Fat or Hungry: Both a Concern
The International Congress on Obesity is underway in Sydney, Australia. Some scientists are calling for radical reform in the way agriculture is subsidized, others point to the processing of food.
"The over-production of oil, fat and sugar, largely due to government subsidies to protect farm industry revenues, has contributed over decades to the health crisis we have today."
Much has been made of the fact that the world has "more fat people than hungry ones". It is a concern - but in some ways our reaction is even more of a concern.
That the world still has hungry people simply highlights the tremendous injustice that exists today. However every time I see the above statement - the emphasis is about the number of obese people and how it affects our health system (in other words our bottom line).
Obese or hungry - we have some real issues with food today. The dream of plentiful supplies of food has turned out to be a nightmare. Half the world has little food or clean water, the other half have loads of food that makes us sick.
All power to the farmer's markets worldwide - putting money into the pockets of the growers, and great nutrients into the stomachs of the consumers.
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If it's Tuesday, it must be a new meme: only six months ago there was a spate of articles on the impoverished obese, how the poor in various third world countries (e.g., Malaysia, parts of Brazil) were getting fat off of cheap junk food, much of it indigenous stuff based on local cuisine and sold by street vendors, not the multinational fast food chain stuff.
Now they're hungry! Which is it?
ReplyWe should keep in mind that
Replya. the obesity industry is also huge, like a few waistlines
b. that weight and health can be disconnected - ie you can improve your vital signs without losing weight and that should be the proirity
c. The European olive oil industry has created a desert in Spain - so after subsidising it to he tune of billions of dollars a year they now have to find a way torecover millions of hectares of land, so drawing attention to teh effect of subsidies is a very good move.
I think the weirdest thing about all this is that there are people in this country who are both obese and malnourished.
ReplyA government can only do so much. I think it will take some action from health insurance companies to make a difference, but they don’t seem to be interested at this point.
ReplyWhatever happened to personal responsibility in all this!!!
If you're fat, for goodness sake do something about it!
We can blame fast food outets and government subsidies and rubbishy foods all we want, but in the end people have a choice about what they eat. Ever since foods have been labelled appropriately, there has really been no excuse.
Too many people are looking for the quick fix and easy answers, and the fact remains that losing weight is hard. You have to be dedicated. I know - I've done it (30+ kgs, 70 pounds), and it wasn't easy. But it was important.
We *know* that junk food is rubbish and makes people sick. We *know* that milk is 50% calories from fat. We know that most cheeses are between 60% and 90% calories from fat. These facts are written on the labels, and a bit of quick BASIC maths can wor out the fat percentages of just about any food you care you name. Calorie counters are available at any newsagency or bookshop.
Get off your butts, and throw out the junk food. Stop eating out of cans and packets, like dogs do! We're human beings, and deserve and need better!
There is NOTHING more important than good health - ask any person dying of cancer or heart disease and they'll tell you that.
ReplyYou make it sound as if fats are necessarily bad.
ReplyPlease rethink the fat/disease paradigm. Old Fashioned Fats like lard, tallow, butter, ghee and coconut oil never cause heart attacks and cancer and psuedo science that vilifies animal fats has been paid for by corporations selling margarine and vegetable oils.
ReplyFind out more here:
http://www.nourished.com.au/articles/take-the-fear-out-of-eating-fat
Also my comments about the obesity epidemic:
http://www.nourished.com.au/articles/obesity-what-to-do
This post was really interesting as the messange, "the over-production of oil, fat and sugar, largely due to government subsidies to protect farm industry revenues, has contributed over decades to the health crisis we have today" I can't totally agree with. As my whole family are apple, cherry, and pear orchardest or farmers and it has been a struggle making a good income lately. Price for fruit has been up and down so I am sure other farmers that would related to your messange are facing the same thing. I do believe though the farmers markets are great place as fruits and vegetables are sold for less.
ReplyI don't agree with any of this-sure you're supposed to be healthy and fit but haven't you heard? Fat is where it's at! Only a DOG wants a bone so the bigger the better right? Not only is fats and oils and all of that stuff unhealthy but so are cigarettes and drugs and the prescription medicines and alcohol and biting your nails and not washing your hands for 20 seconds-all of this stuff is bad and unhealthy. We mine as well just sit in a plastic bubble all day and not do anything-everyone would be perfectly healthy then. Ya'll make fat sound bad as if your fat then your wack-well then ya'll need to get out more and see-the BIGGER you are the more AtTentION u get. (and no, it's not all bad thankyou.)
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