how can we reduce americans' obesity problem?

Question

it seems like that is really not on the priority list, yea i know iraq and fighting is; but it's gross. (how many fat people there are) i like fast food, i like chicken nuggest but how are we going to reduce the problem and how come we are the heaviest country? europe has mcdonalds- etc. but they arent heavy. . .

Answer 1

There are a few ways of dealing with the obesity problem:

1. Ignore it. If you're not overweight, it's not your problem
2. Create a huge government bureaucracy that doesn't do much but costs at least 10 times what it would cost to do privately. Hey, it's great to be a rich country!
3. Change the income tax to the BMI tax. Rather than paying a rate based on what you make, pay it based on your BMI. Morbidly obese people would pay 30%+, overweight would pay 25-30%, healthy would pay <25%, and anorexics could get a subsidy.

Answer 2

I think it's a combination of factors conspiring together. One: portion size. Even the dishes and silverware you buy these days are bigger than the ones sold 20 years ago. Two: longer work hours. After working 10+ hours a day you feel like you need to reward yourself w restaurant or fast food, AND you are too tired to go to the gym, work outside, cook for yourself, or have any decent kind of life outside work (yuppie greed and inhuman American work ethic). Three: too much time spent on the computer when we could be out there dancing, running, hiking, riding bikes!! We are guilty, UGH!!! Four: general ignorance re nutrition and health. People think ice cream counts as a dairy product, that jam is a fruit, and that french fries are vegetables.
This is a very recent phenomenon and it pains me to see it. I think we all gain some weight as we get older, but I feel esp sorry when I see overweight kids and teenagers. When I was a kid there might have been one or two chubby kids per class, and no grossly obese kids. Being a teenager is hard enough without obesity figuring into the bargain.

Answer 3

I bought this book called "Natural Cures" that talks about all the chemicals they put in foods from grocery stores. I did not read it but gave it to a friend who is into a lot of conspiracies. But the book ism about how the government intentionally out chemicals in food that make people want to eat it and make them fat. It even gave a recipe for a bread that makes people lose wieght. All american foods are not natural. Even meats of animals are pumped with hormones. After accepting this knowledge I slowly started staying away from store foods and candy. Now I don't even drink sodas or juice. I simply eat meats, fruits, and vegetable that must be home cooked. I only drink water, teas(home brewed), and milk. And it had the strangest effect. I only get hungry once a day near mid day and only need one good meal. Unless I do something that takes energy and leaves me drained. It sounds crazy, but is highly logical. Eat when you get hungry. Your stomach rumbles for a reason. Only eat when you are hungry, not when you crave. That is what the book was talking about. How they put chemicals in the foods to make you want to eat. Sometimes I can go a whole day without eating and I now see how people back in the eastern world can go days without eating. how people can fast with ease. They simply don't get hungry. REALLY. And feal totaly energised(because I do with no problem). Maybe that is how it was supposed to be.

I only ate one meal today around 3:00. And it was salmon, brocolli, and potatoes. I am not hungry at all. The government has control and they know what they are doing and care not for the reprucussions. And I know you will not believe it, but it is the truth. Do what I did and see your eating habits and cravings in about 1 1/2 month change. It is strange.

UNBELIEVABLE

Answer 4

One of the problems is that Americans are eating way too fast. it is not as much what you eat, but how you eat. In Europe, we eat 4-5 meals all the time, but we take our time. In the area I am from, we have a piece of cake every day (strong German heritage), and a lot of sauces, and cream based dishes with a lot of potatoes. Yet, we don't put on weight like here.

Check this out. It takes the stomach about 20 minutes to signal to the brain that the body is getting fed. Now, think how quickly we eat, whether at home, or eating out. Most people eat a meal in less than 20 minutes. They are getting used to eating more in a little bit of time, and they don't know how to restrain themselves. Consequently, we are living in a country where people don't know how to limit themselves.

Answer 5

Its an issue with self control and choosing what to eat. I can choose to go to McDonalds and eat a double cheeseburger or I can choose to have a healthy salad or fruit. Unfortunatly, with the convience of fast food, people got for whats easiest. Also, there is a large lacking of exercise happening, myself included!

If we take the time and effort and eat whats right and get off our butts and step away from the computers (again, myself included -not being a hypocrite here) perhaps the obesity rate will go down.

Answer 6

Our schools have taken physical fitness out of the schools. They have put drink machines in the school filled with high calorie drinks. They need to be teaching the kids about nutrition and even those classes have been taken out. We have and are raising a bunch of lazy children who are getting diseases that once was only had by people over 40. America needs to get back to basics. 30 years ago you very seldom ever saw an obese child.

Answer 7

Europe is catching up with america.
Now th etalles tpeople in the world are the dutch of all things. 2 decades ago the average dutch man was 5 ft 6" tall, an fht ewoman 5 ft tall
NOw the average dutch manis 6 ft 2" tall and the average woman is 5 ft 8" tall/ They are also getting obese.
The Germans and others are folowing suiot with the introduction of fast foods obesity is expanding world wide.
The only way we aill reduce is ot go on diets, and exercise programs and stray with them. leave off fats, soft drinks (or any food with corn sweetners in it.eat more veggies, and fruits/nuts/ leav eof fcaffien, alcohol, and pastries.

Answer 8

They walk everywhere. They use the stairs, they don't have elevators in old buildings. Plus, moderation is the key. Our portion sizes are too big.

And as far as a solution, I hate to say it, but maybe obese people need to pay bigger premiums for their health insurance. I think smokers have to, why not obese people? Obesity causes a lot of health problems.

Answer 9

I was truly disgusted last time I was in the USA to see that there were plus size kids sections in malls. That is terrible that there are so many obese children that they must specially cater for their clothes. Each person is responsible for their own health and the best thing we can do to break the cycle is to educate our children about how important a healthy diet is. Once habits are formed it is hard to break them so the best thing to do is encourage healthy habits.

Answer 10

Hey, I'm skinny, and I eat at those places. Dont stop them, and dont stop the obese people from eating there. It realy isnt as much of americas problem, as it is indivdualy for each person. Most obese people cant help it...its in there genes. There realy isnt anything we can do for them, and fake pills that do nothing arent helping. All we can do is wait for the gene to weed itself out over the years...and lazy people need to stop being lazy, and making everyone think there the problem.