I was on the market last saturday, at closing time (which means close out deals). I bought 2 pine-apples for 50 cents each, and 40 tangerines for 1 dollar 
(edit: the lot!)
(edit: the lot!)
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Food, Fat, Obesity and Airplanes - a question
- Thread starter doublestop
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Well, not really! I don't believe that Americans (32% obese people) are 3 times less self-disciplined than Dutch (10% obese).
There must also be factors in the environment that 'facilitate' and unhealthy lifestyle. For some reason, it's much easier in the USA to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle, and harder to cling to a healthy lifestyle.
I'm not an expert, I'm just a simple traveler, but what I would do (if I were to 'seduce' Americans to a more healthy life style) I would:
* have smaller standard portions - negotiate with the restaurants, ice cream sellers etc. to have smaller plates and smaller cups. This may take a while to get used to of course. Make the big plates, big cups optional!
* smaller packages in the supermarkets. No more "3 gallon" bottles of Coca Cola, "mega family packs" of peanuts and so on.
* ask to food sector to put less sugar in the food. Why should you put corn syrup and so on in bread, salads and everything?
* ask restaurants in schools and at work to offer healthy alternatives
* promote bicycling, for commutes, errands and school. IF distance and weather permits of course! This would also mean more traffic protection for bicycles (seperate lanes, education and if necessary fines for car drives that misbehave)
Going to a gym once in a week is not gonna cut it, it's not effective for loosing weight. Better is a structural healthier life, and the key is in eating less, not in moving more..... (you have to run a half marathon to burn a cheeseburger, a coke and an icecream)
Well, I believe that self-discipline and self-esteem have ALOT to do with it. If you believe in yourself and make a determined conscious effort, you just simply avoid fattening foods and restaurants that give sizes which are too large. You could also just ask the restaurant to wrap your uneaten food to take home. Again, you have to have the self-discipline to push the plate away.
With self-discipline I believe almost anybody can achieve almost anything (within reason) but it may take a degree of determination that is difficult to come up with. For example, I'm vegan (dont eat or wear any animal products). If I am caught off guard by a large chocolate cake in the staff room at work AND I am hungry it is often difficult for me to not have a slice of that cake, even though I know I shouldnt. Sometimes I have the discipline required to resist, sometimes I dont. I am human so I dont beat myself up over it. The point is things that are tempting may be everywhere in our environment, but we don't *have* to give in to it.
We can choose to be strong.
With self-discipline I believe almost anybody can achieve almost anything (within reason) but it may take a degree of determination that is difficult to come up with. For example, I'm vegan (dont eat or wear any animal products). If I am caught off guard by a large chocolate cake in the staff room at work AND I am hungry it is often difficult for me to not have a slice of that cake, even though I know I shouldnt. Sometimes I have the discipline required to resist, sometimes I dont. I am human so I dont beat myself up over it. The point is things that are tempting may be everywhere in our environment, but we don't *have* to give in to it.
We can choose to be strong.
Well, it wouldnt be the first, but there's always room for another!
http://www.amazon.com/Students-Vege...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266949772&sr=8-1
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From my (a relatively overweight person's) understanding of Europe (and a discussion with a fellow who himself is overweight who happens to have spent 7 years of his life raised in South Africa), stress isn't really the biggest issue with daily life. In addition, the cities are smaller, making the demand for automobiles far less. Things are in walking distance. People spend more time outdoors. An education is significantly cheaper. Your job isn't your "life" in Europe is more or less what it sounds like.
In the US, I'll start off with education. Colleges here, quite frankly, take pride in reaming their students who have spent money to be there, for EVERY SINGLE PENNY. I went to a community college as a music major (where I was pretty busy with my head in the books, which wasn't that hard) and then transferred to a state University to continue in Music Education, where first I was basically discredited on several classes where with the academic testing I did exceptionally (and they knew it), yet they felt it necessary to have me take several classes over again. Then I took a class where at one point a teacher failed me although she mysteriously "found" a bunch of my work. I retook the class and she did the same thing, trying a second time to lower my grade (I came from a c-/d grade all the way up to a B after pointing out several documents I completed and turned in to her). Other professors pulled similar stunts which basically put me in the situation that I decided it was no longer "worth it" to persue music in an educational capacity and went with the general major. I went from what could have been a four year plan to almost a six year plan.
What I'm trying to say is the colleges/universities of America basically feel today that not only should they make the requirements to get an education as difficult as possible, but do it moreso to increase the income from the entire student body. This creates the feelings of withdrawal, fatigue, exhaustion, lack of passion, and so on. So I ask you, in just that one area, when you spend all your time and money to have your face slammed in a book, what do you think the combination of lack of physical activity and depression is going to produce for you? Moreover the entire college diet, especially in a cafeteria is packed with enough sodium to embalm a cat.
Then after school you end up in a corporate job (if your even lucky enough for that), where your nose is even more fixed to the proverbial grindstone.
Then you have the quality of our fast-food joints, which ensure that those cows will get all the genetic modification they need to make a TASTY BURGER, affectionately named "Baconator", "Whopper", "Quarter Pounder", "BIG MAC", "SLIDER", and so on. No no, never-mind that these enhancements are also CARCINOGENIC, just keep on giving them liquid compressed corn; they'll forget all about it. And larger portions also encourage the indulgent population to come back for more, struck with the "bang for the buck" in store for them if they do.
This is what America is all about. We get charged under and over hand on every possible fee, get worked over, and we get to retire to our Lazy-boy recliners to contemplate just what in the hell went wrong.
General comment ....
There is a connection between the consumer model that the US is built upon and the end results of the health and quality and life of its citizens.
When everything is based on the bottom line and consistently increasing revenue, the long term affects are rarely considered when decisions are made on a quarterly basis.
Education in the US has become a business and is less and less about education. When you have to pay $30k a year for four years to get a $25k/yr liberal arts job there is something wrong with the equation. Health Care is really a business and more concerned about the bottom line than the health of the citizens of the US. It's not really the fault of the folks that participate in each of those activities. My brother is a doctor and he's just as frustrated in the system as everyone else.
There is a connection between the consumer model that the US is built upon and the end results of the health and quality and life of its citizens.
When everything is based on the bottom line and consistently increasing revenue, the long term affects are rarely considered when decisions are made on a quarterly basis.
Education in the US has become a business and is less and less about education. When you have to pay $30k a year for four years to get a $25k/yr liberal arts job there is something wrong with the equation. Health Care is really a business and more concerned about the bottom line than the health of the citizens of the US. It's not really the fault of the folks that participate in each of those activities. My brother is a doctor and he's just as frustrated in the system as everyone else.
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
Nothing wrong with that, but Im pretty sure there are even more non-vegetarian cookbooks for making nutritious meals on a budget.
Being a well rounded vegetarian would probably add a few years onto the average person's life. However, part of the reason for this is because most Americans eat too much red meat. I LOVE meat, and it's ok to indulge once in a while. But if you're eating sausage for breakfast, a big mac for lunch, and a big juicy steak for dinner, you're overdoing it and greatly increasing your risk of heart attack, colon cancer, and many other diseases.
However, a few servings of fish a week is really good for you, and has been shown to decrease the risk of heart attack.
It's up to you whether you want to go vegetarian or not - there certainly are pros and cons. I think the best diet is one that limits, but does not completely restrict meat. Lately I've replaced a lot of the beef and pork that I used to eat with chicken, and I've been trying a little more seafood. There's no way I'm going to completely cut beef out of my life, but I try not to make it an every day thing. I've cut back a little on salt, added a lot more fiber, and lost a few pounds. I haven't gotten my cholesterol rechecked (last time the numbers were pretty good anyway), but I know my blood pressure is down (used to be close to 130/80, now it's like 114/74).
From my experiences and knowledge of people going vegetarian, very few people do it "right" and often hurt themselves by not getting enough protein and often cause more risks to their health than not.
Its not too hard being vegetarian and getting enough protein. Most fake meats are made from Soy and TVP (textured vegetable protein, essentially giving it the texture of meat) and vegetable protein is more easily absorbed by the body than animal protein. A problem with some vegetarians is not getting enough B12 which pretty much only found in meat or supplements, as well as iron.
;-)
True. It`s definitely not hard, it just seems that many people don`t read up on what it`s all about and what`s needed on your part to make sure you`re getting everything you need to be healthy.
