Nearly 86% Americans could be obese by 2030

[New Dawn]

I just read this article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/116358.php

Something has got to be done to stop this from happening. I am in favor of banning all advertising for food and beverages, including TV/radio commercials, road-signs and unnecessarily "flashy" packaging.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. Incoming!

:popcorn:

[AlCzervik]

4. i hope that has extra buttah!

:beer:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

6. Some lard, too.

[orleans]

28. i'm reading this thread with a fucking bowl of popcorn in my lap!

"movie theater" style! HA! :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: LITERALLY

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Yikes.

At that rate, Americans will be 124% obese by 2060.

Oh noes!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. At the rate this country is going...

We all might be starved to death before then.

[ryanmuegge]

5. This projection is much ado about nothing. Resource constraints will prevent this.

Food prices are already skyrocketing. Meanwhile, in the time that food exists, put down the Oreos and take the stairs. Climate change, overpopulation, and energy prices will keep this from happening, unfortunately.

[aspergris]

12. ridiculous

if there is ONE thing I am certain of , we will have WAY more than enough resources for nearly every american who WANTs to be a fat-ass (iow, won't exercise discipline) to be one.

fwiw, commodities are a bubble. i posted last week how corn had dropped TWENTY FIVE percent in price in 2 weeks.

just as most famine is not caused by lack of food, but by govt. action, most obesity is caused by personal choices.

CDC estimates 2/3+ of ALL chronic disease is diet and smoking related, btw.

the US is nowhere NEAR overpopulated, and we have more than enough resources to make everybody a fatass if they so desire. not exactly a "chicken in every pot" but i digress

[ryanmuegge]

33. The US is fine, but the standards of living in India and China are increasing rapidly.

When they start consuming like people here, resources are bound to get tight. Plus, the effects of climate change on agriculture will likely be significant.

With China and India increasing their standards of living, and the human species consuming like never before in history, 2086 will probably be a lot different than now.

Regardless of speculation and the commodities market, we've got to be close to hitting some sort of real-world supply, ecological limit in more areas than just food. Many scientists posit these things.

[mckara]

7. Not Me! I'll Be Dead!

:nopity:

[Crowman1979]

8. That's sounds a little exagerrated.

Because with the price of food going up, many people will not be able to afford becoming or maintaining obesity, or they fear becoming the last meal in a severe famine.

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. Fat chance...........

[Happyhippychick]

10. If I don't stop eating, I can be obese by 2009

[aspergris]

11. typical authoritarian response

authoritarian response. how about a positive, pro-active NON-authoritarian response?

1) provide incentives to people for maintaining good bf levels.
2) provide education to people about proper nutrition
3) promote sports and health programs that would help people establish good eating habits.

etc.

[New Dawn]

14. Education can not compete with commercial advertising

That is why the latter must be banned in this country. Besides, we've already done the same thing with cigarettes, and smoking is declining as a result.

[aspergris]

15. yes, it can

and cigarettes, like alcohol, are drugs and thus it is much more justified for govt. to be involved in heavy regulation.

i detest authoritarianism, and i WANT advertisers to ply their trade. i will use MY choice to make MY decisions and expect others to do the same.

I support food labeling (more extensive than we have now) because it increases the locus of control that the consumer has. I also support advertisers to be able to make their case.

in a marketplace of ideas we fight harmful ideas with good ideas.

and we provide incentives and disincentives to those that make good choices, especially when those choices save society costs.

[New Dawn]

19. That reminds me of the Libertarian Party...

I WANT government to (at the very least) regulate industry. The food industry definitely needs to be regulated, big time.

Commercial advertising for foods and beverages simply needs to be abolished, there is no reason for it. When people are hungry, they can go to a store and decide what they want to buy, or look through a list of products that are available. They do not need flashy, deceptive propaganda when making important decisions about what to eat.

[Selatius]

21. The Supreme Court would likely say that is a violation of corporate free speech.

The Supreme Court has since ruled that corporations are, under the law, considered independent legal entities entitled to some of the same protections humans enjoy including freedom of speech. Their speech, though, is a bit more regulated. They cannot lie or misrepresent the nature of their products and services offered, and they cannot directly donate money to political campaigns.

Want the gov't to help? Tell the gov't to eliminate ALL subsidies to sugar producers.

The Farm Subsidies Program has been abused for decades now. Clean it up and kick out the freeloaders.

If you want to subsidize any food to make it cheaper for folks, subsidize fruits, vegetables, and grains.

[aspergris]

24. excellent

NOW that is a positive step. subsidies for the sugar producers, especially that HFCS crap!

no problem with eliminating or reducing that.

but you are right, corporations DO have a right to speech (that is not fraudulent, etc.).

Have you ever run a business? advertising is speech and part of the way a business sinks or swims and.or rises above the others.

it's a huge industry itself, and an art form

[aspergris]

22. i'm not against ANY regulation

I am certainly against authoritarian far reaching crap like was mentioned.

you remind me of many other authoritarians who justify their restrictions on liberty as you just did in your second paragraph "there is no reason for it".

great. but that is NEVER a reason for govt. to ban anything. the burden is on the govt. to show what compelling reason they have to BAN advertisements. the burden is on the govt. because they have the guns/power and they are the ones limiting information, freedom, liberty, etc.

there's no "reason" for you to say those offensive things, sir. so, we are banning it. there is no reason for you to have a mohawk, so we are banning it. there is no reason sir for you to listen to that silly music, etc.

it's a classic authoritarian premise.

and again. in a FREE society, we fight bad speech (understanding that much of food advertising is not bad speech at all. ) with good speech. we do not fight stuff we don't like by saying YOU CAN"T say it.

small "l" libertarianism is a good anchor because it keeps (hopefully) those on the left and right from getting too engrossed in using the power of govt. to restrict liberty, choice, etc.

and govt. is usually at its most disgusting when it is justifying its restrictions by saying "we are trying to protect you"

fuck off, big brother (speaking to govt, not you). i'll make my own decisions, and accept the consequences.

[bbinacan]

20. Amen! n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. Good. I'll fit in nicely by then.

If it weren't for the fact that I'll also be really old, I'd even look pretty good, by comparison.

[Selatius]

16. A Second Great Depression could prevent this.

If there is no Middle Class left in America, then the only things people will be worrying about is not counting calories but whether they have any calories to take in at all.

If there is a war with Iran or the US Dollar finally collapses like a dying red super giant turning into a blackhole, we are going to wake up in a different country than the one we left behind.

[nam78_two]

17. Yikes.nt

[seabeyond]

18. i think they have changed the criteria for obese and i dont think i agree with it

or take it quite as seriously as i did in the past. i cant remember the specifics. but a couple years ago i am remembering that they narrowed down obesity to "ideal" weight and ideal weight was less than "ideal" weight use to be.

yes we have a lot of fat. not arguing that. but i am questioning who they decide is obese

[SoCalDem]

29. Insurance companies do that so they can charge more or refuse to cover

On my recent blood work for my eye surgery, the lab results came back with the norm for blood glucose being 80-120 CROSSED out in pen and handwritten 80-100...mine was naturally 102, so the doctor generously "offered" me drugs.. I declined..

[seabeyond]

30. same with cholestral. use to be like 350. now it is 200. yup. all about the drugs, or money

i should say. just about everyone is hitting the cholerstral one. lots of drugs to sell and lifelong forever drugs

[David__77]

23. I'll be one of the 14% then...

But I doubt this. Obesity is a class issue in this country. It's, paradoxically, cheaper to eat a fattening diet than it is to eat one that will maintain a lower weight healthfully. It's terrible. I don't favor banning advertisements, but I do think that we need some sensible attitudes about caloric restriction being an important ingredient of health.

[yawnmaster]

25. Forget advertising! Make eating between lunch/dinner illegal!

or perhaps put a limit on the amount of food calories a person is allowed to purchase.
Each of us could have a calorie card - like a credit card - used to buy food.

Exceed your limit and no more pizza for you!

Expanding on that - I just had another thought, my third today - the actual food bought could be monitored!
No food purchases without the food card. No exceeding a pizza limit for a given period. No more purchases without a brussel sprout purchase.

etc.

[Zywiec]

26. If you can't control what you put in your own mouth, do you have any control? n/t

[SoCalDem]

27. Once 86% becomes anything, they are MORE than the "norm"

So if 86 percent are "overweight/obese", then wouldn't the 14% who are NOT, be the UNDERWEIGHTS :rofl:

If any scientists are out there, and paying attention, it's easy to see that in a genereation & a half people have ballooned..and just by co-ink-ee-dink, during that same time, mass quantities of chemicals, preservatives, dyes and other nasties have been added to our air, food, water, soil , clothing, carpets, paints, building supplies, ..you name it..

Plastics are EVERYWHERE...
HFCS is in things where it's not even needed..

Schools eliminated most phys ed classes , playgrounds are so concerned about law suits, that they barely exist, news folks scared parents so much, that they rarely let their children even play outside.. housing developments are built without sidewalks, and are located so far that driving is the only way to get anywhere..

Big Agro bought up most small/local farms, so they could control the "new and improved" ingredients.
Fast food joints offered up cheap/easy carb foods to fill empty bellies cheaper than "real restaurants".. The weakening position of workers led to lower pay/more jobs, which eliminated the time necessary to prepare home-made foods, so it's all worked out just the way big business wanted..

and hey.. they'll now happily sell you the drugs necessary to combat the diseases all that extra weight brings..or they'll sell you the diet plans to lose it..or the gyms where you can pay monthly to work that ass off..

The extra risk now allows their insurance buddies to charge you extra money or to deny coverage completely.. And if you die sooner, the better for the rest of us.. we get to keep your social security money..

All according to plan..

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

31. How Bout We Leave The Advertising The Fuck Alone, And Blame It On People Not Eating Responsibly.

Self-accountability. It's a wonderful thing.

[krabigirl]

32. Ridiculous...and impossible.

Are they planning on changing the standards even more to consider anyone over 24 BMI obese?

[RadiationTherapy]

34. Until the drug war ends, I support all bans on unhealthy food, drink and smoke.

I am tired of the hypocrisy; let's get serious about this!

[AndyTiedye]

35. How Are We Supposed to Find Healthy Food If They Can't Advertise

The fast food places and the big supermarket chains are easy to find.
They already have most of the best locations.

The places that make and sell healthier food are often smaller and harder to find.
How are we to find the good stuff if you won't let them advertise?

You think that if there were no food advertising that we would forget to eat?

[IDemo]

36. Exceedingly unlikely

With world oil production well below half its current rate by 2030, industrial agriculture and the processed food diets it spawns will be distant memories.