There is corn syrup in pretty much EVERYTHING. And if it's not corn syrup, it's some part of corn. Corn is everywhere, even in meat and fish (because they feed the chickens, cows, pigs and fish corn).

It's a real problem, but it garners billions of dollars, and those companies can pay to lobby our gov't to not change anything. And so they don't change anything. It's basically about the $$money$$. That's why Congress has legally declared pizza a vegetable - money.

So those of us who care must be careful.

I WISH we had a Bountiful Baskets near us! Wrong coast, I guess.

When it comes to food, the U.S. is the pits. I know there are cities on this earth where you can eat a dinner laid out in the shape of an autopsied human body--I'm looking at you, Val ;p--but where else is deep-frying a national pastime?

I remember the year my uncle bought his deep-fryer. He brought it to Thanksgiving at my grandmother's house and proceeded to deep-fry the turkey.

I'd be more okay with food-and-drink-centric national culture if it was more about tasting new things and refining the palate than overstuffing oneself on over-saturated comfort food. And if there's a healthy option on the menu, this can actually make it worse for some people: studies have shown that the availability of healthier menu options can actually push people to make less healthy choices because they believe they'll make up for it later by ordering the healthy dish "next time."

Most everyone I know orders the same dish at each restaurant they frequent every damn time. The world is buzzing with new tastes and experiences, and they aren't all four cheeses and double-stuft.

I have to say when I went back to the States for Thanksgiving I felt positively tiny! I was at 136, which is just inside the healthy BMI range for my height and walking around the mall/beach just made me feel a bit like an alien from another planet. I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed the size and healthiness of people before; it obviously wasn't a priority for me, so I must have just had my blinders on.

I couldn't believe the size of the meals in the restaurants either though I have to say I wouldn't necessarily wouldn't want to see them reduced, with a reduction in price! I was usually able to get at least 2 meals out of each dinner or split a dish with my husband, which just seems ridiculous.

I do think it should be mandatory to have calorie counts on things though. It's not like they're going to be super accurate, but looking at some of the menus online before going, I was amazed to find close to 2000 calorie dishes on some menus! I know it did make me think twice about what I was ordering sometimes. I'm not saying people wouldn't still order the dishes, but at least they would know how good/bad something was for you and be able to make an informed decision.

Oh dear, that's not good! The corn thing's huge over there though.

Here all of the cattle eat grass, live outside and aren't pumped full of medicine (unless they're sick). I live beside an elderly man who has cattle and he's so lovely with them. Treats them like kittens, they're very happy animals and very well fed.

I think it's turning into a 'western' thing, not just the US, but it sure started in the US. When I was there a few years ago I really couldn't believe my eyes at the portion sizes of food over there. And the amount of obese people. After a week I just CRIED because I was so frustrated at the fact that I could not find bread without sugar/cornsyrup in it anywhere! It's cheaper to buy take-out in a lot of places than it is to buy fresh veggies and lean meat. Where I was in Texas y'all have a -drive through- bank. If you shop at wal-mart and the staples is on the other side of the road you cant even use the pedestrian-walk because the traffic light is not set for pedestrians. I mean, I am not amazed at how so many people are obese.

I live in the Netherlands, it's a very cultural thing to go places by bike or walking. So that helps a lot I think, and fast food is only the last few years becoming more affordable. The amount of obese children is growing slowly the last few years and our government is working on it. But because it's not a big issue just yet, it is super hard to buy diet-foods here. That is the only thing I envy you Americans for, there is a LOT of diet-food choices. Online and in the supermarkets.

Anyhow, I know how I experienced the US is not how the entire country is, but I was just really shocked at how unhealthy most common foods in the supermarket were. And how fast food is so much cheaper and huge portions. And how atleast in the south a lot is done by car. New York was totally different in that regard.

The corn syrup is a nightmare! I'm very sensitive to the stuff, so I generally have to suffer because I can't find corn syrup free bread or anything!

I definitely agree that there's a problem. You can't walk into a target or Walmart anymore without finding a pizza hut or McDonald's attached. WHY do you need those things there when you're grocery shopping????

I once saw a sandwich at Denny's that was a grilled cheese with chicken and mozzarella sticks in between. With fries, the meal was 5000 calories. Ugh.

I've gone to weight loss camps several times as a camper and a counselor. Those things make SO much money because of how bad child obesity is. And here's the kicker...more than 50% of the campers (including me) are returners because we couldn't maintain the weight. No one taught us proper portion sizes or anything. Just a prime example of how money trumps health.

To reiterate what others have said, I'm not blaming anyone else, I am completely responsible for my life decisions.

That said, it frustrates me that for the longest time I didn't appreciate this was going on. We are targets for this and are constantly battered with messages of over-consumption. I grew up with and learned my eating habits from two morbidly obese parents. It wasn't until young adulthood when I realized that my "normal" portion size was ridiculously large compared to many others.

I've lived half my life in Taiwan and half my life in America. I think I'm frustrated in the general public's perception of fat, body image and healthy living.

In Taiwan, most of the people are stick thin but they aren't necessarily healthy. They prefer the bone-thin look versus the toned/muscular/fit look. Food isn't necessarily healthier. Weight loss is achieved mainly by fad diets and extreme deprivation. I have notice the trend of younger women being very thin and fit but the minute they have kids/get older, they get bigger and have zero muscle so it's complete flab and very hard to lose because their metabolism is so off.

I'm glad to see there seems to be an increase of gyms and acceptance of the toned/fit look in the recent years though.

I hate how many people equate thin=healthy.

I like reading about the viewpoints on this thread.

I completely understand. Many years ago my ex husband and I went through a financially rough period of time. Once we became a little more comfortable (had $40ish a week instead of $2 to spend on food), and an Aldi opened, I was in heaven because I could get reduced fat cheese, milk, eggs, dried beans, frozen peas/corn, brown rice, and things like canned tomatoes so inexpensively.

Thankfully that time is far behind me, but it gave me the ability to budget so much more than I would have ever learned. I still take advantage of discount stores but I also have a Trader Joe's right near my house and I am able to buy organics off of the list.

It's frustrating, but if you're willing to look there are many healthy options in supermarkets etc and you don't have to break the bank. You don't have to shop at stupidly overpriced organic rich people stores like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods - even hick town markets should have things like frozen vegetables and 5-minute brown rice available. You can avoid corn syrup by checking ingredients when you grocery shop and limiting the amount you eat out.

I believe it boils down to individuals making choices. I barely ever follow the news but I'm always hearing about the food industry, obesity, etc. You can choose not to notice, you can choose to blame the industry, or you can just quietly do your part to eat well and live healthily.

re:
 

I think some of it too may have to do with how busy parents are. Both parents (if you're lucky to even have two) are usually working now.

It feels difficult to find the time or energy to cook healthy meals every night, so there's a lot more take out or going out.

I know there are parents out there that manage to do it, and my hat's off to you. It's not a good excuse either to NOT do it, it's just the easy way out to not cook.

Sometimes, I wish America could go back to the 50's when there were two parents, someone always at home, and home cooked meals for each meal. I know that's a pipe dream though, so we have to try to change our attitudes about food today and how we prepare it. We can't be slaves to convenience.

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On an individual level, it's certainly true that we are responsible for what we put into our mouths. DH and I have managed to lose a good deal of weight between the two of us on a limited income. It was NOT easy, though, and we've had to cut back on things that help with our weight loss (gum, certain fruits/veggies/cheese that are great for you but too expensive etc). It means that sometimes are meals are more boring than they could be if we had more money. It's doable but not always fun.

However, I DO think that America (and, well, many, many Western countries, Brazil is included here) needs to wake up on this issue. The corn subsidies are not helping anyone and the food industry is seriously broken. It's messed up that you have to go to great lengths to find healthy foods and even when you do find them they are extremely expensive. Some urban areas have little to no access to healthy foods.

Massive reeducation is needed on what constitutes healthy and not. Sure, calorie counts on foods might help but it has to be much more than that. People need to learn that you CAN cook healthy foods that are tasty. Simple changes can make a big difference. For instance, I don't cook with sugar but I still eat desserts using either fruit or natural sweeteners. You'd be shocked about how many people don't realize it (and I've had so many other moms ask for my recipes because their default is always to use sugar).

We need it make it easier for people to eat healthy. I don't have a problem with convenience foods but there doesn't need to be so much junk in them! You can make healthy frozen meals from better ingridents, you can make cookies from a lot better ingredients than what are currently being used. There's just need for all the white flour, sugar etc.

I don't think changes school lunches has ANYTHING to do with freedom. Sorry, but what about the freedom of the families who want their kids to eat healthy? Or the ones with allergies? Why in the world would freedom=junk food? It's just mind boggling to me. :?: If you can only afford to give one choice, give a healthy choice. If you can afford more than make something slightly less healthy available. But the default should be healthy food.

I really see a very big difference between individual responsibility and unhealthy food standards practices by unethical businesses here. Yes, an individual has the right to put whatever they want in their mouth, but shouldn't we make the healthy choice the easiest choice? And, I mean, corn syrup in formula????? :?: Shouldn't we instead be working on extending maternity leave so mothers can nurse longer, increase breastfeeding help and support groups, and also make sure that for those moms that can't nurse that they have access to sugar/corn syrup free formula? A lot can be done to improve the situation but blaming individuals gets us nowhere.

I agree, it's really frustrating. I pay $12 for a meal that I definitely won't eat all of. True, you can take it home, but I'd rather pay half the price for half the food. And I've started dating again, which makes it a tiny bit awkward for me. He's paying, so do I immediately box it up? "Thanks for dinner, and lunch tomorrow"? Do I order something small and low cal and have him think I'm doing it to impress him? Lots of guys say stuff like "I love a girl who can order a huge cheeseburger or a steak and not worry what I think", but you know they're thinking of a tiny girl. And if you eat like that all the time, you're just not going to be tiny (unless you're a super exerciser or lucky - my sister's one of the lucky ones). But I just CANNOT eat normally when I go out with a guy, because I'm going on multiple dates a week. I'm not complaining, it's just an unforseen side effect. :P It would be a lot easier if 1,000 calorie dishes weren't the norm.

To gain 7 pounds of fat in a week, your friend would have to have eaten approximately 3500 calories a day (24,500 calories for the week) beyond what she needed during that time period. I would imagine that's possible, but unless she was drinking cup upon cup of coffee-flavored heavy cream, it seems a bit unlikely. Could her gain have had anything to do with being in a different food environment (and maybe making choices she wouldn't have made at home) and/or relying on "travel-friendly" (often sodium laden) foods?

What does this mean? [The United States of] America is a geopolitical abstraction. "It" isn't capable of doing anything. The federal government and the governments of the country's constituent jurisdictions can make policies and undertake actions that affect the ease with which people can attain/maintain a healthy weight (e.g. corn subsidies and city planning), for-profit and non-profit organizations based in the US can pursue their ends in a variety of ways, and individuals that are citizens or residents of the US make decisions informed by their knowledge and experiences - which can vary widely. What or who are you referring to?

I'm also not sure how the government(s), organizations, and/or individuals of the United States are solely or primarily responsible for individuals, organizations, and/or governments in other nations choosing to adopt technologies that allow them to be more sedentary at work and during their leisure time, employ food production methods that allow for higher, more consistent yields, and eat (and profit from, in the case of franchises?) processed foods that originated in the US. Are the governments powerless to set policy for their nations and the people imbecilic? Or is it more complicated than that?

Also, anybody who wants to sell something has to have a buyer. Even if "America" were selling something, it would need to have people wanting that thing. I don't recall seeing a headline saying the Statue of Liberty had been remanded to custody in one of the "Western" nations for forcing somebody to eat a Big Mac at torchpoint.

I think it's more likely that, although Americans are, statistically, among the heaviest populations in the world, many of obesity's major contributing factors - such as having a sedentary lifestyle and plentiful, reliable food sources - are not specific to the US or primarily a result of actors associated with that country. Governments, organizations, and individuals make their own choices. The fact that obesity is a public health problem in so many places merely underscores how ill-equipped many people to live in the society that has evolved over the past century or so. It's a society in which most of us have little direct control over or knowledge of food production and no longer have to do as much hard labor as our ancestors, and in which chemical manipulation of foodstuffs is common (although moreso in the US than in many other places). Blaming the US is popular (for a lot things, not just other countries' obesity problems), but doing so ignores the causes, many of which, regardless or origin, can probably be dealt with effectively if individuals work - alone and with others - to make their communities healthier places to live.

Scotland. :p Just kidding, Scottish chicks.


...and help make your community a healthier place to live and tell your elected representatives to vote healthy! I agree that eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive. I think that ignorance of cooking and the difficulty some people have in accommodating palates that have been conditioned to heavy, highly processed foods to fresh foods is ultimately more of a stumbling block for a lot of people than price. It was for me.

Right on!

Runningfromfat, I'd love to see your dessert recipes! PM me please? :)