How America's obesity is hurting the world

So this is my first post at ATS. Have been a long-time lurker. If I posted this is the wrong forum, have the mods please move it.

With epidemic hunger in the world and the call for donations and humanitarianism, I often turn to just how much we Americans waste. Me included.

So, I thought I’d put into perspective just how much waster actually occurs. Correct my math by all means. My post has to do with food. A simple commodity that we need daily. Here’s what I’ll talk about:
1. How much food we consume
2. How much food we waste

According to a 2007 Gallup Poll, the average American is 17 pounds overweight. If we take the accepted caloric amount that 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories we get the following:
www.gallup.com...

Average American overweight= 17 pounds
1 pound of fat = 3500 calories
Average American would have to burn = 3500x17 = 59,500 calories
Calories burned per day during one year to lose 17 pounds = 163 calores/day in one year off of their current maintenance diets.
Number of Americans between 16-64 years old = 194 million (rounded to nearest million)

If all Americans between the ages of 16-64 years old decided to lose weight over one year they would have to burn a total of 194 million * 163 calories/day = 31,622,000,000 calories/day for a year

If we took those saved calories in the form of food and gave them to needy people who eat 2000 calories/day we could feed 15,811,000 people.

Also, if people lost weight, they would purchase less food and become healthier. Annually, we spend 147 billion dollars a year on health related problems stemming from obesity. www.cnn.com...

But, there’s Americans waste a lot of food also. According to the EPA, annually, Americans throw away 34 millions tons of food waste. www.epa.gov...

Daily, Americans are throwing away 93,150 tons of food waste a day. That is 186,300,000 pounds of food waste thrown away daily.

Let’s say that all of it is straight protein which has the lowest caloric count at 1500 calories/pound of protein. That is 279,450,000,000 calories being thrown away every single day. Now, divide that by 2000 calories a day for a hungry person: 279,450,000,000/2000 = 139,250,000 people can be fed daily.
Of course, not all of that food waste is edible. But, how much is being wasted in our homes, restaurants and food processing centers.

If we take a look at how much food we can save and give that to needy people, not only would we become healthier, but people could be helped.

Instead, the food companies want us to eat, and the medical industry has built an infrastructure around helping obese people and those suffering the effects of obesity. It can stop, but people need to do better at eating more wisely, look into programs like calorie deficit dieting. Then, America can become prosperous once again.

reply to post by jawnaw2000

I agree, but for different reasons.
Fat people are a problem... not only in the U.S. but pretty much in all first world nations.
There is way too little health-political attention nowadays IMO.

Personally, I even think fat people should be socially ostracized.
They cost society more than illegal immigrants and do more damage to our economy than black market labor.

I think New Zealand's immigration department made a step in the right direction when they refused fat people to immigrate into their country, simply because they (NZ) cannot afford to import more people who are going to be a significant drain on their health resources.

They're causing the polar shift too. We need to move all the fat people around so we can balance the planet to keep the shift from happening.

reply to post by jawnaw2000


Unfortunately the biggest problem with hunger in third world countries is not the availability of food itself but the availability of food for those that need it. Just as information is power in first world countries, food is power in third world countries and is oftentimes intercepted by those who wish to retain power over others.

Even if their wasn't an obesity problem anywhere, those who control things would still make 3rd world countries starve. It is eugenics/depopulation.

And I believe most of the obesity problem comes from frankenfoods and toxins in out foods and drinks.

Originally posted by yellowsnow
[...] And I believe most of the obesity problem comes from frankenfoods and toxins in out foods and drinks.

Most of the obesity problem comes from people eating more calories than they burn.
Simple as that. No excuses.

reply to post by ColCurious


It is as simple as that. I'm just so surprised that there is so much obesity.

Are people really that lazy?
Are we conditioned to eat three or more meals a day?
Why can't people eat less?

most obesity in america results from the bodies general over compensation for nutritionally lacking food substitutes that are loaded with adictive brain toxins

The Big Money comes from feeding people processed foods. Some of the hidden causes of obesity come from the global processed foods industry using new replacement ingredients that save them money, such as high fructose corn syrup or Aspartame to replace the more-costly cane sugar.

Another area where the food industry can increase their profits is by their use of a class of flavor-enhancers known as excitotoxins. These cause food to taste much better, so we eat more(which the food industry likes), but they also have been proven in many laboratory studies to cause obesity -- even with no increase in calories consumed.

As Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgon who is an expert on both these additives, says, weight gain caused by excitotoxins "... is very difficult to exercise ... off and almost impossible to diet it off." (1)

Some of the propensity to become obese also appears to be passed on to unborn babies when their mother consumes excitotoxins during her pregnancy.

If you are a person who has great difficulty losing weight -- and, as hard as you try, you can't -- perhaps you should try eliminating all these hidden causes of obesity.

advertising, education, and financial constraints play a significant role in this equation as well

reply to post by Danbones


Danbones,

I just think we eat too much by grazing throughout the day. Just that simple. By simply eating constantly, we humans come to expect it. Full disclosure, I've lost 50 pounds on this diet called the Warrior Diet. But, I believe different diets work with different people.

But, the premise is, only civilized societies eat constantly throughout the day. Well, look at us. No farm work. No real manual labor unless you find a job in that profession. Rather we eat as much as we want, when we want, and actually pay a gym to go exercise there--which most don't.

reply to post by jawnaw2000

They could eat less, they just don't want to. I think the underlying problem here is gluttony and lack of discipline.

reply to post by Danbones

I admit that education and it's counterpoises play a role in this equation, but realizing you're getting fat isn't really rocket science.
No one gets fat over night, behind their backs or accidentally.

If loosing weight was as simple as eating less and exercising more, then why hasn't the obese Americans slimmed down yet? America has a multi-million dollar industry in weight loss diet and exercise programs. There are people who spend a ton of money to loose weight.

If it was that easy, then many more Americans would be thinner. I believe there are other causes to obesity from toxins in our food, steroids in our milk, to high fructose corn syrup in practically every thing you buy to eat. It seems most nutrients are sapped out of the soil. What little nutrients that are left are sapped out from all the processing that happens. I believe all of this causes chemical imbalances in the body that make the body respond in abnormal ways. Not only from gaining weight, but also becoming tired more often, not being able to think as clearly as one should, not being able to sleep properly, to probably an increased likely hood of getting sick.

If it was as simple as eating less and exercising more, I would have lost weight and kept it off a long time ago. No, I'm not eating bags of chips or have doughnuts and what not laying around. That stuff is too expensive. I need to worry about buying food for meals. My snack is raw old fashioned Quaker oats. I guess I'm different in that way. I don't like them cooked. Each to their own.

reply to post by Mystery_Lady


Let me ask a question. How often do you eat during the day.

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner?
Snacks?

Do you feel tired afterwards? I was the same way. Sometimes I just ate because I was bored. I did this Warrior Diet--still doing it--that is pretty much just saying eating only at dinner, and skip breakfast and lunch. If you need to eat during those times, eat really low on the food chain. It has worked so well, and your body naturally regulates itself and tell you to cut out the junk.

Believe me, I can't judge. I only think that we graze too much during the day. I did for sure.

reply to post by jawnaw2000


Why do we graze in the first place? I don't feel full even after I eat a full meal. I'm finding out there are others like myself also. I'm looking for answers. So far I think it can be anything from lack of nutrients in our foods to a chemical put in most foods that inhibit singles going to the brain that tell the brain you are full.

I try to ignore it, or drown it with water. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn't. If anyone has any information on this, please let me know.

reply to post by Mystery_Lady


lol I don't know why we graze.

February 1st I started this "Warrior Diet"--basically a diet based on calorie restriction. By June 1st, I was down 50 pounds (313-->267) and maybe I played tennis once or twice a week. I felt more alert--I'm a teacher--and I didn't have a foggy mind after the earlier meals because I was skipping them.

Last two weeks of June, I had to commute to Hayward for training--Monday-Friday. 2 hours there. 8 hours in a sit-down science lab. 3 hours commutting in the traffic to come back. Count 'em 13 hours!

I ate so much and gained 10 POUNDS BACK IN TWO WEEKS!!! Why? I was eating just to stay awake. To stay alert. And, because I was bored. Breakfast--snack--lunch--snack--snack 2 in traffic--dinner.

I know I can't be the only one.

That end two days ago. I immediately went back to my "warrior diet". In two days...I lost 5 of those pounds. And, I feel more alert.

But, that's just me.

reply to post by jawnaw2000


I'm not sure the warrior diet would work for me. I get headaches and can't think clearly if I don't eat after I get up. I can go without lunch and dinner, and have on occasion. Many times I only eat two meals a day. I do snack some.

I don't want to go on another diet, loose weight, and then gain it all back plus some. The problem is the diet may work, but once you decide to go off the diet as you experienced you gain it back. Many diets actually are not that healthy.

At this point in time, I would need some good hard facts as to how and why I should make life style changes to the food I eat. Right now in the nutrition industry, it is very hard to find good facts. Especially with nutritionists saying eggs are good for you, no they are bad for you, no the whites only are good for you, no the yolk only is good for you, no we had it right the first time the whole egg is good for you.

Meats are good for you, no veggies only are good for you, no veggies and fruits are only good for you, no meats and veggies and fruits are good for you cut out all processed foods. Wait not all processed foods but mainly white bread, sugar, and salt should be cut out. Wait you need some salt and sugar in your body.

It's the amount of calories you eat that make you fat. No the calories don't matter, it is what you eat. You can eat as much as you want only if you eat these certain foods. Then they get into a bickering argument over the whole issue.

It literally gets confusing.

While they can't even figure out how food really affects our bodies, companies are genetically modifying it making frankenfoods. How do we really know how these new modified foods will affect us?

Originally posted by jawnaw2000
It can stop, but people need to do better at eating more wisely, look into programs like calorie deficit dieting. Then, America can become prosperous once again.

So what you are saying is that... America is not a prosperous nation, because we have an epidemic of obesity? That's the #1 cause of our nation's downfall? Are you serious?

reply to post by MrUncreated


If it's not the primary cause, I would say it's a symptom of a larger problem.

HEY, I watch the news, I see a lot of fat people in Europe too,

and Americans do feed the rest of the world


Philanthropy Focus: U.S. Tops World Giving Index 2011 as Most Charitable Country
Americans ranked highest in monetary donations, volunteering and helping strangers
www.advisorone.com...

One way to get regular nutrition without overeating is to graze throughout the day with healthier foods, carrots, celery (which takes more energy to digest than it provides but takes away hunger) a baked potato. If you do this exclusively and CUT OUT meals completely, the body does not hoard calories, you have plenty of energy and do not feel hungry.

I have never been fat, I was slightly over weight for a short time before our finances collapsed and now I am under weight.

Reuters) - People are getting fatter in all parts of the world, with the possible exception of east Asia, doctors found in a one-day global snapshot of obesity.
www.reuters.com...
Overall, 24 percent of men and 27 percent of women seeing their doctors that day were obese, and another 30 percent of men and 40 percent of women were overweight, the researchers found.

That puts the rest of the world close to par with the United States, long considered the country with the worst weight problem. An estimated two-thirds of Americans are overweight and a third of these are obese.

"The study results show that excess body weight is pandemic, with one-half to two-thirds of the overall study population being overweight or obese," said Beverley Balkau, director of research at the French National health research institute INSERM in Villejuif, who led the study published in the journal Circulation.

Canada and South Africa led in the percentage of overweight people, with an average BMI of 29 among both men and women in Canada and 29 among South African women.

In Northern Europe men had an average BMI of 27 and women 26 -- just into the overweight category. In southern Europe, the average BMI was 28. In Australia BMI was 28 for men and 27.5 for women while in Latin America the average BMI was just under 28.

ha ha leave the USA alone.