The men who made us fat
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What I noticed is that some labels say no sugar or low fat have double the carbs and salt.What I noticed is that some labels say no sugar or low fat have double the carbs and salt.
This is one of the reasons that I tend to avoid any food that is labeled as "low" anything or with other obvious health claims, unless it is something like protein powder (and even then I choose the basic version). To overstate the obvious, food generally has to have something in it that makes it taste good. If you remove all the fat then sugar and salt are often amped up to compensate. Just read the labels and you'll see why many of use choose to eat the "normal" version. The exceptions for me are lean cuts of beef and hamburger, and 1-2% dairy products as I add back a bit of the fat in my overall diet with avocado, nuts and eggs. That said, dairy fat apparently isn't all that unhealthy so I'm slowly changing my own approach there too.
If you have to have a scape goat, the diet and health publishing industry, IMHO, is far more culpable in the overall obesity issue than the food industry. The food industry must label their products and spends lots of time responding to the demand for silly health food products that is created by scare mongers and their publishers. Think of all the products that were created to fill the demand created by the South Beach Diet and other ultra low carb nonsense. The other group is the doctors who use their positions as M.D.s to deceive the public and shill products. Dr. Oz immediately comes to mind here. The point though is that there will always be people with less than noble intentions, and it is up to the consumer to inform his/herself as the necessary information really is out there.0 -
PEANUT BUTTER, why on earth put sugar in peanut butter????0
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Beachlron - that is exactly why I started the Men Who Made Us Thin thread - the accompanying BBC programme.
The simple facts don't seem to be enough for some when they are desperate for help losing weight. And there is always a business out there to help...... fill its coffers!0 -
Nothing like absolving yourself of personal responsibility!
hahahaha.
Unfortunately the only person I have to blame for making me fat is me. Some people are so lucky! >.>
And I'm also one of those cray cray people that believes that sugar doesn't make someone fat but that overeating does. But I guess I'm just a special snowflake like that
While I "get" the entire personal responsibility aspect of your comment, and I'm a huge proponent of personal responsibility, I DO think that, in a roundabout way, sugar does make some people fat. Here's why: sugar is an addictive substance, hits the bloodstream fast, causes a spike in blood sugar and a dramatic fall in immediately after. Scientifically, this has been proven to promote hunger/block satiety signals, and basically you eat more because your body is demanding energy.
Having said that, I am a big label reader, because I know how simple carbs affect my appetite. When I eat balanced meals (ones that are whole foods-based with veggies and limit bread, pasta, etc.), I am much less likely to feel like I'm starving while "dieting" (maintaining a healthier lifestyle). Eating this way makes it MUCH easier to maintain proper portion sizes and feel satiated.
On the personal responsibility side, I'm always dumbfounded by people who can't understand why they're overweight when they are avid soda drinkers. It takes a special kind of stupid to drink your calories and wonder why you can't lose weight.
*Note: Being overweight, in my case, was caused by: 1. large portions (because you "gotta clean your plate") and 2. inactivity. I totally own that. ;-)0 -
Beachlron - that is exactly why I started the Men Who Made Us Thin thread - the accompanying BBC programme.
The simple facts don't seem to be enough for some when they are desperate for help losing weight. And there is always a business out there to help...... fill its coffers!
I'll check that one out. Honestly though, if people would use their own brains and listen to people who aren't trying to sell them something, they would be much better off. One of the things that I've noticed in the MFP forums is the tendency for people to only listen to advice that comes in on very friendly terms and to lash out or ignore the advice that is blunt and honest. That tendency is what those who sell snake oil are depending on. Give the desperate a hug and take their money. What I'll call the pseudoscience industry is full of it - "holistic medicine," Dr. Oz, Gary Taubes, etc. They also benefit by blaming the food industry and others for individuals' failings because that sells their books. But people keep on buying these books and watching these shows because the books and shows make them feel good and tell them what they want to hear: "It's not your fault."
ETA: What I, and many others, are saying is that people need to own what they actually can control. I can't eliminate the snake oil salesmen out there, but I can choose to disregard what they have to say. I also choose to spend time in the forums pointing this out, but the hate mail I get for that never fails to amaze me. Many people want an excuse because they don't really want to change.0 -
If you want fuel for that you'll find lots about WW, Slimfast etc.
I quite enjoyed it, despite the failings of the presenter. Made me smile as I have been teaching all of that for years and many students simply don't believe me, some colleagues have problems too 0 -
Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
I'm sure this point has been made, but HFCS aside, if you're drinking a lot of soda, you're consuming a LOT of calories. One can of Coke is 140 calories. If you're drinking a 6-pack or more a day like my man used to, you're drinking 840 calories in addition to the actual food you're eating.
Proper correlation would be if two groups of people were consuming the same calories but with one having HFCS in their diet and the other not.0 -
Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
I'm sure this point has been made, but HFCS aside, if you're drinking a lot of soda, you're consuming a LOT of calories. One can of Coke is 140 calories. If you're drinking a 6-pack or more a day like my man used to, you're drinking 840 calories in addition to the actual food you're eating.
Proper correlation would be if two groups of people were consuming the same calories but with one having HFCS in their diet and the other not.
Maybe the people drinking a lot of soda are consuming a lot of calories because the HFCS messes with their ability to naturally regulate their dietary intake.
I don't think the point of this whole thing is there are foods that make you fat, but maybe that there are foods that make you have to make an effort to not be fat, which people never used to have to do.0 -
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Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
So the fact the cell phones and computer games have led to kids spending more time in the house on their collective butts have nothing to do with it. Bottom line Calories out > Calories in (chronic medical conditions withheld) less weight problems.0 -
Lol I thought this was going to be about gaining weight in relationships after you find yourself eating as much as your male partner! That happened to me :laugh: but anyways, I was wrong!0
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Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
True Fact: The Lack of Pirates Is Causing Global Warming0 -
I'm bored with you pcastagner - please GO AWAY!!!!
Oi.. behave! My post, my thread. If you can not handle an open exchange, you're free to vent off somewhere else. Anybody who has anything (and I mean anything) to contribute is most welcome what i'm concerned. The choice is yours!
I loved Captain Planet
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I read ALL labels of food I buy. I suppose I might have been surprised by some of the ingredients at one time. But, honestly, nothing surprises me anymore. Other than maybe that there are people who don't read labels.0
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Lol I thought this was going to be about gaining weight in relationships after you find yourself eating as much as your male partner! That happened to me :laugh: but anyways, I was wrong!
I did too. I put on 20 lbs after I married my husband. I didn't eat as much as him, but it is totally his fault for being so cute and cool that I wanted to hang out with him instead of exercise.0 -
True Fact: The Lack of Pirates Is Causing Global Warming
Oh thank you! That is the best correlation proof graph I have ever seen 0 -
Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
Ahh now cokes are my weakness! Definitely addictive and very bad for me. Completely MY CHOICE to have a problem with them.... no one forced me to drink them. There is a ton of information available to everyone on how to make better food choices and exercise choices.
Yes, the amount of crap being packaged and sold to us is huge, but it is still a person's personal choice to eat healthy, or not. HFCS, it's in everything, and I wish it weren't, but again, it makes it harder to eat as healthy as you might like, but if it's something you really want to do.. do it.
Blaming corporations, politicians, lobbyist etc, and not taking personal responsibility for your own choices just keeps a person in the same rut.0 -
I think it's unfortunate that the debate turned so far in the direction of whether or not particular substances should be allowed in the food supply. Totally sucks because for me that's a straw man. I'm a apparently on the left of this discussion, but I'm a huge fan of the McDonald's chocolate dipped cone. I think it's a masterpiece. It fits my macros.
There are subtler shades to this. Just because its allowed doesn't mean it needs to be on the GRAS list, or that it should be subsidized at taxpayer expense.
There's also the idea that we don't need to restrict people's choices to achieve some great collective benefits. The question can be framed instead in terms of how we as a society invest in our food infrastructure as a matter of public health.
Everyone is free to believe they are rational actors, and on an individual level it may be true. Communities simply don't behave the way one would expect if modeling human behavior on perceptions of one's own actions, when actual evidence is collected.0 -
bump i am going to scroll up when I am home0
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Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
I'm sure this point has been made, but HFCS aside, if you're drinking a lot of soda, you're consuming a LOT of calories. One can of Coke is 140 calories. If you're drinking a 6-pack or more a day like my man used to, you're drinking 840 calories in addition to the actual food you're eating.
Proper correlation would be if two groups of people were consuming the same calories but with one having HFCS in their diet and the other not.
Maybe the people drinking a lot of soda are consuming a lot of calories because the HFCS messes with their ability to naturally regulate their dietary intake.
I don't think the point of this whole thing is there are foods that make you fat, but maybe that there are foods that make you have to make an effort to not be fat, which people never used to have to do.
My point is that if you're drinking almost 1,000 calories of soda in addition to your normal food intake, the assumption that it's the high fructose corn syrup that's making you fat it absurd; you're fat because you're taking in 1,000 extra calories that you didn't account for (assuming we're speaking of someone who's not tracking calories). If you want soda, drink soda. Blindly drinking and eating is what bites you in the rear 0 -
Let's face it. Companies aren't out to make you fat and they aren't out to make you fit, they are out to make money. That is why they exist. They are not an evil being, they are a business - they don't make money they close.
It is not their job to determine what you (or I) should eat, just to give the option for something to eat. If they can sell more food by making it sweeter then they will make it sweeter. If you don't want it sweet, buy from another company, if you can't tell from the label you can probably tell from the taste. This is the same reason they add salt if they take out the fat or the sugar, it makes it taste better. The better the product tastes the more of it that company sells which is kind of the point. If it wasn't profitable they wouldn't do it. If the unsweetened versions sold better then other companies would start offering unsweetened versions as well because - profitable.0 -
Same with the rise in temperature since Coca Cola has been introduced. Definitely a correlation with it.Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Over consumption made us fat. The gigantic portions/super dense calorie meals that people eat are making them fat. And of course this is being forcibly fed to us.
There are lots of people around the world who eat sugar and HFCS. America isn't the only place that does it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Here's one of them, but he is more of an accomplice...
The main culprit, me, isn't shown.0 -
Yes, it is bad here in US. I try to minimize sugar whenever I can. For example, I NEVER drink sugar water (cola, lemonade, gatorade, energy drinks, "vitamin water", smoothies, fancy coffee drinks - they are all SUGAR WATER). And still, every day on MFP, my sugar intake ends up over the target amount. But with advertising, marketing, and general availability, even this small effort seems "counter-culture".0
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Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
I'm sure this point has been made, but HFCS aside, if you're drinking a lot of soda, you're consuming a LOT of calories. One can of Coke is 140 calories. If you're drinking a 6-pack or more a day like my man used to, you're drinking 840 calories in addition to the actual food you're eating.
Proper correlation would be if two groups of people were consuming the same calories but with one having HFCS in their diet and the other not.
Maybe the people drinking a lot of soda are consuming a lot of calories because the HFCS messes with their ability to naturally regulate their dietary intake.
I don't think the point of this whole thing is there are foods that make you fat, but maybe that there are foods that make you have to make an effort to not be fat, which people never used to have to do.
My point is that if you're drinking almost 1,000 calories of soda in addition to your normal food intake, the assumption that it's the high fructose corn syrup that's making you fat it absurd; you're fat because you're taking in 1,000 extra calories that you didn't account for (assuming we're speaking of someone who's not tracking calories). If you want soda, drink soda. Blindly drinking and eating is what bites you in the rear
Yes of course if you are eating an extra 1000 calories you are going to gain some weight,
But my point is if you cant naturally regulate your caloric intake, something is wrong. And if it's HFCS that is screwing up your natural mechanisms to regulate your food then that is a contributing factor to making you fat.
Not everyone who is thin actively tries to be thin and 'accounts' for their calories. They manage adjust their intake later without even thinking about it. So what is the different between them and the people that get fat? Why can some people naturally regulate caloric intake and therefore their body weight and others overeat and get fat?
Thats the real question that needs to be answered0 -
Thats the real question that needs to be answered
Don't hold your breath waiting for an answer to that one. Even with the human genome fully mapped there is no one answer. It seems to be a huge and varied combination of nature and nurture.
There is as much pfaff over that as the reason why once you are fat you have an almost overriding tendency to stay fat.
Fascinating stuff to read through though, even without the diet gurus :-)0 -
I'm sorry, but I find this topic and title especially ridiculous. It doesn't take a genus to figure out what's healthy and what's not. Also, eating in moderation doesn't make someone fat. Eating bad foods excessively and to the point you're full every time does. That can't be blamed on anyone other than each person who lives that way. Nobody is standing there with a gun to someone's head saying "eat all of this bad food, or else".0
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Every year in America since soda was introduced (coca cola containing high fructose corn syrup) there is a continuous rise in obesity. It is America's beverage of choice. There is a direct, undeniable correlation with that.
I'm sure this point has been made, but HFCS aside, if you're drinking a lot of soda, you're consuming a LOT of calories. One can of Coke is 140 calories. If you're drinking a 6-pack or more a day like my man used to, you're drinking 840 calories in addition to the actual food you're eating.
Proper correlation would be if two groups of people were consuming the same calories but with one having HFCS in their diet and the other not.
Maybe the people drinking a lot of soda are consuming a lot of calories because the HFCS messes with their ability to naturally regulate their dietary intake.
I don't think the point of this whole thing is there are foods that make you fat, but maybe that there are foods that make you have to make an effort to not be fat, which people never used to have to do.
My point is that if you're drinking almost 1,000 calories of soda in addition to your normal food intake, the assumption that it's the high fructose corn syrup that's making you fat it absurd; you're fat because you're taking in 1,000 extra calories that you didn't account for (assuming we're speaking of someone who's not tracking calories). If you want soda, drink soda. Blindly drinking and eating is what bites you in the rear
Yes of course if you are eating an extra 1000 calories you are going to gain some weight,
But my point is if you cant naturally regulate your caloric intake, something is wrong. And if it's HFCS that is screwing up your natural mechanisms to regulate your food then that is a contributing factor to making you fat.
Not everyone who is thin actively tries to be thin and 'accounts' for their calories. They manage adjust their intake later without even thinking about it. So what is the different between them and the people that get fat? Why can some people naturally regulate caloric intake and therefore their body weight and others overeat and get fat?[/]
Thats the real question that needs to be answered
What does that even mean? Seriously.0 -
Nothing like absolving yourself of personal responsibility!
^^^ This.
I'm pretty sure I got fat because I ate too much crap and sat on my lazy butt too much. But that's just me I guess...0
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