Comments on: Diet Not Doctors

By: sinz54

sinz54 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:26:21 +0000

anotherdan: As a culture we don’t take time to sit and make or eat good meals.
It costs a lot more to eat healthy.

The cost of a balanced meal (fruit, vegetables, grains, lean meats) of 1,000 calories is MUCH higher than the cost of a Big Mac. Try pricing out a thousand-calorie meal that’s mostly fiber-based, the next time you’re in the supermarket.

Big Macs provide cheap food for the poor and working poor.

Obesity isn’t healthy. But it’s not as unhealthy as starvation, which used to be the natural condition of the poor in many parts of the country.

By: Observer

Observer — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:43:29 +0000

If it’s your right to be fat, then it’s also your right to be responsible and choose not to be.

By: raygun

raygun — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:15:19 +0000

It’s our right as American conservatives to eat as much as we want, and be as fat as we want. Government get out of my appetite.

By: anotherdan

anotherdan — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:53:29 +0000

The culture we live in is very fat. It’s not just government subsidies or the lack of government programs. I see a lot of people from Latin America come to the states (people I know personally) with in a few months they put on a lot of weight. As a culture we don’t take time to sit and make or eat good meals. We take the quick and cheap meal, not filling and full of calories. Remember weather you are conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, your probably fat.

By: sinz54

sinz54 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:01:53 +0000

There is a lot more that could be done at the state level about the obesity problem. Many schools–even elementary schools–strapped for funds, accept the placement of soft drink and candy vending machines on their premises in exchange for payments by those companies. Something like $200 million in payments from junk food companies have been made to schools in this way.

Every state should provide sufficient funding to buy up those contracts and stop the placement of junk food at school.

By: sinz54

sinz54 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:57:04 +0000

Agricultural subsidies are indefensible on many grounds, not just this health one.

They persist because of intense lobbying from farm states.

Even President Reagan, who was second to none in opposing the USSR, couldn’t stop exports of grain to the USSR. Because the farmers who voted for him wouldn’t allow it. So we continued to feed our most dangerous enemy.

By: Observer

Observer — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:18:08 +0000

Sure, Lloyd, but there is division on how to deal with it.

By: Lloyd Alter

Lloyd Alter — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:34:58 +0000

I made exactly the same point on TreeHugger.com yesterday, quoting you. There is not much division on this issue.

By: procha

procha — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:56:45 +0000

I’m positive that if health care reform will be focused on diet all the wingnuts will be screaming about the government trying to control what they are eating…and phrases like keep the government out of my kitchen , and hitler, and eating panels, so on so forth. Basically, it will be the same situation as with the current type of reform proposed.