Our culture is set up for obesity.

Bernadette60614

If you have to walk 5 miles to the nearest UNICEF feeding station, you'll stay thin...now that's a culture set up for thinness.

Or, if you live in one of those countries where unemployment is 20% plus and your state stipend goes to feed you extended family, that's a culture set up for thinness.

If your food supply chain is so broken, that getting half a stringy chicken once a month is cause for celebration cause it breaks up the monotony of rice and lentils..that's a culture set up for thinness.

We have a culture which gives us cheap food in abundance...but I'll take that over cultures more supportive of thinness.

BinaryPulsar

I didn't read all the comments.

This is what you do. First check the nutritional info in advance if you can, get an idea of the menu and options. And/or choose things in such a way that you know it is nutrient dense and less caloric. Ask for changes such as, "no mayo", for example.

Then eat half of your meal (or as much as you need to be fed and within your understanding of what a portion size should be). Then ask for a take-home container. Pack it up, bring it home, put it in the fridge. Hooray, lunch tomorrow!!! Two meals for the price of one! Woo Hoo!!!

But what you are implying is that we should be responsible for our choices. Don't you think it would make more sense for government to impose laws on business owners to understand customer's dietary needs and be responsible to make their choices for them?

:laugh: :flowerforyou:

FerretBuellerr

Just so this dosen't get lost in a quote...if this is a cultural issue in the US and Canada explain how it is?????

There are so many cultures in Canada alone which culture do we blame????

The East Indians? the Philipinoes? The Germans? The Irish? The Native americans? The Chinese? Pakistani? Iranian? Egyptian? Cuban? (trust me this is just those that work in the company I do that have immigrated in the last 10 years) Caucasions born here with god knows how many cultures in their blood????

Which culture influence is to blame?

Did this sound like a good argument in your head before you wrote it out?

You gotta wonder....
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I think you all might have missed the point of this post...

S/he was making a point of asking "What is North American culture?" - Everyone here (myself included) are greatly generalizing what type of culture those of us living in the US and Canada. Just because North America was colonized and "founded" by whitey doesn't mean that its entire culture is "white." The "dominant" culture may be "white", but immigration has GREATLY increased the number of "minorities" in these countries, thus the culture of Canada and the US is much more complex than we are all making it out to be. And the poster was asking WHICH of these sub-cultures/ethnicities is really the one to blame if we are to blame culture on obesity.

And would all these hyphenated sub-cultures (ie. Somalian-American, Native-American, Irish-Canadian, Japanese-Canadian, etc.) fit into the category of overweight/obese individuals of which we are speaking? It all depends - but it is an important point to take into consideration.

rml_16

I completely agree! I don't think it helps either when your parents tell you 'eat all that's on your plate- don't be rude!'

My kids get served veggies first....they know if they dont eat their veggies or salad then the main course can wait until they do. But I never make them clean their plate. I was struggling for a while because they would leave the veggies there but ask for more chicken ?? My parents did that and some nights I remember my belly hurting from too much food.

My mother would give me a small amount of whatever vegetable and I was required to eat that. But that was for nutrition, not "clean your plate."

BinaryPulsar

If you have to walk 5 miles to the nearest UNICEF feeding station, you'll stay thin...now that's a culture set up for thinness.

Or, if you live in one of those countries where unemployment is 20% plus and your state stipend goes to feed you extended family, that's a culture set up for thinness.

If your food supply chain is so broken, that getting half a stringy chicken once a month is cause for celebration cause it breaks up the monotony of rice and lentils..that's a culture set up for thinness.

We have a culture which gives us cheap food in abundance...but I'll take that over cultures more supportive of thinness.

:drinker:

wisdomfromyou

Given how many people here argue that American culture has nothing to do with obesity (only poor individual choices do), then how in the world do they explain Americans on average being so fat compared to other parts of the world?

With this logic, we infer that Americans are much more likely to make poor choices (that is they are non-virtuous) compared to people in other parts of the world who must be so much more virtuous.

And if that is so, isn't this self-whipping and self-blame?

So you do believe that many Americans are inherently worse than other people elsewhere?

Um ... no.

Making poor food choices does not make one less virtuous or 'worse' than anyone else. Food aside, there are many other cultural aspects in America that set one up for obesity. Countries that are adopting our lifestyle are quickly following our footsteps to obesity.

Um...yes.
So it's culture. Other parts of the world adopt American culture - they get fat.

They start living in cars? Get fat.
They start eating more convenience foods due to lack of time? Get fat.
They allow the food industry giants to pollute their food with unorthodox chemicals and methods of growing? Get fat.
They get Coke and McDonalds in? Get fat.

Did they just suddenly start making "bad" choices? How come they were not making those choices before?

Because they were not there in the first place and they didn't have to depend on their "strong personal will" to NOT make them!!

Most people's "personal will" is neither strong nor personal. It usually doesn't work!!!! This is why so many Americans are fat and this is why everyone who starts adopting American-like lifestyle will eventually get fat.

Geez. You can twist it all you want but you will still get to the same p[lace.
IT IS CULTURE - and now we have to fight it to NOT get fat.

Good luck to all of us!
We will need lots of it because most will fail.

rml_16

It's totally a cultural issue. I don't think any other country (well, Canada maybe) even lets you take leftovers home. I've never seen it in Europe at least... and portions were much smaller there.

I also don't know anybody where I am coming from who claims to be able to slap together "miracle recipes" in minutes flat (including prep, cleaning up, distributing leftovers in containers, etc) - which recipes are also tasty, healthy, fresh, all natural, etc. Definitely not for an entire family!

You think something quick is a miracle? Fish takes 5-10 minutes to cook, fruit requires chopping, there are tons of quick veggies or sides - and even if something isn't quick on it's own, like soup, prep time is still short. Maybe we just need to introduce you to this miraculous thing called a crock pot.

I have all the kitchen gadgets I will ever need.
No nutritious and tasty meal for a family of four (that my kids would eat too!) is quick enough for me to leave me with ample time for all of my other commitments and obligations.

Let's leave it here, OK?

Perhaps you need to become more efficient in the kitchen

Nah. Then she couldn't be better than everyone else who just feeds their families crap that's quicker to make.

wisdomfromyou

I didn't read all the comments.

This is what you do. First check the nutritional info in advance if you can, get an idea of the menu and options. And/or choose things in such a way that you know it is nutrient dense and less caloric. Ask for changes such as, "no mayo", for example.

Then eat half of your meal (or as much as you need to be fed and within your understanding of what a portion size should be). Then ask for a take-home container. Pack it up, bring it home, put it in the fridge. Hooray, lunch tomorrow!!! Two meals for the price of one! Woo Hoo!!!

But what you are implying is that we should be responsible for our choices. Don't you think it would make more sense for government to impose laws on business owners to understand customer's dietary needs and be responsible to make their choices for them?

Betcha the answer is "no, I don't".
God Forbid should businesses be held accountable for any of THEIR actions!

mrmagee3

We certainly seem to have a culture of not listening, and arguing against whatever we feel like, as opposed to what people actually say.

bcattoes

And why think control negates cultural influence...because it does.

Impossible. If control negates cultural influence, then there is no such thing as cultural influence, because any cultural influence can be controlled. And if there is no cultural influence, there is nothing to negate.

The very fact that personal responsibility and control must come into play proves cultural influence.

Thank you.

Sure it does...influence is just a push in one direction it's not a gun pointed at your head forcing it....you can choose not to follow that influence by exerting contol over your own actions...ie the cultural phenomenon in Canada of loving hockey...I am influenced to love hockey where ever I go...doesn't mean I have to...I have control over myself...same thing applies to the amount of food an individual "chooses" to eat...for that individual.

Um, WTH?? What does a gun to the head have to do with cultural influence? Where the heck do you live that this makes any sense??

Physical coercion or forced lack of control goes way beyond cultural influence. "Have to" is not part of cultural influence.

wisdomfromyou

If you have to walk 5 miles to the nearest UNICEF feeding station, you'll stay thin...now that's a culture set up for thinness.

Or, if you live in one of those countries where unemployment is 20% plus and your state stipend goes to feed you extended family, that's a culture set up for thinness.

If your food supply chain is so broken, that getting half a stringy chicken once a month is cause for celebration cause it breaks up the monotony of rice and lentils..that's a culture set up for thinness.

We have a culture which gives us cheap food in abundance...but I'll take that over cultures more supportive of thinness.

That's because you think in "extremes".

So we must either live with the excesses of America or be on the brink of complete starvation and desperation.
I know of plentry of countries that do not have an American lifrestyle, neither are they in danger of starving.

Yes - cultures "set up for thinness" can be very happy and healthy to live in.
It's not "the American way" or the high-way, as much as you would like to believe so.

wisdomfromyou

We certainly seem to have a culture of not listening, and arguing against whatever we feel like, as opposed to what people actually say.

No kidding.

BinaryPulsar

I'm American (living in Canada now). I'm not obese and never have been. I'm not going to get into any discussions about my childhood (that is a difficult subject for me), so don't bring it up. I'm speaking as an adult. I am active, I exercise, I walk instead of driving, I eat healthy, I use portion control.

I appreciate living in a developed country that has abundance. I'm not going to complain about that.

I think it's worth taking some time to think these things through, and stop blaming (or making it about virtuousness). And if you want to make change either at the personal level or on a larger scale, then go for it.

KGray12385

I think we should make it the fashion to bring our own tupperware, cut our meal in 1/2 or into thirds and store a bunch away before starting to eat. It will eliminate toxic foam to go boxes from the landfills and make a statement. We should make this a "thing"

What a good idea. So easy to do!

SezxyStef

You are so out of control with your reading comprehension that you are in severe need of going back to school...going back to lots of schools, make it "as many schools as you can"!!
You understood nothing - NADA from the entire argument. You actually cannot read. You see letters and understand nothing.

Everything that I said is in fact INDICTING those who call Americans "fat because lazy" and put the entire blame on individuals.
You reply with knee-jerks reactions instead of taking the time to process the arguments you read ; and you are in fact, part of the crowd who see themselves as "lazy and fat", hate their own selves, engage in self-blame and amply use that whip your culture has endowed you with for good ol' self-whipping. Enjoy.

Interesting that little questioning of my intelligence there....here :flowerforyou: for effort but in the future I take offense to those that make fun of people with dyslexia....

As well Trust me I am not fat nor am I lazy, nor do I hate myself and engage in any sort of whipping of oneself too Shades of Grey for me :laugh:

And I could quote from previous threads where it says you are too busy to log food, and you over ate at a sushi resturant and all the likes but why bother...you choose to believe that the reason in North America are suffering an epedemic of Obesity is because of our culture...hmmm guess we know who you are blaming for your weight gain...that darn ole sushi place...dang nabit...:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: not the fact you chose to eat until full as your husband ordered "lots"

PS read my post where I site WHO study that says obesity is not an American issue but a world wide issue and where some South Pacific islands has the greatest rate of obesity....

NYCNika

I didn't read all the comments.

This is what you do. First check the nutritional info in advance if you can, get an idea of the menu and options. And/or choose things in such a way that you know it is nutrient dense and less caloric. Ask for changes such as, "no mayo", for example.

A bit condescending. I know what to do. The point of my post is that the food culture is set up this way that one has to go out of their way and be extra mindful to do these things to not be fat.

Then eat half of your meal (or as much as you need to be fed and within your understanding of what a portion size should be). Then ask for a take-home container. Pack it up, bring it home, put it in the fridge. Hooray, lunch tomorrow!!! Two meals for the price of one! Woo Hoo!!!

Wrong. Not two meals for the price of one. Two meals for the price of two. One of them stale.

If, I am to believe all other posters that food is a largest expense in a restaurant. Who do you think is paying for that portion?

SezxyStef

Just so this dosen't get lost in a quote...if this is a cultural issue in the US and Canada explain how it is?????

There are so many cultures in Canada alone which culture do we blame????

The East Indians? the Philipinoes? The Germans? The Irish? The Native americans? The Chinese? Pakistani? Iranian? Egyptian? Cuban? (trust me this is just those that work in the company I do that have immigrated in the last 10 years) Caucasions born here with god knows how many cultures in their blood????

Which culture influence is to blame?

Did this sound like a good argument in your head before you wrote it out?

You gotta wonder....
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I think you all might have missed the point of this post...

S/he was making a point of asking "What is North American culture?" - Everyone here (myself included) are greatly generalizing what type of culture those of us living in the US and Canada. Just because North America was colonized and "founded" by whitey doesn't mean that its entire culture is "white." The "dominant" culture may be "white", but immigration has GREATLY increased the number of "minorities" in these countries, thus the culture of Canada and the US is much more complex than we are all making it out to be. And the poster was asking WHICH of these sub-cultures/ethnicities is really the one to blame if we are to blame culture on obesity.

And would all these hyphenated sub-cultures (ie. Somalian-American, Native-American, Irish-Canadian, Japanese-Canadian, etc.) fit into the category of overweight/obese individuals of which we are speaking? It all depends - but it is an important point to take into consideration.

Thank you...you are much better with words....

whierd

I didn't read all the comments.

This is what you do. First check the nutritional info in advance if you can, get an idea of the menu and options. And/or choose things in such a way that you know it is nutrient dense and less caloric. Ask for changes such as, "no mayo", for example.

Then eat half of your meal (or as much as you need to be fed and within your understanding of what a portion size should be). Then ask for a take-home container. Pack it up, bring it home, put it in the fridge. Hooray, lunch tomorrow!!! Two meals for the price of one! Woo Hoo!!!

But what you are implying is that we should be responsible for our choices. Don't you think it would make more sense for government to impose laws on business owners to understand customer's dietary needs and be responsible to make their choices for them?

Betcha the answer is "no, I don't".
God Forbid should businesses be held accountable for any of THEIR actions!

Aaaaaand there it is folks!! Have been waiting for this post to finally rear its head!

BinaryPulsar

I didn't read all the comments.

This is what you do. First check the nutritional info in advance if you can, get an idea of the menu and options. And/or choose things in such a way that you know it is nutrient dense and less caloric. Ask for changes such as, "no mayo", for example.

A bit condescending. I know what to do. The point of my post is that the food culture is set up this way that one has to go out of their way and be extra mindful to do these things to not be fat.

Then eat half of your meal (or as much as you need to be fed and within your understanding of what a portion size should be). Then ask for a take-home container. Pack it up, bring it home, put it in the fridge. Hooray, lunch tomorrow!!! Two meals for the price of one! Woo Hoo!!!

Wrong. Not to meals for the price of one. Two meals for the price of two. One of them stale.

If, I am to believe all other posters that food is a largest expense in a restaurant. Who do you think is paying for that portion?

Wow! :noway:

BeachIron

If you have to walk 5 miles to the nearest UNICEF feeding station, you'll stay thin...now that's a culture set up for thinness.

Or, if you live in one of those countries where unemployment is 20% plus and your state stipend goes to feed you extended family, that's a culture set up for thinness.

If your food supply chain is so broken, that getting half a stringy chicken once a month is cause for celebration cause it breaks up the monotony of rice and lentils..that's a culture set up for thinness.

We have a culture which gives us cheap food in abundance...but I'll take that over cultures more supportive of thinness.

I rather enjoyed Japan. Plenty of food and the vast majority of people had the good sense to push away from the table when they were full. No country is perfect, and Japan certainly has its issues, but on this one, I think they got it right. They teach their children to eat until they are "80% full" and then stop eating. That bit of wisdom has stuck with me.