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Obesity didn’t happen overnight. Obesity has been on the rise since about 1980 and is now at epidemic proportions. How and why did obesity start; we didn’t suddenly become a country of overly hungry people eating everything in sight.
You don’t have much time and you are hungry. So you go and get a fast food meal, day after day. Obesity can start just like that. The same for the pre-packaged processed foods. And those fats and calories add up quickly. But when you are hungry and don’t have much time, you just want to eat. Obesity is eating too much of the wrong foods.
Has Fast Food Brainwashed Our Stomachs?
A lot of us grew up being told to finish everything that was on our plates, which isn’t bad depending just what and how much is on your plate. In the 1970's two new products were hastily approved for use in the United States. These two new products would make cheaper food costs for the fast-food industry and that was a savior for them in the recession of the 1970's. These two new products were high corn fructose syrup (HFCS) and palm oil. The high corn fructose syrup reduced the amount of sugar that had to go into soft drinks, sweet foods and about everything else. Americans consume approximately 60 pounds of HFCS per year. The palm oil was cheaper and took the place of soybean oil. Palm oil has more saturated fat than hog lard, one opponent testified at the Agriculture Committee hearings [1]. And he was right, hog lard has 38 percent saturated fat and palm oil has 45 percent saturated fat. Ironically, this is about the time obesity started its fast climb.
These cheaper ingredients allowed fast-food places to start selling cheaper and larger drinks and meals, eventually to the point of the super-size meals. A serving of McDonalds french fries in 1960 had 200 calories, 320 calories in the mid 1970's, 450 calories in the mid 1990's jumping to 610 calories in 2003. A normal McDonalds meal that used to be 540 calories is now 1550 calories [1]. What was once a normal 12-ounce bottle of coke has now become the Big Gulp 64 ounce pop. A normal sandwich has become the foot long sub sandwich, or longer.
As the serving sizes increased, so did the amount of calories, sodium and saturated fat. As this increased, slowly over time we became used to these sizes--and we order, we sit and we eat and drink all of it, everything on our plates or in the bags. We have just become used to the bigger-sized meals as being normal. Our stomachs became brainwashed.
More Food
As a people, we certainly haven’t become hungrier, have we? Yet we sit down to feasts that 100 years ago would be as they say, “fit for a king”, every day at lunch, dinner and snacks. The USDA study found that most of the increased calories have come from snacking. Since 1984 the average weight of American men has increased from 168 to 180 pounds. In this same time period the average weight of women increased from 142 to 152 pounds. A survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that between 1978 and 1996, the consumption of calories increased by 268 calories for men and 143 calories for women per year. The food supply in the United States has also increased. In 1978 the food supply was 3,200 calories per person [2]. By 1999 this had risen to 3,900 calories per person. We haven’t become more sedentary, really, since 1980 in our jobs--not by the percentage increase that obesity has climbed. The obesity rate in children is climbing faster; the USDA wrote that children today don’t work any more or less than they did in 1980. Yet the report fails to take into account the amount of time children today spend in front of computer games. Some say computer games burn calories--but certainly not more than playing outside whether it is kick the can or a game of football.
The Ease of Eating Causes Obesity
The study’s conclusion was that the climbing rate of obesity and fast-food or pre-packaged processed foods are tied together. It isn’t only fast-food where you drive up to a window, order, and park and eat. It is also the processed foods that you can just pop into the microwave or oven. No preparation or cooking really. Processed foods have almost as much and sometimes as much fat, calories and sodium as fast food does.
Obesity Spreads With Fast Food
As fast-food restaurants have spread around the globe, so has obesity. In Beijing, China, the obesity rate of Chinese boys ages 10-12 is greater than 10%. In Thailand, the obesity rate among children has risen from 12% to 15.6% in just two years. Where fast food goes, obesity has risen.
Conclusion
Not all studies agree on a single cause as to why obesity has become such a problem. Most answers are the availability of so much cheap food and bigger serving sizes. Studies do cite the lack of time or just plain laziness to actually cook home meals anymore, so order a pizza, pop in some processed pre-packaged meal into the microwave or go to the fast-food place. I’m as guilty as the next person; if I don’t feel like cooking, I might call and order a pizza. There are major disagreements as to whether high corn fructose sugar causes changes in the body compared to sugar, causing obesity. What is agreed on is the fact that meals are not cooked at home as much. When you cook your own meals you are leaving out much of the unhealthy fats, calories and additives that are found in the processed foods. Diet pills won't fix the obesity problem, each person has to change it one day at a time.
© 2009 Sam Montana
Sources and Related Articles
CC photo by Roland on Flickr
[1] Fat Land by Greg Critser
Fast food calorie and nutrition calculator
it can also lead to type 2 diabetes, and that is becoming an epidemic in america as well.
Activity is essential. Has anyone ever counted the calories burned when preparing a meal? From squatting for pots and pans to washing the dishes...machines are replacing muscle power in every aspect. No animal that isn't still at the breast should be served EVERY meal...Hunt, gather, cultivate and prepare your own food! It's healthy and it's fun...
Sam, as they say in the UK, absolutely spot on.
I did some nutritional studies back in '98 - and the results were appalling. If you're ever interested, in having a look, check out the differences between ice cream and ice milk - there is a curious connection there, too...but I agree with the frustration that the fattening of the herd isn't caused by one thing singularly. It's a multi-level combination of many factors.
great article I started replacing foods one at a time my biggest addiction, coca cola. I now drink water with lemon. I don't feel as blotted and find myself craving healthy foods like greens and fruits.
Thank you for your comments. Getting rid of junk foods in the house really helps. The need to snack is very real, I find myself sitting at the computer sometimes wanting something just to snack, and there are tons of good things. Even popcorn is great without adding salt or butter. When I first realized what I ate wasn’t right, I became a strict vegan for a couple of years. The first time I had a piece of pizza, I couldn’t believe how greasy and salty it tasted. When you change your diet to a more healthy diet, you change every part of your body down to your actual blood cells and taste buds. I don’t think there is anything wrong with eating fast food once in a great while or a pizza. Sometimes its all that’s needed to make you remember, that’s what makes my stomach hurt. We were trained to eat super sized unhealthy meals, we can train ourselves to eat healthier. Just cooking your own meals is a huge step towards being healthier. The obesity part is just a part, with type II diabetes and heart disease being found in teenagers now. Something isn’t right with that. Water with lemon in it is really healthy and cleansing also.
That’s great they want to eat better. On the other hand, where my wife works, the 20 and even 30 somethings always go to the fast food places. One out of 10 people will get a nice big salad. The rest usually get something like hamburger and fries or big nachos from Taco Bell, every day. Some say that the dire warnings about certain foods in the 80s and 90s has some people so fed up today, that they have the “I will eat anything” attitude. The constantly changing medical studies drove people crazy. The dire warnings sort of had a backlash in some ways.
This is so true. So hard to change a lifetime of bad eating habits!
Hey Sam, I hope you don't mind - I cited you and this article in an academic article (inaccessible from here).
A well writen article. Informative, factual and concise is the description fitting. i look forward to more information from this writer who has a wealth of information to convey. Thank You Jeff Merrow
great, it is so true and informative article
Thanks for a great article Sam. I have steadfastly been reading labels and refusing to buy items with HFCS in them for several years now. The biggest shock I've had with HFCS was finding on the label for a can of stewed tomatoes! It's one of several terrible products approved by the FDA for our food, though it's banned in some foreign countries. As for changing a lifetime of bad eating habits, start with one thing and change it today, then work on another thing in a few weeks. One thing at a time.
Excellent article and right in line with some other things I've been reading and watching lately. The habits can be hard to break, but when you know the truth about what's in your food it kind of makes it easier to give up.
Excellent article and information. I believe part of the move to HFCS was due to the sugar problem we had also - when we were not buying sugar from Cuba any more. As an alternative, HFCS came into being.
Obesity is a huge problem with 2 main cause: lack of exercises and lack of natural healthy foods.
u r so right
I am disappointed to see yet another article misrepresenting palm oil. Actually, palm oil is a medium chain fatty acid, which is metabolized very quickly for energy and does NOT contribute to obesity. It does not build up in your arteries like lard, and comparing it to lard is so absurd as to be laughable. People who live in countries that use a lot of coconut oil have a far lower incidence of artery and heart disease, as well as a lower incidence of diabetes and thyroid disease.
The culprit is more likely the animal fats in all those red meats we so dearly love. BTW, up until not too long ago, McDonald's cooked its french fries in lard. It's why the tasted so good. Red meat is not digestible by the human body. It sits and rots in your stomach and intestines and produces lactic acid, which leeches calcium from your bones. The fat in red meat is almost total cholesterol, which, since it cannot be digested, is passed through your blood stream to line your artery walls.
Please do your research before you publish lies.
Your opinion is fine, but do not tell me I publish lies and that I do not research. What I published are known scientific facts. I pointed out that HFCS and palm oil became popular at the start of the time obesity became a big problem. Palm oil is very high in saturated fat, higher in saturated fat than lard. Just because palm oil is a plant food compared to an animal food does not make it healthier than lard. And then you say the fat in red meat is the culprit. I think both are the culprit, though I do believe grass-feed beef does have health benefits. Maybe you should read some of my other articles about obesity, high fructose corn syrup, fast food and vegetarianism. The bottom line is overeating is the main reason for obesity, and this article is about when the obesity problem started to widespread.
I have to back Deborah up. The "lies" she is speaking about are the lies propagated by the soybean industry about palm oil. This started when the powerful soybean lobby got congress to subsidize them and thus, it was in the best interest of the government to demonize palm oils that came from outside the U.S. while they were promoting corn and soybean oil, in which they had a financial stake. Soybean oil is probably the worst oil you can put into your body. Palm oil is actually much better for you, but a lot of the processed palm oil is contaminated with additives that make it unhealthy. Pure virgin palm oil is very healthy, and does not cause obesity. I use virgin coconut oil for all my cooking, and I have had many health benefits. In fact, since I started using it, I've lost 15 lbs. without diet or exercise and my cholesterol has gone from very high to normal in 6 months. I am not calling you a liar, just saying that you have fallen for the myth that palm oils are unhealthy. Any highly processed oil (corn, canola, palm) is unhealthy. Pure virgin cold-pressed oils (olive, coconut, sunflower) are very healthy.
Oil and lard are not the problem. The problem is highly processed foods that are more convenient and contain chemicals that rob your body of the ability to process the high amounts of sugar and fats they contain. If everyone ate more fresh fruits and veggies and lean meats, we would all be thinner and healthier. And yes, overeating is a problem too. Most Europeans are shocked when they come to restaurants here and see the portion sizes, and vice versa with Americans visiting Europe. Yet the European heart disease and obesity rate is lower than ours. They eat real food most of the time, not processed crap from boxes and cans.
It's true, you are what you eat. You are not to blame for believing these lies. Most people do. Not all saturated fats are bad, they have just been demonized by the government to promote their own bought-and-paid-for products.
Fae, thank you for comments. You have to understand, this article is about how and when the obesity epidemic starting in the US. In the 1970s there was very high inflation and people demanded lower food prices. This is when the US companies started to import the much cheaper palm oil instead of US produced soy bean oil. It is more of a historical account in that paragraph. A major reason soybean and corn oil are bad for our health for the main reason today that they are most likely GMO. I agree processed foods are the problem and in fact I have written several articles about obesity and processed foods and the dangers of GMO foods. There are good saturated fats which would include dark chocolate which I also wrote about. The government and scientist and diet authors are the ones confusing us all every day. You say you lost 15 pounds just because you started using coconut oil, great, but there must be something else to it in your diet because 15 pounds is a lot to lose in 6 months. And coconut oil is not the same as palm oil. I would like you to read some of my other articles. I have listed on my blog at http://healthyfoodandlife.blogspot.com/
Obesity because epidemic to different countries around the world because people keep loving the foods they eat without having concern to its possible effects to the body. Obesity has many associated health diseases such as high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases. We have to limit our food intake if we know that we are getting obese and having self-discipline is one of the most effective ways to avoid this health condition. Thank you for writing this excellent content, I really learned a lot from the information you have provided, keep it up! (LIKED and SHARED)
you are so right, obesity is one problem that just mushrooms as our stomachs and our appetites expand...the diseases obesity causes are serious and sometimes deadly. Thanks for this red-flag article.