Who is responsible for what we choose to eat?
KamFit12
Posts: 43
After watching BBC 2 the men who made us fat I was interested to find out who you feel should take responsibility for obesity. Is it us the consumer, food industry for selling unhealthy food or the government for not bringing in tougher regulations on the food industry?
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I haven't seen anyone held down and forced to eat a bag of chips, 14 hotdogs, a 2 liter of pop, and a cake.0
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I haven't seen anyone held down and forced to eat a bag of chips, 14 hotdogs, a 2 liter of pop, and a cake.
Bingo! McDonalds doesn't hold my family hostage if I don't eat there! It's all about personal knowledge and personal responsibility.0 -
At some point, you have to take responsibility for yourself, including what you choose to eat...0
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I agree with your point but it is a lot deeper than that. For example Fatty foods being cheaper than healthier options. False marketing on food which aren't really healthy especially on food targeted towards children.0
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It's all us... sure the Hardee's right down the street from my house hasn't helped any... but no one forced me to go there.0
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I agree with your point but it is a lot deeper than that. For example Fatty foods being cheaper than healthier options. False marketing on food which aren't really healthy especially on food targeted towards children.
there are a lot of relatively in-expensive foods that are also healthy... like dried beans and barley, steal cut oats, etc. plus fruits and veggies are a lot cheaper this time of year at like farmers markets etc too. Do all of these foods take a lot longer to prepare than fast food... yeah... which is why I've had more than my fair share of fast food... It's quick and easy... but you can still eat healthy on a budget.0 -
At some point, you have to take responsibility for yourself, including what you choose to eat...
Amen! I agree totally..0 -
I have never been held at gun point to go into a fast food joint or eat a bag of chips
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After watching BBC 2 the men who made us fat I was interested to find out who you feel should take responsibility for obesity. Is it us the consumer, food industry for selling unhealthy food or the government for not bringing in tougher regulations on the food industry?
Ultimately we're all responsible for our own choices. I, like many people, know that eating fast foods are not good for me, just like smoking or doing drugs.
That being said, there is still a level of blame to be held by people that mis-educate others which will inevitably lead them to a poor choice. I.e. if you know nothing about cars and I give you a bunch of kooky information that causes you to do damage to your car through a series of choices whose responsible?
I say that to say this....
Besides the obvious people that literally stuff themselves on bad foods, there are a lot of obese and sick people that have heard their entire adult life to eat things that are "light", "lite", "low cal", "fat free", and other labels that didn't realize how those foods were also unhealthy for them. They were actually making "educated" choices.0 -
People are responsible for themselves. I will also say that good eating habits start early, and if you are fed only junk from the time you are a year old, it can be very, very hard to start eating better as an adult. So, parents are definitely to blame as well.0
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I agree with your point but it is a lot deeper than that. For example Fatty foods being cheaper than healthier options. False marketing on food which aren't really healthy especially on food targeted towards children.
The most unhealthy foods also have the longest shelf lives as well.
For a family with two working adults or limited income the idea of buying food that doesn't spoil for 100 years and therefore less waste, is also tempting.0 -
The only people FORCED to eat bad are children and those who are in severe poverty.
Most people will eat what they like, what tastes good to them and availability.
Responsibility is basically on the person doing the eating.
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
It's the consumer 100% of time. YES the govt. should make it easier by lowering the costs of say organic foods, BUT It's cheaper to take out the healthy ingredients in foods than to leave them as they are. Isn't that crazy? It is actually cheaper to make white bread than to let it be as natural and as healthy as it comes. We have to remember we are never going to be a perfect world though. They do suck for making a cheeseburger which btw doesn't even contain REAL ingredients cheaper than a bag of apples at a grocery store.0
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We personally are responsible for what we choose to eat. We cannot blame advertising, we are the ones who make the decision, we inheritly know that the food advertised is "bad". And "fast food" and "fatty foods" are not always cheaper. There are plenty of cheaper options. Frozen vegetable and fruits are just as nutritious as the fresh ones, and canned foods are ok as long as you read how they are packaged, and they're super cheap. People also need to understand that there is not a list of "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods. Healthy is an objective term, and depends on the person and situation. If you're fat, it's because you made poor choices, you cannot blame anyone but yourself. If you're thin, you also can blame yourself, because you made good choices. Message to take from this: Don't blame others, blame yourself.0
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there are a lot of relatively in-expensive foods that are also healthy... like dried beans and barley, steal cut oats, etc. plus fruits and veggies are a lot cheaper this time of year at like farmers markets etc too. Do all of these foods take a lot longer to prepare than fast food... yeah... which is why I've had more than my fair share of fast food... It's quick and easy... but you can still eat healthy on a budget.
bingo ..
also when we choose to eat fast food, no one BUT ourselves makes us eat the amount we do .. my sister is 95-98 pounds (she is short) .. when she does eat mcd's she gets the "all american meal" (kids meal w/o toy) she eats half her burger, half her fries and drinks her lil tiny drink and she is done ..
i go to mcds I get 10pc nugget w/sauce and medium size (used to get super sized plus a double cheeseburger back in the day)
so WE ARE responsible for our choices, no one else0 -
It comes down to the individual, of course, but anyone who's ever taken a sociology course should be able to step back and see the bigger picture. I think the root cause lies with the US government promoting dietary and health recommendations wllly nilly without the science to back up those recommendations--and continuing the debacle by not correcting the mistakes they made because of political and economic considerations. It's outrageous.0
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WE ARE! It's your life. You can CHOOSE to drive through McDonald's and get a Big Mac, Big Fry, and Big drink and a McFlurry for dessert. Or you can keep driving to your local grocer and buy some chicken breasts and fresh veggies. It's absolutely absurd to blame your choices on the government or food industry!!!!0
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The answer is in the topic title. "We choose to eat" whatever it is that we want to eat. Except for children that eat whatever their parents feed them.0
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Yeah, it sucks that there are so many profit machines (corporations, advertisers, etc) out for every dollar they can get at any expensive (like the population of the planet) we need to be diligent in holding them accountable for their part. That being said...WE ARE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT WE CHOOSE TO EAT! We have a responsibility to know what we eat, where it comes from and whether or not it's even food. Education is paramount to living our lives consciously. Even that is up to us!0
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you are.
and when you were a child, your parents.0 -
Unless you are under the age of 16 or something I think we are all responsible for ourselves.0
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it's ronald's fault
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A combination of us (or our parents in the case of children) and also any education system which fails to teach children about good nutrition from the very, very first day of school.
It is a myth that it is cheaper to eat fast food than healthy, square meals. Have you been to McDonalds recently? A full adult-sized meal costs far, far more than the ingredients for most meals you could make at home.0 -
It's really interesting to find that we all feel that we are responsible. Which sort of contradicts the programme which states the government is not making enough regulation on the food industry to ensure to stop obesity.
I guess my stance is everything in moderation. We are responsible but as a consumer I have been misleaded in thinking something is healthy even though this is far from the truth on the labelling. I would say I'm an educated person but I do feel that the government could play a more proactive role in regulating the Industry so it's easier for everyone to make the healthier choice and that labelling would be simpler to understand. Its also interesting in the research showing that people perceive just because it says or assumed as 'healthy' doesn't mean that it's low in calories.
Currently I'm obese in my BMI and have taken the responsibility to change that. 0 -
A major problem for the US is the govenment subsidies to corn and soy (which are used as fillers and for extending the shelf life of processed foods), but not other agriculture, so it is less expensive for those things than produce that is healthier to consume. I don't think it is the fast food industry, as they are just selling what people are buying... supply and demand. I think the government needs to get more involved with education of nutrition, and subsidizing produce that promote a well rounded diet. I really think that a lot of people just don't know what is good and what is bad. My in-laws honestly have no clue. They just buy what is inexpensive, and what they like to eat. Education is key. Price points are key.
this is obvbiously a simplification and just the tip of the iceburg.0 -
Adults know better and can do better. I truly feel sorry for obese and overweight children, though. They are just eating how they've been trained.0
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After watching BBC 2 the men who made us fat I was interested to find out who you feel should take responsibility for obesity. Is it us the consumer, food industry for selling unhealthy food or the government for not bringing in tougher regulations on the food industry?
The government bringing tougher regulations on the food industry? That is a slippery slope we don't want to go down. Who do you think stuffs the pockets of the politicians??? At least now I have the choice to eat something healthy if I want it. If we take that road, we are liable to be forced to eat things that are deemed healthy because the government says so because some lobbyist gave them a bunch of money to say it. The sooner you realize that, like it or not, the world we live in revolves around power and the almighty $$, and it is entirely up to you to educate yourself and make choices for yourself, the better off you will be.0 -
I blame my mother. lol Seriously, she would eat a whole bag of mini Mounds candy bars in one sitting right in front of me and then berate me if I tried to get one. We always had fresh fruit and lots of vegies, but the pantry was stocked with cookies and candy! WTH?
Truthfully, it is solely up to me.0 -
After watching BBC 2 the men who made us fat I was interested to find out who you feel should take responsibility for obesity. Is it us the consumer, food industry for selling unhealthy food or the government for not bringing in tougher regulations on the food industry?
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The government bringing tougher regulations on the food industry? That is a slippery slope we don't want to go down. Who do you think stuffs the pockets of the politicians??? At least now I have the choice to eat something healthy if I want it. If we take that road, we are liable to be forced to eat things that are deemed healthy because the government says so because some lobbyist gave them a bunch of money to say it. The sooner you realize that, like it or not, the world we live in revolves around power and the almighty $$, and it is entirely up to you to educate yourself and make choices for yourself, the better off you will be.
Lol I've realised that. But we are paying the price to. Well I know in the uk we are the cost obesity in the NHS. I kind of disagree that I have to just sit back and accept just because they have more money that we have to sit back and watch them no matter what industry. The public can have power if enough people want it.0 -
it depends. for the most part it's the individual's responsibility but with that said, some people do have access to better education about nutrition as well as better food in general. basically some people don;t know better and when you dont know there is something better, it doesnt make sense for others to just expect them to some how acquire this information by magic.
like many thing, it's hard for people to see past their experiences unless they are given new experiences
for instance, i was lucky enough to grow up raised by an old school family who lived closer to their food, so we all had gardens, the adults knew people who lived on farms and could get eggs and dairy. we bought our meat from farmers and markets in bulk. i was only allowed candy twice a year (easter and halloween). everything we ate was from scratch, every meal had a meat, a starch and vegetable. we snacked on fruits, nuts and veggies. we never had mcdonalds and the only time i ever did have it as a kid was when i stole $$ from my mom when i was 8 because i wanted to try a big mac. :laugh: of course she saw my theft as a further proof as to why she would never let me eat fast food since it was the devil enticing me to steal and eat :laugh: i never got chips in my lunch until i was 12 and that was 5 years of begging and pleading and alway putting those snack pack thing on my grocery list.
when i got older in my 20's, i met tons of people my age who did not have that background with food. some of them had kids and were teaching their bad habits that they learned to their kids. these were people who's idea of salad was iceberg lettuce and i was like no wonder you hate salad! the first time i made a good friend of mine a delicious salad (with spinach, arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fennel, sauteed mushrooms, capers, herbs and grilled chicken with a yummy homemade vinaigrette) she was like "OMG this isn't salad this is so good". we were 25 at the time and up until then her experience told her that vegetables just meant - wilted iceberg with thick ranch.
so yeah, we're responsible for what we choose to eat but many of us are limited by our experiences0
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