Fast food, fat profits

[Jackal]

Here's a great documentary about fast food and obesity in the US:

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes ... 43641.html

[have2fly]

Amazing movie! That just made me think - if you wish happiness to your children (meaning health and education) you will move out of the USA to provide better society, food and education for your family. Not to mention access to social culture, history and friendship.

[fschmidt]

Here's a great documentary about fast food and obesity in the US:

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes ... 43641.html

I only watched the first few minutes of this documentary, but what I saw is completely wrong. The problem isn't frying or portion sizes. The problem is trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup. There are plenty of countries where people eat high fat meals in large portions and have no problem with obesity. If you travel, you can't help but notice that those countries that import food from America inevitably have fat people, and those countries that don't import from America, don't have obesity. When I visited Mexico over 20 years ago, everything was fried in lard and there were no fat people at all. But since NAFTA, Mexico started frying with Crisco (trans-fat) and now they have a major obesity problem. In Argentina, people eat huge portion of beef including high fat organ meat. There was no obesity in Argentina until just a few years ago when they started importing food from America (margarine, vegetable oil, and other poisons). Hungarian food isn't low fat either, with goulash, chicken paprikash, and Hungarian sausage all having plenty of fat. (I grew up on Hungarian food, my parents being from Hungary.)

[Jackal]

I only watched the first few minutes of this documentary, but what I saw is completely wrong. The problem isn't frying or portion sizes. The problem is trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup. There are plenty of countries where people eat high fat meals in large portions and have no problem with obesity.

I agree that the problem may not be the fat, but is more the sugars, refined carbs, and trans fats.

As far as portion size goes, I disagree. What matters in the end is that a person eats the same amount of calories that his body burns or less. If someone eats more calories than he burns, he gets fat. People who lead healthier, more active lifestyles can get away with eating more calories. However, to get away with eating huge portions every meal, one would need to be some kind of elite athlete.

Yeah, traditional Hungarian food is high in fat, but Hungarians don't eat that stuff everyday. For example, they don't eat lángos everyday. It's more like once a week or so.

Anyway, the main problem in America is eating too much of very unhealthy foods combined with a total lack of exercise.

[NorthAmericanguy]

Good flick, FOOD INC is another good one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqQVll-MP3I




Minorities have been even more profoundly affected. African-Americans have a 50 per cent higher prevalence of obesity and Hispanics 25 per cent higher when compared with whites.

In regards to this, whenever I go into black neighborhoods I notice they don't have any health food stores that the whites do in their neighborhoods (i.e. Trader Joes, Whole Foods). Black neighborhoods have fast food restaurants and lots of run down Asian take out food on every corner. And if you drive through the black neighborhoods in the morning kids are eating MacDonalds everyday for breakfast. Why are the parents letting this happen???

Wow I had a black roommate in collage and for breakfast, lunch and dinner he ate MacDonalds. I herd he started smoking now too soooooo he will be dead by his late 40s early 50's.....lol