Obesity linked to poverty

Eleanor Morgan the Guardian By positioning weight loss as a personal choice, the government is building a bridge of string over a burning canyon.

Psychologists have been writing for years about how obesity is not caused by a lack of will power. Rather, it’s a product of emotional distress, poverty and inequality.

Susie Orbach the Guardian We’ll need to completely overhaul our troubled relationship with eating. Talk of “good and “bad” foods has contributed to an obsession with size and weight loss.

Just a couple of opinions of what indeed is a complex issue, and not easily solved by a government which has seen an increase in the number of those using food banks since they have been in power.

Querty

growstuff
It’s a shame that you didn’t pick up in the interesting part of my thread about Kimberly Wilson and the link between a lot of today’s mental problems and diet.

Sorry, I genuinely missed it. Have you got a date and time and I'll scroll back.

PS. I know that there are links between mental health problems and diet. I did write somewhere or other that eating is a psychological issue as much as anything. It's a huge topic.

growstuff
It’s a shame that you didn’t pick up in the interesting part of my thread about Kimberly Wilson and the link between a lot of today’s mental problems and diet.

rosecarmel Spot on. No one chooses their parent or the circumstances they are born into.

A bit of understanding and compassion would be helpful.

I had cookery lessons at school in the 60s, but to be frank, they weren't much cop. Rock cakes, cheese and potato pie (mash with a bit of cheese added) - that was about it.

I often wonder what today’s children would make of 60s school dinners. No choice! That was it, often a pretty unappetising stew, with jam or currant stodgy and watery custard to follow, and you ate it, because there was nothing else. Hardly anyone at my senior school (600 girls) brought packed lunches - IIRC it wasn’t allowed unless there was a very good reason - and being fussy wasn’t one of them!
Equally I don’t recall anyone having the allergies that seem so common now.
I do wonder what has changed. (Apart from the school dinners, of course.)

People aren't born into obesity- They're born into poverty and all the conditions that impoverished families are faced with- Some are born into wealth and excess, some middle class-

The challenges that those born into poverty face are vast- Personal safety, (e.g. unsafe neighborhoods / police) the cost of limited, public transportation and limited part time employment availability in the areas the public transport serves- Part time employment doesn't provide health benefits, full time positions that do are in short supply- Even impoverished families are denied federal and state healthcare benefits because the financial poverty level amount is set so low making it next to impossible to qualify-
A large percentage of people have work more than one part time job to get by, and rely on public transport to get back and forth to each job, stopping somewhere along the way to get food that can't be too perishable or take a long time to prepare unless they don't mind eating at midnight- It cost money to prepare food, gas and electric aren't free- Neither is the water to wash dishes with or flushing the toilet- There are school supplies and uniforms to be purchased- Laundry, also not free- The stress level of impoverished people is high- Poor 1975 is worlds away from poor 2020-

Here, 20 years ago now, there was a secondary school which had huge grounds for sports etc. A lot of it was sold off and there is now a shopping precinct.

In local convenience stores there is enormous shelf space given to cakes, chocolate biscuit bars, sweets, chocolate, fizzy drinks and alcohol. Little room for fresh produce and ingredients for cooking meals from scratch.

No cookery classes in schools. Although at the snobby school I went to the first lesson was Veal Fricassee! [My mother was not happy, we didn't have much money].

I remember having a conversation whereby a DIL's single friend said she couldn't cook after work as she was too tired and that's why she ordered takeaway pizzas. She said cooking took ages. Well to buy a pizza and put it in the oven for 15 minutes [she had an oven] was a darn sight cheaper than takeaway ones. I suggested many meals which were quick....omelette, jacket potato with any number of fillings, cold chicken/any cold meat and salad, pasta with sauce, beans on toast sprinkled with cheese, eggs many ways etc. etc. etc.

I also think that there is a lot of sugar in wine, some i know drink it regularly and don't realise how much sugar is going into their system. So many reasons why there is obesity.

Public information and more education put on the TV during ad breaks could help a lot of people instead of the constant plugging of rubbish foods via TV ads.

I won't buy anything with palm oil or inverted sugar or artificial sweeteners in if I can help it, it's difficult though. I read lists of ingredients every time I shop and the traffic lights on products. More people should know the rubbish that it is their food nowadays.

It’s not a complex issue, it really isn’t. If we consume more calories than we expend in energy we get fat.

It’s all down to overeating. There might be psychological reasons why someone comfort eats for example but it is within everyone’s grasp to do It’s something about it.

It makes me so cross to hear people trying to make excuses as to why they can’t lose weight, or even worse, claiming that obesity is a disease, implying that it’s out of their control to do anything about it.

It’s estimated that about half of the entire NHS budget is taken up with dealing with fat people and the associated diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and many other illnesses.

We are the second fattest nation in Europe after Malta and that undoubtedly contributed to our relatively high Covid death rate.

Isn’t that shameful?

I think it's a very complex issue. In many ways it's linked to self esteem and boredom. Many people eat for comfort and entertainment. If you live in a small flat and do not have the funds to bring enjoyment to your life then eating is an answer. Better than alcohol and cigarettes. Somewhat.
When I went to a Slimming club I was struck by how low in mood the people seemed.
People with more money are able to boost their egos in other ways.

Thankyou for keeping on my original subject. Two sensible ideas have come out of all these posts:
1 EAT LESS AND MOVE MORE
2 PUT LESS ON YOUR PLATE

annep1

I just got a text from my daughter to say she has lost a stone during lockdown and she believes its due to spending more on food and cooking more.

You should carry this comment over to the food poverty thread as well.

I just got a text from my daughter to say she has lost a stone during lockdown and she believes its due to spending more on food and cooking more.

PamelaJ1

growstuff
I didn’t say they were an alternative to pudding. We didn’t have pudding because we hardly ever have pudding.
No pudding simply means no pudding.

FYI I am a healthy weight and my BMI is in the good range. I eat food that is good for my gut in fact in the food and figure dept. I’m ‘practically perfect’???.
Stop winding me up.

This thread is about poverty and obesity. I am neither. The problem needs to be tackled. Perhaps we could have a thread about possible positive practice solutions?

I’m away at the moment, in a cabin. I brought food for breakfast for me , DH and GS. All healthy stuff, however there are only paper cups and wooden stirrers so we will have to go out to eat. If anyone has the solution to how we can use the cup and a stirrer to eat yoghurt and fruit I’m willing to try.
Growstuff, it’s live and natural! Full fat though.

I apologise for any offence. I wasn't suggesting that you personally are overweight.

I was bemused that you posted a recipe for something that is essentially empty calories on a thread about obesity.

Buy some cutlery?? Or are you in the wilds far from civilisation?

Cabin sounds nice anyway

dizzyblonde

youtu.be/UgKx3dyoVE4
This is an interesting interview this week with a top cardiologist who is passionate about trying to tackle the obesity crisis.

So interesting to watch this. The guy from the food and drink industry was evasive wasn't he? Cardiologist was impressive particularly in his comments about metabolic health.
Thank you for sharing

Put yoghurt in cup use 2 stirrers as a spoon. Eat fruit with fingers. Problem solved.

growstuff
I didn’t say they were an alternative to pudding. We didn’t have pudding because we hardly ever have pudding.
No pudding simply means no pudding.

FYI I am a healthy weight and my BMI is in the good range. I eat food that is good for my gut in fact in the food and figure dept. I’m ‘practically perfect’???.
Stop winding me up.

This thread is about poverty and obesity. I am neither. The problem needs to be tackled. Perhaps we could have a thread about possible positive practice solutions?

I’m away at the moment, in a cabin. I brought food for breakfast for me , DH and GS. All healthy stuff, however there are only paper cups and wooden stirrers so we will have to go out to eat. If anyone has the solution to how we can use the cup and a stirrer to eat yoghurt and fruit I’m willing to try.
Growstuff, it’s live and natural! Full fat though.

Travelsafar - you can now get onto the bike voucher site, to be told that all the current vouchers are gone! More will be produced at some later stage.

youtu.be/UgKx3dyoVE4
This is an interesting interview this week with a top cardiologist who is passionate about trying to tackle the obesity crisis.

Referring back to OP, I’ve noticed that when archive TV clips from 60s/70s are shown, young adults look almost emaciated compared with today. We’ve got so used to everyone being a bit bigger, it’s become normal.

A lot of posters on this thread seem to think that the obesity problem would be solved if people ate proper home-cooked food, instead of ‘junk’ convenience food. Unfortunately, the overweight issue is very complex, as some here have said, but the bottom line is, if more calories are taken in than used, a person will gain weight. It doesn’t matter if calories are from “healthy” or “unhealthy” food.

Genetics plays a part in why some people gain weight more easily- in my own family there seems to be that tendency from husband’s side- mother, aunt and sisters always struggled with weight. We grow own veg and always cooked from scratch, but despite that, some of our children became a bit “chubby”.

When you enjoy cooking tasty food, it’s hard not to eat more of it. I grew up with parents for whom food wasn’t that important- very plain and boring- and was a very skinny child (not any more!).

I don't really know what it's all about. I know the researchers are currently interested in gut microbiomes. I would imagine there's more to it than a diabetic testing kit. They're not primarily interested in diabetes, but the way different people use energy and, hopefully, provide some guidance on good diet.

I expect you know that blood sugar is influenced by much more than carbohydrates, but also by the liver's response through storage and release of glucose and the imbalance with the pancreas. Adipose tissue (especially round the internal organs) can also increase insulin resistance , which in itself can cause weight gain, which is why diabetics experience a double whammy. BTW Adipose tissue contains more ACE2, which is linked to adverse reactions to Covid-19. Insulin release is also linked to cortisol, which is probably why there's a link between T2 diabetes and stress/depression/insomnia.

growstuff only just seen your Zoe reference to an individual reaction to food testing kit. I am on Zoe App and hadn’t seen that. I imagine it will be similar to diabetic blood testing kit?

I am quite interested because a few years ago I was told I was pre diabetic, although not over weight. I am now very careful with carbs and no longer in the diabetic range, but it would be useful to know if I can enjoy some things without unduly raising blood sugar.

It would also be very helpful for non diabetics who are trying to reduce weight because we all react so differently to some foods.

PamelaJ1

growstuff

where did I say they were a healthy alternative?

Well, this thread is about obesity.

You suggested they're an alternative to pudding.

If you want to lose weight, try this as an experiment ...

1 Work out your calorie needs. This is one calculator, but there are others:

www.checkyourhealth.org/eat-healthy/cal_calculator.php

This will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.

My personal calorie requirement is about 1550, but I'm very tall, so most females need less, unless they're super active. It's surprising how easy it is to reach 1550 calories.

2 Keep an honest diary of what you eat in a week. Work out how many calories you've eaten and compare. Many people eat too much.

3 If you're eating too many, aim to reduce the number of calories. Rather than reducing at random, avoid the "empty" calories (ie those which are mainly sugar and/or saturated fat), make sure you're not hungry and include a couple of things to stop you feeling that you're being deprived. Even reducing portion sizes by 10% can make a difference in the long term.

4 Don't spend loads of money on diet plans!

It needs to be sustained, so quick fix diets aren't usually recommended and weight loss will be gradual.

Packets and labels assume a calorie requirement of 2000, which is too much for an average woman who's not very active.

Personally, I don't count calories because I've just got used to what's right for me.