Tag Archives: Obesity

The Cost Of Media Manipulation

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One term that has come into fashion in recent years is ‘body shaming.’ The basic idea is that you should not comment on a person’s weight if they are either underweight or overweight. I would argue that not commenting is part of good manners, but it would also be a good idea to recognize the role that weight plays in health. Not everyone is going to fit into the ‘normal’ weight range–small bones, big bones, etc., make a difference. I remember as a teenager never reaching the number the charts said I should reach–having a small frame changes things. However, there comes a point where avoiding ‘body shaming’ is dangerous.

On September 18th, The Washington Free Beacon reported the following:

…The number of heart disease deaths in the United States linked to obesity was three times greater in 2020 than in 1999—even though overall heart disease deaths declined nearly 20 percent during that period—according to a new scientific study.

• Obesity affects about 115 million Americans, including 42 percent of adults and 20 percent of children, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Why it matters: The alarming scientific findings coincide with the rise of the left-wing “body positivity” movement, which seeks to achieve social justice by celebrating fatness and attacking critics for pointing out the enormous health risks associated with obesity.

• In recent years, liberal cultural elites have embraced obese female celebrities and lauded them as icons of feminist empowerment. Lifestyle magazines such as Cosmopolitan have featured obese women on the cover alongside science-denying taglines such as, “This is healthy!”

What they’re saying: “Those who glorify obesity, or denounce efforts to reduce it, are dangerous … [and] have blood on their hands,” wrote journalist Glenn Greenwald.

I am not recommending that everyone who is overweight go on a crash diet. What I would suggest is that you work with a nutritionist to find the source of your weight problem and work on it slowly and consistently. Best wishes!

When The State Thinks It’s Your Mother

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The Independent Journal Review posted an article today about a new law that California is planning to pass.

The article reports:

In an attempt to reduce childhood obesity rates, the state of California is taking the reigns from parents and banning restaurants from serving sugary beverages to children. 

The new bill restricts children’s drink options to be listed as just water or milk. The bill passed through the state legislature and is expected to be signed by Governor Jerry Brown. 

The American Cancer Society led the charge on this bill, telling CBS 13, “Cancer is fought in the halls of government, not just in the halls of a hospital.”

…Mike Slater, a radio host in San Diego told Fox News, “It amazes me always, the progressive instinct to ban things they don’t like. Whether in California it’s banning plastic bags or straws, or even speech.”

Under this bill, parents are still allowed to ask for a different drink, such as soda or chocolate milk, but it cannot be listed as a default beverage by the restaurant. 

If a restaurant fails to comply with the new bill, they could face a fine of up to $500. 

Maybe it would be better simply to educate parents on basic nutrition. I also think that if a child is taken out to dinner by his (or her) parents on a special occasion, he (she) should be allowed to drink anything he (she) wants.

I remember in junior high school (back in the age of dinosaurs) that the class did a science experiment with mice. There were two mice. One mouse was fed potato chips and soda (the dream diet of many children), and the other mouse was fed vegetables and things that were considered healthy. After a few weeks, the junk-food mouse was actually skinny and not healthy looking and the healthy-food mouse was growing and doing well. Do they still teach basic nutrition in schools? Might that be part of the problem?

Just for the record, I am not sure that what the children are drinking is the problem. Admittedly, soda is not good for you. However, what about looking at the ingredients in the foods you buy in the supermarket every week. How much of our bread has high fructose corn syrup in it? Isn’t that a product that contributes to obesity? How much of our children’s cereal has high fructose corn syrup in it? What is the price difference between real maple syrup and syrup made up of everything but natural maple syrup?

Aside from the government intrusion involved in this law, I think it is taking aim at the wrong thing. Soda is the least of our worries in terms of what our children are eating.

The Federal Government Did Something Right !

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Yes, the federal government did something right–they turned down Mayor Bloomberg’s request to bar New York City food stamp recipients from using their food stamps to buy soda and other sugary drinks. I appreciate the compassion that Mayor Bloomberg has for those using food stamps–but these are grown-ups–the government has no business trying to control their diets. This is another example of the government giving someone money (or the equivalent) and then trying to control the person because the money was accepted.

The article reports:

Dr. (Thomas A.) Farley (New York City’s Health Commissioner), who said he was “very upset” by the decision, said that it “ really calls into question how serious the U.S.D.A. is about addressing the nation’s most serious nutritional problem.”

In October, city and state officials proposed a two-year experiment to see if the prohibition would reduce obesity among people who buy their groceries with food stamps. Dr. Farley said that about 57 percent of adults in the city and 40 percent of the children in its public schools were overweight or obese, and that obesity was especially rampant in low-income neighborhoods. Limiting consumption of sodas and other drinks with high sugar content, he argued, could help reverse that trend. 

Just because these people are on food stamps, they shouldn’t be used as guinea pigs to confirm some bureaucrat’s theory on why people are overweight!

The article reports Mayor Bloomberg’s statement regarding the federal decision:

“We think our innovative pilot would have done more to protect people from the crippling effects of preventable illnesses like diabetes and obesity than anything else being proposed elsewhere in this country — and at little or no cost to taxpayers,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “We’re disappointed that the federal government didn’t agree, and sorry that families and children may suffer from their unwillingness to explore our proposal. New York City will continue to pursue new and unconventional ways to combat the health problems that hurt New Yorkers and Americans from coast to coast.” 

We need less government–not more!

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