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Obesity and overweightness in America

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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
Many wonder the reason why Americans are so much fatter than Europeans, when we both each comparable amounts of food, and after researching the topic I think I may have found an answer!

High fructose corn syrup.
It's in everything you eat, unless you specifically choose foods that don't have it.

What is it?
High fructose corn syrup is a sugar, very similar to sucrose, or table sugar.

Why is it a problem?
Because it is in everything. Read just about any box's ingredients and you're likely to find it as one of the top ingredients. This is essentially like eating spoonfuls of sugar every day, and I am of the belief that this is the cause of overweightness in America.
The reason why I think it is the problem, is because due to the quantity and cheapness to produce, and there is legislation in Europe which limits the addition to food products.
Humans love sugar and sodium, most living creatures do, and so it is a weak addictive as well. We like foods that taste good, and sugar tastes good, so we buy it again.
Back when we weren't so reliant on junk foods and T.V. dinners, and families cooked dinner for everyone, America wasn't known for being overweight. Now it is different, and we aren't cooking our meals from scratch.

Need more? Here's some resources.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL

http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html

http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/fructose_dangers.html

http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/article/3059/high-fructose-corn-syrup.html


Feb 9 2008 3:55PM
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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
Man, I deleted a point somehow.

You wouldn't normally eat spoonfuls of sugar, but you are doing so unwittingly.
Feb 9 2008 3:58PM
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Fish_Sandwich.
Posts: 9108 - Karma: 16
Agreed, it's suuuper cheap to produce so companies use that rather than real shit.  And they can make it taste like anything.  For example, the "butter" on your popcorn at the movies, is mostly just HFC, rather than butter.
Feb 9 2008 4:00PM
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Itsbackfliptime
Posts: 18901 - Karma: 75
Eh, I feel like its more of a personal problem. Plenty of people eat the same stuff and aren't fat.
Feb 9 2008 4:05PM
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bkjumpr
Posts: 173 - Karma: 10
I think that our love for cars contributes to our fatness as well as our love for sugar.  We Americans drive everywhere and if you don't live in a big city then there really isn't much else of a choice.  Many roads are too dangerous to bike on and there aren't many bike lanes.  Also, where I live there aren't many sidewalks.  Why the fuck do we have to drive somewhere that is a 15, 20, or even 30 minute walk? It is only long because we are used to driving so much.  Thats what I love about college, I barely ever need my car.
Feb 9 2008 4:08PM
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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
True, remaining active and healthy, this won't make much of an impact on you. Except for the fact that by eating this stuff you are giving yourself a disadvantage.

Suppose you compared 2 people, one from Italy and one from... Texas. And they ate nothing but rice crispies for a year. The only difference is the American's rice crispies were made with HFCS sugars instead of Sucrose sugars, like the Italians' were. Same quantities, same ingredients, sugar is the only variable. The American would suffer problems that the Italian wouldn't just because of this little sugar substitute.

Many of you detest Splenda, but HFCS runs along the same genre of food supply.
Feb 9 2008 4:12PM
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Raoul_Duke
Posts: 584 - Karma: 17
King corn.

Feb 9 2008 7:30PM
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AntifreezeSteeze
Posts: 1643 - Karma: 53
obese ppl make me feel so angry...how un-nutritous the foods these day are and the amount tht these ppl eat is just disgusting
Feb 9 2008 7:32PM
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Tinga
Posts: 11349 - Karma: 2,333
so we eat shitty foods? no shit. but yeah over weight is an issue for us skinny people because they now make shirts bigger to fit fat people so none of my shirts fit me. its annoying
Feb 9 2008 7:35PM
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Fish_Sandwich.
Posts: 9108 - Karma: 16
Tall tees are the way to go.
Feb 9 2008 7:37PM
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Tinga
Posts: 11349 - Karma: 2,333
dude i live in minnesota. we have like five black people. tall tees just arent cool here
Feb 9 2008 7:40PM
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shibby
Posts: 7088 - Karma: -19
TALL TEE IN DA HOUSE!

Feb 9 2008 7:42PM
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Ian.
Posts: 300 - Karma: 10
theres to many fat asses in america

Feb 9 2008 7:46PM
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Elijah.
Posts: 9322 - Karma: 76
Actually, the problem goes past high fructose corn syrup. It goes into the production of corn, and how our government funds that. I'm not going to go into depth, but I'll give the book about it to you Brian if your curious.
Feb 9 2008 7:49PM
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Elijah.
Posts: 9322 - Karma: 76
Books called "The Omnivores Dilema".
Good read.
Feb 9 2008 8:00PM
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skifree919
Posts: 5842 - Karma: 35
I agree with you that its definitely a very bad thing. I don't think its the only reason though. I think the whole american lifestyle is just lazy. For example, at my college i live in a brand new dorm. There is a feature on the doors to make them handicap accessible. Theres a button that you press and hte door opens. Now this is great and all, but i have never actually seen a handicap use it. I don't think ive seen any handicaps in my school actually. The only people who use it are the ones who can't even open a door. They press the button and the door opens. They can't exert enough energy to open the door. 

So this is just one example of the american attitude. It applies to everything. Americans are just bitches that can't do anything for themselves. Call me old fashioned, but I like to open my own doors. I like to walk. I like to do physical exercise. Americans don't
Feb 9 2008 8:26PM
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Lineskiah11
Posts: 2029 - Karma: 21
i think thats a huge problem too... especially around here people will get in their cars to go up to their mail box or to pick up their kids at teh top of the driveway so they wont have to walk down the 50yard driveway even when its nice and sunny out. people need to stop being so lazy and actually do something about it
Feb 9 2008 8:56PM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
People are lazy as fuck.  It pisses me off.  This is why I do not support universal healthcare.  I don't want to be paying for some lazy ass who eats 5,000 calories a day and knows the Mickey D's menu by heart.  People should be responsible for their own health.  In a sense, when Americans are given the option of something, they want it.  Here's an example.  Someone is shopping in a Costco.  That person sees  a huge bag of M&M's for $5, killer deal right?  They figure they might as well buy it, and then buy another one just because pf the good deal.  Then at home, they figure eating a little can't hurt and soon, they begin to eat more and more hanfuls of M&M's.  People just want more more more.  I'm not going to continue writing, but depening on where this thread goes, I will probably write more.  Summer boredom is great, right!?
Jun 21 2009 10:06PM
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Mooserz
Posts: 2945 - Karma: 32

as I read this I shit here with a bag of salt and vinegar chips in front of me, I find it ironic

my point is, im aware that 95% of the things I eat are un healthy for me and try to eat the better of the worst when I can and also make sure im at and activeness equal to what im eating/ mind you im not ripped with a 6 pack but im not extremely fat either

Jun 21 2009 10:14PM
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Italian.Stallion
Posts: 564 - Karma: 101
Australia is or at least was fatter than us... ha
Jun 21 2009 10:18PM
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skiminnesota
Posts: 9093 - Karma: 429
i used to work with a kid who blamed society for his weight problem..

he was a total fuck up, in the greatest sense of the phrase...
Jun 21 2009 10:20PM
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eastside
Posts: 1744 - Karma: 167
obesity by state...

Click for larger image

the south is made of a bunch of whales.
Jun 21 2009 10:25PM
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thisandthatfilms
Posts: 7714 - Karma: 526
go new england
Jun 21 2009 10:27PM
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CKpolicy
Posts: 2587 - Karma: 2,463
you make a good point, but i think its only part of the problem. the other side is portion size. in the last 9 months or so ive lost 50 lbs. all ive done is completely cut out fast food (except the occasional t-bell run), minimized soda, and watched my portion intake. I have always been active, my whole life, between skiing and lax. Now i go to school in FL so skiing is only a christmas break treat for the time being, i play lax yr round. But the portions served in this country are ridiculous, you just shouldnt eat that much in one sitting. Theres also the whole metabolism thing. My buddy eats like a fucking garbage disposal and never has weighed over 165 in his life. ive seen him eat an entire chocolate cake in one sitting. shits fucked up, kid is lucky now but when hes 40 hes gonna look like don vito.
Jun 21 2009 10:28PM
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yellav
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 1,217
word thanks i'm gonna look into that
Jun 21 2009 11:02PM
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prontocuts.com
Posts: 5244 - Karma: 42
Australia is actually the most obese country so.....
Jun 21 2009 11:04PM
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TZA.
Posts: 1462 - Karma: 181
i live in canada there are no black people :O
Jun 21 2009 11:05PM
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tomalom
Posts: 350 - Karma: 10
interesting. i moved out to colorado and have always wondered where the fatties were
Jun 21 2009 11:07PM
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spliff.Life
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 1,549
americans are stupid

even though im one and just as stupid as the others
Jun 21 2009 11:13PM
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eastside
Posts: 1744 - Karma: 167
way to stay on topic.
Jun 21 2009 11:16PM
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Billek
Posts: 5665 - Karma: 98
It' is lack of motivation.

If you are fat, you deserve to be fat.

Fat people that bitch about being fat should have a number of bricks thrown at them.
Jun 21 2009 11:17PM
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2+2=5
Posts: 3676 - Karma: 18
people arent really lazy its just that the architecture here in North America is so fucked up. everything is so spread out and the nearest store is a couple kilometres away and carries everything you'll ever need. so theres an obvious reason why we love cars so much.
Jun 21 2009 11:17PM
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comeatmebro
Posts: 10720 - Karma: 66
i'm getting a bit chubby. 6' and 179. i need to get down to like fucking 165 for soccer season. anyways my point is it is seriously all the fast food i've been eating. i never thought it made that much of a difference but it really does. i've been in a hurry so that's all i've been eating is like mcdonald's, burger king, wendy's etc. and it makes a difference...i've gotta stop.
Jun 22 2009 12:14AM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
Yeah, fast food is absolute shit.  It's pathetic how much preservatives and shit end up in there too. 

Same thing though, everyone in America wants more.  Bigger cars/trucks, bigger homes, more money, more of everything.  Some families get a new car every year.  Are you fucking kidding me!?  The old one probably had 15k on it MAX and you're getting a new car, WTF is wrong with you?  All the industries want more money, especially oil, that's such a BS industry.  They have been taking our money, saying the demand has gone up so much while it went up like .9% and it didn't require any extra work or drilling.  Fucking pathetic world we live in.  Everyone wants to kill everyone, the economy is in a shit hole because people needed MORE that they did not need, hmmm....... Americans buy the way they eat- too much.  The people behind these big industries don't give a shit if John Doe is getting fat and sick as fuck because he is eating Super sized fries, a Big Mac and  64oz. drink, they just want money.  People have become greedy, they sue when someone's dog shits on their lawn, they need to have the best stuff, can't just be satisfied with themselves.  Can I blame McDonald's for making America fat- NO.  They should not have to watch out for the public, they are just trying to make money, but people should understand, you shouldn't be eating this shit daily.  Back to money, even our president is spending a shit load of money, he spent billions of dollars we don't have, trying to save a company that went into bankruptcy anyways.  I knew, we needed to let GM and Chrysler file for Bankruptcy, break those goddamn union contracts (blue colar workers should not be making so much money, and earning so many benefits), reform the company, and come back much stronger.  Detroit is not going to change, especially GM, always claimed to change, but they never changed.  The only American automaker changing is Ford, they're getting there and they did not need bailout money.  I know I went way off topic, but come on America, we are fucking pathetic.  /rant on current America. 

Lets have one good thread in NSG, a nice discussion about obesity or current America, don't leave stupid comments, let's get something good going this summer.
Jun 22 2009 1:49AM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,123
That is interesting because I went to colorado and was shocked at how many fat people I saw. I am from alberta, which in many ways might as well be the states, but seeing a super fat person here is way more rare. By the end of my week in colorado I didn't even give morbidly obese people a second glance/thought. To learn that colorado is one of the skinniest states makes me a little worried about those dark red states.

Seriously once you get to a certain level of fatness why can't you just stop eating? It is not hard to loose weight, go for a damn walk and eat fewer calories!


Jun 22 2009 2:22AM
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jsaya_SagStraps
Posts: 1840 - Karma: 29
Colorado is the best? Go us! No, but really, thats kind of sad..

I wonder what the obesity rate on NS is.. probably pretty low.
Jun 22 2009 2:40AM
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r0dubs
Posts: 1764 - Karma: 19
heard of a tall tee?

Jun 22 2009 2:49AM
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SHastatahoe
Posts: 3414 - Karma: 20
In California we can get coke made in mexico.  It has real sugar in it.  But HFCS isnt the sole reason behind obeisity.  it is people's lifestyle.  people drive, walk 10 feet, sit down, consume 4000 calories, walk 10 more feet, drive home, sit and watch TV while they snack on chips and what not. 

Eat healthy, and exercise. 
Jun 22 2009 3:44AM
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8ONE657
Posts: 3045 - Karma: 209
has anyone seen supersize me? ugh as gross as that is, there are really people who are like that.
america's biggest problem is portion size. we amass these giant plates of food and think it's ok to sit and eat it all, as if leftovers are out of the picture. these all you can eat buffets aren't the best thing.

think about it...how many people say oh its ok i'm eating a salad but pour a shit ton of dressing on it, where is the nutrition there?
Jun 22 2009 3:49AM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
I heard on the radio last week that obesity in the USA has been going down the past 5 years, i was surprised
Jun 22 2009 3:58AM
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AlexGaynor
Posts: 947 - Karma: 148
Holy fuck!

Normal medium shirts are too short, and normal  L is too fat. I never even realized it is all the fat people's fault!!!
Jun 22 2009 8:24AM
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Delphi
Posts: 3748 - Karma: 36
surely, what we eat does play a role in our weight, but for christ's sake, don't blame your obesity on the country and the food we produce. If you don't have the self control to stop shoveling food down your fat fucking face, IT'S YOUR FAULT! And how about exercising one in a while, huh? I know, it's a novel idea and it just may work for you. Eat vegetables and fruits, and if you must binge on fast food and other shit, do it in moderation. Plenty of people can eat whatever the hell they want because A.) They exercise, and B.) they have a shred of self control and know when to stop eating and how to balance their intakes. Instead, we have a bunch of people who are too busy playing video games (no hate, I love video games) and eating funyuns to get off their bloated, sweating asses to walk/waddle around for once. People are too busy creating permanent impressions of their carcasses in their couches to give a shit about fitness and their health. And don't give me the bullshit about "American busyness and the fast paced 9-5 life make it so that people don't have time to eat healthy and exercise, so they just resort to the quick and easy Macdonalds meal." That is complete bullshit. Health clubs open early and close late for precisely that reason, and if you can't afford a health club membership, go on a fucking walk or a jog, climb a mountain, do something. Burn a goddamned calorie and stop blubbering about how awful your situation is and how much you hate America and Macdonalds for making you fat, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Jun 22 2009 10:33AM
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ATLskier
Posts: 8203 - Karma: 406
My sister says the coke in new zealand is better than the coke in atlanta, because they use cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. This is coming from someone from atlanta. We love coke. I wish I could taste some of this cane sugar deliciousness, but you cant send liquids from there to here.
Jun 22 2009 5:05PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
Its true, I had some of that stuff over in South Africa, Its delicious. Make our stuff taste like shit.

I think the 'made in Mexico' branded coke is like it. I have seen it here and there. Usually in a class bottles.
Jun 22 2009 5:11PM
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ATLskier
Posts: 8203 - Karma: 406
Goddamit, I want some.
Jun 22 2009 5:17PM
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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
Haha, I forgot about this thread.
I hope you're speaking generally, not directing it at me
Jun 23 2009 2:26AM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
I can buy a flat of that coke at Costco.  Comes with, I want to say, 24-30 bottles.  The cardboard the coke stands on is all in Spanish and it says product of Mexico on the bottle/cardboard.  I think the reason Costco sells it is because of the 50%+ Hispanic population in CA, or  because it's Costco, that Coke isn't too far from the Red Bull either!
Jun 23 2009 2:33AM
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prontocuts.com
Posts: 5244 - Karma: 42
wat, you must not live in the cities
Jun 23 2009 3:01AM
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skier_boy26
Posts: 11295 - Karma: 502
nah thats a bit of an overstatement.
on a hot day, a cold ass can of coke is the elixir of just everything. so crisp and good. Or a long ass day in studio, a nice cold can just makes those nights all the more tolerable.


So america is obese. Not like we're the only ones dirty. europe isn't is because they're mostly a bunch of chain smokers. dont get me started on some other continents (jokes, it's a serious problem)
Jun 23 2009 3:08AM
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prontocuts.com
Posts: 5244 - Karma: 42
the coke museum was the coolest fucking place I have ever been. That being said, look around you, there are TONS of places to get real sugar coke. Stop into ANY hole in the wall "asian market" or "spanish market" and they have it. I scored thai red bull, m 150, and real coke in my local asian market. the shit is amazing. Its also usually cheaper then american stores. I get my thai red bull for a dollar a bottle.
Jun 23 2009 3:15AM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
Oh yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about.  That can almost tastes perfect, it's like a dream. 
Jun 23 2009 3:16AM
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