Why aren’t the politicians talking about one of the greatest issues facing America. The Obesity rate and our unhealthy population

[Care4all]

Take a look at this wonderful, delicious and healthy spread I got at a restaurant in Cambodia. Quail eggs in the second picture a very strong source of protein and other health benefits.

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But go to the USA in every major city especially the inner cities… you got a Kentucky fried chicken and McDonald’s on every street corner

According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than 2 in 5 adults are obese, and nearly 1 in 5 children are obese. Furthermore, 19 states in America have obesity rates over 35 percent, increased from 16 states just last year. A decade ago, no states had obesity rates above 35 percent! Obesity is linked to a number of health ailments, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and a number of cancers such as breast and colorectal. If that wasn’t enough, the annual medical cost of obesity was nearly 173 billion dollars in 2019 alone.

How Obesity In The U.S. Has Grown And What To Do About It

Obesity is linked to a number of health ailments, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and a number of cancers such as breast and colorectal. If that wasn’t enough, the annual medical cost of obesity was nearly 173 billion dollars in 2019 alone.

www.forbes.com

Michele Obama tried very hard to focus on healthier foods for at least school children and Republicans mocked and denigrated her for it....

 

[there4eyeM]

Talking about overweight would lead to talk of personal responsibility, and that is a no-no.

 

[Woodznutz]

The important question is the scope and reach of those laws. Should we allow the dictators we elect to pass laws telling us how to eat? I think that's a bizarre invasion of privacy.

The problem isn't what we eat, it's how much we eat. The SNAP program is already telling us to overeat by giving recipients way too much money for food. The poor are just as fat as the rest of us. However, they can't afford the problems associated with obesity.

The nation's health is in the toilet. Perhaps something should be done about it.

 

[dblack]

The problem isn't what we eat, it's how much we eat./quote]
The problem is the government telling trying to tell people how to eat. WTF?

The SNAP program is already telling us to overeat by giving recipients way too much money for food.

And they should definitely stop. What's your point?

 

[Woodznutz]

Michele Obama tried very hard to focus on healthier foods for at least school children and Republicans mocked and denigrated her for it....

And rightfully so. The kids wouldn't eat it, and it was too costly.

 

[Woodznutz]

The important question is the scope and reach of those laws. Should we allow the dictators we elect to pass laws telling us how to eat? I think that's a bizarre invasion of privacy.

Perhaps the taxpayers might be allowed to have say in how their money is being spent. Our leaders are giving away the store.

 

[Woodznutz]

Oh come on. Now you’re just being ridiculous

They do it in the military. Lose weight or get passed over for promotion. Teachers should be setting the proper example for our kids in every way possible.

 

[dblack]

Perhaps the taxpayers might be allowed to have say in how their money is being spent. Our leaders are giving away the store.

Once the government takes it, it's not "their money" any longer.

 

[dblack]

dblack,
I think you can figure that out.

Well, the best I can discern is that your point is - the state is already doing something it shouldn't, so it should do more!

Which doesn't make much sense.

 

[dblack]

The nation's health is in the toilet. Perhaps something should be done about it.

I'm not a nationalist, and this attitude is why. People aren't property of the state. We're not livestock to be taken care of, fattened up and eaten (or sent to war). That state has no responsibility, and no legitimate authority, to dictate our health habits.

 

[Foxfyre]

Michele Obama tried very hard to focus on healthier foods for at least school children and Republicans mocked and denigrated her for it....

Then again her idea of what was healthier foods for school children was unappetizing looking and unappealing to most school children. And a huge amount of food was being wasted because the kids wouldn't eat it. Good intentions often do not result in good outcomes.

That is why one-size-fits-all mandates from the federal (and often the state and local) government are almost never a good idea and too often result in the exact opposite of what they are intended to do. There is zero in the Constitution authorizing government to dictate what anybody can and cannot eat. It can recommend. It can put out educational information. But the federal government should NEVER have the kind of power to dictate diet, health habits, or any other aspect of how people must live their lives.

For sure diet and exercise and other lifestyle opportunities/choices are an important factor in the health and well being of children. But the fact is the key factor in a substantial majority of overweight children is genetic rather than cultural or diet or lifestyle.

 

[Woodznutz]

Well, the best I can discern is that your point is - the state is already doing something it shouldn't, so it should do more!

Which doesn't make much sense.

Just take sugary soft drinks and snacks off the list of approved SNAP "foods". That would be an excellent start. Everyone buys about the same amount of these but people not on SNAP can generally afford the consequences.

 

[Woodznutz]

I'm not a nationalist, and this attitude is why. People aren't property of the state. We're not livestock to be taken care of, fattened up and eaten (or sent to war). That state has no responsibility, and no legitimate authority, to dictate our health habits.

They dictate lots of other things, albeit poorly. My local fire department dictated that flammables be stored in a certain way in case of spills. This was in 1976. They never returned to check on this, and I have never had a spill such as they were dictating against. Drunk drivers are allowed to keep driving after multiple DUI's. Even when they kill someone they are allowed to continue driving. How is this a good thing?

 

[dblack]

They dictate lots of other things, albeit poorly.

Exactly. This is the entire problem with the welfare state. People tend to think that conservatives oppose the welfare state because they're stingy, or they're self-righteous jerks who think those "slackers" should buck up and get a job, or whatever. And I suppose many do come at it from that angle. But the real problem with the welfare state is the level of control it grants government.

If we task government with providing us with food or health care for example, the state will, by default, decide what we eat and has a vested interest in our personal health habits. And people with a burning desire to tell other people how to live will use that power to advance their agenda - whether it's a genuine plan to keep kids healthy, or merely a campaign to sell more corn syrup.

 

[Woodznutz]

For sure diet and exercise and other lifestyle opportunities/choices are an important factor in the health and well-being of children. But the fact is the key factor in a substantial majority of overweight children is genetic rather than cultural or diet or lifestyle.

It's mostly cultural and generational. "Genetic" is a copout. What genetic means is that the person will starve to death if their obesity isn't maintained as it is impossible for them to lose weight. Imagine that, a 300-pound person found starved to death.

 

[Woodznutz]

Exactly. This is the entire problem with the welfare state. People tend to think that conservatives oppose the welfare state because they're stingy, or they're self-righteous jerks who think those "slackers" should buck up and get a job, or whatever. And I suppose many do come at it from that angle. But the real problem with the welfare state is the level of control it grants government.

If we task government with providing us with food or health care (or anything else), the state will, be default, decide what we eat and has a vested interest in our personal health habits. And people with a burning desire to tell other people how to live will use that power to advance their agenda - whether it's a genuine plan to keep kids healthy, or merely a campaign to sell more corn syrup.

If the state is paying for the food, I think they have a right to put some controls on it.

Why do schools have a physical education (gym class) program that is mandatory? Isn't this an infringement on students' "bodily" rights?

 

[dblack]

If the state is paying for the food, I think they have a right to put some controls on it.

Yeah. Again, that's the problem. When the state is giving you free shit, there's always a catch. And people will use that dependency to lord it over others.

 

[Foxfyre]

It's mostly cultural and generational. "Genetic" is a copout. What genetic means is that the person will starve to death if their obesity isn't maintained as it is impossible for them to lose weight. Imagine that, a 300-pound person found starved to death.

Genetic means that some/many people are born with a different metabolism or other biological features that makes them process food differently. Sometimes we see it as an anomaly in families where most are of normal weight but one inexplicably eating the same food and engaging in the same activities is overweight. It is pretty common in some families in which most, even all are overweight.

Medical science is just now beginning to come around to understand that some--not all--obesity is a medical condition rather than choice of lifestyle. Just as most people can drink alcohol in moderation safely, but a certain percentage simply cannot and will develop alcoholism. Most people can consume gluten without any noticeable problems but a certain percentage cannot.

Yes people of all stripes who eat in moderation and eat healthy foods and otherwise engage in a healthy lifestyle will generally be healthier than those who do not. But there are some whose bodies just work differently. That is why fat shaming is really cruel.

 

[Care4all]

Then again her idea of what was healthier foods for school children was unappetizing looking and unappealing to most school children. And a huge amount of food was being wasted because the kids wouldn't eat it. Good intentions often do not result in good outcomes.

That is why one-size-fits-all mandates from the federal (and often the state and local) government are almost never a good idea and too often result in the exact opposite of what they are intended to do. There is zero in the Constitution authorizing government to dictate what anybody can and cannot eat. It can recommend. It can put out educational information. But the federal government should NEVER have the kind of power to dictate diet, health habits, or any other aspect of how people must live their lives.

For sure diet and exercise and other lifestyle opportunities/choices are an important factor in the health and well being of children. But the fact is the key factor in a substantial majority of overweight children is genetic rather than cultural or diet or lifestyle.

Yes, it is better done locally, with community involvement, govt involvement, nutritionists involvement, non profits, farmers involvement....

Being a smaller state, with fewer people living here....Maine was able to accomplish a liked healthier school food program, and provide it for all children in school, in the whole State.

I think less populated states have more ability to accomplish such a feat, because we tend to have more of a community commitment.... No one knocks on your door to just chat and share apple pie, but if someone in the community is in need, the people come through and help....

The article explains all that we went through to accomplish healthy school meals for all....

Maine’s Path to Healthy School Meals for All - Food Research & Action Center

January 9, 2023 In 2021, Maine passed landmark legislation guaranteeing healthy school meals for all students, but the groundwork leading up to this began years before. Full Plates Full Potential was founded in 2014 out of what originally began as a legislative task force to address Maine’s high...

frac.org

 

[Foxfyre]

Yes, it is better done locally, with community involvement, govt involvement, nutritionists involvement, non profits, farmers involvement....

Being a smaller state, with fewer people living here....Maine was able to accomplish a liked healthier school food program, and provide it for all children in school, in the whole State.

I think less populated states have more ability to accomplish such a feat, because we tend to have more of a community commitment.... No one knocks on your door to just chat and share apple pie, but if someone in the community is in need, the people come through and help....

The article explains all that we went through to accomplish healthy school meals for all....

Maine’s Path to Healthy School Meals for All - Food Research & Action Center

January 9, 2023 In 2021, Maine passed landmark legislation guaranteeing healthy school meals for all students, but the groundwork leading up to this began years before. Full Plates Full Potential was founded in 2014 out of what originally began as a legislative task force to address Maine’s high...

frac.org

Even in a big city like Albuquerque and one of the largest school districts in the USA does pretty well in serving a reasonably healthy menu. There is no charge to any students for breakfast and lunch which of course is very expensive to the taxpayers but it is what it is. I doubt anyone in the federal government or State of New Mexico could improve on it.

LINQ Connect

Pay your school fees and add money to meal accounts from anywhere, any time.

linqconnect.com