No wonder every Thursday I've been having such deep thoughts about food and exercise after listening to the local AM station, it's by design. Thursdays is 2 hours of health specific topics. Two weeks ago it was the naturopath who said the heart isn't designed to tote excess weight. Last week it was a diabetes segment that took away my appetite for hours & as much as I wanted to, I couldn't even write about it. Today it's about the chemicals in our foods that alter our body chemistry.
Yesterday the newspapers wrote about The Trust for America's Health report documenting obesity is rising like all across America w/Southern folks getting fatter fastest.
1. Mississippi. 2. Alabama. 3. West Virginia. 4. Louisiana. 5. Tennessee. 6. A tie between Texas, Kentucky and Michigan. South Carolina was 10th, Arkansas 11th, Georgia 12th, North Carolina 16th, and Virginia 22nd. Of the Southern states, only Florida was in the leaner half of the nation — ranking 38th.[source]
Out of the 50 states only one, Oregon (go beavers!) didn't have an increase in obesity.
It all leaves me shaking my head and thinking, Dear lord, where on earth is this country headed?
God this is heartbreaking, we are literally eating ourselves to death and damning our kids to a future of low life expectancy and adult illnesses when they are still in grade school.
And it's not stopping. Businesses, not making money from healthy foods, are quietly doing away w/them and in some cases, trying to outdo each other w/the most caloric meal they can concoct.
We don't eat fiber.
We don't drink water.
We don't eat beans.
We don't eat veggies.
We don't eat fruit.
We don't move.
Or @ least we don't do it in abundance and w/regularity. How do I know? Here's a hint: 49 states just got fatter and I too fall into that category of not doing it regularly.
Yes this is the year I decided enough was enough I'm going to lose this excess weight, but truth be told, it's a freaking chore. I had to take the time to educate myself. I had to discipline myself. Some days, especially the last few weeks, it's so much effort, I just don't want to think about it ya no?
One of the factors in being obese is that companies are knowingly making the unhealthy foods we are buying. Look, I'm all about personal responsibility. I believe in the mantra, when you know better you do better. So while ignorance on my part led to me being overweight, education is helping me change that.
But what about when I was ignorant? I am living in a time where convenience and mass production rules. So to that extent, I am a product of my environment. My grandmothers baked bread. My mother, not knowing how to cook poor woman could burn water, didn't pass that down to me and I was too young to get it directly from my grandmothers.
So I buy bread. Yea I'm a big girl now and can teach myself to bake bread and while it is something I want to do in the future, the hustle and bustle of my daily life makes that difficult to do right now.
So what are my options, buy bread. Fine. Why then, should the breads that are sold contain refined flour or extra additives and preservatives? Or meat? I can't gut a cow, so if I buy meat, why does it need to be pumped up on hormones. What? I can go organic. Why does it cost almost twice as much, or such stores exist almost 30 miles from my home? Lay off meat then you say? Okay fine. I can use approach for everything that's not healthy, filled w/hormones or I didn't grow or make by hand, but what else am I supposed to eat?
Therein lies the conundrum.
I WANT to eat healthier. It's expensive and time consuming to do right now. And while one can argue, "Well Renee, obviously it's not a priority or else you'd fine the time", read my words: I simply don't have it.
I'm just so angry about this. The cheap eats are food products that receive the most subsidies by the government. So when I hear, "Well I don't think the gov't should legislate what people eat," guess again. They already do.
It's why fresh fruits and vegetables are so expensive and snacks made w/corn products are cheap. It's why the earlier version of the food pyramid was so grain heavy. Think lobbyists. It's why you don't see an authentic vegetable or fruit commercial on TV and if you do see one, it's normally sponsored by their organization and comes across as a boring do gooder PSA versus an in your face shock the senses advertisement. It's why, rather than promote a well balanced diet as a cure for most common health problems, we are bombarded with various pills and expensive medical procedures.
God this thing makes me want to cry, b/c nowadays when I see an overweight person, even myself, I see it as the future health problem and sickness it really is. Fuck fitting into a string bikini, that pudge in my stomach isn't some annoying byproduct of one taco too many, it's a warning that if I don't get my ass in gear I WILL eat myself into a preventable disease.
It makes me wonder sometimes. Is this by design? Call me a conspiracy kook, I really don't care, but sometimes I wonder if the CEOs @ fast food joints hold stock in weight loss pill industries as well. And if hospital owners, own stock in fast food joint, b/c both industries damn well grease each others palms.
Why aren't ethical medical doctors designing the food pyrmaid, or designing exercise programs and meal programs. Why is it, time after time, some opportunist is allowed to unleash their products willy nilly, on the entire population and doesn't get punished until enough people die. Isn't the government there to serve the public that 1) puts them in office and 2) pays their salary. Why is industry left to it's own devices to tell the public what's healthy?
And I hate that this is what things have come to and shows no signs of improving.
People are working longer just to survive, gas is going up, schools have done away w/gym, parents are scared to let their kids play outdoors, never-ending commercials of the latest restaurant play over and over again, pesticides are all over the fruits and veggies, ocean life is dying, pregnant woman are warned about eating fish, hyperactive kids that may be reacting to foods are given pills so they could sit down and shut the fuck up, the suburbs don't want public transpo coming out to their neck of the woods so we all drive everywhere as the transit system wilts, our pets are becoming obese too and we think it's cute that they're just like us, speaking of which I can't even tell you how many times I've seen people take sparky out to their car to drive to the supermarket and come back home. The dog is now a goddamned passenger in the car. Ya think that's why he's fat!?!?!
Geezus!
And you know what, I'm tired of caring. I don't want to care anymore. I don't want to feel guilty that I get it and am trying to do something about my weight. I don't want to wish I was invisible when I see people who I haven't seen in 6 weeks looking noticeable bigger, their face looking fuller, their clothing busting @ the seams while my pants are sagging off my ass. I don't want to hear that kids are getting adult diseases and have my heart break for the future they are going to have and that their parents don't know any better.
If today's parents were raised on TV and all they know are trix and lucky charms, why would they be expected to pass along better info to their kids. It's been said that by the age of 5, kids know brand logos, like McDonalds and that they market to them @ that age b/c they'll have a customer for life. It's like cigarettes marketing to kids. They don't want me now, they wanted me @ 16.
Sick sick shit.
This rant has no point and will not contain extra source links nor any attempts to edit it into a coherent thought. And while I'm not usually foul mouthed, when I'm lacking words are am highly agitated, the cussin spews out.
It's just some thought swirling in my head as I listened to the stuff the put in foods I eat. It really makes me want to swear off eating and not in some Hollywood chic bulimic eating disorder kind of way. It also makes me want to take action b/c never before has the phrase, it's life or death, rang so true for me as it did this morning.
Comments: 20
08.25.05 | Sara commented: Wow Renee...I just had to comment that you are not alone in thinking this. I can't even add anything to what you said, because you said it so well! I agree with you 100%. DH and I started eating better and our grocery bill doubled. I don't know how we could afford to eat if we had kids too! And the marketing..don't get me started...not to mention I read a study about how fast food joints tend to be located w/in a 1 mile radius or less of elementary and junior high schools. That way they can get the junk quickly for lunch or when the parents pick them up from school or after-school things. We live in an instant-gratification society...and the price we pay is our health!
08.25.05 | marta commented: Renee and Sarah, y'all need to come shopping with me! I only spend about $15 a week on groceries! But I only eat beans, rice, tofu, frozen veggies, tilapia, apples, oranges, and bananas. It's the cheapest, and believe me, I've looked. Not too exciting, but it'll do until I make my megabucks and can afford the good stuff, like orange roughy and strawberries...both out of my price range at the moment.
08.25.05 | Kat commented: You are preaching to the choir on this one Renee. I live on a tropical island (really) which is a U.S. territory and I cannot get decent produce here to save my life. I mean come on, I live on a freaking tropical island where mangos grow wild and the ones in the store are always bad. Plus, most people do not really exercise here, there is basically no public transportation and on this tiny island you have to drive absolutely everywhere due to lack of sidewalks and no pedestrian crosswalks. The result, tons of people in my office are overweight and getting more overweight and huge number of people that I know here have diabetes or other obesity related health consequences. Everyone eats really processed food and stares at my salad everyday but I refuse to keep eating my way into an early grave.
08.25.05 | Lee commented: Renee, join the club! It seems you and I have been reading the same articles. I know them word for word. You don't have to link to them.
This very thing is exactly what spurred on my latest entry. But I must admit, you did a much better job sitting down and throwing it up for mass consumption. My version was shorter and not so well thought out. But my frustration has a way of getting the best of me and I don't do well under such circumstances.
I wish I had an answer. I really do. Unfortnately, all we can really do is keep at it the best way we know how. I refuse to let the ignorance of the rest of the world keep me from living the best life I can. I will continue to preach the importance of health/fitness/nutrition to anyone who will listen - even some who won't, I'm sure. And I'll raise MY children to know more than what is pushed by our government officials.
We must admit the truth - we are REBELS. We defy what has so far been accepted as the "norm". We go left when they tell us to go right. We go up when they tell us we should be going down. And while it may seem our numbers are small at the moment and we don't seem to have a fighting chance against Big Brother, our time will come. We just have to keep fighting. Every.Single.Day. We are worth it!
08.25.05 | monica commented: you're wrong....this rant is NOT pointless, u make such valid points that i don't even know where to begin.
all i have to say is i feel u on the not being guilty about taking control of your health and your life. it's a powerful feeling that everyone is capable of attaining...
great post!
08.25.05 | Sooz commented: I want to comment except I'm not what sure what to say...I totally agree with you. I wanted to say what the others have already said. Thank you for putting yourself out there and reminding us that we are not alone.
08.25.05 | Gina commented: Reading my mail, again.
My wake up came when we discovered that my kids *can't* eat the majority of the foods considered staples by the rest of our nation. Their list of allergies includes wheat, oats, barley, rye, dairy, pork, chicken, and seafood. Finding alternatives is very expensive because everything "whole" and unprocessed exists only in limited quantities. But, we do it. It is life or death for them. But I suppose it is life or death for all of us.
08.25.05 | heather commented: We don't have organic options in this town where I live, but one of the reasons my husband and I are moving out of town is so that we can have a very large garden, raise chickens, perhaps our own cow and goat in time.
I was telling someone of this dream and they gave me the 'look' and said, "You know it is cheaper to just buy it at Wal*Mart." Right. I know, but in the long run it is NOT cheaper. It means health costs for me individually and for our country, it means immunity breakdown for my children and the need to supplement with vitamins b/c our foods aren't nutritious enough ... geez, it is so expensive to put 3/4 of what is sold in most grocer stores into our digestive systems.
I look around me here in Texas and I see A LOT OF FAT. I see a lack of motivation and a lot of fat. I'm praying in less than a year that 'lot of fat' won't be hanging off me.
Thanks for the post - lots to wrap my mind around.
08.26.05 | Thea commented: Nothing makes me more angry than the fact that I could go to a fast food restaurant and get a filling meal for under $5, but to eat healthy enough to lose weight, you have to breakt he bank. I like to think that eventually that will change, but the glass half empty part of my head is dubious at BEST.
Last night I got sucked intot he discovery channel where they were airing a show about a woman who was getting her stomach stapled, she was 627 lbs. I nearly cried watching her. Why did that happen? HOW??? Everything you have just mentioned and more.
Thanks for a great entry Renee.
08.26.05 | Fidget commented: I think that South Beach single handedly keeps florida on the leaner side of the nation. Ive noticed my fellow central Floridians getting heftier
08.26.05 | Shawna commented: The part I wanted to add (part of my frustration with the whole situation) is that even though Oregon didn't gain any percentage points over the single year measured; it still has a 20% obesity rate. That means ONE in every FIVE adults is OBESE. Not 'pudgy', not 'slightly hefty' - OBESE. Medically at risk for every nasty problem that the medical community has identified goes with too much extra weight.
But does that get highlighted on the radio? No. No it doesn't. Instead everyone in Oregon appears to be patting themselves on the back for not getting fatter. How can we possibly think it's a good statistic that we're KILLING one in five adults? How is that good? Maybe it isn't "as bad" as some other states; but since when do we strive merely to achieve less suckage?
I don't recall being in kindergarten and saying "I just don't want to suck as much as John." I thought we were supposed to strive, reach, attempt the stars, try to be all that we can be; but apparently not. Apparently I should be content merely not to be "as bad" as my fellow species members. Shouldn't strive to be better, to set an example and then help others achieve it. That's just too radical of an idea. I should just go get my lard-muffin and be content that I'm not in the bottom 1% - that there's at least SOMEONE I can feel superior to. How ridiculous. When are we going to wake up and smell the medical bills?
08.26.05 | Carmindy commented: I cannot agree with your posting more! Go into the food store and pick up any item on the shelf. I GUARANTEE it will contain either a corn related product (that high fructose corn syrup) or wheat or a chemical I can't even begin to type. I try to be well informed about these things and I've found that corn and wheat play havoc with the insulin and blood sugar levels. Two direct causes of weight gain.
Since cutting those items out of my diet, I've lost 35 lbs. But I will say, it's a job in itself. I have to make almost all my foods from scratch. Those that I don't, I purchase from a health food store and they cost much $$$. I try to make cuts from other areas because I believe my health is worth it. But the big food lobbyists know we don't have the time and money to feed ourselves healthily. So they peddle their crap to us so they can reap the benefits ($$$) for themselves and we can get FAT. I hate them.
Thanks for a great blog. You said it much more eloquently than I could!
08.26.05 | Tiffany commented: It's not just about food, either (as you noted). As someone who is interested in land use planning I constantly read articles about how our planned environment discourages movement and encourages car-only transportation. It's considered too dangerous to walk or to bike, and facilities to make these options a reality are waved off because no one would use them! (Even when there are plenty of people who would currently, and even more who would sign up for them if available.)
The idea If you build it, they will come, certainly is true for transportation options--and seriously, if we used our own energy to move ourselves from place to place we would be better off in many ways. Unfortunately, the only thing our gov really seems willing to build are highways.
One reason why other changes don't show up is that it is cheaper to build new neighborhoods and shops without sidewalks, bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly curbs and street separation, etc. Even though many people think that these features are more attractive and would pay more for them--if gov's don't impose those things they don't show up. And you should listen to the howls of wealthy developers over a few feet of sidewalk.
Oh, there's more to this but I'm going to stop there.
08.26.05 | Krista commented: Great thoughts you have here!
Isn't it interesting how most of the southern states are at the top of the list!?
08.26.05 | kathryn commented: I read your post yesterday and I've been thinking about it a lot. It isn't just a problem in the states, in Australia we also have rising levels of obesity despite most people having cheap and easy access to fresh produce.
I don't think that obesity is the problem though, more that it is a symptom along with the increasingly levels of personal debt, the lack of caring about the environment - all that type of thing.
It's like in this world where we have nuclear weapons and the power for some unknown hand to extinguish all life on the planet in a single push of a button, people have lost faith in the future. Most people live for today and don't give a toss about the future, in fact they delight in their excesses. How many times do you people brag about overindulging in fast foods or going on a credit-card funded spree?
It is really depressing and it's something we are going to have to pay for in our life times - even if we choose to live a healthy lifestyle, we will have to live in a ravaged planet filled with sick people.
Sorry to be such a downer, but maybe if enough people get angry about these things, then something will be done about it!
08.27.05 | Elle commented: I've been thinking about this post for two day. I just want to say this is very well put. I'd add to the discussion but some many good things have already been said.
08.28.05 | hopefulloser commented: that was awesome! it kind of left me speechless because you said it so well. I feel your anger and pain.
I'm a vegetarian and buy mostly organic. It would be all organic if it were available. It is a very tough lifestyle to lead and we don't do it perfectly because it's so difficult.
This post has definitely got me thinking and I need to go ponder.
loved it!
08.28.05 | Wendy commented: So when I hear, "Well I don't think the gov't should legislate what people eat," guess again. They already do.
This is a *great* rant, Renee, but this line was one of my favorites. I am so relieved when I see that other people GET THIS. Agreeing on reality is after all the first step. Next step? *sigh* not sure yet, other than just keep trying. oh, and keep blogging. 
08.28.05 | Catherine commented: HEAR, HEAR, Renee!
Your rant is right on target, as usual! People at work have often sneered about my lunches with brown rice, spinach and other vegetables and soy. I'm often half-jokingly accused of being a "Tree-hugging, do-gooder" translate: "self-righteous commie!" One day I noticed that I only use three or four of the 12 aisles in the store: produce, dairy (for nonfat cottage cheese and nonfat yougurt), frozen foods and occasionally canned vegetables and fruit. I began to feel out of place, standing at the register lines behind people whose baskets were loaded up with Cocoa Puffs, canned pop, frozen pizzas and pancakes, Pop-Tarts, bags of chopped iceberg lettuce, cardboard boxes of fruit drinks, cans of Hormel chili and Spagetti-o's. I'm healthier and thinner than a lot of these people but,,,I'm the one left feeling like the weirdo here!
But, buying healthy products does get noticed. One reason organic produce costs more is because demand is growing. More farmers are looking at the higher profit and lower costs. Vote with your dollars, it does get noticed! Bush claims a mandate with only half the country voting for him. But if a business loses even 10% of its customers, it sits up and takes notice! Write 'em letters and let 'em know why you ditched their product.
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I had to read this entry 3 times. I mean, I feel the same way, and it makes me so angry. In the most selfish way, I'm just pissed because I can't afford to buy everything organic that I want. In the big picture, it's just ridiculous to keep dumping money into a healthcare system that treats the symptoms of our lifestyles, but doesn't value the concept of preventive care and education about preventive care.
But it's our fault, too. We want the full convenience of everything without a thought to future consequences. When we were uneducated, we could fault that, but even when we get educated, we still don't do what we know we need to. I'm guilty of that. I'm especially guilty of it with my son, because I don't push him to eat what I eat. 50% of the time, he eats something other than what I eat. That's pretty fucked up. Although I prefer that to me eating what he eats because, like I said, I know better.
So it's a chore, and I haven't done it consistently EVER, but I am trying really hard to get my act together. I buy organic when I can, I stick to the cheapest foods possible, which coincidentally are the healthiest, and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It sucks, but this is what I want to do with my life. I want to eat only whole foods. I take the time to scrub my veggies and fruit due to bastard pesticides. I rinse my beans as well as I can. I avoid canned foods. I avoid processed foods as much as possible. And it's going to be a pain in the ass, but it's what has to be.
As for mass trans, I hear you on that too. Taking the bus sucks ass, but it beats paying $2.50 at the pump. I ain't gonna do that, no fucking way.