unhealthy eating in america

not going to lie I didn't read all posts so sorry if this is a repeat, but the Disney network is banning ads of unhealthy food and beverage products that target children. It is a step in the right direction if you ask me.

Huh? I see commercials for alcohol all the time, especially the Disaronno Amaretto ones.

If the government is so concerned with the obesity crisis in America, how about they ban TV commercials for any food product that gets more than 30% of it's calories from fat?? And for that matter, how about we ban the unhealthy commercials all together?

Heck no. Don't want the govt. getting involved. It will only lead to misery further down the road.

making the right choices would be true for smoking and drinking as well... problem being, people don't make the right choices.

Therein lies the problem....what are the "right" choices? I don't think even the most hardcore tobacco executive would try to argue that smoking doesn't cause harm (hence all of the big tobaccos companies diversifying and attacking foreign markets). But with things like alcohol and fast foods there is nothing inherently unsafe about the product when consumed in moderation, the concept of "right choices" becomes very subjective.

I have a real problem with the idea of a Big Brother kind of society, it's a slippery slope to censoring the news, censoring books etc. Living in a free society places a burden on the individual to accept the consequences of the choices they make.

A good point, too much big brother action can be scary, obesity is a very serious issue but banning ads doesn't seem like the answer, maybe more nutrition education aimed towards the kids??

Absolutely agree!!! I was not educated about how to eat and exercise when I was young, therefore I am on a mission to now lose 160 pounds. Kids need to not only learn which foods to choose, but they need to learn how much of them to eat. Maybe not so much elementary school kids, who really don't care, more so high school kids. Girls that age are really obsessive about their body image, maybe teaching them how to eat will help in the long run. I don't remember having one class about how to eat. I had classes teaching nutrition, but that taught me nothing about how to eat. it just taught me about vitamins and fat, saturate fat, etc. Having that knowledge alone is not enough to help make the right decisions. I needed to know how much of this vegetable was a serving, compared to that vegetable. And how the serving changes when eating raw, vs. eating cooked, vs. leafy greens.

There are beer ads, yes, but whiskey and the like?? only in print.

I realize it would never happen, my point being that if the government is as concerned with obesity as it was with alcoholism and smoking, it would take a stand. All the people who advertise now would still advertise, but have to highlight healthier choices and keep the super fattening choices to the print ads.

I saw a Jack Daniels ad just last night. Liquor ads are on tv all the time.

i live in Ohio, and up until a month ago i watched ALOT of tv.. the only liquor ads i have ever seen here since the 70's were for beer, wine coolers or other products with low % of alcohol per volume.

Take liquor out of the equation... when was the last time you saw the Marlboro Man or any other cigarette commercial?

I am not crazy about a Big Brother society either... being forced to wear my seat belt and having to keep my children backwards in the back seat pissed me off. But i have to because of the law, and the law says it's safer.

I brought this up because of the amount of people blaming McDonald's and the like for their weight problem. And although i am sure they will never ban commercials for unhealthy foods, i am sure the tobacco companies thought the same thing.. they would never be banned from commercial tv.

Uhm. I see advertising for almost anything alcohol related all the time in WV. Cigarettes are something that don't advertise too much anymore because of the restrictions on them and such. The companies are doing well without them apparently or they wouldn't be selling them anymore.

How about we stop blaming the things we see on TV and realize, that most of the time it's also because we were in fact, watching the TV for most of the day. It's not like people don't know that this stuff isn't bad for them. If you do, you are just plain ignorant. Plain and simple.

Sorry if I offend anyone, but I myself have been lazy and the past and ate lots of fast food and still partake in the drinking sometimes. I knew it was bad, I just didn't give a rats *kitten* and paid for it. Now, I know better therefor I don't eat that stuff anymore.

In Canada we have commercials for hard liquor. I had no idea that they didn't air those in the states.

There is the Tequilla ad with the guy who was on the Soprano's. Captain Morgan ads are on all of the time too. ????

I don't blame the marketers for people's indiscretions. Cigarette ads were all over the place when I was growing up but I don't smoke and never did. It's all part of this culture that no one wants to admit that they are responsible for their own behavior. I may watch one of these commercials (for me it's the Sonic commercials) and say something looks yummy, but I don't go grab my car keys and go buy it! We're all responsible for our own behavior and should not need the government overstepping their bounds to change us. It's none of their business!

i live in Ohio, and up until a month ago i watched ALOT of tv.. the only liquor ads i have ever seen here since the 70's were for beer, wine coolers or other products with low % of alcohol per volume.

Take liquor out of the equation... when was the last time you saw the Marlboro Man or any other cigarette commercial?

I am not crazy about a Big Brother society either... being forced to wear my seat belt and having to keep my children backwards in the back seat pissed me off. But i have to because of the law, and the law says it's safer.

I brought this up because of the amount of people blaming McDonald's and the like for their weight problem. And although i am sure they will never ban commercials for unhealthy foods, i am sure the tobacco companies thought the same thing.. they would never be banned from commercial tv.

Uhm. I see advertising for almost anything alcohol related all the time in WV. Cigarettes are something that don't advertise too much anymore because of the restrictions on them and such. The companies are doing well without them apparently or they wouldn't be selling them anymore.

How about we stop blaming the things we see on TV and realize, that most of the time it's also because we were in fact, watching the TV for most of the day. It's not like people don't know that this stuff isn't bad for them. If you do, you are just plain ignorant. Plain and simple.

Sorry if I offend anyone, but I myself have been lazy and the past and ate lots of fast food and still partake in the drinking sometimes. I knew it was bad, I just didn't give a rats *kitten* and paid for it. Now, I know better therefor I don't eat that stuff anymore.

I agree with this.

The finger pointing game needs to end. You will always have the power of the word "no." If you don't utilize it, that's your problem. We may have some government restrictions but we still have the ability to make a choice. If you choose a fast food cheeseburger over one you could've grilled yourself then it is all on you. Not your job, not your TV, not the radio or billboards, not your kids, or anything else. You.