| The obesity debate
Why is obesity such a problem and what can we do about it? iVillagers from the Diet & Fitness - Polls & Debates message board give their views
Can the government help counter obesity? I think that prevention is better than cure and it should start with the education of our children - more about sports and nutrition and the health benefits not the cosmetic benefits of an active lifestlye.
I also think that healthy foods should be available 'on the move' like fast foods and cheaper. This would be hard to monitor without the money-grabbing government merely 'taxing' luxury foods, but you can't start taking away people's freedom of choice.
There was no education about obesity when I was a girl many years ago, in fact I was at school when children got free milk to boost their diet. There was no tuck shop, no sweet or drink machines, no burgers for lunch. It was standard good food. I got pocket money on a Saturday which took me to the matinee movie with sweets for the interval and that was it. I didn't miss anything else because I didn't have anything to miss. All the government should do about obesity is to keep the schools supplying healthy diets instead of pandering to modern day meals like chips with everything. Why did the school policy change in the first place? Profit? Modern day burger houses? Parents giving their children extra money for school breaks? Schools are for education not for getting fat. It's a roller coaster because the children who were given this extra money for treats at school give their kids the money for treats. If treats were not there in the first place for children to buy, then there wouldn't be this debate.
If parents want to serve their children unhealthy meals then that is their choice and there is nothing the government can do about it, but let's get back to the root of it all and that is just supplying children with good, basic, healthy food and education. Simple.
I think we all need (not just kids) better education about nutrition. One way is with clear labelling on food packaging. The government should also hold companies responsible when they use misleading marketing e.g. 'light' or 'low salt' when products aren't actually healthy, they've just lowered fat or salt slightly from the original version.
Being 'well upholstered' myself, I reckon that the government 'sees' obese people as fast-food-eaters with high levels of fat intake. So firstly they should stop tarring us all with the same brush. The reason I say this is because I've lost track of the times when visiting the doctor or hospital (not on regular occasions I may add) that they just see someone overweight and have the shock of their lives when I say I'm not on any blood pressure tablets and do not have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
They then could make healthy eating more accessible as in not being so costly for those people who are on a limited income, maybe use free sessions to the gym as an incentive for some, that could be a start. However, I do feel that they have given smokers and drinkers a beating, and now they're moving onto people who are overweight.
Why are we becoming heavier as a nation?
I believe there are two types of big people, those who eat far too much - my cousin has a thyroid problem and uses it as an excuse to eat two packs of Pringles a night. These people usually have a different body shape to those of us who are naturally bigger. I myself do everything to control my weight but don't stress over food, if I'm hungry I eat - simple. I eat chips if I want them, but usually I eat healthy food, I don't fry and I avoid most fast food due to its basic poor taste and nutritional value. I do not have a sweet tooth. In light of the soaring obesity, especially among kids, I do feel that so-called healthy food should be cheaper and more readily available, but it's quite easy and cost effective to eat healthily. Pasta and sauce, rice and chicken, even fresh fruit and vegetables can be found at reasonable prices if you shop around - markets are a bargain.
My daughter has a terrible sweet tooth and would live on chocolate. She's tall and totally opposite to me as I don't eat sweets.
I think there are a few factors involved. When I was a child I was always out playing, be it running around, climbing trees, playing Cowboys and Indians, whatever. Children don't really go out and play as much now, due to parents being concerned for their safety, the increase of traffic and the increase in computers, games and stuff.
Convenience food is also on the up, and with our lifestyles, which seem to be work, work, work, who wants to come in at night and prepare a healthy dinner? No, we'd rather go into the freezer or open a tin of something. Frozen meals are great, but the healthier options are far more expensive than the high fat/sugar cheaper meals. Chocolate and crisps are also more readily available and handed out to children far too easily and it's an addiction that stays well into adulthood, by which time a weight problem is harder to deal with.
I think the answer lies in education and also making healthy options more affordable. I'm currently pregnant and my baby will not be eating sweets, chocolates or crisps until he's old enough to buy them for himself, by which time he probably won't want them because he won't have a sweet tooth. I'm going to encourage him to exercise and play as much as he can, and hopefully by the time he reaches adulthood he won't have a weight problem.
I have a weight problem and have done all my life, partly due to the genes I inherited from my father, and partly as I overindulge. It's something I have to live with, but hopefully if we address it now, the next generation will perhaps be slightly healthier. I think people are heavier these days because of the 'convenient' lifestyle most lead. You're out shopping, you're a bit peckish, what do you do? You get a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar - how many people go and buy an apple or banana? These days mostly both parents work so cooking chips in the oven is far easier than doing pasta or something. I think people need to think about what they are eating more and compromise - if you have chips why not put a salad on the side instead of a fatty side dish. Plus healthy food is very expensive. I'm currently backpacking in Australia, and you would think with most people living healthy, outdoor lives over here, that healthy food would be cheaper, but it's not. Fruit and vegetables are far too high in price, as are things like chicken breasts, why pay over the odds for chicken breasts when you can get a packet of 24 burgers for a fraction of that price?
Also kids don't play out much these days, and who can blame parents? Sarah Payne was out playing and she got murdered, Holly and Jessica, same happened there. How many kids get abducted these days compared to when I was a kid (and I'm only 19). I remember during the summer hols I would go out at about 9am or 10am and I didn't get in until about 8pm, and that was mostly just playing in my own street, but even these days it's hard because of cars and dangerous roads. When my niece plays out (she's five) someone has to watch her. How many parents have all day to sit on the step and watch the kids play? It's society's fault, not the fault of obese people.
I would say that it is partly down to working lifestyles. If you have to leave the house before 6:30am and you don't get home until 9:30pm you probably don't exercise during the week and you don't do a packed lunch or breakfast as you are just too tired. You go to work and pick up something on the way; probably from a newsagent because supermarkets just aren't on most people's way to work.
For lunch you have to find somewhere close to work to eat/get food - again healthy options aren't as easy to find as a 'takeaway lunch' unless you want to pay for a whole dining experience. While you are at work, you spend most of the day sitting down, and because you are tired from stress and not having any real relaxation during the week, you need something to keep you going. Again unhealthy snacks are more convenient (if anyone sees you eating an apple they will assume that it is because you are dieting, possibly leading to comments/weight-based judgements).
I would also say that it is partly down to the social pressure to be very thin. This pressure is based on conforming to the perceived ideal, and it is definitely a pressure to be thin, not fit or healthy. This pressure can be very strong, and can give people the impetus to lose weight - or it can lead to a 'why bother' mentality as the goals that we are supposed to strive for are unnaturally thin and for some people they are definitely unobtainable. I also think that the speed with which people judge is amazing, and there is tremendous pressure for people who are even slightly overweight not to eat in front of other people, which really messes up your relationship with food. I think that there are a number of factors as to why obesity is increasing as a whole. I know that there are medical reasons but it is getting more mainstream. There is just no real emphasis on a proper balanced diet and the true benefits of exercise. Everyone is after a quick-fix solution and sadly there is no such thing. I think that there is also the time factor: busy working lives cut down on leisure time. But, really, I feel a lot of us don't make time to cook proper meals - I guess it's just a case of what you see as important. bluehorizon
I think it doesn't help that unhealthy/convenience food is so cheap and available. Having seen the various government surveys about the NHS fighting to deal with the results of obesity/effects of smoking I actually think that many people would have second thoughts if a packet of ciggies was 20 quid and a bar of choccie a fiver?
That brings me to another point. The previous leg of this discussion was really aimed at the overeating/under-exercising sorts of people and the negative feedback was quite shocking. I wonder how many of those with extreme opinions smoke. It's almost not stigmatised because it shows little effect in physical appearance. They may harp on about how they pity large people but what about those polluting our airspace while their arteries are blocking up too...but hey, if you still look good it must be ok.
We seem to be getting fatter as we are doing less in the way of exercise/activity. Children don't 'play out' as much as before as it is not safe. Sports groups and clubs are not well attended or have problems with funding. Swimming pools are cheap and good fun, but not always accessible due to distance or facilities (very few in our area are disabled friendly). Convenience foods are over-used as more of us work and we don't feel we have time to cook. These foods are high in calories but don't always fill you up so you eat more.
School dinners are a starting point - not exactly healthy at our local senior school. The children have even requested heathier options. Pizza and salad, jacket potatoes, beans or cheese, pasta - proof that school dinners can be both fun and tasty. However it is all burgers and chips. My children have switched to packed lunches as they were so fed up. What do you think? Why not share your views here |