Who is responsible for what we choose to eat?

nmb1983

Here in the 21st century, lack of nutrition education is a poor excuse. Even if they aren't teaching it in school (they did 10 years ago when I was in HS...it's called Health class) the information is right at your fingertips... each of us has to be proactive in doing what's best for our bodies. The internet can be a wonderful tool...sure you're bound to come across some pretty [useless] information, but dig deep and find your common sense and use it. It's not hard to be healthy, just inconvenient.

KamFit12

Average price of a chocolate bar? 60p. Average price of a banana? 19p. It drives me insane that people claim healthy food is expensive!

In this comparison it is true. And agree. However it's cheaper to buy a pack of chips and pizza total £2.00 this could be a meal for your a family of 4. And still have chips left for another night compared to brown rice £1.50 chicken breast £3.50 and frozen veg £1. It's just perspective what angle your looking from!

MaraDiaz

The government is responsible. If they didn't subsidize beef, I'd never be able to afford a burger or steak!

to_the_surface

To question anyone beyond yourself upon the choices either to eat or not eat is futile. No one but yourself if putting the food in your mouth.

Overly simplistic. Who is to blame for making a poor choice when knowing before hand that the options are "bad, terrible or worse"?
Single mom, working two jobs and two kids, has 2-3 hours to get kids, feed them, get some rest and be ready for the second shift.
Option 1: take trip to grocery store, buy chicken/veggies, go home, cook chicken/veggies, struggle to force kids to eat knowing that all their school friends talk about the Mcmeal and the little toy they got with it. $$, 1.5 hrs time.
Option 2: drive through MC donalds, go home, eat Mcmeal. $$, 30 mins time, no struggle to get kids fed, plus an extra 45 mins of quality time with the kids.

I know, no one is pointing a gun at her head but i can get a good idea that 2-3 out of five days a week she'll take option 2.

I do not want the government to make choices for me, however i would hope that a little common sense from government regulation and food industry corporations would help create/provide a level playing field in which both the healthy and the unhealthy options are offered somewhat equally (cost/availability/etc).
Even if the capitalistic nature of the industry would prevent that from happening, i at least would hope that they would stop preying on the lack of education of people and spreading misleading statements regarding nutrition.

tsh0ck

I'm curious, to the people that lay 100% of the responsibility on the consumer,

Since being on MFP or otherwise doing your journey to a healthier you, have you learned anything new about nutrition that you were unaware of or totally misinformed about?

Personally, there are a lot of things that I've learned that only a few years ago I thought was very healthy, such as drinking fruit juice. I know better now, but I was taught that juice was good for me by my parents, teachers and everyone else in authority.

I imagine that a lot of overweight people fall into that catagory versus the 'lay on the couch eating cheetos' camp.

that's on you, me and the rest, too. we choose what to eat just as we choose how much we decide to educate ourselves about our choices. want to blindly follow and assume? fine. don't be mad if you don't get the results you were wanting or expecting. want to find out more ... to make sure your choices are, indeed, good for you? probably a better way to go.

but, again, no one wants to take responsibility for anything. everything that happens has got to be the fault of someone else.

ZugTheMegasaurus

I think people tend to grossly oversimplify on this topic, so I'll just throw in a few things that often seem to be lost.

As to healthy food actually being just as inexpensive as bad-for-you food, that's simply not true when you're looking at actual caloric content per dollar spent. Yes, most people could afford either when you just look at the total bills, but people living at or below the poverty line (or even a little above depending on location) really have to get the most bang for their buck. Say you've got three kids and a few bucks to feed them on for several days. You could afford fresh produce and all sorts of healthy things, but you aren't going to be buying nearly enough food for everyone in terms of calories consumed. You can choose to get four apples or ten boxes of macaroni and cheese for the same three dollars; which of those is going to feed your family for more than one meal and which is going to get people closer to the caloric intake they need?

As to consumers having to just say no and make the right choices, that's all well and good, but it's ludicrous to claim that food companies and advertisers have absolutely no power over those choices. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent annually on ads, and the reason is that they work. Even though they're not shoving that food in someone's mouth, they are making it very difficult for consumers to sort out what's true and what isn't. Take a look around this very site and you'll have no difficulty finding people who are honestly unaware of what a proper diet or these seemingly easy choices look like. And these are people who are focused on figuring that stuff out. Most people simply do not have the ability or inclination to really delve into whether what they're being told is true; they trust that they are being given accurate information. And yet somehow it's their fault that they believe what a large and well-known company told them; and still, some people (for whatever reason) see it as unfair to tell the companies that they have to at least be open and honest about their products. It's ridiculous.

I've got nothing against personal responsibility, but I do see something wrong with blaming someone who is set up to fail for failing. There are so many factors working against people making healthful choices or even having the ability to follow through on those decisions. It's easy to get all high and mighty about people "refusing to take responsibility" but it is not nearly that simple an issue and it does not do anything positive for anyone to pretend that it is.

TheVimFuego

Of course we are personally responsible for what we choose to eat. I don't advocate a 'fat tax' or anything like it.

The governments and regulatory bodies are, however, responsible for making sure that:

1) Nutritious food is promoted
2) Any advice that is given is based on sound science
3) Poor quality food is not subsidised
4) Political and commercial interests do not get in the way of good health

And it is on the latter points that it all falls in a heap.

Collectively the dice are loaded against us and you really have to question everything and do it for yourself.

KamFit12

I think people tend to grossly oversimplify on this topic, so I'll just throw in a few things that often seem to be lost.

As to healthy food actually being just as inexpensive as bad-for-you food, that's simply not true when you're looking at actual caloric content per dollar spent. Yes, most people could afford either when you just look at the total bills, but people living at or below the poverty line (or even a little above depending on location) really have to get the most bang for their buck. Say you've got three kids and a few bucks to feed them on for several days. You could afford fresh produce and all sorts of healthy things, but you aren't going to be buying nearly enough food for everyone in terms of calories consumed. You can choose to get four apples or ten boxes of macaroni and cheese for the same three dollars; which of those is going to feed your family for more than one meal and which is going to get people closer to the caloric intake they need?

As to consumers having to just say no and make the right choices, that's all well and good, but it's ludicrous to claim that food companies and advertisers have absolutely no power over those choices. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent annually on ads, and the reason is that they work. Even though they're not shoving that food in someone's mouth, they are making it very difficult for consumers to sort out what's true and what isn't. Take a look around this very site and you'll have no difficulty finding people who are honestly unaware of what a proper diet or these seemingly easy choices look like. And these are people who are focused on figuring that stuff out. Most people simply do not have the ability or inclination to really delve into whether what they're being told is true; they trust that they are being given accurate information. And yet somehow it's their fault that they believe what a large and well-known company told them; and still, some people (for whatever reason) see it as unfair to tell the companies that they have to at least be open and honest about their products. It's ridiculous.

I've got nothing against personal responsibility, but I do see something wrong with blaming someone who is set up to fail for failing. There are so many factors working against people making healthful choices or even having the ability to follow through on those decisions. It's easy to get all high and mighty about people "refusing to take responsibility" but it is not nearly that simple an issue and it does not do anything positive for anyone to pretend that it is.

Totally agree with you and your response totally critically evaluates the bigger issue.

holly1283

Another twist to this dilemma. A friend of mine had a husband in excess of 600 lbs. He had to go to the hospital for weight related problems. When discharged he wasn't really mobile for a while. Is the wife responsible since he is unable to cook for himself or is he by being demanding? when morbidly obese person is bedfast, how do they get food if it isn't brought to them? Food for thought.
Ultimately in my situation I am responsible for what goes in my mouth.

Silverkittycat

To question anyone beyond yourself upon the choices either to eat or not eat is futile. No one but yourself if putting the food in your mouth.

Overly simplistic. Who is to blame for making a poor choice when knowing before hand that the options are "bad, terrible or worse"?
Single mom, working two jobs and two kids, has 2-3 hours to get kids, feed them, get some rest and be ready for the second shift.
Option 1: take trip to grocery store, buy chicken/veggies, go home, cook chicken/veggies, struggle to force kids to eat knowing that all their school friends talk about the Mcmeal and the little toy they got with it. $$, 1.5 hrs time.
Option 2: drive through MC donalds, go home, eat Mcmeal. $$, 30 mins time, no struggle to get kids fed, plus an extra 45 mins of quality time with the kids.

I know, no one is pointing a gun at her head but i can get a good idea that 2-3 out of five days a week she'll take option 2.

I do not want the government to make choices for me, however i would hope that a little common sense from government regulation and food industry corporations would help create/provide a level playing field in which both the healthy and the unhealthy options are offered somewhat equally (cost/availability/etc).
Even if the capitalistic nature of the industry would prevent that from happening, i at least would hope that they would stop preying on the lack of education of people and spreading misleading statements regarding nutrition.

Now we're blaming working mothers? Research on families in which both parents work refutes such stereotypes of so called latchkey kids and their negligent parents. Studies document that children get at least as much time and care from those working moms today as earlier generations got from stay at home moms. Why do women keep getting blamed by obesity theorists? and no, bottle-fed babies do not become obese adults more often than those that are breast-fed.

Silverkittycat

I think people tend to grossly oversimplify on this topic, so I'll just throw in a few things that often seem to be lost.

As to healthy food actually being just as inexpensive as bad-for-you food, that's simply not true when you're looking at actual caloric content per dollar spent. Yes, most people could afford either when you just look at the total bills, but people living at or below the poverty line (or even a little above depending on location) really have to get the most bang for their buck. Say you've got three kids and a few bucks to feed them on for several days. You could afford fresh produce and all sorts of healthy things, but you aren't going to be buying nearly enough food for everyone in terms of calories consumed. You can choose to get four apples or ten boxes of macaroni and cheese for the same three dollars; which of those is going to feed your family for more than one meal and which is going to get people closer to the caloric intake they need?

As to consumers having to just say no and make the right choices, that's all well and good, but it's ludicrous to claim that food companies and advertisers have absolutely no power over those choices. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent annually on ads, and the reason is that they work. Even though they're not shoving that food in someone's mouth, they are making it very difficult for consumers to sort out what's true and what isn't. Take a look around this very site and you'll have no difficulty finding people who are honestly unaware of what a proper diet or these seemingly easy choices look like. And these are people who are focused on figuring that stuff out. Most people simply do not have the ability or inclination to really delve into whether what they're being told is true; they trust that they are being given accurate information. And yet somehow it's their fault that they believe what a large and well-known company told them; and still, some people (for whatever reason) see it as unfair to tell the companies that they have to at least be open and honest about their products. It's ridiculous.

I've got nothing against personal responsibility, but I do see something wrong with blaming someone who is set up to fail for failing. There are so many factors working against people making healthful choices or even having the ability to follow through on those decisions. It's easy to get all high and mighty about people "refusing to take responsibility" but it is not nearly that simple an issue and it does not do anything positive for anyone to pretend that it is.

Apathy. If it's a priority in your life, you'll take responsibility.

thebaconbeast

It's your own fault , you are responsible nobody forces it down your throat , I have a tiny food budget but you won't see me eating junk food and sorry to tell you that 5 fruits and vegetables most likely won't change anything either .

Erica27511

For example Fatty foods being cheaper than healthier options.

I disagree with this especially if you go to a farmer's market. Fruits and veggies cost little.
If you want to do something, and truly want to do it, you will commit to it. Yes, America is F'd up and has supersize this and supersize that, but that's FAST FOOD. People need to stop being lazy and cook at home

KamFit12

To question anyone beyond yourself upon the choices either to eat or not eat is futile. No one but yourself if putting the food in your mouth.

Overly simplistic. Who is to blame for making a poor choice when knowing before hand that the options are "bad, terrible or worse"?
Single mom, working two jobs and two kids, has 2-3 hours to get kids, feed them, get some rest and be ready for the second shift.
Option 1: take trip to grocery store, buy chicken/veggies, go home, cook chicken/veggies, struggle to force kids to eat knowing that all their school friends talk about the Mcmeal and the little toy they got with it. $$, 1.5 hrs time.
Option 2: drive through MC donalds, go home, eat Mcmeal. $$, 30 mins time, no struggle to get kids fed, plus an extra 45 mins of quality time with the kids.

I know, no one is pointing a gun at her head but i can get a good idea that 2-3 out of five days a week she'll take option 2.

I do not want the government to make choices for me, however i would hope that a little common sense from government regulation and food industry corporations would help create/provide a level playing field in which both the healthy and the unhealthy options are offered somewhat equally (cost/availability/etc).
Even if the capitalistic nature of the industry would prevent that from happening, i at least would hope that they would stop preying on the lack of education of people and spreading misleading statements regarding nutrition.

Now we're blaming working mothers? Research on families in which both parents work refutes such stereotypes of so called latchkey kids and their negligent parents. Studies document that children get at least as much time and care from those working moms today as earlier generations got from stay at home moms. Why do women keep getting blamed by obesity theorists? and no, bottle-fed babies do not become obese adults more often than those that are breast-fed.

Ofcourse it's not an blaming working parents and I think it was just used as an example. Coming from a mother. It's just an opinion.

ZoeyRobinson

We have to take responsibility for our own health. So if I eat a burger I am the one who is held responsible.

However, the government allows way too much to get into our food. Chocolate is allowed to have bugs and meat is allowed to have pink slime. Our vegetables are allowed to be genetically altered and so on.

So I believe it is a little of both. Plus, it should be CHEAPER to eat organically grown fruits and veggies then get 5 burgers for 5 dollars at McDonalds. It kills me to pay 6.99 for a pound of bell peppers when I can get 40 chicken nuggets at a fast food place. So the government should help regulate the prices and what goes into our food better.

Also, when I look at ingredients I hate to see "natural flavor" listed because it could be anything.

Acg67

We need more nannystatism, Bloomberg or the SF city council should be in charge. Everyone knows how well their rules have worked at changing consumer behavior

KamFit12

It's your own fault , you are responsible nobody forces it down your throat , I have a tiny food budget but you won't see me eating junk food and sorry to tell you that 5 fruits and vegetables most likely won't change anything either .

Lol obese people get a lot of slack. Of course five a day want make you not obese if your eating loads of other junk. A lot of people on mfp are obviously overweight and on a weight loss journey. I thought it would be interesting to see what you guys thought.

I guess next question would be "So if we are ultimately responsible and we all know that. why is there such a problem with obesity?" *confused face*

I guess I could visit a few fast food places and ask some people to get a well rounded answer. Doubt they'd want to
Answer though. Lol.

Shannota

We need more nannystatism, Bloomberg or the SF city council should be in charge. Everyone knows how well their rules have worked at changing consumer behavior

But most people don't see that the government ALREADY is in charge. Why do you think this stuff is cheaper? Why is corn syrup in everything? Because of government subsidies. ALL the farmers in my area grow corn...I have NEVER seen a field of cauliflower, even though agriculture is the main industry here...it is ALL corn and maybe a few soybeans.

ZugTheMegasaurus

I think people tend to grossly oversimplify on this topic, so I'll just throw in a few things that often seem to be lost.

As to healthy food actually being just as inexpensive as bad-for-you food, that's simply not true when you're looking at actual caloric content per dollar spent. Yes, most people could afford either when you just look at the total bills, but people living at or below the poverty line (or even a little above depending on location) really have to get the most bang for their buck. Say you've got three kids and a few bucks to feed them on for several days. You could afford fresh produce and all sorts of healthy things, but you aren't going to be buying nearly enough food for everyone in terms of calories consumed. You can choose to get four apples or ten boxes of macaroni and cheese for the same three dollars; which of those is going to feed your family for more than one meal and which is going to get people closer to the caloric intake they need?

As to consumers having to just say no and make the right choices, that's all well and good, but it's ludicrous to claim that food companies and advertisers have absolutely no power over those choices. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent annually on ads, and the reason is that they work. Even though they're not shoving that food in someone's mouth, they are making it very difficult for consumers to sort out what's true and what isn't. Take a look around this very site and you'll have no difficulty finding people who are honestly unaware of what a proper diet or these seemingly easy choices look like. And these are people who are focused on figuring that stuff out. Most people simply do not have the ability or inclination to really delve into whether what they're being told is true; they trust that they are being given accurate information. And yet somehow it's their fault that they believe what a large and well-known company told them; and still, some people (for whatever reason) see it as unfair to tell the companies that they have to at least be open and honest about their products. It's ridiculous.

I've got nothing against personal responsibility, but I do see something wrong with blaming someone who is set up to fail for failing. There are so many factors working against people making healthful choices or even having the ability to follow through on those decisions. It's easy to get all high and mighty about people "refusing to take responsibility" but it is not nearly that simple an issue and it does not do anything positive for anyone to pretend that it is.

Apathy. If it's a priority in your life, you'll take responsibility.

Yes, that's true, but it's not going to be particularly effective if you have no clue what you're doing. The increasingly-massive diet industry is wholly supported by people who think they're taking responsibility and doing the right thing and failing miserably as a result. But they don't know that they are doing anything wrong. I can think of a number of people who have been both obese and dieting for the entirety of the many years I've known them. They really do care; it really does crush them that they feel fat and disgusting and worthless. They really do live and breathe weight loss and dieting, voraciously reading every book and magazine, watching every show, throwing money at every new guru on the scene. And they reason that they're the ones at fault because "well, those people couldn't say it if it wasn't true."

So it's not apathy, it's poor education. But it's not necessarily all on the individual because there is a ton of deliberate and focused effort and lots and lots of money put into creating that education.

Acg67

I think people tend to grossly oversimplify on this topic, so I'll just throw in a few things that often seem to be lost.

As to healthy food actually being just as inexpensive as bad-for-you food, that's simply not true when you're looking at actual caloric content per dollar spent. Yes, most people could afford either when you just look at the total bills, but people living at or below the poverty line (or even a little above depending on location) really have to get the most bang for their buck. Say you've got three kids and a few bucks to feed them on for several days. You could afford fresh produce and all sorts of healthy things, but you aren't going to be buying nearly enough food for everyone in terms of calories consumed. You can choose to get four apples or ten boxes of macaroni and cheese for the same three dollars; which of those is going to feed your family for more than one meal and which is going to get people closer to the caloric intake they need?

As to consumers having to just say no and make the right choices, that's all well and good, but it's ludicrous to claim that food companies and advertisers have absolutely no power over those choices. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent annually on ads, and the reason is that they work. Even though they're not shoving that food in someone's mouth, they are making it very difficult for consumers to sort out what's true and what isn't. Take a look around this very site and you'll have no difficulty finding people who are honestly unaware of what a proper diet or these seemingly easy choices look like. And these are people who are focused on figuring that stuff out. Most people simply do not have the ability or inclination to really delve into whether what they're being told is true; they trust that they are being given accurate information. And yet somehow it's their fault that they believe what a large and well-known company told them; and still, some people (for whatever reason) see it as unfair to tell the companies that they have to at least be open and honest about their products. It's ridiculous.

I've got nothing against personal responsibility, but I do see something wrong with blaming someone who is set up to fail for failing. There are so many factors working against people making healthful choices or even having the ability to follow through on those decisions. It's easy to get all high and mighty about people "refusing to take responsibility" but it is not nearly that simple an issue and it does not do anything positive for anyone to pretend that it is.

Apathy. If it's a priority in your life, you'll take responsibility.

Yes, that's true, but it's not going to be particularly effective if you have no clue what you're doing. The increasingly-massive diet industry is wholly supported by people who think they're taking responsibility and doing the right thing and failing miserably as a result. But they don't know that they are doing anything wrong. I can think of a number of people who have been both obese and dieting for the entirety of the many years I've known them. They really do care; it really does crush them that they feel fat and disgusting and worthless. They really do live and breathe weight loss and dieting, voraciously reading every book and magazine, watching every show, throwing money at every new guru on the scene. And they reason that they're the ones at fault because "well, those people couldn't say it if it wasn't true."

So it's not apathy, it's poor education. But it's not necessarily all on the individual because there is a ton of deliberate and focused effort and lots and lots of money put into creating that education.

Ah, since they are gullible it must not be all their fault?