The men who made us fat

symo
symo Posts: 1,743
edited June 2012 in The bottom bracket
Anyone catch this last night? Was really interesting especially the reference to the book Pure White and Deadly.

It will come as no surprise to many on here that the target of this was corn syrup and sugar and how lobbying by food associations representing them have made fats the enemy without looking at the problems these easily absorbed energy sources play in obesity.

Frightening was the mannequin woman with the soulless eyes from the american beverage association, flatly denying that there is a link between the sugars used in soft drinks and obesit. Reminded me of the lobbyists who claimed that cigarettes had no link to cancer.

It was also frightening that Fructose was mentioned, which is of course in many of our energy gels. Are we putting ourselves at risk to ride long distances?
+++++++++++++++++++++
we are the proud, the few, Descendents.

Panama - finally putting a nail in the economic theory of the trickle down effect.
«1

Comments

  • Keith47
    Keith47 Posts: 158
    Anyone watch this last night? Quite illuminating. we can blame the obesity epidemic on Earl Butts. Or high fructose corn syrup. Or coca cola. Or the american farmers. Oh to hell with it, just blame Wiggle.........
    The problem is we are not eating food anymore, we are eating food-like products.
  • MattC59
    MattC59 Posts: 5,408
    Recorded it. But I blame nothing but lack of will power. This one's not even Wiggle's fault !
    Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
    Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved
  • turnerjohn
    turnerjohn Posts: 1,069
    MattC59 wrote:
    Recorded it. But I blame nothing but lack of will power. This one's not even Wiggle's fault !

    +1 eactly !

    Thing that got me was how they were blamming the advertising....how else does any business survive without it !?
    ...sorry hope I didn't spoil it to much ?!
  • Keith47
    Keith47 Posts: 158
    Actually, on a serious note, I am frequently asked for dietary advice by people wanting to lose weight and I always start by saying "sugar is your enemy" ( maybe I should add corn syrup to that statement too!). But their attention soon wanes when they realise just how much of the food they eat everyday day is contaminated by this poison and eventually it becomes obvious that the lifestyle changes required are way beyond what they are prepared to consider.

    I once read in a book on nutrition ( damned if I can remember what it was called though ) that if sugar (sucrose) was a new food substance discovered today it would be immediatley banned by almost every food and drug administration in the world due to its toxicity to the human body!
    The problem is we are not eating food anymore, we are eating food-like products.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,224
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012 ... ing-us-fat

    Saw this article in relation to it. Presumably covers the same stuff.

    People are on average 3 stone heavier since the '60s.
  • GiantMike
    GiantMike Posts: 3,139
    Keith47 wrote:
    But their attention soon wanes when they realise just how much of the food they eat everyday day is contaminated by this poison and eventually it becomes obvious that the lifestyle changes required are way beyond what they are prepared to consider.

    Nail, head.

    A lot of food is contaminated by sugars, but a lot isn't. I rarely eat ready-meals and cook nearly all of my food from scratch, including pizzas. I eat chocolate and occasionally crisps.

    People ask for advice, understand the advice, then ignore the advice because they don't like ths sound of it. Then blame an organisation for making them fat.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,224
    Food has become a lot more calorific than it used it.

    The war on fat in food is odd as well. Natural fat in food is much healthier than artificially added sugar. A lot of the healthy stuff is found in the fat.
  • finchy
    finchy Posts: 6,686
    turnerjohn wrote:
    MattC59 wrote:
    Recorded it. But I blame nothing but lack of will power. This one's not even Wiggle's fault !

    +1 eactly !

    Thing that got me was how they were blamming the advertising....how else does any business survive without it !?
    ...sorry hope I didn't spoil it to much ?!

    I've not watched the programme yet, but the related article in the Grauniad implies that food companies have been feeding people misinformation for years. Just saying "you need more willpower" rather over-simplifies the case that there is (maybe) a massive lobbying industry out there which is making sure that even the governments are giving out bad dietary advice.
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    johnfinch wrote:
    there is (maybe) a massive lobbying industry out there which is making sure that even the governments are giving out bad dietary advice.
    Ah yes, I always thought it was all the fault of the American military-industrial complex.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    The problem with the HFCS in soft drinks hypothesis is that people in the UK and elsewhere who don't have HFCS in their soft drinks (or in most other food) are just as likely to be obese as people from the countries who do. HFCS isn't commonly used in the UK 'cos the subsidy which makes it the cheapest sweetener in north america doesn't exist. We just use regular old sugar.

    Eating too many calories makes you fat, the only role sugar or fat or anything else "special" has in it is that it makes food taste better so you're more likely to eat more.
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • Frank the tank
    Frank the tank Posts: 6,553
    The men who made us fat are amongst others.

    Ronald MacDonald
    Gregg
    John Smith
    Colonel Sanders
    Mr Wimpy
    (That woman-Stella Artois)
    Dr Pepper
    Will (or lack of it) Power.
    Tail end Charlie

    The above post may contain traces of sarcasm or/and bullsh*t.
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    MattC59 wrote:
    Recorded it. But I blame nothing but lack of will power. This one's not even Wiggle's fault !

    Agreed. I went on a bit of a lads holiday the other week. Put on 4lbs thanks to being on a continuous IV Stella drip.

    I was gutted. I knew it would drop back off in time as I settle back into the normal lifestyle - healthy meals, not drinking a gallon of lager a day etc. But that wasn't good enough for me, so I cut back a lot in the past week or so and now I'm back down at 70kg give or take 2lbs depending if I've been to the toilet or not!

    Will power. Some of us have it; some of us do not.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • styxd
    styxd Posts: 3,234
    Recorded it. But I blame nothing but lack of will power. This one's not even Wiggle's fault !

    Will power or lack of will power may be what determines whether YOU are fat or not.

    Doesnt apply to everyone though, theres loads of reasons why more people are over weight these days.
  • GiantMike
    GiantMike Posts: 3,139
    The men who made us fat are amongst others.

    Will (or lack of it) Power.

    The men who made us fat should actually read the men who made themselves fat. People don't get fat overnight. They get fat over a long period of time. Clothes stop fitting. They look different to photos of themselves 2 years ago. There are a lot of obvious clues, just no willpower to do anything about it.

    Some people are fat for other reasons (apparently, don't know what they are though unless the body makes calories out of thin air). Most aren't.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    styxd wrote:
    Recorded it. But I blame nothing but lack of will power. This one's not even Wiggle's fault !

    Will power or lack of will power may be what determines whether YOU are fat or not.

    Doesnt apply to everyone though, theres loads of reasons why more people are over weight these days.
    Such as?
    I'll give a sedentary lifestyle and laziness as a starter. Still down to the persons choice.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • DavidBelcher
    DavidBelcher Posts: 2,684
    Food has become a lot more calorific than it used it.

    The war on fat in food is odd as well. Natural fat in food is much healthier than artificially added sugar. A lot of the healthy stuff is found in the fat.

    +1. It's a bit of a hackneyed soundbite, but "not all fats are bad" (olive oil and other unsaturated vegetable fats, fish oils etc.).

    David
    "It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,224
    daviesee wrote:
    styxd wrote:
    Recorded it. But I blame nothing but lack of will power. This one's not even Wiggle's fault !

    Will power or lack of will power may be what determines whether YOU are fat or not.

    Doesnt apply to everyone though, theres loads of reasons why more people are over weight these days.
    Such as?
    I'll give a sedentary lifestyle and laziness as a starter. Still down to the persons choice.

    From that article I posted:
    Why are we so fat? We have not become greedier as a race. We are not, contrary to popular wisdom, less active – a 12-year study, which began in 2000 at Plymouth hospital, measured children's physical activity and found it the same as 50 years ago. But something has changed: and that something is very simple. It's the food we eat. More specifically, the sheer amount of sugar in that food, sugar we're often unaware of.
    Here's the study.

    http://www.earlybirddiabetes.org/about.php
  • t.m.h.n.e.t
    t.m.h.n.e.t Posts: 2,265
    daviesee wrote:
    styxd wrote:
    Recorded it. But I blame nothing but lack of will power. This one's not even Wiggle's fault !

    Will power or lack of will power may be what determines whether YOU are fat or not.

    Doesnt apply to everyone though, theres loads of reasons why more people are over weight these days.
    Such as?
    I'll give a sedentary lifestyle and laziness as a starter. Still down to the persons choice.
    There are plenty of medications that directly or indirectly cause or promote weight gain. Prescriptions to treat seizures,migraines,diabetes,high blood pressure for example.

    The main cause is always a mix of two. Overactive knife and fork and sitting on your arse - Lack of education


    edit: Neither sugar or fat are directly to blame they're easy targets.
  • styxd
    styxd Posts: 3,234
    Lack of education
    Mental issues
    Social issues
    Economic issues.

    They all tie in together really though.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    There are plenty of medications that directly or indirectly cause or promote weight gain. Prescriptions to treat seizures,migraines,diabetes,high blood pressure for example. Which are highly attributed to diet.
    The main cause is always a mix of two. Overactive knife and fork and sitting on your ars* - Lack of education - Agreed

    edit: Neither sugar or fat are directly to blame they're easy targets. - Agreed
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • t.m.h.n.e.t
    t.m.h.n.e.t Posts: 2,265
    daviesee wrote:
    There are plenty of medications that directly or indirectly cause or promote weight gain. Prescriptions to treat seizures,migraines,diabetes,high blood pressure for example. Which are highly attributed to diet.
    The main cause is always a mix of two. Overactive knife and fork and sitting on your ars* - Lack of education - Agreed

    edit: Neither sugar or fat are directly to blame they're easy targets. - Agreed
    Thanks for that note. Tis true but in usual form the answer is to throw meds at a fattie to fix (enhance) the issues.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    styxd wrote:
    Lack of education - Agreed. but surely just listening to Gran would sort that out :wink:
    Mental issues - There is a much higher percentage of obese people than people with genuine mental issues. Few can use that excuse.
    Social issues = Peer pressure = weak willed.
    Economic issues - You can eat heathy on a budget if you make the effort.

    They all tie in together really though.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • GiantMike
    GiantMike Posts: 3,139
    styxd wrote:
    Lack of education
    Mental issues
    Social issues
    Economic issues.

    They all tie in together really though.

    Where would Eric Pickles fit in this? Poorly educated? Mental? Broken Family? Poor?

    Personally, I just think he loves cake and can't say no to a big fat slice of cake.
  • styxd
    styxd Posts: 3,234
    He probably does just love cake! But then who doesnt?!?!

    Perhaps he over eats because he's depressed about being a fat tory?
  • tim_wand
    tim_wand Posts: 2,552
    It aint rocket science, If you put more Feul/Energy in than you burn off , then the surplus is going to store somewhere.

    Fats and Sugars yield more energy in the first place and the body finds it easier to assimulate and store them if they arent depleted than other nutrients .

    We all have a varying basal metabollic rate, once you get 35+ this decreases by approx 5% every year or so and your are less likely at 35+ to be partaking in regular exercise or sport than someone below 35 so its a double whammy.

    The other massive problem with these foods group ( because in moderation they are essiential) is that post 35 they will also lead to you having more of a predispositon to Diabetes and Heart disease.

    I ve just come back from a Holiday in Sicily, the food was excellent. Fresh Pasta and Seafood, and the supermarkets were stacked with fresh produce which would have never made it onto the shelfs here because it wasnt a perfect shape or size .

    Half of the additives are not just for taste, but in processed foods they are there to achieve maximum shelf life.

    I always try to eat things which are as close to their natrual state as possible, whenever possible.

    Saying that though there where some big fat mammas in Sicily and they all smoked like chimneys. :D
  • natrix
    natrix Posts: 1,111
    edited June 2012
    The programe was the first in a series. I wonder if the series will cover the mysterious death of the British 'Minister for food' who was shot in France (conspiracy theorists claim that it was a hitman from Tate & Lyle :o , see The Vitamin Murder: Who Killed Healthy Eating In Britain? by James Fergusson)
    ~~~~~~Sustrans - Join the Movement~~~~~~
  • nhoj
    nhoj Posts: 129
    GiantMike wrote:
    Where would Eric Pickles fit in this?
    Eric Pickles doesn't fit anywhere.
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    nhoj wrote:
    GiantMike wrote:
    Where would Eric Pickles fit in this?
    Eric Pickles doesn't fit anywhere.

    Chapeau!
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • dw300
    dw300 Posts: 1,642
    There was a program like this on British television a few years back, where this woman tried to convince us that it wasn't our fault we are getting fat .. its the supermarkets and their cheap foods.

    She even said that because McDonalds, Mars and Cadburys are sponsoring the 2012 Olympics that most of us assume that they must be healthy .. *bertstare*
    All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
    Bike Radar Strava Club
    The Northern Ireland Thread
  • DavidBelcher
    DavidBelcher Posts: 2,684
    nhoj wrote:
    GiantMike wrote:
    Where would Eric Pickles fit in this?
    Eric Pickles doesn't fit anywhere.

    Genius. :D

    David
    "It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal