What can us Americans do to solve the obesity problem? Is there a solution?

Answer 1

As a nation we can do very little outside of education.All you have to do is read some of the nonsense in this forum to see how ignorant many people are.It's mostly an individual issue but proper parenting certainly helps.I was raised to never get fat therefore it was engrained into me from childhood.Instead my parents stressed sports and exercise.Through that interest I took it upon myself to learn more.

Answer 2

I think the question was more 'society' then individual oriented.

I think much more could be done. In economics, people talk about 'externalities' - things that are not charged as part of a transaction. The free market efficiently allocates resources to deal with costs, but if the cost is not borne by participants it is ignored. The solution, when possible, is to make 'external' costs 'internal'. For example, a tax on carbon emissions, or better yet, tradeable emission rights makes a former 'external' cost - the impact of polution - an 'internal' cost. Once you can trade carbon credits, the market figures out the most efficient way to maximize production accross the economy within that framework.

The same idea could be applied to diet. I can walk into macdonalds and get filled up on a burger and fries for like 4 bucks. If I want a healthy filling lunch, I'm going to pay double that. I'm not trying to pick on macdonalds here, I see them as neutral. We could argue that people eating unhealthy food has an 'external' cost impact - the impact on societal health, society wide health care costs, need for government support for less healthy individuals, etc. So how can we make that external cost internal? Tax unhealthy food, subsidize healthy food. If a burger and fries cost 50% more then a chicken breast and salad, I'd be eating a lot more healthy food. I'm sure whoever makes the oil or lard they use to deep fry would complain, but I don't actually think macdonalds would - I think they'd be just as happy to sell subsidized 4 dollar healthy meals as they are to sell burgers and fries today - so long as every other business is playing in the same environment. You can bet they'd have a huge research oepration underway immediately to come out with healthier food that tastes as good as possible. That's the idea of the free market - you set the parameters, then let companies go wild trying to work within them as efficiently as possible.

We could similarly be encouraging other 'heatly' behaviours related to exercise, etc. I think we could also do a better job of teaching kids in school how to have a healthy activity level. The reality today is that kids are going to spend a lot of time sitting at a computer. That is _not_ the problem. If today's kids (and adults) worked out hard for an hour, then sat at a computer for 9 hours every day, while eating a reasonably healthy diet, they'd be in fine shape. That's the kind of habit we need to instill in kids.

Answer 3

Push for stricter regulations on fast and processed foods.

On an individual level, Americans could start taking responsibility to start shunning bad food. I know that sounds 'pie in the sky', but no change happens en-mass. Every big change starts with one person making the right decision.

The obesity issue is considered by some to be a sort of pandemic. Over-eating is almost a disease in itself - like the complete opposite of anorexia.

I don't know what it's like in America but I'm sure the Government could invest alot more in promoting healthy living, even implementing school programmes to educate children about the dangers of processed and fast foods, encouraging them to choose healthy options for the positive benefits.

Having said that the Government is not responsible for picking up the pieces when parents fail their children and themselves. So... perhaps parents need some training on how to feed their children.

Answer 4

The obesity problem started when steroids were given to cows to make them mature and put on weight faster. Steroids are not made ineffective by the cooking process. That means when you eat beef, you are also eating the steroids which do to you what they did to the cow - make you mature faster and gain weight.

Do a search on what company is the largest purchaser of beef in the world. You will see it's McDonald's Corporation.

Do you think McDonald's has a say in how the cows are raised when they are going to be the purchaser? You better believe it! Do you think McDonald's knows that steroids cause obesity? You better believe it!

Did cigarette manufacturers know that tobacco caused cancer? Again, you better believe it. Did that stop them from producing cigarettes? No. Why? It's not illegal to cause cancer. Why? Because the people who have the money to pay for laws are the ones who make them.

It would take a world-wide concerted effort to boycott McDonald's and all fast food franchises to force them stop using steroids in their beef and you know what? It ain't gonna happen!

Answer 5

I think housewives are the solution with children moms are busy getting ready for work or are too tired to cook at night so kids are eating more sugar, pop tarts, TV dinners, and every ones favorite Mc Donalds! If moms stayed at home they would have more time to cook nutritious breakfasts and to put together a healthy lunch than there would be a good dinner waiting on the table for the kids and the husbands the hustle and bustle is forcing more and more people to Taco Johns instead of home to eat good food. Also the chemicals used in foods now a days is depriving the nutrition out of the foods that should be extremely healthy. The hamburger on your plate who knows where that came from? Who knows if it is even 100% beef? So more gardens and more home made foods and a sudden decrease in obesity would be shocking!!!

Answer 6

it really is an fairly exciting, yet tragic suggestion. it really is a tragedy that the human species ended up so overweight that the fat extracted from liposuction is sufficient to contribute to production of bio-ability. As a well being specialist, i trust that the answer of the burden problems epidemic isn't liposuction yet prevention of weight problems with the help of a in good structure way of life (yet it really is a diverse concern). so a concepts because the bio-ability is worried, I consider a revealed answer affirming that the bio-diesel produced doesn't be adequate to make an significant replace. some different person would argue even if that each and every little enables..

Answer 7

I think there are far too many fast food outlets in America. A lot of compromise aswell needs to happen, because it is far too easy to go out and buy take out, and it becomes a habit, and because of parents having to work, its often the excuse and laziness sets in, and its easier and quicker to buy food. People need to be disciplined and think more about health

Answer 8

Eat less, exercise more. Gee, you wouldn't think there was one obese person anywhere but in America, now,would you?

Answer 9

For many without pathological reasons, a sensible diet and exercise will do the trick.

Answer 10

Maybe we could tear ourselves away from our computers and other electronic devices. Watch, it's easy, I am going to do it right now. No, now. Give me a second, I seem to be stuck. Here we go, now I.......think......I.......can......darn it, I guess not. Sorry about that, I will try to show you how easy it is later I suppose.