably the major part of the problem. These are the main differences for kids since the 1950's, and became particularly more central to childhood in the 1980's with the advent and increasing access to home video games, and have become and increasingly so since then.
Two decades ago I read a study that showed that obesity in kids 9-12 (if memory serves) has a higher correlation with the number of hours per day) spent watching television than any other identified factor, even more than how often they were active enough to be out of breath for 20 minutes or more.
...you’re abusing your own child
First, what you mean is neglect.
None of this is active effort directed at hurting a child.
Second, I think you are overstating the point.
When I worked for Child Protective Services, I saw real abuse. Kids eating burgers and fries and sitting down more than is good for them is a far cry from bruises, broken bones, pedophilia, and being locked in closets.
I can understand if you think it is irresponsible when parents let their kids spend more than an hour or two watching TV, being on computers, and playing video games.
I can understand if you think it is poor parenting when parents don't kick their kids out of the house by telling them to "go outside and play!"
I can even understand thinking that leaning on fast food instead of making hamburgers (or something else) at home is lazy parenting.
However, over-reacting is silly.
What do you think the solution should be if we classify this as abuse?
Have child welfare agencies take custody of half the children in the West and raise them all in combination orphanage-fat farms?
Despite the involvement of parents, I think you are missing the core of the problem.
I’ve actually addressed the core of the problem as in bad parenting
...fast food rubbish
There is nothing nutritionally wrong with hamburgers, potatoes, and dairy products, whether they are cooked at home or in a fast food restaurant.
I’m afraid nutritionists as do I totally disagree with your assessment.
Junk food doesn't contain the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. As a result, you may feel chronically fatigued and lack the energy you need to complete daily tasks. The high levels of sugar in junk food puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat refined sugar, your pancreas secretes high amounts of insulin to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels.
Because fast food and junk food don't contain adequate amounts of protein and good carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels will drop suddenly after eating, leaving you feeling grumpy, fatigued and craving sugar.
Also obese children are being stuffed by parents too lazy to care
If people were lacking appropriate nutrition due to eating fast food, we would see nutrient-related health issues like rickets and scurvy in addition to obesity. We don't.
But we do see nutrient related health issues with obesity , we see diabetes , circulation problems , heart conditions and numerous other conditions all over poor diet from fast foods and sodas
Calorie intake is not really the core of the problem, nor is nutrition.
I disagree
Diet is not the primary cause of obesity.
It certainly is
If diet were the primary cause of obesity, then obesity rates would not have been so much lower in the decades before the 1980's, particularly in the 1950's and 1960's when the nutritional base of home-cooked diets closely mirrored a fast food restaurant menu (high carb, high protein, high fat.)
True, the home-cooked diet was higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals due to more vegetables, but as I said, we don't see youth health problems related to vitamin and mineral deficits.
What changed in the past decades is how much time kids spend outside running around, and more importantly, how much time kids spend inside sitting down.
You’re from a culture awash in fast food , in my country as a child obesity was rare , class photos clearly demonstrate that an obese child was a rarity and normally not diet related , growing up in my country as child fast food was practically non existent , now our country is also awash with it and the results are seen everywhere
Approximately 10 percent of U.S. adults were classified as obese during the 1950s. In 2011 to 2012, however, the CDC reported approximately 35 percent of U.S. adults were obese; the prevalence of obesity among American adults has more than tripled within the last six decades.
National surveys of childhood obesity weren't recorded before 1963; however, the rate of childhood obesity in the U.S. began to rise in the 1980s. In 1980, 7 percent of children ages 6 to 11 were obese; in 2012, the rate was nearly 18 percent. In adolescents –12 to 19 years of age– the increase in obesity rates was more striking, climbing from 5 to 21 percent during the same period.
The average restaurant meal is four times larger than it was in the 1950s. Similarly, the size of American-manufactured dinner plates has increased nearly 23 percent, from 9.6 inches to 11.8 inches, since 1900. A study published in a 2012 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research describes the subconscious bias to consume more food when served on larger dinner plates. These larger portions at restaurants and at home, increased added sugars; uneducated parents are stuffing their kids to obesity
Living a sedentary lifestyle is the problem.
Really , yet pensioners over here and I’m sure in your country who excercise very little and eat healthily are not obese why’s that ?
Televisions, computers, and video games are probably the major part of the problem.
So not fast foods ,sodas , candies and poor diet ?
Two decades ago I read a study that showed that obesity in kids 9-12 (if memory serves) has a higher correlation with the number of hours per day) spent watching television than any other identified factor, even more than how often they were active enough to be out of breath for 20 minutes or more.
Oddly enough I’ve read several reports stating fast food was the biggest culprit in obesity levels being so high
First, what you mean is neglect.
No , I mean abuse , why do you tell me what I mean ?
None of this is active effort directed at hurting a child.
Yet parents see what it’s doing and carry on either way , what’s that an act of love ?
How come if you starve a child it’s abuse but if you stuff a child so it’s health is damaged it’s not ?
Second, I think you are overstating the point.
I disagree, my neighbor is a surgeon and has seen the appalling effects of abuse of fast foods on children
When I worked for Child Protective Services, I saw real abuse.
Real abuse , oh right a child with a heart condition throug being stuffed with crap has not been abused ?
Kids eating burgers and fries and sitting down more than is good for them is a far cry from bruises, broken bones, pedophilia, and being locked in closets.
Kids not being able to walk , having breathing and heart problems are just as badly off as any of the above
I can understand if you think it is irresponsible when parents let their kids spend more than an hour or two watching TV, being on computers, and playing video games.
I can understand if you think it is poor parenting when parents don't kick their kids out of the house by telling them to "go outside and play!"
I can even understand thinking that leaning on fast food instead of making hamburgers (or something else) at home is lazy parenting.
However, over-reacting is silly.
I’m not over reacting and you now resort to calling my opinion on the matter “silly” this seems to be a typical reaction in my last few encounters with you
What do you think the solution should be if we classify this as abuse?
Parents should be held responsible for the welfare of their kids
Have child welfare agencies take custody of half the children in the West and raise them all in combination orphanage-fat farms?
So half the children in the West are clinically obese now ?
If you’re such a pathetic parent that you destroy your own children they should be put into state care and the stupid parents re -educated , what do you suggest just bury your head in the sand and say “well it’s only neglect nothing to worry about let’s just all carry on “
I’m not over reacting and you now resort to calling my opinion on the matter “silly” this seems to be a typical reaction in my last few encounters with you
I apologize for sounding dismissive. I certainly did not mean to hurt your feelings, and if I did, I am truly sorry.
Your characterization of these parents as abusive (or even neglectful) is an accusation of a pretty serious crime. (Child abuse and child neglect are crimes in the US. I assumed that they are in Europe and Britain, as well.)
Consider:
We live in the land of eternal food, and we really like it, and we are still figuring out how to instill a culture of moderation in a society where even our "poor" people can afford more calories and better nutrition than most kings ever had access to before modern times.
Up until the 1930's, being at all overweight was a hallmark of being wealthy because it was that difficult to access enough calories, yet now virtually everyone in the US is in that boat.
Then you criminalize it in an outraged tone.
I can only imagine a judge saying to the defendant, "You are charged with distribution of French fried potatoes and cheeseburgers to a minor, and aggravated assault with a jelly doughnut. How do you plead?"
Are you sure that does not tickle your sense of the absurd?
Parents should be held responsible for the welfare of their kids
Agreed.
Now, for some minor disagreements:
No , I mean abuse , why do you tell me what I mean ?
Because definitions matter.
You are accusing people of a crime, so it behooves you to accuse them of the actual crime your arguments indicate that they have committed.
Negligence, lack of reasonable effort, lack of due concern are all definitive of neglect. You cite these multiple times:
"...by parents too lazy to care... "
"...parents see what it’s doing and carry on either way..."
Despite you using the verb stuff several times, as if the parents are violently forcing fast food into their kids, I think you know the kids are voluntarily eating it, and even requesting/demanding it. The problem with the parents is that they are not bothering to take charge of their kids, or to do more home cooking.
If it makes you feel better, far more kids die of neglect than of abuse. Again, based on how you framed the problem, especially given your degree of concern and outrage, I think neglect is what you are actually concerned about.
Junk food doesn't contain the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.
You are conflating junk food (candy, sugared soda's, etc., which are made of completely empty calories, primarily carbohydrates and fats - no vitamins, minerals, protein) with fast food (rapidly produced foods like hamburgers, pizza, egg rolls, etc., which tend to be high fat, and contain incomplete complements of vitamins & minerals, protein).
Your conflation with implies that there is no nutritional value in fast food. This is clearly not the case. Fast food hamburgers have bread, beef, cheese, onions, tomato, cucumber (pickle) lettuce. Though not high in fiber, vitamins, or minerals, there is considerable protein, and sufficient complex carbohydrates to count as reasonably nutritious (particularly compared to the junk food you mentioned.
Pizza is generally lower in protein, but higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, depending on the range of toppings.
If a sandwich you make at home is not bad food, then neither is a pizza. If roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy at home are not bad food, then neither is a hamburger and fries.
National surveys of childhood obesity weren't recorded before 1963; however, the rate of childhood obesity in the U.S. began to rise in the 1980s. In 1980, 7 percent of children ages 6 to 11 were obese; in 2012, the rate was nearly 18 percent. In adolescents –12 to 19 years of age– the increase in obesity rates was more striking, climbing from 5 to 21 percent during the same period.
The primary change in the US during this period was not the size of plates or restaurant servings, but how much people sit down, and how much driving people do. In the 1950's to 1970's, the USDA recommended daily calorie consumption was 2000, but in the 1990's it was lowered to 1000 calories per day.
The advent of cable TV, better TV programming, video games, smart phones, and computers has drastically diminished physically active recreation in the US, and increased automation has made physically demanding jobs all but extinct, whereas they were the majority of jobs in the 50's and 60s, and common through the 1980s.
If physical activity were not the primary factor, then the high calorie diets of the 1940's and 1950's would have resulted in similar obesity levels as those at present.
I apologize for sounding dismissive. I certainly did not mean to hurt your feelings, and if I did, I am truly sorry.
My feelings are not hurt , I’m just sick and tired of people on here dismissing arguments without adddressing points raised against .
Your characterization of these parents as abusive (or even neglectful) is an accusation of a pretty serious crime
A child that ends up needing medical treatment through obesity is a victim of abuse
. (Child abuse and child neglect are crimes in the US. I assumed that they are in Europe and Britain, as well.)
Consider:
We live in the land of eternal food, and we really like it, and we are still figuring out how to instill a culture of moderation in a society where even our "poor" people can afford more calories and better nutrition than most kings ever had access to before modern times.
Up until the 1930's, being at all overweight was a hallmark of being wealthy because it was that difficult to access enough calories, yet now virtually everyone in the US is in that boat.
There’s a world of difference between being obese and merely overweight the obese guy in the 30’s would have most likely been in a freak show
Then you criminalize it in an outraged tone.
Outraged ? Concerned is more my position
I can only imagine a judge saying to the defendant, "You are charged with distribution of French fried potatoes and cheeseburgers to a minor, and aggravated assault with a jelly doughnut. How do you plead?"
Another deliberately dismissive and unwarranted remark , do you honestly think children presenting at hospitals through obesity are not a concern ?
Are you sure that does not tickle your sense of the absurd?
Well considering you totally misrepresent what I’m saying I just find it just another typically arrogant reply from you
Parents should be held responsible for the welfare of their kids
Agreed.
Except when clinically obese of course
Because definitions matter.
I know
You are accusing people of a crime, so it behooves you to accuse them of the actual crime your arguments indicate that they have committed.
As in child abuse
Negligence, lack of reasonable effort, lack of due concern are all definitive of neglect. You cite these multiple times:
"...by parents too lazy to care... "
"...parents see what it’s doing and carry on either way..."
Yes
Despite you using the verb stuff several times, as if the parents are violently forcing fast food into their kids, I think you know the kids are voluntarily eating it, and even requesting/demanding it.
I never said “violently “ my claim is they’re bad parents , tell me if your kids request soda ever half hour do you give it to them ?
The problem with the parents is that they are not bothering to take charge of their kids, or to do more home cooking.
I know this
If it makes you feel better, far more kids die of neglect than of abuse.
Why the fuck would it make me feel better ?
Also an obese child through overeating is a victim of abuse
Again, based on how you framed the problem, especially given your degree of concern and outrage, I think neglect is what you are actually concerned about.
There’s that “outrage term again , no , I’m concerned about abuse your denial of such doesn’t make what I say go away
You are conflating junk food (candy, sugared soda's, etc., which are made of completely empty calories, primarily carbohydrates and fats - no vitamins, minerals, protein) with fast food (rapidly produced foods like hamburgers, pizza, egg rolls, etc., which tend to be high fat, and contain incomplete complements of vitamins & minerals, protein).
Fast food is mostly junk food
Your conflation with implies that there is no nutritional value in fast food. This is clearly not the case.
I went through this and you still ignore the fact in my last reply to you
Fast food hamburgers have bread, beef, cheese, onions, tomato, cucumber (pickle) lettuce. Though not high in fiber, vitamins, or minerals, there is considerable protein, and sufficient complex carbohydrates to count as reasonably nutritious (particularly compared to the junk food you mentioned.
Pizza is generally lower in protein, but higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, depending on the range of toppings.
If a sandwich you make at home is not bad food, then neither is a pizza. If roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy at home are not bad food, then neither is a hamburger and fries.
Read above
If physical activity were not the primary factor,
It’s not so your point makes no sense
then the high calorie diets of the 1940's and 1950's would have resulted in similar obesity levels as those at present.
I said previously we are now eating meals 4 times biggger than in previous decades and I cited bigger plate sizes also in the U S over the decades which you again dismiss , but you claim sedantry lifestyle as the main cause again I totally disagree , i don’t see much point in continuing this to be honest as the bottom line is whether it’s fast food , sedantry lifestyle or a combination of several factors kids are still presenting throughout the world at hospitals with severe weight related problems but it’s not the parents fault you say , so tell me who do you think should be responsible for your kids ?
but it’s not the parents fault you say , so tell me who do you think should be responsible for your kids ?
I said precisely the opposite.
Where we differ is NOT the root cause (crappy parenting), but rather
- what to call it [abuse (active) vs. neglect (passive)]
- which societal changes made the biggest difference in obesity rates (decline in physical activity vs. rise in fast food consumption)
- whether or not fast food ingredients are intrinsically different from home-cooked meal ingredients
- what to call it [abuse (active) vs. neglect (passive)]
- whether or not it is an overreaction to say that letting kids eat fast food is a crime
do you honestly think children presenting at hospitals through obesity are not a concern ?
A concern? Yes.
A crime? No.
Fast food is mostly junk food
Really? Let's look at a typical menu for a fast food burger place, a fast food pizza place, and a Chinese fast food place. Which of the following ingredients are junk?
As much to the point, which of the following ingredients are fast food ingredients, as opposed to home-cooking ingredients?
Where we differ is NOT the root cause (crappy parenting), but rather
- what to call it [abuse (active) vs. neglect (passive)]
Abuse
- which societal changes made the biggest difference in obesity rates (decline in physical activity vs. rise in fast food consumption)
- whether or not fast food ingredients are intrinsically different from home-cooked meal ingredients
Fast food consumption it’s a fact
- what to call it [abuse (active) vs. neglect (passive)]
Abuse ...still
- whether or not it is an overreaction to say that letting kids eat fast food is a crime
No it’s not a crime , your dishonesty in stating my position is appalling but typical at this stage
A concern? Yes.
A crime? No.
It’s child abuse
Really?
Yes
Let's look at a typical menu for a fast food burger place, a fast food pizza place, and a Chinese fast food place. Which of the following ingredients are junk?
As much to the point, which of the following ingredients are fast food ingredients, as opposed to home-cooking ingredients?
Bacon
Basil
Bell pepper
Bread
Cabbage
Canola oil
Cheese
Chicken
Cod
Corn flour
Eggs
Garlic
Ground cocoa
Ground mustard
Lettuce
Milk
Mushrooms
Olive Oil
Olives
Onions
Oregano
Peanuts
Pepperoni
Pickles
Pork sausage
Potatoes
Rice flour
Salt
Soy
Soy sauce
Strawberries
Sugar
Tomatoes
Vanilla
Vinegar
Wheat flour
Get back to me when you have the ingredients list for Pizza Hut , Burger King , KFC etc, etc
Get back to me when you have the ingredients list for Pizza Hut , Burger King , KFC etc, etc
These ARE the ingredients for Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, (somehow I missed listing beef: my apologies), Panda Express, etc.
The point is that fast food is just food. It is lower in fiber and vitamins than would make a diet exclusively composed of fast food poor choice. However, fast food nutritionally indistinguishable from what you can make at home. Potatoes, beef, chicken, canola oil, wheat, tomatoes, cheese, etc. do not magically become bad for you just because they were cooked at Burger King or Pizza Hut.
However, fast food nutritionally indistinguishable from what you can make at home.
Nonsense , I’ve addressed this before the difference between Whole Foods vs. Processed Foods is well established.
The key differences between fast foods and health foods have to do with the processing that fast foods go through along with the added fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium. These characteristics are responsible for increased rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Foods found in nature -- when consumed in their unadulterated forms -- provide nutrients that promote good health and vitality without the excess calories or unhealthy additives.
Potatoes, beef, chicken, canola oil, wheat, tomatoes, cheese, etc. do not magically become bad for you just because they were cooked at Burger King or Pizza Hut.
Well yes read above and then also consider my chicken at home does not get dunked into a deep far fryer nor do my potatoes
Your defence of the fast food industry is similar to those who used to defend the big cigarette companies
That's odd, because you seem to do that all the time.
I suppose it is strange to you that I dismiss your assertions regards your 9/11 claims , your constant debates regarding me and others and your debate regarding the racist and wastrel Marx being a hard working friend of the working classes, I plead guilty to addressing all your points and dismissing them .... Maybe you could attempt something novel in the future as in actually debate as I’ve yet to see you do so , nearly every exchange you have on here starts and ends with your attacking as it’s your only out to avoid actually debating
Let's discuss some of the most basic points of nutrition.
But we do see nutrient related health issues with obesity , we see diabetes , circulation problems , heart conditions and numerous other conditions all over poor diet from fast foods and sodas.
These conditions are related primarily to the carbohydrate and fat intake relative to exercise.
Obesity is the result of calorie use being low relative to calorie intake. Whether the source is fast food is immaterial.
Absolutely, fresh fruits and vegetables are important, but one can eat tons of these, and still have a diet heavy (3-7 meals/week) in fast food.
Absolutely, people should eat high fiber diets, and should make sure they get the full complement of required vitamins, minerals, (and amino acids). However none of the health problems you listed are due to deficiencies in vitamins or minerals. (Notice you left off scurvy and rickets.)
I do not think that "empty calories" are a good food choice, but none of this has anything to do with the basis of your argument.
The high levels of sugar in junk food puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat refined sugar, your pancreas secretes high amounts of insulin to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels.
Consider the following 8 oz (237 ml) servings
(Carbs are net carbs with fiber subtracted):
- Orange Juice: 110 calories, 26 g carbs (26 g sugars)
- Apple Juice: 114 calories, 27.5 g carbs (24 g sugars)
- Coca Cola: 93 calories, 26 g carbs (26 g sugars)
Your metabolism does not know which calories came from which source. Coke does not put your metabolism under more stress than do orange or apple juice.
It is critical to note that your pancreas NEVER knows what sort of carbohydrate you ingested because it has no way to know.
- Glucose (C6H12O6) This is the basic product of digesting all carbohydrates. The level of this sugar is what the pancreas reacts to and controls. Virtually all carbs we eat are converted to glucose during digestion.
Glucose is in honey, most fruits and vegetables, and milk, etc.., and is also the digestion product of carbohydrates.
- Fructose (C6H12O6) This sugar has the same chemical formula as glucose, just a different configuration. Fructose is converted to glucose in the liver.
Fructose is in honey, most fruits and vegetables, and the high-fructose corn syrup in Coca Cola.
- Sucrose (C12H22O11) This sugar is a glucose molecule bonded to a fructose molecule. These are broken apart in the small intestine. When we break sucrose into glucose and fructose, a water molecule is added back in.
Sucrose is the molecule people refer to as "refined sugar".
Sucrose occurs naturally in sugar cane, sweet peas, beets, dates, peaches, and mangoes.
(Notice that the food must get to the small intestine before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Sucrose cannot get into the bloodstream any faster than glucose or fructose.)
- Complex Carbohydrates (Cm(H2O)n where in most cases m=n) Basically, a complex carbohydrate is multiple, sometimes many glucose molecules joined end to end. The amylase in our saliva break complex carbohydrates into glucose in less than 10 minutes.
Complex carbs are the starches in bread, rice, potatoes, etc..
Because all these types of carbs are broken into glucose before reaching the pancreas, and because the conversion to glucose happens so rapidly, the difference between a potato or a bowl of white rice, and a bowl of sugar is functionally nil.
Because the pancreas reacts to glucose levels in the bloodstream, as far as the pancreas is concerned, there is absolutely no difference between a mango, an orange, bread, candy, raspberries, Coca Cola, a milkshake, and an order of French fries. Fast food has nothing to do with it.
I’m well aware of the basic points of nutrition , I do not know why your trying to defend the indefensible the relationship between fast food and obesity is fact
You say I didn’t mention rickets and survey ?
You never mentioned asthma , diabetes , heart problems , depression , respiratory problems and many more what’s that ?
Fast food is the main cause of obesity and that’s a fact .
Who’s responsible for your children’s health ? I notice you refuse to answer this .
This epidemic was started by American companies and it’s shocking how defensive a lot of Americans get of an industry that was was the main driver and still is of a huge worldwide problem
Read this from experts in the field .
The Obesity Epidemic—Is Fast Food the Cause?
BY DR. MEHMET OZ, MD AND DR. MICHAEL ROIZEN, MD
On the way home from the mall, did you swing into the drive-thru for a quick pick-me-up or a bucket of dinner for your family? Seemed harmless enough. After all, you tell yourself, you got tacos that are kind of healthy (see that lettuce and tomato?)—and chicken is supposed to be better for you than beef. Sure, your doctor has suggested you lose five to 10 percent of your body weight to help get your type 2 diabetes under control, but you didn’t have time for lunch and you were starving. You can have a few extra calories, right? You’ll even have a diet soda.
The link between fast food and type 2 diabetes
Millions of times a day people in the U.S. talk themselves into the ok-ness of fast food and miss the opportunity to upgrade their health. Maybe you did, too. After all, American fast food restaurants serve 50 million customers daily. But that comes at a price: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the relationship between weight and fast food consumption and found that in every age group, obese people consumed the most fast food.
Another study found eating fast foods two or more times a week doubles the incidence of insulin resistance—a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Research indicates this is a result of huge portion sizes leading to excess calorie consumption, as well as the prevalence of foods with low nutritional levels and high glycemic loads, saturated fats, unhealthy chemicals like emulsifiers and added syrups and sugars (even in the burger buns!).
Western-style foods and obesity
Obesity is swamping the globe and the U.S. is leading the way—at home and through export of its fast food empires to countries with burgeoning obesity rates, including Brazil, Indonesia, China, Mexico, India and Ghana.
From 1980 to 2015, the percent of the US population (kids and adults) that were obese jumped 16 percent—to 26.5 percent. That is the largest percentile rise over those years of any country in the world according to a study published July of 2017 in the New England Journal of Medicine titled “Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years.”
And if you’re still hoping to find some way to rationalize that slippery slider and side of cheese fries, sorry. In countries around the world that had no fast foods and very little obesity, the arrival of fast foods is right in step with the arrival of obesity. In a remarkable series of articles looking at obesity and fast food around the world, The New York Times points out that Ghana’s obesity rates have surged more than 650 percent since 1980, from less than two percent of the population to 13.6 percent. And that, say researchers, parallels the arrival of Western style foods and fast foods.
Just as alarming, no country has reduced their obesity levels! There hasn’t been an organized health initiative to tackle this problem effectively.
The majority blame lies with the parents. Sometimes it's so much easier when one is tired from a hard days work to just pop by and pick up some fast food but ultimately it's their choice. Restaurants are simply providing a service, if you take part in that it's your choice.
High government subsidy for corn farmers leads to an overabundance of corn syrup that leads to companies buying it on the cheap and using it as a calorie buffer in everything they sell, which leads to increased addiction to sugar among consumers and a greater desire for sweetened goods, which leads to ill health among consumers, which leads to profits for big pharma, all of which increases the stock value of corporations and makes America's balance sheet look healthier to the rest of the world.
Malignant consumerism is the new Constitution.
Brainwashed parents are the least concerning aspect of this.
Parents who CHOOSE to feed their children fast food ARE not good parents.. However, many hard working POOR family's feed their children fast food because they're working all the time, and they probably live in a food desert.
