Obesity in England. What's going on?

[ONeill]

I've struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember, and I know my diet isn't particularly healthy (there is an associated aliment that makes this problematic but I don't wish to discuss it here - and no, I'm not big boned!) but I do reflect on times as to why obesity is becoming a more significant problem in recent years, and the following is what I've concluded to...

I don't think that the availability of food in shops is the most significant factor - there was still plenty of junk food about in supermarkets, corner shops & newsagents locally around 20-30 years ago. If anything it might now be slightly healthier in that a lot of e-number additives, food colourings etc. have now been removed or replaced (I do say slightly, because they still are processed foods and not picked direct from nature).  It also doesn't account for food elsewhere that might be regarded as stodgy & fattening, but which has been part of local cuisine for centuries (e.g. those in continental climates during the winter).

In the same time frame, in much of the developed English-speaking world there has become a strong culture of individualism and personal freedom promoted almost to the point of it being a sacred cow that any government or authority that gives guides or advice about the likes of healthy eating, being active, personal safety etc. will almost always see someone stand up and say that it's "nanny-state bollocks" or something on a similar vein. The story of a few chip shops doing deep-fried Mars bars in Scotland has its roots in this. It also explains how the likes of education has had only a limited impact as people tune out from listening or reading about it.

As I see it, the problem lies more with increasingly sedative lifestyles than anything else (as others have pointed out). Even back in the 80's and 90's when we still stuffed our faces with ice cream, crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks, full-fat milk etc. As children we were still a fairly active lot that would go out and play football in parks or any green area that was big enough, go cycling around places, fishing etc. and quite often (especially in the summer) our parents or whoever was looking after us would tell us what time to be home for dinner and that was it. Nowadays any parent that had no idea where their son or daughter had gone to for the last several hours would see you looked upon as a bad parent - not to mention the moral panic surrounding the likes of paedophiles and other sexual abusers, not to play down on them but I don't think that they are any more prevalent now than they were in the past. Back in the past there was a simple warning given to not accept sweets or gifts from strangers, nor get in their cars. Nowadays the pre-emptive attempts by parents are often well meaning, but is paid for in another way. The mentioning of road traffic is another factor, it's pretty tricky now to play many street games these days with a lot more active vehicles on roads.

In saying that, we still had games consoles and computers from the mid to late 80's onwards - Ataris, Sega Mega Drives, NES & SNES, Amagia's, Spectrums, C64's etc. Are people now playing on them more now? I don't know.

It's not just an Irish/British/American problem though, in many developing countries obesity levels are starting to become concerns. Mexico has one of the highest rates in the world, the BRICs have also seen levels rise. Local and national culture does have a factor, especially where people often walk & cycle where practical alongside taking public transport to cover longer journeys and not just use a car for everything. One thing that has struck me that back in the mid-00's a lot of eastern European women who came to Ireland either to work or be with their husband etc. didn't carry much weight on them, but then fast-forward about 18-24 months on and most of them would be a bit podgier at least from when they first arrived.

A factor I reckon is the progress of consumer & business technology (ironically, as I type this on a computer on the internet), a lot of us had grown up with the idea of technological progress as being a liberator from drudgery - arguably it has done the opposite, where we can be in a position to never be away from the boss, have our whole lives tracked & recorded (some of which is willingly done ourselves), and where rather than gain more quality time away from working, we remain attached to seeing our wants and desires much more easily met, combined with the paradox of the oversupply of choice and hedonism making us overstimulated and exhausted. It's easy to say that people become weak-minded, idle, passive etc. but I reckon it's the case that most people are just not good self-regulators and worry wherever they've made the right choices & decisions in many areas of their lives. In 'simpler' times this was not prevalent with smaller communities interacting more within themselves and communications with distant people more limited and slower. People also put more trust in those whom they felt had good knowledge of a certain area or vocation (not always a good thing, as can be seen in Ireland) because of these limitations, as opposed to being bombarded with options now at the click of a mouse button. When you can't make time yourself, or you feel you're too busy, no wonder when it comes to food and drink the easy option is tempting. The rising cases of depression and anxiety in people I feel are also heavily linked to lifestyle evolution as well.

So, what are ye saying, like?

[thejuice]

Jesus, O'Neill did some fat lad pick on you in school. 

[seafoid]

The food business is very messy. Consumers don't get enough info, especially about what shortcuts are taken or the use of ingredients such as palm oil, which is lethal long term and a big factor in obesity. Corn syrup is another killer. Most biscuits nowadays use palm oil because it's cheaper than butter and stable for long term storage. And food is too cheap. Which means too many shortcuts.

The problem with industrial food is that it can't taste as good as food prepared from scratch because it lacks the flavours. So they have to be
replaced , usually by sugar and salt. And if you take those away the food is bland and nobody will buy it.

 

Here's Anne Marie Hourihane from the Irish times last year   

"I'd like less detailed food labelling, thanks. I don't want to know about foreign filler in my burgers. There's a lot about food production the average consumer is better off not knowing, and the main problem with food scandals, once human health has been secured, is that they lift the lid on the food industry, and we don't want to look inside.The treatment of agricultural labourers around the world is enough to put you off your dinner. It's much better not to know about it, or about the details of how animals in our food chain live and die. What's inside our cupboards is not a pretty sight. There was a lot of posturing last week about irresponsible poor people buying suspiciously cheap burgers, as if everyone else was angelically pure and living on organic steak.But the fact of the matter is that a huge number of people don't cook at all, and their families are going to live on pre-prepared food for the foreseeable future." 


http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/18/doctors-soft-drinks-tax-obesity

Britain's 220,000 doctors are demanding a 20% increase in the cost of sugary drinks, fewer fast food outlets near schools and a ban on unhealthy food in hospitals to prevent the country's spiralling obesity crisis becoming unresolvable.
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges is calling for action by ministers, the NHS, councils and food firms, as well as changes in parental behaviour, to break the cycle of "generation after generation falling victim to obesity-related illnesses and death".
In a report spelling out the problem in stark terms, the academy says doctors are "united in seeing the epidemic of obesity as the greatest public health crisis facing the UK. The consequences of obesity include diabetes, heart disease and cancer and people are dying needlessly from avoidable diseases."
The academy castigates attempts by previous and current governments to counter obesity as "piecemeal and disappointingly ineffective", and woefully inadequate given the scale of the problem. One in four adults in England is obese, and the figures are predicted to rise to 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children by 2050.
Following a year-long inquiry the academy has drawn up a 10-point action plan – including health professionals routinely asking overweight patients about their lifestyle, and help for new parents with their babies' feeding habits – to end the UK's status as "the fat man of Europe".
Stephenson told the Guardian the 20% tax increase on sugary soft drinks was justified because they represented "useless calories" and were "the ultimate bad food. You're just consuming neat sugar. Your body didn't evolve to handle this kind of thing."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/24/cost-cheap-burger-higher-12p

Burger jokes have been ten a penny over the past week, but the impact that this sort of junk has on people's lives is not funny at all. People on low incomes suffer far higher rates of diet-related disease, and not just obesity. They have higher rates of anaemia caused by lack of iron, especially in pregnancy.
Mothers from low-income groups are more likely to have children of low birthweight, who, in turn, are likely to suffer poor health and educational prospects as a result. They have more childhood eczema and asthma. They have higher rates of raised blood pressure, thanks to their processed diets. They are more likely to suffer diabetes, heart disease, vascular disease and strokes. They suffer more cancers of the lung, stomach and oesophagus. They have more cataracts caused by poor nutrition than those in other classes.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/fcbd59c2-76b0-11e2-8569-00144feabdc0.html
Meanwhile, industry is trying to appease policy makers' calls for healthier food – while batting off any efforts at legislation to ensure they do so. And above all, consumers want food that is affordable, regardless of higher commodity prices, droughts and regulatory requirements.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/09/end-excess-sugar-consumption

Nutritionally bankrupt products loaded with sugars have displaced the whole foods our bodies need. To tackle the preventable diet-related diseases that have reached epidemic proportions around the globe – obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancers – we simply need to eat less of them. But the vested economic interests of the food, drink and farming industries are blocking change. They lobby ferociously against attempts to set lower targets for consumption or restrict marketing or recalibrate subsidies. They have captured regulators so successfully that a guerrilla campaign is needed to speak directly to consumers. Leading the charge with Action on Sugar is cardiovascular expert Graham MacGregor, veteran of the successful campaign to force the food industry to reduce blood-pressure inducing levels of salt in its products. The fight against sugar will be much tougher and dirtier.
Cutting sugars represents an existential threat to large parts of the food and drink industry. Take salt out and they are left with a problem that their products are short of good ingredients and don't taste of much. Take sugars out and they are left with not much at all. Sugars give them their bulk. In theory, they could use proper whole foods instead, but then their economic model starts falling apart. Their businesses are built on taking the cheapest of cheap commodity ingredients, deconstructing them, and turning them into "added value" goods – not in lightly processing real unrefined foods.

[johnneycool]

Strange thing is that around here a lot more people are into fitness more. Cycling has exploded and little fitness gyms are flying! 30 years ago there was nothing!

But good old fashioned manual hard labour for 12 hours straight.

I said 30 years ago. 1984. Tractors existed as did washing machines, cars, diggers etc.

but round bales and teleporters didn't   

[Tony Baloney]

Strange thing is that around here a lot more people are into fitness more. Cycling has exploded and little fitness gyms are flying! 30 years ago there was nothing!

But good old fashioned manual hard labour for 12 hours straight.

I said 30 years ago. 1984. Tractors existed as did washing machines, cars, diggers etc.

but round bales and teleporters didn't   

They did on Star Trek.

[ONeill]

Jesus, O'Neill did some fat lad pick on you in school. 

No but there's a simple solution. Stop eating. Stop eating shit.

I'd need to lose a stone. I know if I stopped eating crap I'd do it. I'll do it in September.

[OakleafCounty]

I can't believe that there are people saying they were never taught how to eat healthy?! Surely everybody knows they should eat at least five peices of fruit and veg a day and drink water rather than fizzy drinks. It's not rocket science.

As for education. I was born in the 80's and remember as far back as watching Sesame Street hearing about the improtance of drinking milk and eating an apple. Today there are programmes all over TV about diet. Then of course there's the internet and libraries which have a wealth of free information for anyone who's interested.

At my secondary school Home Economics was compulsory until 3rd year and though young people didn't pay much attention to it you still learned the basics. I don't know if it's still taught in schools? And of course we all done PE so no one can say they don't know anything about excercise.

[highorlow]

I've been reading up on this a bit lately as it was time to do something (again) as I burst the arse on my trousers after the holidays and I also want to get the wife to lose a stone without telling her she is fat.

I'm not too good at the dieting but find the acid alkaline type one gets you into a regime that should lend itself along with exercise to weight loss.

I think the pH in the body has to have something to do with obesity and various poor health issues.


http://altered-states.net/barry/update178/

[God14]

I've struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember, and I know my diet isn't particularly healthy (there is an associated aliment that makes this problematic but I don't wish to discuss it here - and no, I'm not big boned!) but I do reflect on times as to why obesity is becoming a more significant problem in recent years, and the following is what I've concluded to...

I don't think that the availability of food in shops is the most significant factor - there was still plenty of junk food about in supermarkets, corner shops & newsagents locally around 20-30 years ago. If anything it might now be slightly healthier in that a lot of e-number additives, food colourings etc. have now been removed or replaced (I do say slightly, because they still are processed foods and not picked direct from nature).  It also doesn't account for food elsewhere that might be regarded as stodgy & fattening, but which has been part of local cuisine for centuries (e.g. those in continental climates during the winter).

In the same time frame, in much of the developed English-speaking world there has become a strong culture of individualism and personal freedom promoted almost to the point of it being a sacred cow that any government or authority that gives guides or advice about the likes of healthy eating, being active, personal safety etc. will almost always see someone stand up and say that it's "nanny-state bollocks" or something on a similar vein. The story of a few chip shops doing deep-fried Mars bars in Scotland has its roots in this. It also explains how the likes of education has had only a limited impact as people tune out from listening or reading about it.

As I see it, the problem lies more with increasingly sedative lifestyles than anything else (as others have pointed out). Even back in the 80's and 90's when we still stuffed our faces with ice cream, crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks, full-fat milk etc. As children we were still a fairly active lot that would go out and play football in parks or any green area that was big enough, go cycling around places, fishing etc. and quite often (especially in the summer) our parents or whoever was looking after us would tell us what time to be home for dinner and that was it. Nowadays any parent that had no idea where their son or daughter had gone to for the last several hours would see you looked upon as a bad parent - not to mention the moral panic surrounding the likes of paedophiles and other sexual abusers, not to play down on them but I don't think that they are any more prevalent now than they were in the past. Back in the past there was a simple warning given to not accept sweets or gifts from strangers, nor get in their cars. Nowadays the pre-emptive attempts by parents are often well meaning, but is paid for in another way. The mentioning of road traffic is another factor, it's pretty tricky now to play many street games these days with a lot more active vehicles on roads.

In saying that, we still had games consoles and computers from the mid to late 80's onwards - Ataris, Sega Mega Drives, NES & SNES, Amagia's, Spectrums, C64's etc. Are people now playing on them more now? I don't know.

It's not just an Irish/British/American problem though, in many developing countries obesity levels are starting to become concerns. Mexico has one of the highest rates in the world, the BRICs have also seen levels rise. Local and national culture does have a factor, especially where people often walk & cycle where practical alongside taking public transport to cover longer journeys and not just use a car for everything. One thing that has struck me that back in the mid-00's a lot of eastern European women who came to Ireland either to work or be with their husband etc. didn't carry much weight on them, but then fast-forward about 18-24 months on and most of them would be a bit podgier at least from when they first arrived.

A factor I reckon is the progress of consumer & business technology (ironically, as I type this on a computer on the internet), a lot of us had grown up with the idea of technological progress as being a liberator from drudgery - arguably it has done the opposite, where we can be in a position to never be away from the boss, have our whole lives tracked & recorded (some of which is willingly done ourselves), and where rather than gain more quality time away from working, we remain attached to seeing our wants and desires much more easily met, combined with the paradox of the oversupply of choice and hedonism making us overstimulated and exhausted. It's easy to say that people become weak-minded, idle, passive etc. but I reckon it's the case that most people are just not good self-regulators and worry wherever they've made the right choices & decisions in many areas of their lives. In 'simpler' times this was not prevalent with smaller communities interacting more within themselves and communications with distant people more limited and slower. People also put more trust in those whom they felt had good knowledge of a certain area or vocation (not always a good thing, as can be seen in Ireland) because of these limitations, as opposed to being bombarded with options now at the click of a mouse button. When you can't make time yourself, or you feel you're too busy, no wonder when it comes to food and drink the easy option is tempting. The rising cases of depression and anxiety in people I feel are also heavily linked to lifestyle evolution as well.

So, what are ye saying, like?

Sure you were in wetherspoons yourself in Manchester a few days ago Shane were ye not?

[ONeill]

erm....and?

[seafoid]

People are blamed, it's all a personal issue, we are told. I think it has more to do with the system and what goes into food, the way food is marketed, the power companies have .

[johnneycool]

People are blamed, it's all a personal issue, we are told. I think it has more to do with the system and what goes into food, the way food is marketed, the power companies have .

This bit here is the crux of it, no added sugar, low fat etc, etc all used by marketing guru's to hide the shite put into food and cons less clued in people that in some way this shit is healthy or healthier than the normal variants when it couldn't be further from the truth

[brokencrossbar1]

Do this lads,  change your plate size!!!!  I am not being funny but we eat more a lot of the times because we have super sized our plates and insist on filling them!!!  Most of the time we eat at least 20% extra not to fill us but to satisfy a mental requirement to empty our plates.  Smaller portions are easier to eat off smaller plates!

[Canalman]

I recently went to The States (work) for the first time in over a decade.

I reckon there are a lot less morbidly obese people there now than there used to be.

Agree with you there. Was in the States last year and tbh I didn't find them anymore overweight than the Irish. Middle aged in both countries pretty much the same imo.

Tip for losing weight I was told is to buy bags and bags of apples to eat when the late evening munchies hit . You will be surprised how many you eat in a week . Beats hitting the biscuit tin or eating a late evening bowl of corn flakes/ rice krispies.

[AZOffaly]

Nonsense, I'd easily fit 5 Fish Fingers on that smaller plate, and a heap of chips as well!!

Seriously, I like my take aways, Chinese, Fish and Chips, the odd Pizza, but what we try and do is use those as treats. Therefore each Friday evening is takeaway night, and we blow out on that stuff. I also drink Coke over the weekend (I was a 6 can a day man).

During the week it's proper dinners, pasta, potatoes, veg, chicken, fish, beef etc. Lunch is ham sandwiches. The little lad is not allowed bring any fizzy drinks or sweet stuff to school in his lunch bag (school rule which is great).

As I said, I'd still consider myself about a stone overweight, but I would not call myself fat or obese, and I think if I dragged my arse out playing soccer or running or something, I'd be grand. But I'm a lazy hoor and I just cannot get into running. It bores the shite out of me.