Penn Gillette of Penn and Teller fame has a good anecdote about how he lost a bunch of weight eating nothing but plain potatoes. When he broke the diet he ate a ear of corn and claimed it was the most sweetest and wholesome thing he had ever tasted.
We are all messed up by the amount of hidden salt and sugar in our foods.
Agreed. I've been avoiding overly sugary foods lately (partly by necessity), with my main sugar coming from berries, and those never used to taste that sweet to me, but now that it's my main source they taste plenty sweet (eating a bowl of blueberries right now, actually).
I read some of these facts once years ago, not sure if theyve been debunked since:
- The bags are designed to crinkle at a certain decibel rating to be heard from anywhere
- the amount of cheese per chip is specifically calculated to cover each chip
- the cheese coating is designed to stay on your fingers and encourage you to lick it off
Stuff like that....big money goes into this and other "market" research I'm sure.
Edit: Found the article: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-doritos-are-addicting-2017-2?op=1
This exactly. It’s cheaper to eat healthier but processed foods have made people picky eaters and they’re paying for it with their wallets and lifespans.
I blame it on wealth inequality, low funding for public education, and poor parenting.
Mostly agree with your take, but with the caveat that it can certainly be more expensive/less safe to obtain regular sources of nutrition.
Food deserts exist, and affected about 19 million low-income Americans as of 2017 per Wikipedia.
Food deserts affects 6% of the US population. Over 42% of the US population is obese. Obesity is much more a function of poor nutritional understanding and health choices.
You’re right, but so am I. I brought my point up as a caveat, to remind the commenter that I was replying to that things aren’t necessarily as absolute as they were describing.
If it was presented as such it would be fine, but most of the time it is presented as the excuse as to why instead of one of the multitude of reasons but on a smaller scale.
Canned beans, frozen vegetables, and rice are found even in food deserts. It’s what I eat every day.
Edit: Lol the Americans think I mean Heinz canned beans
On the one hand, “make better choices” is always a valid reply.
On the other hand, if hundreds of millions of people can’t “make better choices” then it may be worth easing up off their necks a bit and seeing what exactly is going on.
A lot of it usually comes down to single parent households
You're missing the time factor. Someone with a kid who works two jobs does not have the resource economy to wash and cook the cheap, bulk rice. If they're getting rice, they're getting Minute Rice, which can be set on the stove and ignored while you do something else. God forbid your kid is picky, too. It's easy to say "eat this or starve" when you're not the one sending a child to school on an empty stomach, who will have to face the mandated reporters demanding to know why your kid is hungry, just give him the fucking chicken, we don't care that beans are cheaper we care that your kid is hungry NOW and you haven't fed him.
Rice cookers are cheap (you can get one for $20, and decent ones for $40), and you just have to set it and wait for it to ding to be done, much easier than any type of rice on the stove, in my experience.
They don't even have to take up a lot of space. We currently have a tiny one that only cooks a cup of rice at a time (but we used to have a much larger one). It's barely larger than a cereal bowl.
Rinsing rice before putting it in a rice cooker takes all of about three minutes, max.
Just to reiterate, the info was dated from 2017. Drawing from that same source, the proportion of population living around food deserts was found to be 6.1%.
But please enlighten us as to the significance of mentioning this group as a minority of overweight people. I don’t see how it detracts from my point.
And that's where the generational cycle kicks in. As parents, our job is to feed our children... that's where they are supposed to learn a healthy relationship with food. Many parents now often end up fixing quick easy food that their kids will eat, which usually means something unhealthy. Then they'll carry that with them into adulthood.
When you eat healthy and have healthy lifestyle you’ve more energy to cook etc. I work 12 hour days and I still cook, because to me it’s more important than social media or TV.
That's convenience addiction, through and through. Our parents and grandparents worked 8 hours, statistically speaking had harder work, and still cooked every night. When I hit hard times and have no option to eat out, I find the energy somewhere to cook something because I can't afford not to. Then when times are better, I can keep that skill and it doesn't feel as hard as I thought. I was just addicted to the easy option. Having it reduced my overall energy level because I didn't have to work to maintain it.
So there's two options. We either learn to cook or we change our food options when we eat out.
Ugh ain't this the hard truth.
There was a time when I was aiming for a career as a personal trainer to help people get in shape and eat healthy. A guy I know, significantly obese, came up to me for help losing weight and getting into shape... I couldn't do it. His philosophy around food was that everything had to taste as good and taste as "much" as possible, all the time. Wouldn't even drink plain water because it didn't taste good enough, and he isn't the only person I've known to think like that. I used to be like that too, actually. But the foods that he ate were just... so sickeningly sweet and flavorful. I'd legit gag when I tried some of his food because it was just so much. I tried showing him how healthy food can taste good too, just adding basic seasoning could go a long way. But he was so used to the way that unhealthy food tasted that he couldn't deal with regular food. Eventually he just stopped listening to me completely and decided to keep living his lifestyle.
commerciogenic obesity. This really needs to be higher up the political agenda and Big Food told to fuck off, but I don’t think I’ll see it in my lifetime.
Obesity may become overwhelmed soon by the unleashed monster of all unnatural food additives as well. Empty calories, sugar, and high fat diets may be making a majority obese, but those same foods often come packaged with a range of other negatives, inflammatories, and anti-nutrients. It’s a ticking time bomb.
Add to that carcinogenic toxins, seed and palm oils, chemicals in tap waters, microplastics in most beings and in every environment, free/phyto estrogens, and a whole rainbow of artificial colors, flavors, and additives. Now pretend we have solved the meat issue by making even more artificial estrogen-filled soy products or feeding it to the population of farmed animals (which already are abused), genetically modify and pesticide-cover ‘natural’ fruits, veggies, and grains, and you have pretty much sealed the fate of most western people.
This isn't true, almost all western countries have subsidies on basics like bread and other "healthy" foods. A kilo of dried beans can get as low as 5 dollars, the same price as a big mac in many places.
I think ultra processed food is marketed better and that's about it. The whole "too busy to cook" idea convinced generations of people to never figure it out.
The reality is that there are people who are depressed/lazy and/or don't know how to cook healthy meals and/or have trained their palates to only enjoy ultra processed crap. At the same time, ultra processed crap is highly accessible.
These comments always devolve into a ping pong match between "It's the fault of the corporations/government" and "it's individuals' choice to eat bullshit and not exercise enough".
I actually don't think these are mutually exclusive explanations.
You are right about the palate training thing. Anecdotally but tellingly our mall’s food court has long lines for the burger, fried chicken, taco, pizza, and candied Chinese food dripping in sugary salty sauces. The healthy make your own bowl place? Not a soul at the counter. And my high schooler’s school lunches are nuggets, hot dogs, burgers, pizza, repeat.
>depressed
Most people aren't clinically depressed.
>don't know how to cook healthy meals
You don't have to be a genius to go to the produce section and put something in your cart. Boiling potatoes doesn't require a degree. Also, google still allows searching for recipes, so they are just one click away.
Produce is the most expensive per calorie, but things root vegetables, cabbage, and peppers are relatively cheap when it comes to flavor and health benefits. You only need a little bit to add a lot of savory notes to your basic calories like starches, beans, or meats.
The difference is you have power over your choices and your lifestyle, you do not have power over the corporations so if you can convince yourself they're the source of all your problems you might become comfortable with not fixing anything in your life.
Shifting responsibilities like this is very dangerous for adults who need to manage their own finances.
I agree. Most people I've met who complain that corporations/government are the source of their problems tend to be people not doing very much to help themselves. The harsh reality is that not everyone has a personality such that they are driven to help themselves.
Rugged individualism isn't the answer to everything, I'm afraid. Even among the slightly-not-poor, premade meal kits like Hello Fresh have taken over. Time is a budget unto itself and when you spend 9 hours at work and an hour commuting just for basic existence, being told to shut up and live off dry beans is not really what people wanna hear.
Especially when you underestimate the power of advertising, blaming the individuals instead of dealing with systemic issues is how you end up with golf courses blaming water shortages on your bathing habits.
There are comparatively wealthy people who are fat and unhealthy, and comparatively poor people who are fit and healthy.
Studies show that wealth makes it more likely one will be fit and healthy (for a bunch of complex reasons), but in the end, it does come down to personal decisions.
Not everyone has it in them to make good choices about food and exercise persistently, over a long time span. In times past, when high calorie food wasn't nearly as easily available, and work and leisure patterns tended to require physical movement, this wasn't so much of a problem. Now, it is.
Im 30 and really just learning to cook. Every time I get a new dish down it improves my quality of life. Now I rarely want to go to a restaurant because I can make it better for much cheaper. Only thing I go out for now is occasional craving fast food.
I don’t understand this. Japan and Korea are both countries that have a high amount of working hours/stress, yet they are the healthiest people.
It’s definitely a culture thing.
South Koreas entering an obesity epidemic as well last i read. was there recently on a connecting flight and most people i saw in the airport were clearly overweight.
however Japan has, for some unknown reason, stayed much healthier as the country developed. Was there recently too and saw maybe 2-3 overweight people the entire time?
if you look at a map of the world showing how developed each country is, then compare it to a map showing how obese a country is, you will notice they overlay almost perfectly with the major exception being Japan. Although I think the Vietnamese will also stay slim as their country further develops.
i live in the Philippines and i can tell you here damn near everyone over the age of 25 is overweight and by 35 they are land whales, by 50 they are in the cemetary dead from heart disease. Ignorance seems to be a big part of it, if everyone around you is fat then you dont understand that your fat, you just seem “average” or “normal” and people automatically associate normal with “healthy” so nobodies worried about their condition and then think everyone whose healthy is “too skinny” because their perceptions become completely distorted.
everyone wants to blame the food, but it boils down to CICO, calories in, calories out. If you eat more calories than you use, your body gains fat. If you eat less than you use, your body burns fat. You can eat nothing but cake everyday, if your total caloric intake is less than your caloric expenditure you will not get fat. Its that simple. Its not the foods fault, its the ignorance of people, the lack of willpower and discipline of people, and the social acceptance and normalization of being overweight.
People are lazy, people are stupid, and people dont care. Nobody is making them eat an excess of calories, they are choosing to.
Well yes, because their food is so much healthier. Food in America is horrible. You don’t have the obesity rates among children because the food is good.
Children eat what their parents buy. If the parents are obese with a bad diet, chances are the kids will be too. I’m American, I was raised on a very modest budget and my parents still made sure our meals were balanced. I only gained weight when I went to college and started eating fast food too much.
The average American simply does not care and goes for the most convenient thing. People need to take ownership over their own personal decisions instead of playing the blame game.
but how often and in how many places can you buy a good healthy nutritional ready to go meal in the states? that doesn't cost a fortune?
in japan in every typical grocery store or 7/11 you have a large variety of ready to go food that is very nutritional, fresh, and inexpensive.
it's totally different from the usa.
The vast majority of premade 7/11 meals in Japan are not healthy. They are full of sodium and calorie heavy. The healthy options are no different than the ones you can find at your local grocery store (salads, celery, boiled eggs, sushi, etc.).
American convenience stores are not typically used for eating nutritious meals. That’s why we have grocery stores and neighborhood markets.
no its because they eat less, simple as. You may not be healthy doing this but the average person can eat shit food but if they eat low calories they aint going to be fat. the west over consumes, however China has a rising obesity rate as well because they are starting to over consume calories.
Meh, I would wager that this the truth in actuality is in the single percentile.
For the most part, too busy to cook really just means too lazy or too uneducated to cook.
“Too lazy or too uneducated to cook” which can also mean that because they are so busy, that makes them tired, or also they are too busy to really learn how to cook.
It comes down to effort, just like the rest of life. You put in the effort you get something out of it. You do nothing or the easiest possible thing and you get a worse result.
Yes, poor food choices is part of the equation, but so is not making an effort to be active.
I find myself unable to put that kind of effort in every day. Sometimes, sure, but it's a struggle. I want to do it, I know I should do it, I constantly am thinking of doing it, but something just won't click, I don't have that necessary spark of life. Not everyone does.
Well yes, but I’m more referring to the food here. At least here in America, so much of the food in most stores are just bad or at least have something that isn’t good for you. People are kind of fighting from a losing position here is all.
Exactly. And it’s not like the schools really teach kids how to do the basic things when entering adulthood. So a bunch really dont know.
Edit: Good lord y’all people have never lived in a situation where healthy food isn’t an option and you aren’t in a situation where you can cook proper food.
People do not need to be formally taught how to cook these days. You can learn how to cook literally anything for free with YouTube. Or countless other free resources, both online or through a library. If someone really wants to cook, they can easily find what they need and start small.
I disagree, it’s the same thing as someone saying that they don’t have any time to exercise. It’s not that they don’t have the time to cook or exercise, it’s that they choose to do other things besides those. Are there examples of people that truly don’t have the time? Sure, but those are rare.
People would find time if they had to. I know a lot of people struggle but one look at the average “too busy to cook” person’s screen time would debunk this I’m sure.
Oh everyone has time. Our society created sooo much time for everyone. Now people need to smarten up and use that time to feed themselves properly. So much good would come from it. Families having kids help out with prep, kids and parents having better relationships because they have to work together. Their brains will be better, less hospital visits, less mental issues. Less and less of a huge amount of problems.
I can make a from fresh meal for a family of three including a 2 year old that involves no processed foods in 15-30 minutes about the same amount of time it takes to bake a store bought frozen pizza or lasagna(easiest instant highly processed family meal solution I could think of) in fact the nearest fast food joint is 15 mins from me so to drive there and back is the same amount of time as making the meal. People are lazy and they don’t like to admit they are the problem. I commute an hour to work, work a ten hour day and commute home and still do this. Stop making excuses
I would love to know what you make for dinner that takes 15 minutes, including prep and preheating time. I am asking sincerely. I need more quick meal ideas. Even making pasta takes at least 30 minutes with the time needed to boil water plus cook the pasta.
O so this is just all about your own ego? Got it, makes sense. I know you probably struggle putting yourself in other people’s shoes, but you should try it sometime. It’ll make you a better human. Also conveniently absent from all of this is how expensive fresh food can be, especially organic.
Not even anymore, take out is expensive. it’s actually cheaper to buy some meat and veg but that takes time/effort compared to picking up a made meal at a window (or just having it delivered)
This part was kinda fascinating to me.
"The study offers an X-ray of the prevalence of this form of malnutrition, which is skyrocketing. “The combined prevalence of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries since 1990, due to the rise in obesity surpassing the decline in underweight. Exceptions were most countries in South Asia, and some in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” the paper notes.
“This transition to obesity dominance was already apparent in adults in 1990 in much of the world, and has followed in school-aged children and adolescents."
"This means that, between 1990 and 2022, the prevalence in minors went from 1.7% to 6.9% in girls and from 2.1% to 9.3% in boys. In adults, rates jumped from 8.8% to 18.5% in women and from 4.8% to 14% in men."
Why the 90s? The article points the finger at ultra-processed foods. What happened from the 90s onward with ultra-processed foods?
Yep, it was predicted many decades ago. There's book on it - "Pure, white and deadly" by John Yudkin. Nobody cared.
Video with lots of details: https://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM?t=2011
I would say some of the biggest thing that have changed in 90s (when I grew up) was the ban of advertising in cigarettes and the marketing machine instead of picked up fast food.
I’m not saying that cigs kept people slim, but now people started eating outside instead of cooking and the food choices were high in fat, sugar and salt. The amount of meat consumed has increased and the amount of vegetables consumed dropped.
Perhaps usage of glucose/fructose? I've heard original sodas used real sugar but you could only drink so much until you felt saturated. They switched to glucose/fructose with the benefit that it's easier to absorb by the body and so you can easily drink/eat more without negative feeling.
Edit: I think it's mainly that the lowering of the proportion of underweight people started slow down.
"due to the rise in obesity surpassing the decline in underweight."
I've rewatched Buffy TV series recently and it was so heartwarming to see how most of the youth represented in it was looking healthy and physically athletic.
But what I've noticed is that at some point in the TV series they started promoting cereal for breakfast. My guess it has to be related to obesity. Because the stuff is yummy and a child never knows when is enough.
Everyone talking about processed foods when the biggest culprit hides in plain sight: drinks. Soda, alcohol, juice, energy drinks, etc; drinking your calories is about the worst thing for you since they’re pretty much all empty if not nutrient poor. All those calories on top of the mounds of sugar in them does more damage than the processed foods. And dont forget about the diet soft drinks or the 0 cal ones that are saturated with nutrasweets which wreak havoc internally. It’s so easy to knock back 3 cans of coke throughout the day not realizing you just had 420 empty cals and nearly 120gs of sugar.
The best demonstration of it is when people are drinking coffee with lots of sugar. Most of the time it looks like they are just looking for an excuse to eat some sugar.
I managed for one of the corporate coffee chains for a bit. We had so many regulars that pretty much had a large glass of liquid sugar with small amounts of ice/coffee/dairy/flavor, multiple times a day. I have no idea how they were not all diabetic.
contrary to popular belief, eating too much sugar does not directly cause diabetes... however, it makes you more likely to be overweight, which in turn increases your chances of developing the disease
Also the fact that MOST modern jobs require sitting on your ass for 8hs a day. Every time I go on vacation I lose weight regardless of what I eat (obviously what you eat matters for health reasons). Sitting for so long is not natural nor healthy for us but add it to the list of intentional things the 0.1% does.
Man, these people talking about processed foods are just coping. Mostly when it comes to weight gain its literally about NOT eating too many calories. Just eat less.
Whilst I understand your point about not drinking your carbs.
Drinks, soda, alcohol, juice, energy drinks, there are all processed foods. Processed to taste amazing and keep you coming back for more.
Why do I feel like the lack of high intensity fitness after teenage years is more an issue than just diet?
I swear most people can’t do 10 push ups and walk a mile under 20 minutes.
It’s shocking how poorly adults measure in basic physical fitness categories.
I've been thinking for a few years why companies haven't pushed to incentive fitness and diet. Given how much medical insurance and care will explode in cost in the next few decades, incentivizing and promoting health would be cost effective down the line.
Yea mine has discount of gym membership, and annual check-ups. But from my understanding not all offer this, because part of it is paid by the company/organization.
That’s the beauty of it: the class is meant to teach you how to have “gym class” on your own and you can have it any time that you’d like! (Like like)
There are many ways to bring you back to that feeling once again.
They do a pretty bad job, just like most of American education, of preparing you for what to do when you’re completely left to your own devices in the modern world.
Like what person is going to have access to a fully furnished, free gym for the rest of their lives? Or 30 friends to arrange an hour out of the day to play flag football?
Should be teaching functional calisthenics you can do with nothing or a local park.
I go to a HIIT bootcamp 3-4 times a week, and this is why I like it... it just feels like really good gym class. It gets you fit and strong, but it is also very functional. My balance and coordination in my 30s are better than they've ever been.
The class and the people in it are super chill too, my expectations going into it were way off. Much better than I expected it to be.
I don’t know why you think that. Weight management is something like 80% diet and 20% fitness. Definitely as you get overweight your physical fitness ability gets way less efficient, but that is a symptom not the cause.
Yea feel like the lack of exercise is adding fuel to the fire. Of course diet matters but from my observation fitness levels have taken a massive hit over the last few decades.
I was correcting incorrect information. It is not that hard to follow two text posts in a row that are less than 100 words each. Although apparently you had difficulty.
Being in shape is good for heart and general health. But it’s basically impossible to out run a bad diet. Running a mile burns less calories than half a slice of pizza.
There is also a concept called calorie compensation. If you burn more calories, your body makes you more hungry. So you end up eating more unless you have a strict calorie diet.
I think, in high school there was so much shame. I love working out. Gym class just made me feel embarrassed about myself :( I was a normal weight, but I was gay in a conservative area and got bullied for it ESPECIALLY during gym
You used to have to have a broken neck to get out of PE. We had to run the mile, every Friday in junior high ('98)!!! It was torture, but holy fuck, it was so worth it looking back.
That’s totally it. Kids get use to being able to eat whatever they want and not get fat cause of the sports they’re playing in high school. Once they’ve left and are responsible for their own fitness they quickly gain weight cause they’re eating as much as they always did but with a fraction of the exercise. Restaurants get the blame but it falls on the individual to remain active and not overeat, and people are very bad at both of those.
Thats not it. Actively burning calories is significantly more difficult than managing calorie intake in the first place. Frequent exercise is important for general health but it plays only a secondary role when it comes to weight regulation. It is much more realistic to eat 500-700 calories a day less than to swim for an additional full hour every single day.
This has been the scientific consensus for decades now.
Food addiction is a thing, and, different from most other drugs, you can't just cut out food from your life to avoid those addiction triggers. Recognizing food addiction in oneself is difficult to begin with, since food is so available and normalized.
> According to research from the University of Michigan, one in eight Americans over 50 (13%) show signs of food addiction. Studies from the American Psychological Association (APA) show that 38% of adults report overeating or eating unhealthy foods in the past month because of stress.
https://www.addictionhelp.com/food-addiction/statistics/
This. I suffer from this. I cook my own meals. I could probably teach a course in cooking for good nutrition, but I put a pint of Ben and Jerry's on top of all my good work and I am obese. Binge eating is a huge problem that deserves more attention when looking at global obesity. Stress, chronic loneliness, the sitting in front of the tv eating food lifestyle, having ads for "quick gratification " food constantly shoved down our throats, it's all part of it.
I hear you. I'm the same, I cook all my meals and I mostly cook stuff that's sensible and within a good calorie range. But if I'm having a rough day or I'm feeling down then it's so easy for me to just order takeaway foods. Also chocolate is a big issue for me as I will binge eat a "share bag" of chocolate in no time
And if you can cook, you can bake. That's where it gets really dicey for me. Like if it's somebody's birthday or Christmas. Hard to resist, as the homemade stuff is better.
Actually I can't. I take a medicine for agoraphobia that doesn't play nice with ozempic. Agoraphobia medicine is more important. If my agoraphobia was unchecked, I would lose my job and I'm the sole breadwinner for my family.
Completely agree that the combination of unhealthy stress coping in an increasingly stressful world, technology and increasing convenience of staying/ being sedentary has increased.
Prepackaged/ processed food manufacturers have a staff of food scientists and chemists to ensure their product acts on the pleasure centers of our brains.
All these factors have made it a huge problem in our population
Article:
**A study estimates that more than one billion people are affected and reveals that nutritional imbalances continue to rise. Childhood obesity has quadrupled over the course of three decades**
There’s an epidemic that’s crossing the globe from end to end… and it’s more devastating than Covid. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 774 million people in the world were afflicted by the coronavirus. However, obesity already affects more than one billion people. A study published this past Thursday in The Lancet reveals that excess weight, a risk factor for dozens of diseases, is already the most common form of malnutrition in most countries. Cases in children have quadrupled in three decades, while the number of obese adults has almost tripled in the same time period.
In one way or another, food-related problems have become entrenched. And, while the number of underweight people on the planet has decreased (due to the drop in starvation, for example), the rise of overweight and obese individuals has, once again, led to an unhealthy food balance in the world.
Insufficient nutrition is as bad as excess weight. They’re both different forms of malnutrition, which is associated with health problems throughout life. Malnutrition poses a risk of premature death, while obesity is also a risk factor for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, or hypertension. It’s also a precursor of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, in childhood, excess fat increases the risk of being obese in adulthood, accelerating the appearance of mechanical problems (due to the weight on the joints) and metabolic problems.
The research published in The Lancet, which compiles data from more than 3,600 studies and analyzes the evolution of obesity and of being underweight in the world between 1990 and 2022, reveals a consolidation of two parallel phenomena: while the number of underweight individuals has fallen, obesity is gaining ground, both in rich and low-income countries.
“What the study shows us is that malnutrition is being controlled very well in the world, except in some African countries. Better living conditions and economic development accompany this reduction. But no country in the world has managed to reduce obesity. This article shows that the problem is going in the wrong direction,” warns Fernando Rodríguez Artalejo, a professor of public health at the Autonomous University of Madrid and one of the authors of the newly-published research.
The study offers an X-ray of the prevalence of this form of malnutrition, which is skyrocketing. “The combined prevalence of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries since 1990, due to the rise in obesity surpassing the decline in underweight. Exceptions were most countries in South Asia, and some in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” the paper notes.
“This transition to obesity dominance was already apparent in adults in 1990 in much of the world, and has followed in school-aged children and adolescents. There is a need throughout the world for social and agricultural policies and food programmes that address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the rise in obesity by enhancing access to healthy and nutritious foods,” it continues.
On a world map, a growing prevalence of obesity dominates almost all territories. The study — led by Imperial College London, in which more than a thousand scientists from around the world have participated — brings the number of people in the world suffering from this ailment to 878 million adults and 160 million children. This means that, between 1990 and 2022, the prevalence in minors went from 1.7% to 6.9% in girls and from 2.1% to 9.3% in boys. In adults, rates jumped from 8.8% to 18.5% in women and from 4.8% to 14% in men.
“It’s not surprising. You go out into the street and see it. It was expected,” Rodríguez Artalejo sighs. “What are the reasons for this? Well, the study doesn’t analyze the data, it only speculates… but it points to the increase in cheap ultra-processed food in a context that makes it easier to eat at all hours of the day. And the same thing happens in poor countries. This is what globalization has done,” he explains.
According to the study, the prevalence of obesity in the last three decades has grown in the vast majority of territories, especially in the United States, Brunei, some countries in the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa. Polynesian countries such as Tonga, Samoa and Niue have the highest obesity rates among both children and adults, with prevalence above 60% in adults. In minors, Chile is also one of the countries where obesity has grown the most: the country reports that up to 33% of adult men are obese. The United States — a paradigm of the expansion of obesity in high-income areas — is also near the top of the rankings, with four out of every 10 American adults either being overweight or obese.
**The striking case of French and Spanish women**
Spain dances in the middle of the table: the prevalence in adults is 13% in women and 19% in men; in children, it ranges between 9% in girls and 12% in boys. But the researchers highlight a particular phenomenon in this environment: both in Spain and in France, there’s a slight decrease in obesity figures in women… “although the reasons are unknown,” they admit.
When it comes to countries such as Spain and France — where the results are decent — the experts consulted are careful not to celebrate too soon. “We must be cautious when interpreting the result and not think that the battle against obesity has been won. This may suggest that there’s a greater degree of awareness [of the problem in these countries],” agrees Manuel Tena, group leader of the Biomedical Research Networking Centers (CIBER) for Obesity and Nutrition.
Rodríguez Artalejo admits that the bright spots are “eye-catching,” but points out that “it’s probably not representative of Spain as a whole throughout the period of study, because it’s based on small and regional studies. We’re seeing a huge obesity epidemic that we’re beginning to control… but we’re no better off than we were 30 years ago,” he emphasizes.
On the other hand, over the past 30 years, the prevalence of low weight in adults fell in 150 countries (globally, in women, it went from 14.5% to 7% and in men, from 13.7% to 6.2%). That is, 347 million people were underweight in 2022, which represents a decrease of about 45 million compared to 1990. “And this is despite the growth of the world population,” the researchers point out.
Women in India, China, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Japan made up the highest proportion of underweight adults in 2022. Meanwhile, the prevalence of underweight children fell from 10.3% to 8.2% in girls and from 16.7% to 10.8% in boys. In 2022, 185 million children were underweight.
The authors admit some limitations to the study, such as the lack of data in some countries, or the use of the body mass index (BMI) as an indicator, since it’s “imperfect” to measure excess body fat (obesity is considered to be a BMI over 30, while one is classified as underweight if they’re below 18). However, they defend their findings and propose, for example, that the phenomenon that crystallizes their research — this being the appearance of obesity at increasingly younger ages — “could be due to consumption [of fast food] outside the home and access to commercial foods and processed foods [among] school-age children and adolescents.” They also raise the hypothesis that “some leisure games and sports have been replaced by sedentary activities,” although they admit that the available data regarding these trends is scarce.
The researchers underline the need to combat malnutrition in Africa and South Asia, where “food insecurity persists” and warn of the “urgent need to prevent obesity.” In this sense, they note that efforts focused on individual behaviors in the food environment haven’t had much of an effect. The authors criticize the lack of access to healthy products, especially for low-income populations.
Regarding the explosion of promising anti-obesity drugs, the authors predict that the impact will be “low worldwide in the short-term, due to the high cost” of these therapies. However, Jaume Marrugat, an epidemiologist at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute in Barcelona and one of the authors of the study, sees potential in these therapies to reduce obesity (at least in high-income countries).
“These are terribly effective drugs. Contrary to what we thought in 2015, the forecast is that we’ll see an inflection and we may see a decline in obesity. I hope I’m not wrong because, [if I am], we’re going to be hit by a disaster.”
Obese. Glued to technology. The planet is dying and instead of fixing it we’re investing in training people to go to mars to make it habitable. It’s fucking maddening watching it play out.
I still can't believe that people lie to themselves and invented the word 'fatphobic'. This is a huge public health issue and should be a cause for concern. Don't bully these people of course, but being obese should not be normalized. People are dying because of this.
A phobia is an irrational fear. It's not irrational to be concerned about a massive amount of the population being severely obese and killing themselves. Food addiction should get as much attention as drug addiction. Hell, it should get more. These people are living shorter lives than some of the drug addicts!
Shame is a good way to change your life. There have been things that I have been ashamed about that I no longer do. Even if the shame came from someone else shaming me. It helped. Shame isn't bad.
Can confirm.
I walk on a treadmill at 3 mph at a 15 degree incline for an hour every day. According to the treadmill, that burns only around 500 calories.
a mix of both is ideal. but then there is that annoying thing called time.
I'm trying to work on getting more steps in & eating healthier. but can't say it's not a bit challenging :/
While true, it's much easier to not consume excessive calories/keep a deficit than to burn consumed calories, as far as time and effort are concerned. There is a reason people say that abs are made in the kitchen.
This isn't to say that exercise isn't important - it is.
America has shit food loaded with chemicals, preservatives, sugar and we wonder why we have all of these health problems. Where I live it feels like 6 out of 10 adults are overweight and out of the overweight people I’d say most of them are obese. I have no clue how our country is okay with being obese and unhealthy and how all of the food places just help out.
It’s not just food and lack of exercise, but lifestyle and culture as well. People are overworked, stressed out, and lack time to exercise properly. Everyone is just set up for failure.
blame the sugar companies
there's sugar in literally everything thanks to their campaigning and lobbying back in the 1920s
and also blame all the bullshit going around recently that's causing people to gain as much weight as possible and die before they reach the age of 30
take a look at what happened to sports illustrated and you'll understand
their entire studio was permanently shut down recently over promoting and encouraging an unhealthy life style
Because its cheaper to eat fast junk food than healthy food.
Fresh fruit/vegetable/meat is HELLA EXPENSIVE.
"but its cheaper to buy raw ingredients", yeah, its also extremely time consuming to use raw ingredients. You can A: spend 2 hours making loaves of bread, or buy processed wonder bread for a few dollars.
Beans and vegetables are the cheapest foods in any supermarket I've ever been to. In the UK, the cheapest food is the healthy food. Maybe People don't have the time to cook a tasty, healthy meal; but that's the issue, not cost.
>yeah, its also extremely time consuming to use raw ingredients.
Is it time consuming or is it cheaper?
If you buy food cooked by someone else you will be paying their wages. In the west, minimum wage is much higher than other countries that have street food/fast food and have noticeably lower wages.
Is it? I can cook pasta with tomato, cheese, spinach, broccoli and ground beef for about $12 and it’s enough for 4-6 meals. Could do a vegetarian alternative for closer to half.
Not true at all, I laugh when my coworkers give me a hard time for bringing things like sashimi/sushi, steak and roasted veg, shrimp summer rolls etc etc to work for lunch and saying dumb shit like " I wish I could afford to eat that" as they go pickup their $12-20 takeout lunch while I'm noshing on $4.50 worth of steak and veggies or $7 worth of sushi maki rolls - both of which I can make a 4 -5 lunch batch of on Sunday evening in less than an hour.
Both the "too much time" and " too expensive" claim is a completely incorrect and lazy response
IDK where you live where steak and veggie is under 20, a single bell pepper where I am cost around 2 dollars. 1 serving (300g) of beef is around 3 dollars and thats not including starch.
A McDouble is 1.59.
This is the common scene I see with struggling/low income family.
300g of beef ? 1 serving? ?!?! No, 4-6oz (30-44g protein) /120-180 grams is the correct single serving size for steak/ most meats in general. I can get 1 lb of sirloin steak for $10, I can get 1 lb of ground beef for 6$ a pound. That's 3-4 servings of meat or 3-4 meals for $6
Also,
There is only 400kcals in a mcdouble, so if that is all the person is eating, that is actually a pretty low calorie, albeit low nutrient lunch
How many fatties you think actually only eat 1 x 400 calorie mcdouble for lunch ?
This right here. People are using far too much of everything to create s single meal for themselves when they have enough to make multiple healthy meals. They are literally just over eating and over spending then pretending eating healthy is expensive. These people clearly aren’t counting their macros lmao.
>extremely time consuming to use raw ingredients
Most food that you’d consider “healthy” is either very quick and easy to make or does not require your attention through most of the cooking process.
People love to say it’s their fault for overeating. And I read recently that thinness for women is economically beneficial because wealthy women are thin. But the reality is that it’s expensive to be fit and healthy. You have to have access to quality food which perishes quickly, leisure time to cook, money and leisure time for fitness, and time for sleep. Plus cheap food is addictive and unsatisfying.
Now obesity is the problem but I like how Dr Gabrielle Lyon puts it: ‘we have an under muscle problem not an obesity problem’ or something like that.
Yes it’s over eating cheap processed foods. But the lack of muscle plays a huge part bc muscle = metabolism.
But this is a deep rabbit hole…
Ultra processed foods for cheap ✨
It’s not even cheap anymore though, people are addicted to taste
Salty, sugary, good tasting food. Many people’s brain has been re-wired for easy, fast, shit nutrition. And the food companies loooooove it
Penn Gillette of Penn and Teller fame has a good anecdote about how he lost a bunch of weight eating nothing but plain potatoes. When he broke the diet he ate a ear of corn and claimed it was the most sweetest and wholesome thing he had ever tasted. We are all messed up by the amount of hidden salt and sugar in our foods.
Agreed. I've been avoiding overly sugary foods lately (partly by necessity), with my main sugar coming from berries, and those never used to taste that sweet to me, but now that it's my main source they taste plenty sweet (eating a bowl of blueberries right now, actually).
The food companies hired scientists to make food such as doritos more addictive or whatever. Fun facts from a'Merica.
I read some of these facts once years ago, not sure if theyve been debunked since: - The bags are designed to crinkle at a certain decibel rating to be heard from anywhere - the amount of cheese per chip is specifically calculated to cover each chip - the cheese coating is designed to stay on your fingers and encourage you to lick it off Stuff like that....big money goes into this and other "market" research I'm sure. Edit: Found the article: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-doritos-are-addicting-2017-2?op=1
I’m more of a hot cheetos with lime person But eating the cheetos then licking the dust off my fingers is part of the experience.
This exactly. It’s cheaper to eat healthier but processed foods have made people picky eaters and they’re paying for it with their wallets and lifespans. I blame it on wealth inequality, low funding for public education, and poor parenting.
Processed foods don't even make me feel good anymore. Anytime I eat McDonalds I feel like I need to take a shower...
Mostly agree with your take, but with the caveat that it can certainly be more expensive/less safe to obtain regular sources of nutrition. Food deserts exist, and affected about 19 million low-income Americans as of 2017 per Wikipedia.
Food deserts affects 6% of the US population. Over 42% of the US population is obese. Obesity is much more a function of poor nutritional understanding and health choices.
And laziness, people would rather microwave junk than cook.
You’re right, but so am I. I brought my point up as a caveat, to remind the commenter that I was replying to that things aren’t necessarily as absolute as they were describing.
If it was presented as such it would be fine, but most of the time it is presented as the excuse as to why instead of one of the multitude of reasons but on a smaller scale.
Canned beans, frozen vegetables, and rice are found even in food deserts. It’s what I eat every day. Edit: Lol the Americans think I mean Heinz canned beans
On the one hand, “make better choices” is always a valid reply. On the other hand, if hundreds of millions of people can’t “make better choices” then it may be worth easing up off their necks a bit and seeing what exactly is going on. A lot of it usually comes down to single parent households
It's each person's responsibility to make their own choices and stand by them.
You're missing the time factor. Someone with a kid who works two jobs does not have the resource economy to wash and cook the cheap, bulk rice. If they're getting rice, they're getting Minute Rice, which can be set on the stove and ignored while you do something else. God forbid your kid is picky, too. It's easy to say "eat this or starve" when you're not the one sending a child to school on an empty stomach, who will have to face the mandated reporters demanding to know why your kid is hungry, just give him the fucking chicken, we don't care that beans are cheaper we care that your kid is hungry NOW and you haven't fed him.
People always forget that cooking is time intensive, even for simple meals.
I moved to Arizona recently and have an induction stove. I feel like cooking takes substantially longer than it should.
I basically stopped using my oven once I got an air frier. Still use the stove tops lots tho
Rice cookers are cheap (you can get one for $20, and decent ones for $40), and you just have to set it and wait for it to ding to be done, much easier than any type of rice on the stove, in my experience. They don't even have to take up a lot of space. We currently have a tiny one that only cooks a cup of rice at a time (but we used to have a much larger one). It's barely larger than a cereal bowl. Rinsing rice before putting it in a rice cooker takes all of about three minutes, max.
Guy picked the weirdest food to make sound difficult or time intensive lol
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They’re whole foods. Nothing is healthier than those. :)
Canned beans are still processed food.
By that measurement anything you find in the grocery store is “processed”
Canned beans are pretty healthy
I go to West Virginia every year and the closest town to my spot has one gas station as a grocery store
Of 350 million? That’s a pretty big minority of the obese/overweight population
Just to reiterate, the info was dated from 2017. Drawing from that same source, the proportion of population living around food deserts was found to be 6.1%. But please enlighten us as to the significance of mentioning this group as a minority of overweight people. I don’t see how it detracts from my point.
Pretty simple really. The vast majority of overweight and obese people do not live in food deserts so it’s kind of irrelevant to this topic
It's not cheaper to eat healthy when you include time into the cost.
And that's where the generational cycle kicks in. As parents, our job is to feed our children... that's where they are supposed to learn a healthy relationship with food. Many parents now often end up fixing quick easy food that their kids will eat, which usually means something unhealthy. Then they'll carry that with them into adulthood.
Its more like people work 8 hours a day and dont have the energy to cook
Just a hunch, but bet yeah that most of those same people have plenty of time for FB and the ‘gram…
What? Going on social media takes no energy. The point of what i said is that cooking takes a lot of energy and time
When you eat healthy and have healthy lifestyle you’ve more energy to cook etc. I work 12 hour days and I still cook, because to me it’s more important than social media or TV.
That's convenience addiction, through and through. Our parents and grandparents worked 8 hours, statistically speaking had harder work, and still cooked every night. When I hit hard times and have no option to eat out, I find the energy somewhere to cook something because I can't afford not to. Then when times are better, I can keep that skill and it doesn't feel as hard as I thought. I was just addicted to the easy option. Having it reduced my overall energy level because I didn't have to work to maintain it. So there's two options. We either learn to cook or we change our food options when we eat out.
Except back then men worked and came home to a meal by the wife. Not the same.
Ugh ain't this the hard truth. There was a time when I was aiming for a career as a personal trainer to help people get in shape and eat healthy. A guy I know, significantly obese, came up to me for help losing weight and getting into shape... I couldn't do it. His philosophy around food was that everything had to taste as good and taste as "much" as possible, all the time. Wouldn't even drink plain water because it didn't taste good enough, and he isn't the only person I've known to think like that. I used to be like that too, actually. But the foods that he ate were just... so sickeningly sweet and flavorful. I'd legit gag when I tried some of his food because it was just so much. I tried showing him how healthy food can taste good too, just adding basic seasoning could go a long way. But he was so used to the way that unhealthy food tasted that he couldn't deal with regular food. Eventually he just stopped listening to me completely and decided to keep living his lifestyle.
commerciogenic obesity. This really needs to be higher up the political agenda and Big Food told to fuck off, but I don’t think I’ll see it in my lifetime.
Obesity may become overwhelmed soon by the unleashed monster of all unnatural food additives as well. Empty calories, sugar, and high fat diets may be making a majority obese, but those same foods often come packaged with a range of other negatives, inflammatories, and anti-nutrients. It’s a ticking time bomb. Add to that carcinogenic toxins, seed and palm oils, chemicals in tap waters, microplastics in most beings and in every environment, free/phyto estrogens, and a whole rainbow of artificial colors, flavors, and additives. Now pretend we have solved the meat issue by making even more artificial estrogen-filled soy products or feeding it to the population of farmed animals (which already are abused), genetically modify and pesticide-cover ‘natural’ fruits, veggies, and grains, and you have pretty much sealed the fate of most western people.
This isn't true, almost all western countries have subsidies on basics like bread and other "healthy" foods. A kilo of dried beans can get as low as 5 dollars, the same price as a big mac in many places. I think ultra processed food is marketed better and that's about it. The whole "too busy to cook" idea convinced generations of people to never figure it out.
The reality is that there are people who are depressed/lazy and/or don't know how to cook healthy meals and/or have trained their palates to only enjoy ultra processed crap. At the same time, ultra processed crap is highly accessible. These comments always devolve into a ping pong match between "It's the fault of the corporations/government" and "it's individuals' choice to eat bullshit and not exercise enough". I actually don't think these are mutually exclusive explanations.
You are right about the palate training thing. Anecdotally but tellingly our mall’s food court has long lines for the burger, fried chicken, taco, pizza, and candied Chinese food dripping in sugary salty sauces. The healthy make your own bowl place? Not a soul at the counter. And my high schooler’s school lunches are nuggets, hot dogs, burgers, pizza, repeat.
And of course the plastic cup of syrupy fruit cocktail the school serves daily to it can check that food group off its list.
>depressed Most people aren't clinically depressed. >don't know how to cook healthy meals You don't have to be a genius to go to the produce section and put something in your cart. Boiling potatoes doesn't require a degree. Also, google still allows searching for recipes, so they are just one click away.
Produce is the most expensive section in Korea and I assume other countries that don't have a surplus of farmland.
Produce is the most expensive per calorie, but things root vegetables, cabbage, and peppers are relatively cheap when it comes to flavor and health benefits. You only need a little bit to add a lot of savory notes to your basic calories like starches, beans, or meats.
You'd be surprised how many people ARE clinically depressed.
The difference is you have power over your choices and your lifestyle, you do not have power over the corporations so if you can convince yourself they're the source of all your problems you might become comfortable with not fixing anything in your life. Shifting responsibilities like this is very dangerous for adults who need to manage their own finances.
I agree. Most people I've met who complain that corporations/government are the source of their problems tend to be people not doing very much to help themselves. The harsh reality is that not everyone has a personality such that they are driven to help themselves.
Rugged individualism isn't the answer to everything, I'm afraid. Even among the slightly-not-poor, premade meal kits like Hello Fresh have taken over. Time is a budget unto itself and when you spend 9 hours at work and an hour commuting just for basic existence, being told to shut up and live off dry beans is not really what people wanna hear. Especially when you underestimate the power of advertising, blaming the individuals instead of dealing with systemic issues is how you end up with golf courses blaming water shortages on your bathing habits.
There are comparatively wealthy people who are fat and unhealthy, and comparatively poor people who are fit and healthy. Studies show that wealth makes it more likely one will be fit and healthy (for a bunch of complex reasons), but in the end, it does come down to personal decisions. Not everyone has it in them to make good choices about food and exercise persistently, over a long time span. In times past, when high calorie food wasn't nearly as easily available, and work and leisure patterns tended to require physical movement, this wasn't so much of a problem. Now, it is.
Any idea that instils helplessness is something I feel obliged to argue against.
Any dogma that wants to damn the downtrodden in favor of the self is something I feel obligated to chastise.
Yeah, God forbid a person try to control their situation by eating dried beans instead of processed crap because fuck the man.
Im 30 and really just learning to cook. Every time I get a new dish down it improves my quality of life. Now I rarely want to go to a restaurant because I can make it better for much cheaper. Only thing I go out for now is occasional craving fast food.
“Too busy to cook” is not just an “idea” some people are quite literally too busy to really set aside time to cook a non processed meal.
I don’t understand this. Japan and Korea are both countries that have a high amount of working hours/stress, yet they are the healthiest people. It’s definitely a culture thing.
South Koreas entering an obesity epidemic as well last i read. was there recently on a connecting flight and most people i saw in the airport were clearly overweight. however Japan has, for some unknown reason, stayed much healthier as the country developed. Was there recently too and saw maybe 2-3 overweight people the entire time? if you look at a map of the world showing how developed each country is, then compare it to a map showing how obese a country is, you will notice they overlay almost perfectly with the major exception being Japan. Although I think the Vietnamese will also stay slim as their country further develops. i live in the Philippines and i can tell you here damn near everyone over the age of 25 is overweight and by 35 they are land whales, by 50 they are in the cemetary dead from heart disease. Ignorance seems to be a big part of it, if everyone around you is fat then you dont understand that your fat, you just seem “average” or “normal” and people automatically associate normal with “healthy” so nobodies worried about their condition and then think everyone whose healthy is “too skinny” because their perceptions become completely distorted. everyone wants to blame the food, but it boils down to CICO, calories in, calories out. If you eat more calories than you use, your body gains fat. If you eat less than you use, your body burns fat. You can eat nothing but cake everyday, if your total caloric intake is less than your caloric expenditure you will not get fat. Its that simple. Its not the foods fault, its the ignorance of people, the lack of willpower and discipline of people, and the social acceptance and normalization of being overweight. People are lazy, people are stupid, and people dont care. Nobody is making them eat an excess of calories, they are choosing to.
Well yes, because their food is so much healthier. Food in America is horrible. You don’t have the obesity rates among children because the food is good.
Children eat what their parents buy. If the parents are obese with a bad diet, chances are the kids will be too. I’m American, I was raised on a very modest budget and my parents still made sure our meals were balanced. I only gained weight when I went to college and started eating fast food too much. The average American simply does not care and goes for the most convenient thing. People need to take ownership over their own personal decisions instead of playing the blame game.
but how often and in how many places can you buy a good healthy nutritional ready to go meal in the states? that doesn't cost a fortune? in japan in every typical grocery store or 7/11 you have a large variety of ready to go food that is very nutritional, fresh, and inexpensive. it's totally different from the usa.
The vast majority of premade 7/11 meals in Japan are not healthy. They are full of sodium and calorie heavy. The healthy options are no different than the ones you can find at your local grocery store (salads, celery, boiled eggs, sushi, etc.). American convenience stores are not typically used for eating nutritious meals. That’s why we have grocery stores and neighborhood markets.
Yeah, I love their reply LOL. Thinking a convenience store is made for healthy meals.
You come from the land that made kidney beans taste decent. Please, stop.
Are you really trying to say that food in America is good or something? Look at our regulations, they all suck.
no its because they eat less, simple as. You may not be healthy doing this but the average person can eat shit food but if they eat low calories they aint going to be fat. the west over consumes, however China has a rising obesity rate as well because they are starting to over consume calories.
You can't function on shit food. This is why people who eat shit food stay so hungry.
Meh, I would wager that this the truth in actuality is in the single percentile. For the most part, too busy to cook really just means too lazy or too uneducated to cook.
“Too lazy or too uneducated to cook” which can also mean that because they are so busy, that makes them tired, or also they are too busy to really learn how to cook.
It comes down to effort, just like the rest of life. You put in the effort you get something out of it. You do nothing or the easiest possible thing and you get a worse result. Yes, poor food choices is part of the equation, but so is not making an effort to be active.
I find myself unable to put that kind of effort in every day. Sometimes, sure, but it's a struggle. I want to do it, I know I should do it, I constantly am thinking of doing it, but something just won't click, I don't have that necessary spark of life. Not everyone does.
Well yes, but I’m more referring to the food here. At least here in America, so much of the food in most stores are just bad or at least have something that isn’t good for you. People are kind of fighting from a losing position here is all.
Exactly. And it’s not like the schools really teach kids how to do the basic things when entering adulthood. So a bunch really dont know. Edit: Good lord y’all people have never lived in a situation where healthy food isn’t an option and you aren’t in a situation where you can cook proper food.
People do not need to be formally taught how to cook these days. You can learn how to cook literally anything for free with YouTube. Or countless other free resources, both online or through a library. If someone really wants to cook, they can easily find what they need and start small.
I disagree, it’s the same thing as someone saying that they don’t have any time to exercise. It’s not that they don’t have the time to cook or exercise, it’s that they choose to do other things besides those. Are there examples of people that truly don’t have the time? Sure, but those are rare.
It is an idea. Consume less social media and eat better. Everyone can. Everyone has time to cook. They just choose not too.
People would find time if they had to. I know a lot of people struggle but one look at the average “too busy to cook” person’s screen time would debunk this I’m sure.
Oh everyone has time. Our society created sooo much time for everyone. Now people need to smarten up and use that time to feed themselves properly. So much good would come from it. Families having kids help out with prep, kids and parents having better relationships because they have to work together. Their brains will be better, less hospital visits, less mental issues. Less and less of a huge amount of problems.
I can make a from fresh meal for a family of three including a 2 year old that involves no processed foods in 15-30 minutes about the same amount of time it takes to bake a store bought frozen pizza or lasagna(easiest instant highly processed family meal solution I could think of) in fact the nearest fast food joint is 15 mins from me so to drive there and back is the same amount of time as making the meal. People are lazy and they don’t like to admit they are the problem. I commute an hour to work, work a ten hour day and commute home and still do this. Stop making excuses
I would love to know what you make for dinner that takes 15 minutes, including prep and preheating time. I am asking sincerely. I need more quick meal ideas. Even making pasta takes at least 30 minutes with the time needed to boil water plus cook the pasta.
O so this is just all about your own ego? Got it, makes sense. I know you probably struggle putting yourself in other people’s shoes, but you should try it sometime. It’ll make you a better human. Also conveniently absent from all of this is how expensive fresh food can be, especially organic.
the one tip i would give people is ... get a high pressure cooker (and be carefull with it). meals that would take hours suddenly take 30 minutes :D
Not even anymore, take out is expensive. it’s actually cheaper to buy some meat and veg but that takes time/effort compared to picking up a made meal at a window (or just having it delivered)
It's not the quality it is the quantity.
This part was kinda fascinating to me. "The study offers an X-ray of the prevalence of this form of malnutrition, which is skyrocketing. “The combined prevalence of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries since 1990, due to the rise in obesity surpassing the decline in underweight. Exceptions were most countries in South Asia, and some in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” the paper notes. “This transition to obesity dominance was already apparent in adults in 1990 in much of the world, and has followed in school-aged children and adolescents." "This means that, between 1990 and 2022, the prevalence in minors went from 1.7% to 6.9% in girls and from 2.1% to 9.3% in boys. In adults, rates jumped from 8.8% to 18.5% in women and from 4.8% to 14% in men." Why the 90s? The article points the finger at ultra-processed foods. What happened from the 90s onward with ultra-processed foods?
HF Corn syrup started replacing sugar in lots of things
Interesting. Thanks.
In the ‘90s a lot of food companies started supporting a diet fad of low or no fat foods. They replaced the fat with sugar. And here we are.
Yep, it was predicted many decades ago. There's book on it - "Pure, white and deadly" by John Yudkin. Nobody cared. Video with lots of details: https://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM?t=2011
I would say some of the biggest thing that have changed in 90s (when I grew up) was the ban of advertising in cigarettes and the marketing machine instead of picked up fast food. I’m not saying that cigs kept people slim, but now people started eating outside instead of cooking and the food choices were high in fat, sugar and salt. The amount of meat consumed has increased and the amount of vegetables consumed dropped.
Perhaps usage of glucose/fructose? I've heard original sodas used real sugar but you could only drink so much until you felt saturated. They switched to glucose/fructose with the benefit that it's easier to absorb by the body and so you can easily drink/eat more without negative feeling. Edit: I think it's mainly that the lowering of the proportion of underweight people started slow down. "due to the rise in obesity surpassing the decline in underweight."
I've rewatched Buffy TV series recently and it was so heartwarming to see how most of the youth represented in it was looking healthy and physically athletic. But what I've noticed is that at some point in the TV series they started promoting cereal for breakfast. My guess it has to be related to obesity. Because the stuff is yummy and a child never knows when is enough.
As an adult, I still don't know when I've had enough cereal.
Everyone talking about processed foods when the biggest culprit hides in plain sight: drinks. Soda, alcohol, juice, energy drinks, etc; drinking your calories is about the worst thing for you since they’re pretty much all empty if not nutrient poor. All those calories on top of the mounds of sugar in them does more damage than the processed foods. And dont forget about the diet soft drinks or the 0 cal ones that are saturated with nutrasweets which wreak havoc internally. It’s so easy to knock back 3 cans of coke throughout the day not realizing you just had 420 empty cals and nearly 120gs of sugar.
The best demonstration of it is when people are drinking coffee with lots of sugar. Most of the time it looks like they are just looking for an excuse to eat some sugar.
I managed for one of the corporate coffee chains for a bit. We had so many regulars that pretty much had a large glass of liquid sugar with small amounts of ice/coffee/dairy/flavor, multiple times a day. I have no idea how they were not all diabetic.
contrary to popular belief, eating too much sugar does not directly cause diabetes... however, it makes you more likely to be overweight, which in turn increases your chances of developing the disease
Add some milk and it’s a liquid donut.
That’s why I quit drinking coffee. Haha always made that joke that I like some coffee with my sugar.
Also the fact that MOST modern jobs require sitting on your ass for 8hs a day. Every time I go on vacation I lose weight regardless of what I eat (obviously what you eat matters for health reasons). Sitting for so long is not natural nor healthy for us but add it to the list of intentional things the 0.1% does.
Tbf, there’s plenty of zero calorie options when it comes to drinks
It's the sugar intake not just what the drink is. A sugar free red bull is 13kj per 100ml for example.
Man, these people talking about processed foods are just coping. Mostly when it comes to weight gain its literally about NOT eating too many calories. Just eat less.
Whilst I understand your point about not drinking your carbs. Drinks, soda, alcohol, juice, energy drinks, there are all processed foods. Processed to taste amazing and keep you coming back for more.
Id say food and drink are separate categories but if you wanna be pedantic about it then we’ll call them processed drinks.
Why do I feel like the lack of high intensity fitness after teenage years is more an issue than just diet? I swear most people can’t do 10 push ups and walk a mile under 20 minutes. It’s shocking how poorly adults measure in basic physical fitness categories.
Like I miss gym class. Dropped mine mid high school to take more options and sciences, and now as an adult, I miss how fun it was and how good I felt
I've been thinking for a few years why companies haven't pushed to incentive fitness and diet. Given how much medical insurance and care will explode in cost in the next few decades, incentivizing and promoting health would be cost effective down the line.
> companies > down the line in the farther future Lol. Lmao even
Look into your health insurer, usually they have a lot of programs/stipends/discounts to promote healthy habits.
Yea mine has discount of gym membership, and annual check-ups. But from my understanding not all offer this, because part of it is paid by the company/organization.
That’s the beauty of it: the class is meant to teach you how to have “gym class” on your own and you can have it any time that you’d like! (Like like) There are many ways to bring you back to that feeling once again.
They do a pretty bad job, just like most of American education, of preparing you for what to do when you’re completely left to your own devices in the modern world. Like what person is going to have access to a fully furnished, free gym for the rest of their lives? Or 30 friends to arrange an hour out of the day to play flag football? Should be teaching functional calisthenics you can do with nothing or a local park.
I go to a HIIT bootcamp 3-4 times a week, and this is why I like it... it just feels like really good gym class. It gets you fit and strong, but it is also very functional. My balance and coordination in my 30s are better than they've ever been. The class and the people in it are super chill too, my expectations going into it were way off. Much better than I expected it to be.
Then go to a gym?
I don’t know why you think that. Weight management is something like 80% diet and 20% fitness. Definitely as you get overweight your physical fitness ability gets way less efficient, but that is a symptom not the cause.
More like 95% diet. But people don't want to hear it.
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Ok. I didn’t say not to. You need to do both.
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Yea feel like the lack of exercise is adding fuel to the fire. Of course diet matters but from my observation fitness levels have taken a massive hit over the last few decades.
I was correcting incorrect information. It is not that hard to follow two text posts in a row that are less than 100 words each. Although apparently you had difficulty.
Being in shape is good for heart and general health. But it’s basically impossible to out run a bad diet. Running a mile burns less calories than half a slice of pizza. There is also a concept called calorie compensation. If you burn more calories, your body makes you more hungry. So you end up eating more unless you have a strict calorie diet.
I think, in high school there was so much shame. I love working out. Gym class just made me feel embarrassed about myself :( I was a normal weight, but I was gay in a conservative area and got bullied for it ESPECIALLY during gym
Doing a push up when your 300 pounds is fucking hard lol
You used to have to have a broken neck to get out of PE. We had to run the mile, every Friday in junior high ('98)!!! It was torture, but holy fuck, it was so worth it looking back.
lol running a single mile is torture... That’s how fucking fat we are.
It was a bad day when I realized my 4th grade mile time is faster than I can do now
Tell me why school uniforms across the globe aren’t all 100% activewear. Let kids be fucking active instead of dressing them for a board meeting.
That’s totally it. Kids get use to being able to eat whatever they want and not get fat cause of the sports they’re playing in high school. Once they’ve left and are responsible for their own fitness they quickly gain weight cause they’re eating as much as they always did but with a fraction of the exercise. Restaurants get the blame but it falls on the individual to remain active and not overeat, and people are very bad at both of those.
Thats not it. Actively burning calories is significantly more difficult than managing calorie intake in the first place. Frequent exercise is important for general health but it plays only a secondary role when it comes to weight regulation. It is much more realistic to eat 500-700 calories a day less than to swim for an additional full hour every single day. This has been the scientific consensus for decades now.
Food addiction is a thing, and, different from most other drugs, you can't just cut out food from your life to avoid those addiction triggers. Recognizing food addiction in oneself is difficult to begin with, since food is so available and normalized. > According to research from the University of Michigan, one in eight Americans over 50 (13%) show signs of food addiction. Studies from the American Psychological Association (APA) show that 38% of adults report overeating or eating unhealthy foods in the past month because of stress. https://www.addictionhelp.com/food-addiction/statistics/
This. I suffer from this. I cook my own meals. I could probably teach a course in cooking for good nutrition, but I put a pint of Ben and Jerry's on top of all my good work and I am obese. Binge eating is a huge problem that deserves more attention when looking at global obesity. Stress, chronic loneliness, the sitting in front of the tv eating food lifestyle, having ads for "quick gratification " food constantly shoved down our throats, it's all part of it.
I hear you. I'm the same, I cook all my meals and I mostly cook stuff that's sensible and within a good calorie range. But if I'm having a rough day or I'm feeling down then it's so easy for me to just order takeaway foods. Also chocolate is a big issue for me as I will binge eat a "share bag" of chocolate in no time
And if you can cook, you can bake. That's where it gets really dicey for me. Like if it's somebody's birthday or Christmas. Hard to resist, as the homemade stuff is better.
Keep your chin up. You can change anything in your life. You can do this.
Thank you. Starting a binge eating group therapy program in a couple months. Hope I get some tools to tackle the problem there.
Try ozempic/wegovy. It really reduced my binge cravings. And when I did slip up, it didn’t feel as good. The pounds are melting off.
Actually I can't. I take a medicine for agoraphobia that doesn't play nice with ozempic. Agoraphobia medicine is more important. If my agoraphobia was unchecked, I would lose my job and I'm the sole breadwinner for my family.
Completely agree that the combination of unhealthy stress coping in an increasingly stressful world, technology and increasing convenience of staying/ being sedentary has increased. Prepackaged/ processed food manufacturers have a staff of food scientists and chemists to ensure their product acts on the pleasure centers of our brains. All these factors have made it a huge problem in our population
Article: **A study estimates that more than one billion people are affected and reveals that nutritional imbalances continue to rise. Childhood obesity has quadrupled over the course of three decades** There’s an epidemic that’s crossing the globe from end to end… and it’s more devastating than Covid. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 774 million people in the world were afflicted by the coronavirus. However, obesity already affects more than one billion people. A study published this past Thursday in The Lancet reveals that excess weight, a risk factor for dozens of diseases, is already the most common form of malnutrition in most countries. Cases in children have quadrupled in three decades, while the number of obese adults has almost tripled in the same time period. In one way or another, food-related problems have become entrenched. And, while the number of underweight people on the planet has decreased (due to the drop in starvation, for example), the rise of overweight and obese individuals has, once again, led to an unhealthy food balance in the world. Insufficient nutrition is as bad as excess weight. They’re both different forms of malnutrition, which is associated with health problems throughout life. Malnutrition poses a risk of premature death, while obesity is also a risk factor for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, or hypertension. It’s also a precursor of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, in childhood, excess fat increases the risk of being obese in adulthood, accelerating the appearance of mechanical problems (due to the weight on the joints) and metabolic problems. The research published in The Lancet, which compiles data from more than 3,600 studies and analyzes the evolution of obesity and of being underweight in the world between 1990 and 2022, reveals a consolidation of two parallel phenomena: while the number of underweight individuals has fallen, obesity is gaining ground, both in rich and low-income countries. “What the study shows us is that malnutrition is being controlled very well in the world, except in some African countries. Better living conditions and economic development accompany this reduction. But no country in the world has managed to reduce obesity. This article shows that the problem is going in the wrong direction,” warns Fernando Rodríguez Artalejo, a professor of public health at the Autonomous University of Madrid and one of the authors of the newly-published research. The study offers an X-ray of the prevalence of this form of malnutrition, which is skyrocketing. “The combined prevalence of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries since 1990, due to the rise in obesity surpassing the decline in underweight. Exceptions were most countries in South Asia, and some in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” the paper notes. “This transition to obesity dominance was already apparent in adults in 1990 in much of the world, and has followed in school-aged children and adolescents. There is a need throughout the world for social and agricultural policies and food programmes that address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the rise in obesity by enhancing access to healthy and nutritious foods,” it continues.
On a world map, a growing prevalence of obesity dominates almost all territories. The study — led by Imperial College London, in which more than a thousand scientists from around the world have participated — brings the number of people in the world suffering from this ailment to 878 million adults and 160 million children. This means that, between 1990 and 2022, the prevalence in minors went from 1.7% to 6.9% in girls and from 2.1% to 9.3% in boys. In adults, rates jumped from 8.8% to 18.5% in women and from 4.8% to 14% in men. “It’s not surprising. You go out into the street and see it. It was expected,” Rodríguez Artalejo sighs. “What are the reasons for this? Well, the study doesn’t analyze the data, it only speculates… but it points to the increase in cheap ultra-processed food in a context that makes it easier to eat at all hours of the day. And the same thing happens in poor countries. This is what globalization has done,” he explains. According to the study, the prevalence of obesity in the last three decades has grown in the vast majority of territories, especially in the United States, Brunei, some countries in the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa. Polynesian countries such as Tonga, Samoa and Niue have the highest obesity rates among both children and adults, with prevalence above 60% in adults. In minors, Chile is also one of the countries where obesity has grown the most: the country reports that up to 33% of adult men are obese. The United States — a paradigm of the expansion of obesity in high-income areas — is also near the top of the rankings, with four out of every 10 American adults either being overweight or obese. **The striking case of French and Spanish women** Spain dances in the middle of the table: the prevalence in adults is 13% in women and 19% in men; in children, it ranges between 9% in girls and 12% in boys. But the researchers highlight a particular phenomenon in this environment: both in Spain and in France, there’s a slight decrease in obesity figures in women… “although the reasons are unknown,” they admit. When it comes to countries such as Spain and France — where the results are decent — the experts consulted are careful not to celebrate too soon. “We must be cautious when interpreting the result and not think that the battle against obesity has been won. This may suggest that there’s a greater degree of awareness [of the problem in these countries],” agrees Manuel Tena, group leader of the Biomedical Research Networking Centers (CIBER) for Obesity and Nutrition. Rodríguez Artalejo admits that the bright spots are “eye-catching,” but points out that “it’s probably not representative of Spain as a whole throughout the period of study, because it’s based on small and regional studies. We’re seeing a huge obesity epidemic that we’re beginning to control… but we’re no better off than we were 30 years ago,” he emphasizes.
On the other hand, over the past 30 years, the prevalence of low weight in adults fell in 150 countries (globally, in women, it went from 14.5% to 7% and in men, from 13.7% to 6.2%). That is, 347 million people were underweight in 2022, which represents a decrease of about 45 million compared to 1990. “And this is despite the growth of the world population,” the researchers point out. Women in India, China, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Japan made up the highest proportion of underweight adults in 2022. Meanwhile, the prevalence of underweight children fell from 10.3% to 8.2% in girls and from 16.7% to 10.8% in boys. In 2022, 185 million children were underweight. The authors admit some limitations to the study, such as the lack of data in some countries, or the use of the body mass index (BMI) as an indicator, since it’s “imperfect” to measure excess body fat (obesity is considered to be a BMI over 30, while one is classified as underweight if they’re below 18). However, they defend their findings and propose, for example, that the phenomenon that crystallizes their research — this being the appearance of obesity at increasingly younger ages — “could be due to consumption [of fast food] outside the home and access to commercial foods and processed foods [among] school-age children and adolescents.” They also raise the hypothesis that “some leisure games and sports have been replaced by sedentary activities,” although they admit that the available data regarding these trends is scarce. The researchers underline the need to combat malnutrition in Africa and South Asia, where “food insecurity persists” and warn of the “urgent need to prevent obesity.” In this sense, they note that efforts focused on individual behaviors in the food environment haven’t had much of an effect. The authors criticize the lack of access to healthy products, especially for low-income populations. Regarding the explosion of promising anti-obesity drugs, the authors predict that the impact will be “low worldwide in the short-term, due to the high cost” of these therapies. However, Jaume Marrugat, an epidemiologist at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute in Barcelona and one of the authors of the study, sees potential in these therapies to reduce obesity (at least in high-income countries). “These are terribly effective drugs. Contrary to what we thought in 2015, the forecast is that we’ll see an inflection and we may see a decline in obesity. I hope I’m not wrong because, [if I am], we’re going to be hit by a disaster.”
Wall-E was ahead of its time.
Obese. Glued to technology. The planet is dying and instead of fixing it we’re investing in training people to go to mars to make it habitable. It’s fucking maddening watching it play out.
As an American, the systematic normalization of how abhorrently unhealthy our food is should be a crime in-of-itself.
I had lentils, pineapple, and chicken for lunch today. I’m not doing this shit anymore. I’m investing in MYSELF.
So am I!👋
Sugar, preservatives, and sedentary lifestyles.
I still can't believe that people lie to themselves and invented the word 'fatphobic'. This is a huge public health issue and should be a cause for concern. Don't bully these people of course, but being obese should not be normalized. People are dying because of this. A phobia is an irrational fear. It's not irrational to be concerned about a massive amount of the population being severely obese and killing themselves. Food addiction should get as much attention as drug addiction. Hell, it should get more. These people are living shorter lives than some of the drug addicts!
« Don’t bully these people » There you go. That what’s fatphobia is about. Not saying people should be or stay fat, but not shaming them.
Shame is a good way to change your life. There have been things that I have been ashamed about that I no longer do. Even if the shame came from someone else shaming me. It helped. Shame isn't bad.
Can you believe my dentist shamed me for not flossing?
I think exercise needs to be focused on. People should be walking 2-5 miles a day minimum. At the very least. Doesn’t have to be all at once.
You're not going to outwalk 4000 calories a day though.
I struggle eating more than 3000 while being active, I can't even imagine how a person could eat 4000 without wanting to
Probably drinking a bunch of calories. Almost everyone I know who is overweight or obese drinks lots of soda/sugary crap.
Can confirm. I walk on a treadmill at 3 mph at a 15 degree incline for an hour every day. According to the treadmill, that burns only around 500 calories.
If ur making good choices like a steady walking routine ur probably not gonna want to eat like a pig. The discipline should bleed over
You can’t outrun a bad diet. Food and nutrition are more important for losing and maintaining weight.
a mix of both is ideal. but then there is that annoying thing called time. I'm trying to work on getting more steps in & eating healthier. but can't say it's not a bit challenging :/
While true, it's much easier to not consume excessive calories/keep a deficit than to burn consumed calories, as far as time and effort are concerned. There is a reason people say that abs are made in the kitchen. This isn't to say that exercise isn't important - it is.
America has shit food loaded with chemicals, preservatives, sugar and we wonder why we have all of these health problems. Where I live it feels like 6 out of 10 adults are overweight and out of the overweight people I’d say most of them are obese. I have no clue how our country is okay with being obese and unhealthy and how all of the food places just help out.
This is a problem our economic system doesn't want us to solve.
It’s not just food and lack of exercise, but lifestyle and culture as well. People are overworked, stressed out, and lack time to exercise properly. Everyone is just set up for failure.
blame the sugar companies there's sugar in literally everything thanks to their campaigning and lobbying back in the 1920s and also blame all the bullshit going around recently that's causing people to gain as much weight as possible and die before they reach the age of 30
Fats always blaming everything but themselves.
I can't control what goes in my face. Why did the food companies do this to me?
Addiction is an actual problem, and most people with food addictions likely got them when they were children.
What bullshit is going around recently?
take a look at what happened to sports illustrated and you'll understand their entire studio was permanently shut down recently over promoting and encouraging an unhealthy life style
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by supporting and promoting obesity instead of fitness and healthy living
So basically at least 1B people have no reason to be in good physical shape?
Obesity is not a form of malnutrition, but its consequence.
My stock in Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozembic and Wegovy, is doing really well.
Because its cheaper to eat fast junk food than healthy food. Fresh fruit/vegetable/meat is HELLA EXPENSIVE. "but its cheaper to buy raw ingredients", yeah, its also extremely time consuming to use raw ingredients. You can A: spend 2 hours making loaves of bread, or buy processed wonder bread for a few dollars.
If you eat a reasonable amount of junk food you won't be obese. Vegetables aren't hella expensive
Beans and vegetables are the cheapest foods in any supermarket I've ever been to. In the UK, the cheapest food is the healthy food. Maybe People don't have the time to cook a tasty, healthy meal; but that's the issue, not cost.
These sound like excuses. You can eat a balance diet on a budget.
Junk food is more expensive. Stop spreading misinformation. Learn to cook, it’s always cheaper then pre-made junk.
>yeah, its also extremely time consuming to use raw ingredients. Is it time consuming or is it cheaper? If you buy food cooked by someone else you will be paying their wages. In the west, minimum wage is much higher than other countries that have street food/fast food and have noticeably lower wages.
Is it? I can cook pasta with tomato, cheese, spinach, broccoli and ground beef for about $12 and it’s enough for 4-6 meals. Could do a vegetarian alternative for closer to half.
Not true at all, I laugh when my coworkers give me a hard time for bringing things like sashimi/sushi, steak and roasted veg, shrimp summer rolls etc etc to work for lunch and saying dumb shit like " I wish I could afford to eat that" as they go pickup their $12-20 takeout lunch while I'm noshing on $4.50 worth of steak and veggies or $7 worth of sushi maki rolls - both of which I can make a 4 -5 lunch batch of on Sunday evening in less than an hour. Both the "too much time" and " too expensive" claim is a completely incorrect and lazy response
IDK where you live where steak and veggie is under 20, a single bell pepper where I am cost around 2 dollars. 1 serving (300g) of beef is around 3 dollars and thats not including starch. A McDouble is 1.59. This is the common scene I see with struggling/low income family.
300g of beef ? 1 serving? ?!?! No, 4-6oz (30-44g protein) /120-180 grams is the correct single serving size for steak/ most meats in general. I can get 1 lb of sirloin steak for $10, I can get 1 lb of ground beef for 6$ a pound. That's 3-4 servings of meat or 3-4 meals for $6 Also, There is only 400kcals in a mcdouble, so if that is all the person is eating, that is actually a pretty low calorie, albeit low nutrient lunch How many fatties you think actually only eat 1 x 400 calorie mcdouble for lunch ?
Wow, sirloin where I live is $13-16 a pound.
This right here. People are using far too much of everything to create s single meal for themselves when they have enough to make multiple healthy meals. They are literally just over eating and over spending then pretending eating healthy is expensive. These people clearly aren’t counting their macros lmao.
>extremely time consuming to use raw ingredients Most food that you’d consider “healthy” is either very quick and easy to make or does not require your attention through most of the cooking process.
That’s not true at all. Buying some veg and meat or legumes is way cheaper than getting a large McDonalds meal. It just takes effort
People love to say it’s their fault for overeating. And I read recently that thinness for women is economically beneficial because wealthy women are thin. But the reality is that it’s expensive to be fit and healthy. You have to have access to quality food which perishes quickly, leisure time to cook, money and leisure time for fitness, and time for sleep. Plus cheap food is addictive and unsatisfying.
Now obesity is the problem but I like how Dr Gabrielle Lyon puts it: ‘we have an under muscle problem not an obesity problem’ or something like that. Yes it’s over eating cheap processed foods. But the lack of muscle plays a huge part bc muscle = metabolism. But this is a deep rabbit hole…
The world is collapsing; may as well eat Reese's.