Here’s another item that would have never been put up here weeks ago, that is, before all the finance, economics, and investment stuff moved to the new blog at Iacono Research. From The Atlantic comes this story about the dearth of walkable streets in the U.S. – just one more contributing factor to the obesity epidemic as indicated below.
Now, my wife and I have lived the last few decades in California, Oregon and Montana (where, by the way, obesity is almost double what it was in the 1990s), but, you can probably image our surprise sometimes when we travel to different parts of the country.
Also see America’s Fattest Cities that, for some reason, includes only cities in Texas, Illinois, Ohio-West Virgina-Kentucky, and New York.
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Interesting. I grew up being told that I needed a well balanced diet of the four food groups (bread, fruits/veggies, milk, and meat). In 1992, the USDA determined that we needed to eat a diet that is high in breads/cereals/rice/pasta (all carbohydrates) with the new food pyramid. Since then obesity has soared. I’m starting to think that the government doesn’t know what they are talking about.
Rather than being clueless, the government just doesn’t particularly care for nutrition. They tend to significantly overemphasize unnecessary food groups based on the influence and monetary value that the specific subgroup food industry has. False advertisements (i.e. Got Milk? The U.S.A. consumes far more milk than Japan but still has far higher rates of osteoporosis. Tons of calcium my ass.) and the like don’t help either.
I also think that people misunderstand the benefits of fruit because the pyramid puts vegetables and fruit together. Oh, I just finished a meal of sweet cereal and toast? Better eat a large banana for something healthy! (Sike!!!!)
Increasing obesity rates occur because? A friend who had visited New York to see Priscilla ( that musical) was astounded by the huge amount of food that is put on the plates in restaurants and fast food outlets. This is sure to have led to at least some of that creeping obesity in an inactive population over many years. Not many of us work on the farm anymore. For those of us who do work, we work in offices and schools etc and drive or take public transport to work. Generalisations, I know, but not really invalid for a large majority.
Considered from another angle, it is entirely due to competition that is part of the economic system of capitalism. It works in this way:
Outlet A wants more customers, so it advertises that they now give you more food for your dollar than they did before.
Then Outlet B advertises that they now give you more food per dollar than they did before, etc etc etc.
Soon, all of the successful outlets ( especially those that cater to families on fixed lower to middling incomes – your Maccas and your KFCs) are doing the same in order to get whatever those families can outlay on “fun” and “fast” food. All of this change is slow but inevitable. In a while, restaurants do the same*. The plates fill up with the stuff that is cheap ( oil and potatoes?) and they keep customers happy and profits flowing.
* in the world of supermarkets, a similar thing happens but in a reverse way… Supermarkets here in Australia now have “home brands” that are exactly the same – or near enough to it – as products sold by known well-established brands that pay a lot to advertise. The supermarkets don’t have to advertise; the captive audience is already there in the aisles, and looking at the name brand sitting on the same shelf as the home brand but with a higher price tag. Your 99% are going to choose the higher price? Not in the long run. They do the same in the US?