Inexcusable culture

Gluttony is sad. But thanks to big business and capitalism, America cares more about making money off of brainwashing children to crave soda pop and ice cream rather then their general health. Video games have taken over playing outside and sugary processed foods have replaced natural sugars like fruit.
I expect nothing less from a country who spends billions of dollars marketing things that will potentially (more than likely that is) kill its consumers.

Interesting statistic, thank you for sharing. How do they define "lifestyle" choice, though? That are many things that encompass a lifestyle, beyond what people choose to eat and drink. So I would take that to have a pretty broad meaning.

I have to agree that we are a brain-washed culture. We've been raised to want more of everything, and to demand it now, because we have a sense of entitlement. We buy now, pay later. We overeat, over-indulge, and over-enjoy now and pay later.

How do they define "lifestyle" choice, though?

That's what I want to know. Depending on how you define it, you could end up with practically every disease known to man and all accidents as being caused by lifestyle.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I mean, the way I see it, something like having unprotected sex is a lifestyle choice, and that can certainly have a big impact on your life/death. Speeding on the highways might be called a 'dangerous lifestyle' and could lead to deaths... Etc. Still, an interesting statistic.

I would include lifestyle choices as also drinking and driving, drug abuse, driving too fast for conditions, motorcycles without helmuts and common sense. I see deaths each day that are needless and have nothing to do with food and exercise and everything to do with lifstyle choices.

Sad

Here is a staggering statistic. According to ACE and ACSM 80% of all American deaths in TODAYS culture is largely due to lifestyle choices. Seriously, by choice??? Quite frankly that is inexcusable.

What the hell is wrong with us???

Discuss...

P.S. BRAVO to those of you out there who give a damn about your well being and the wellness of those around you.

Could you post a link to the article where you read this statistic? Would love to read it. Thanks.

Gluttony is sad. But thanks to big business and capitalism, America cares more about making money off of brainwashing children to crave soda pop and ice cream rather then their general health. Video games have taken over playing outside and sugary processed foods have replaced natural sugars like fruit.
I expect nothing less from a country who spends billions of dollars marketing things that will potentially (more than likely that is) kill its consumers.

You are so correct. I don't even believe in mainstream medicine any longer.............I go to a naturopath and a natural pharmacist.

It is conspiracy against the people of this country..............Get us fat and addicted to non-nutritional sugar and white flour products (the low fat craze of the 70's and 80's).............Then you get all types of medical problems and have to go on expensive medications and go the Doctor frequently.............

Everyone makes money off of you being sick, tired and fat and a multitude of health problems, vicious cycle.................then you die.

It is a conspiracy and a form of genocide on our own people of this country.

That is why it is cheap to buy hot dogs (filled with preservatives and chemicals), chips, plain cheap pasta, boxed foods.............

Fresh meats and eggs that are free from hormones and anti-biotics are way expensive and so are fresh fruits and veggies................so much so that they are out of reach to be able to be purchased by the average american these days.

Well, I can't agree with this. There are countries that are really experiencing genocide. A choice to eat processed foods simply does not qualify.

Again, it's about personal choices and your own belief system.

My sister grows her own vegetables, raises chickens and pigs, and she and her husband hunt for the majority of their meat (and butcher it themselves). For a family of three, they probably spend less than $1000 a year on groceries (and that includes canning supplies). The food they eat is extraordinarily healthy. They don't even have cable or the internet because they work full time jobs and then come home and work full time to manage the farm and livestock. I've never seen people work so hard in my life. I could do a smaller version of this in my back yard but DONT WANT TO. It's darn hard work.

As for the price of organic foods. I had a college roommate who made next to no money who would buy nothing but organic. She sacrificed a whole lot of things the rest of us would consider essentials to be able to do so. I have a friend who will only buy locally produced items and refused to support any kind of national or chain business. He and his family sacrifice a lot of other things to support that belief because it's important to them. And we live in a country that supports those choices.

The bottom line is that you will find ways to do what is important to you. If you care about organic than sacrifice in other areas of your life to be able to purchase it, or grow it on your own.

However, not all of us have this belief system. I'm a firm believer in moderation. I eat mostly whole foods but supplement it with processed foods (especially some frozen veggies). Based on some research I did, there are some things that are more important to have organic than others. For those, I'll pay extra and for the rest, I buy conventional. And I'm also more than willing to buy a hotdog or pizza every now and then. I don't think those hotdogs are going to kill me, I've been doing it my whole life and I'm 47 years old and never been seriously ill.

My point is that, as Americans we have a choice and we have to take responsibility for those choices. To blame the governement or business is simply a way avoid that responsibility.

and yes our country wants to kill us.....and the media brainwashes us....and its a man's world where women are forced to be competitive more and more...we are all forced to dress up like porn stars and prance around men so they can pick us...screw that..screw ppl that r tryin to kill me with their food..and their pills...i never take pills...i take childrens vitamins..i dont trust anyone..and if you were smart you wouldnt either!

I don't think anyone is to blame for your choices other than you. We all have brains and must use them. I think we are smarter than the ads we see on tv. We don't have to eat what they are selling....unless we want to. This is still a country where you are allowed to make choices. The problem is when people make bad choices rather than blame themselves they look for a scapegoat. (I ate every meal at Mcdonalds, supersized it and now I am fat therefore I must sue Mcdonalds.....I put hot coffee between my legs and it spilled and I got burned now I need to blame somebody because it was not my fault) There are examples of this every day. Even our government officials blame others until not one of them can tell fact from fiction anymore. If our leaders cannot stand up and take responsibility for their actions why should we.

I don't see our culture as inexcusable I think we use too many excuses. Instead we need to take responsibility for our actions and choices and learn from them, or continue doing them. It is a free country and we are allowed to make choices, as long as they do not break our laws. I may not agree with your choices and you may not agree with mine but that is what makes us unique and not the same as everyone else.

I would have to think that smoking and old age cause more than just 20%

Another issue is the fact that Americans are so germaphobic. Everything has to be pasurized, bleached, processed and prepackaged to protect us from dirt and germs. I live in rural VT and it is against the law for farmers to sell more than a couple of gallons of fresh, unpasturized milk. So, even if I live right next door to a farmer, he will get in trouble for letting me take milk that might have germs in it! I do think that the "system" is afraid that too much of the milk (just using milk as an example) will become "unregulated." Another thing, the prices being paid to the farmers are lower than they have been since the '50's, but we consumers still pay nearly $4 for a gallon at the grocery store. In a perfect world, we could buy from the farmer for a fraction of the cost in the store, and he would get a more fair price than he does now! Small family farms are going out of business left and right, and the choices are getting fewer and fewer for buying locally grown, healthy, unprocessed, and yes, maybe a little bit dirty, food! :mad:

I just re-read, and it seems like a rant, and maybe slightly off topic, so my apologies! :embarassed:

I agree, but who says that everything has to be homogenized and pasteurized............The government says so.

I buy raw milk, raw yogurt, cheese, butter, heavy cream, eggs - straight from a farm. I also go to the farmers market and my neighborhood coop for all of my groceries. I purchase grass fed beef, free range chicken and pork from another farm so I know there are no hormones and antibiotics in my meat................That stuff is unnecessary, but the government says it is.............


And whomever said that hot dogs, frozen pizza will not hurt you???? Yes, it will. It is full of nitrates and nitrites, which are known carcinogens and then cancer feeds off sugar, which most Americans are so addicted to.

Sugar is in everything - things that sugar does not belong in. I don't need sugar in my mayonnaise, salad dressings, etc.................it is even in cigarettes.

I think the movie Wally said it all! The humans ride around in chairs and never take there eyes off the TV screen, all over weight, slurpy sucking waste of life forms.

But instead of *****ing about it why not go talk at a local school about healthy food choices. Support the local farmers, write to congress about the lack of water to go to farms, ect.

My kids have quite a few friends who wont eat at my house because we serve fruit and veggies for snacks and if they don't eat the fruit or veggies they don't eat. Once a boy asked me where are the frozen pizzas, I told him he could have carrots or an apple and he laughed! He thought that I was kidding, that made me sad. He said he didn't think that carrots looked tasty! He had never eaten a carrot before! He can however, tell you ever kind of pizza that Round Table serves!

My mom ran a small daycare when I was growing up. She had them kids convinced that crackers were cookies. hahahaha, now thats manipulation if I've ever heard of it.

p.s. I had pizza sunday night.