This gallery explains why millions of Americans are obese…
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Anything that you eat, unless you are kidnapped or institutionalized, is your own responsibility.
I think that the increased portion phenomenon of the past 20 - 30 years is driven primarily by the increased industrialization of our food supply that resulted in the delegation of a lot of our food portioning to outside of the household, and by 2 big elements in America's culture: 1) our relentless pursuit of getting more for our money and 2) our aversion to wasting food. We want to get more for our money so we buy bigger portions – we hate to waste food, so we eat all of it.
We don't hate wasting food. 40% of all food produced is never eaten in the US and just gets thrown away. Surprising, considering 1 in 3 children do not get enough food every day. We have a problem that goes too deep to explain in a paragraph on a message board.
40% ???
i am skeptical of that assertion. as we all well know, 68.4% of all statistics on the internet are made up on the spot.0 -
Anything that you eat, unless you are kidnapped or institutionalized, is your own responsibility.
I think that the increased portion phenomenon of the past 20 - 30 years is driven primarily by the increased industrialization of our food supply that resulted in the delegation of a lot of our food portioning to outside of the household, and by 2 big elements in America's culture: 1) our relentless pursuit of getting more for our money and 2) our aversion to wasting food. We want to get more for our money so we buy bigger portions – we hate to waste food, so we eat all of it.
your argument is predicated on the idea that the MAJORITY of americans eat the MAJORITY of their meals at restaurants or from restaurants.
i see no evidence that that is true.
at home, nobody feels compelled to eat a whole bag of cookies in one sitting for fear of wasting them (for example).0 -
Who is is say people 20 years ago weren't just eating two servings of the smaller portions?
Well I and the other people who were around 20 years ago might have some insight there
Actually, I can pretty clearly remember the 90's as a period when portion sizes shot up. It was pretty obvious then with many of the big national restaurant chains exploding across the country. In my memory it was places like Chilis, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and the like with big plates and all you can eat specials that seemed to start a portion size arms race. My family was not beyond selecting return units on the merits of their huge portions and the ability to take something home when you left. However, it wasn't long before we adapted and meals just took longer to consume and less was coming home for the next day's lunch. It is funny to think back on it.
:huh: What makes you think I can't remember being 12?
People are obese for a variety of reasons including but not limited to: being uneducated about proper nutrition, having limited access to whole, fresh foods, living poverty, having an underlying psychological issues, and ALSO having access to excess.
This gallery explains nothing, in and of itself -- it's not comparing what people actually ate then vs. now. It's comparing portion sizes given by resturants.
I never said you couldn't remember being 12, but I was probably a bit more aware of the changes occurring in the market place as an adult than you were as a child given I had more prior decades to compare against. However, it was never my intent to claim anything about your age, I was just relaying some anecdotes of my personal experience.
That said, now that you bring up the point, I do find your reaction to the serving size gallery a bit strange. To say in your first sentence that nutrition education and access to excess are important and then to say that serving sizes explain nothing about obesity defies logic. Does something need to have 100% explanatory power to be worthy of consideration your book? Because if that is your criterion you must be awfully disappointed with our understanding of the world overall. Statistical explanation just doesn't work that way. What does explain anything in and of itself? It is also a strange criterion, because the gallery in question is obviously not a scientific publication, it is painfully obvious that it is just a heuristic tool that portrays how serving sizes of common food items have changed over time. Do you really think that people have not increased their consumption, on average, with increasing serving sizes? Studies show they definitely have, along with decreased their exercise levels. Those thing don't obviate one another.
This gallery do NOT explain why millions of Americans are obese (see the topic title). It explains that portions sizes have increased in the last 20 years. That's the point. Period.
Ahhhh...now I see, you are just an extremely literal person who was disappointed the OP did not actually 100% explain why millions people are obese. To each their own I guess...
:laugh: Riiiight. On has to be extremely literal to expect sound logic be used in public discourse. If ANYTHING, that makes me idealistic.0 -
40% ???
i am skeptical of that assertion. as we all well know, 68.4% of all statistics on the internet are made up on the spot.
Those numbers were widely reported and come from the Department of Agriculture and the EPA.0 -
The smaller sizes from 20 years ago in the US are the sizes we use now where I'm living in Australia. They tried to bring super sized but it didn't work and they took it off the market and you just about can't go into a fast food store without heart foundation approved meals. It's a good thing and I think it will help the country get in shape.
But still.. At the same time the novelty of the foods over in the US are pretty cool. I really miss it! But at the same time I'm sure it's part of the reason why I gained so much weight when I went back to see my family. At least now for next time I go over i'll understand what I'm putting in my mouth and what will come from it.
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I getcha... and I know now that it's my responsibility. AND it's complicated! when I think of what I did when I was a kid and wasn't stopped.May as such a little brat I doubt I could have been stopped short of tying me to a chair, but a vague memory just surfaced in response to this thread. I remember around 1st or 2nd grade my mom got a job and had to leave the house before me so I was shipped to the grandmothers down the street. She was an old italian who showed her love through food and willingly and cheerfully made me anything I wanted for breakfast, be it pancakes or bacon and eggs and toast. LOVED this lady. BUT I'd leave her place to walk to school, and there was a corner grocery open, and after consuming enough food for 2 grown adults, I'd often pop in and buy another fruit pie or something yummy to eat on the way to school. in high school I remember coming home and whipping up a pre-fab pizza (some strange boxed kind) as an afternoon snack before dinner. I remember my mother commenting once that I just have a tapeworm!. Maybe, for new years I'll scan my brain and record all the heinous eating habits I had... Oh the christmas birthday cake! the day after,,, a huge hunk out of a half sheet and probably a quart of ice cream and milk... for breakfast. I was unstoppable. sigh...
Hmmm to the 'so what' comment..?. as a kid I wasn't conditioned to save half of a hostess fruit pie for later. we ate the whole bag of fries and big mac... It never occured to us to save some for later. Now that we know to do that, it's too late. we're FAT.
so what? You still have a choice as to what you eat? Again, you assume that people have somehow been programmed to eat crap and have no choice…..I'm an American living in Sweden, and I've noticed at the grocery store that small muffins are labeled "muffins" and big muffins are labeled "American muffins". I find this funny!
Fast food portions here are considerably smaller and more expensive than in the US. Fast food is considered an occasional treat, not a daily convenience.
:laugh: And that says everything that needs to be said in two paragraphs! :drinker:
sigh that was not my point…there is nothing wrong with eating a big mac and fries…the point i was making that in life you have choicest make..you can choose to eat the big mac and fries every single day , or fried chicken, or whatever said food is..or you can choose to eat reasonably healthy, work out, and fit the ocassional treat into your day..
Justina and her ilk claim that the "evil corporations" have programmed us to eat all the crap they put out there and thus we have no free will / choice in the matter…when the food overloads say "feed" we feed, go home, and then wait for the feeding marching orders to resume…0 -
The smaller sizes from 20 years ago in the US are the sizes we use now where I'm living in Australia.
Same in the UK... Portion sizes are much smaller in many countries I've been to. It's been so much easier to keep my weight down living overseas. Though I miss American food so much. Yum! Always tough when I'm back visiting. Certainly one can measure food anywhere but portions when eating out are definitely are something to watch.0 -
sigh that was not my point…there is nothing wrong with eating a big mac and fries…the point i was making that in life you have choicest make..you can choose to eat the big mac and fries every single day , or fried chicken, or whatever said food is..or you can choose to eat reasonably healthy, work out, and fit the ocassional treat into your day..
Justina and her ilk claim that the "evil corporations" have programmed us to eat all the crap they put out there and thus we have no free will / choice in the matter…when the food overloads say "feed" we feed, go home, and then wait for the feeding marching orders to resume…
Ahh, you know the arguments are getting heated when someone pulls out an ilk.
Good post.0 -
its not governments job to make someone healthy or not…if person A wants to work out and eat healthy fine; and if person b wants to eat ding dongs and sit on the couch all day than that is fine too…personal choice and personal responsibility..but I guess these are concepts that are 'old fashioned' now a days…
and I sure as hell don't want my tax dollars going to "teach" people how to be healthy or tell them what food to eat...
But it is the job of government to subsidize or not, depending on what society needs (or it should be depending on our needs and not corporate needs). It is also their job to create and enforce sensible laws, such as proper labeling of our food.
NO actually it is not…government has no business picking winners and losers, that distorts the market...
If you don't trust your government to regulate markets how can you trust it to enforce laws and make war on the people of other nations with your tax dollars, in your name?
If government is that ridiculous and untrustworthy and incompetent we should abolish it entirely, and certainly not trust it to control armed forces, at home or abroad.0 -
right, get the government MORE involved in our lives...because they are already doing such a great job of ruining all the stuff they already control....
Ever read "The Jungle"? Government sucks. No regulations sucks far more.
ever read "the road to serfdom" - government involvement sucks more.
I haven't. I'll check it out.
But nothing will convince me that a return to pre-1940s working and living conditions for the average worker and purchaser is a viable option.
Maybe there is another way that doesn't involve government or corporations that are free to do as they please?
You just want someone else to pay for YOUR food that YOU think is healthy.
Personal responsibility flies right out the window again.
Not at all. I want every worker in America to keep enough of the value of their own labor to be able to afford a healthy diet that will allow them and their children to continue to be productive, healthy people with a high quality of life.
Oh, and I want proper labeling on foods so we know what we're buying. That includes GMO.
That's got to be one of the most incredible statements yet on this thread. If you are so concerned about people "eating healthy" then why wouldn't you want workers to enjoy the fruits of the labor? You want them to have "enough," but who decides how much is "enough?"
The State is self-serving. You want productive, healthy people with a high quality of life? Quit taking from the mouth of labor the bread which we have earned. The only "good" government is one which lets her people regulate their own lives. People should be allowed to make their own life choices, so long as they are not harming anyone else. It is then, and only then, that people will be responsible for their choices.
Freedom and responsibility are irrevocably linked. One can not exist without the other.0 -
Stinks of Big Government to me. :frown:
Nothing wrong with big government if it does what we want it to do.
But I better get off this part of the topic before I get my posts deleted.
the government that governs best governs least...
Tell that to children who lost limbs and lives in meat packing plants before the advent of child labor laws.
Another well-intentioned law that has done more harm than good. "Feel good legislation" always makes feel bad in the long run.0 -
If you don't trust your government to regulate markets how can you trust it to enforce laws and make war on the people of other nations with your tax dollars, in your name?
If government is that ridiculous and untrustworthy and incompetent we should abolish it entirely, and certainly not trust it to control armed forces, at home or abroad.
+1 for abolishing governmentI heartily accept the motto, "That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe — "That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.
― Henry David Thoreau0 -
We don't hate wasting food. 40% of all food produced is never eaten in the US and just gets thrown away. Surprising, considering 1 in 3 children do not get enough food every day. We have a problem that goes too deep to explain in a paragraph on a message board.
Maybe it depends on how you grew up. If a depression era family member had any influence on your childhood, you didn’t throw away any food. If you spent any time in the military, you don’t throw food away. If you grew up affluent, maybe it doesn’t matter.your argument is predicated on the idea that the MAJORITY of americans eat the MAJORITY of their meals at restaurants or from restaurants.
i see no evidence that that is true.
at home, nobody feels compelled to eat a whole bag of cookies in one sitting for fear of wasting them (for example).
Billions of meals are served at restaurants across the country every year, and that is a lot of portions being controlled by others.
You’re right, no one feels compelled to eat a whole bag of cookies in one sitting, because you eat what you want and put the bag away to eat at another time. You control your portions and they taste just as good the next time you eat them (within reason). Hot fast food generally is eaten as soon as it is served or shortly thereafter, I don’t think people split it up and save it for later, it usually is gross to heat it up again.0 -
its not governments job to make someone healthy or not…if person A wants to work out and eat healthy fine; and if person b wants to eat ding dongs and sit on the couch all day than that is fine too…personal choice and personal responsibility..but I guess these are concepts that are 'old fashioned' now a days…
and I sure as hell don't want my tax dollars going to "teach" people how to be healthy or tell them what food to eat...
But it is the job of government to subsidize or not, depending on what society needs (or it should be depending on our needs and not corporate needs). It is also their job to create and enforce sensible laws, such as proper labeling of our food.
NO actually it is not…government has no business picking winners and losers, that distorts the market...
If you don't trust your government to regulate markets how can you trust it to enforce laws and make war on the people of other nations with your tax dollars, in your name?
If government is that ridiculous and untrustworthy and incompetent we should abolish it entirely, and certainly not trust it to control armed forces, at home or abroad.
I don't trust government to regulate markets, and make war on people, or frankly anything else…I have a high degree of mistrust for big government. Government should provide the environment for us to thrive through minimal use of powers..i.e. protect and defend the borders, enforce the laws that are under its CONSTITUTIONAL authority, and basically leave me alone to sink or swim as I see fit.
Just look at the Iraq war…they told us all kinds of reasons as to why to go to war and they all turned out to be wrong..so no, I do not trust the government to make war on anyone...0 -
That's got to be one of the most incredible statements yet on this thread. If you are so concerned about people "eating healthy" then why wouldn't you want workers to enjoy the fruits of the labor? You want them to have "enough," but who decides how much is "enough?"
The State is self-serving. You want productive, healthy people with a high quality of life? Quit taking from the mouth of labor the bread which we have earned. The only "good" government is one which lets her people regulate their own lives. People should be allowed to make their own life choices, so long as they are not harming anyone else. It is then, and only then, that people will be responsible for their choices.
Freedom and responsibility are irrevocably linked. One can not exist without the other.
pretty much this times a million...0 -
I didn't read all three hundred and some replies, but yeah,, I agree. I'm not surprised portions today are bigger. Whatever happened to cutting food in half and saving the rest for another day?0
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Meh blurry pictures make people fat?
I'd say lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle definitely add to it. We eat more and move less. Not that complicated0 -
No. 40% of food is wasted, as in thrown away, BEFORE IT GETS TO MARKET. That's not people throwing leftover food away, that's farmers throwing food away because it doesn't measure up to the (pretty ridiculous) standards that American consumers have placed on them. We're talking about fruits that are being thrown away because they have slight bruising on them, vegetables that are thrown out because the coloring isn't perfect, etc. American consumers refuse to buy these items, so grocery stores and restaurants refuse to buy them from farmers, so farmers end up just throwing them away.We don't hate wasting food. 40% of all food produced is never eaten in the US and just gets thrown away. Surprising, considering 1 in 3 children do not get enough food every day. We have a problem that goes too deep to explain in a paragraph on a message board.
Maybe it depends on how you grew up. If a depression era family member had any influence on your childhood, you didn’t throw away any food. If you spent any time in the military, you don’t throw food away. If you grew up affluent, maybe it doesn’t matter.your argument is predicated on the idea that the MAJORITY of americans eat the MAJORITY of their meals at restaurants or from restaurants.
i see no evidence that that is true.
at home, nobody feels compelled to eat a whole bag of cookies in one sitting for fear of wasting them (for example).
Billions of meals are served at restaurants across the country every year, and that is a lot of portions being controlled by others.
You’re right, no one feels compelled to eat a whole bag of cookies in one sitting, because you eat what you want and put the bag away to eat at another time. You control your portions and they taste just as good the next time you eat them (within reason). Hot fast food generally is eaten as soon as it is served or shortly thereafter, I don’t think people split it up and save it for later, it usually is gross to heat it up again.
As a nation, we have access to more food than we know what to do with, and yet that's AFTER throwing half of what we grow away.0 -
Meh blurry pictures make people fat?
I'd say lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle definitely add to it. We eat more and move less. Not that complicated
No, 75-80% of your weight maintenance is diet, not exercise. If you don't exercise a moment in your life, yet eat at a caloric break even or deficit, you will never get fat.
And I apologize to everyone who was confused by the low quality pics of food - but if you can't understand the point without HD pics of pizza and coffee cups, there really isn't much hope...0 -
Wow, I'm not quite halfway through reading and this thread is all OVER the place! :drinker: Must revisit later... :smokin:0
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