Why Americans are getting fatter...in 12 graphs

[WelshBloke]

Pointing out the truth is fat shaming! OP should be fired and be required to give out free doughnuts.

Absolutely. :thumbsup:

 

[MiniDoom]

When did people stop eating fat in foods? I don't remember that happening.

People use to eat butter, lard and heavy creme. In the last 50 years people have moved to vegetable oils. Read the article. The fat free fad of the 80's was absolutely horrible. Lets remove fat and add a shit ton of sugar.

 

[Gibsons]

People use to eat butter, lard and heavy creme. In the last 50 years people have moved to vegetable oils. Read the article.

Oils are fats. Read the graph.

 

[purbeast0]

Fruits and vegetables are expensive. An apple for example

But yes, fast food isn't cheap either

i get like 6 red delicious apples for $4 or $5 or $6 depending on the price at the time. i fail to see how that is expensive. that is cheaper than candy bars or things on the dollar menu at a fast food joint.

 

[nehalem256]

yesterday's breakfast was 4 pieces of cinnamon raisin toast with dairy/soy free butter substitute
lunch was wendy's double burger + 2 fun size butterfingers
dinner was whataburger + fries then some mexican grilled chicken + potatoes + beans

Is it just me or does it sound like you had 2 dinners.

breakfast today was a sonic fiesta steak burrito (no cheese) and a grilled chicken sandwich
lunch was sriracha popcorn w/pepsi
snack of a single grandma's oatmeal raisin cookie
another snack of 4 pieces of cinnamon raisin toast with butter substitute

dunno what i'm going to have for dinner

i sit down all day and don't work out

i think that's why i'm fat D:

Genetics

 

[darkewaffle]

When did people stop eating fat in foods? I don't remember that happening.

They didn't, but there's a very common misconception that "fat" is what makes you gain weight and that it should be avoided (there's a "low fat!" version of fucking everything). When in fact your body stands to gain a lot of nutritional value from some fats and can help you stay full for longer.

I remember as a kid being taught the food pyramid and it told me to eat fucking bushels of carbs every day.

i get like 6 red delicious apples for $4 or $5 or $6 depending on the price at the time. i fail to see how that is expensive. that is cheaper than candy bars or things on the dollar menu at a fast food joint.

Not really when you're on a budget and you look at it in terms of calories per dollar. Which is a very one dimensional measure, but at the end of the day if you don't have much money or food, you're still better off with a $1 burger than a $1 apple imo.

 

[squarecut1]

i get like 6 red delicious apples for $4 or $5 or $6 depending on the price at the time. i fail to see how that is expensive. that is cheaper than candy bars or things on the dollar menu at a fast food joint.

Around here, one red apple costs more than a dollar. That is not cheap. Same goes for some other fruits.

 

[MiniDoom]

Oils are fats. Read the graph.

nice of you to leave out the relevant portion of my statement.

"The fat free fad of the 80's was absolutely horrible. Lets remove fat and add a shit ton of sugar."

 

[purbeast0]

Not really when you're on a budget and you look at it in terms of calories per dollar. Which is a very one dimensional measure, but at the end of the day if you don't have much money or food, you're still better off with a $1 burger than a $1 apple imo.

an apple + can of beans + chicken will run you about $4 or $5 and about 10-15 minutes of preparation.

a burger + frensh fries + a soda will run you about $8 now a days.

so yeah, again, people with the excuses.

 

[purbeast0]

Around here, one red apple costs more than a dollar. That is not cheap. Same goes for some other fruits.

yeah depends on the time of season. a candy bar now a days is like $1.50 - $2. i'd be willing to be that the majority of fatties would rather spend that $1.50 on a candy bar than an apple.

 

[Gibsons]

nice of you to leave out the relevant portion of my statement.

"The fat free fad of the 80's was absolutely horrible. Lets remove fat and add a shit ton of sugar."

The graph indicates a rise in total fat consumption.

 

[MiniDoom]

The graph indicates a rise in total fat consumption.

not all fats are equal. fats high in medium chain triglycerides are great for you. hydrogenated vegetable oils are not.

"The milk fats of humans and guinea pigs are largely made up of long-chain fatty acids. The milk fats of cows, sheep, and goats are rich in short-chain fatty acids. The milk fats of horses contain large amounts of medium-chain fatty acids.[2]

Some studies have shown that MCTs can help in the process of excess calorie burning, and thus weight loss.[3][4][5][6][7][8] MCTs are also seen as promoting fat oxidation and reduced food intake.[9] There has also been interest in MCTs from endurance athletes and the bodybuilding community.[10] While there seem to be health benefits from MCTs, a link to improved exercise performance is weak.[9] Again MCTs lack the cholesterol raising Myristic and Palmitic Acids. While it is true that there have been a number of studies backing the use of MCT oil as a weight loss supplement, these claims are not without conflict. There are about an equal number finding inconclusive results. [11]"

 

[Gibsons]

not all fats are equal. fats high in medium chain triglycerides are great for you. hydrogenated vegetable oils are not.

Correct, maybe correct, correct.

I still don't see a point where people stopped eating fats, as was your claim.

 

[squarecut1]

yeah depends on the time of season. a candy bar now a days is like $1.50 - $2. i'd be willing to be that the majority of fatties would rather spend that $1.50 on a candy bar than an apple.

You are right about that

 

[OverVolt]

Its cultural, no one knows how to cook. And the only way to cook with fresh fruits, veggies and spices is to cook your own food.

Most food from a box isn't that great for you. Its not that bad, but I'd say you need 1 home-cooked meal/day. Even if its just like 1 big batch of chicken macaroni salad + vegetables that you eat as leftovers for a couple days

 

[darkewaffle]

an apple + can of beans + chicken will run you about $4 or $5 and about 10-15 minutes of preparation.

a burger + frensh fries + a soda will run you about $8 now a days.

so yeah, again, people with the excuses.

$8 seems high, but admittedly I haven't been to your basic fast food joint since...2007? I thought most of them had some sort of dollar menu and would figure you could assemble something for $3-4.

And it depends on how truly dire the situation is. I mean in theory if you only had literally $2 to spend on food each day, you'd probably be better off trying to get the most calories for your money rather than nutrition. I agree that's probably pretty extreme and most people are just unwilling to [try to] change.

I think part of it is also how the money is spent though. When you buy groceries, you're paying 'up front' and buying in (a very reduced form of) "bulk". Your average person struggles with that concept - why pay $25 for dinner for a week when you could just pay $5 per meal each time? Despite the fact that we all know 35 > 25, people still do it and they still lease cars and pay huge cell service bills just to save $100 on the phone lol.

 

[Gibsons]

Its cultural, no one knows how to cook. And the only way to cook with fresh fruits, veggies and spices is to cook your own food.

Most food from a box isn't that great for you. Its not that bad, but I'd say you need 1 home-cooked meal/day. Even if its just like 1 big batch of chicken macaroni salad + vegetables that you eat as leftovers for a couple days

A modest proposal: Basic cooking methods should be taught in high school, and not as an elective.

Here's how you cook rice. Here's how to steam broccoli or almost any vegetable. etc etc

 

[moonbogg]

The only one smiling is the little crop duster in the front.

lol, that's funny. Regarding the fatness though, none really gives a shit. Those who really care will reach a breaking point and the problem will self correct. Being in decent shape is too simple for America today. They can't grasp it anymore.

 

[lxskllr]

yeah depends on the time of season. a candy bar now a days is like $1.50 - $2. i'd be willing to be that the majority of fatties would rather spend that $1.50 on a candy bar than an apple.

An apple is mostly water. An apple is about as filling as a nice big gulp of air. I love avocados, but won't pay more than $1 for one, and I seldom do that. I wait until they're 80¢ or less, and buy a bunch. Which is to say, if I want to fill my stomach for $1, it isn't gonna be fruit.

 

[gorb]

Is it just me or does it sound like you had 2 dinners.

Genetics

Well, the mexican food after whataburger was pretty small. Just one piece of chicken and maybe 12 bites of potatoes and beans.

I'm actually pretty lucky because I'm just skinny fat instead of being obese

 

[purbeast0]

And it depends on how truly dire the situation is. I mean in theory if you only had literally $2 to spend on food each day, you'd probably be better off trying to get the most calories for your money rather than nutrition. I agree that's probably pretty extreme and most people are just unwilling to [try to] change.

come on man let's be real - the majority of fat obese people ARE NOT people who only have $2 for each meal. the people who have $2 for each meal are typically skinny as shit and homeless.

the majority of fat obese people are simply buying a shit load of junk food (and we've ALL seen the fatasses at the grocery store with $300 worth of crap in their cart) and are lazy.

 

[QueBert]

Fruits and vegetables are expensive. An apple for example

But yes, fast food isn't cheap either

It can be, I got 2 1/4lb cheese burgers a large fry and a drink for $4 from a local burger place. I couldn't make it that cheap at home. And time is money so fast food is always cheaper for me in the long run.

 

[crownjules]

It can be, I got 2 1/4lb cheese burgers a large fry and a drink for $4 from a local burger place. I couldn't make it that cheap at home. And time is money so fast food is always cheaper for me in the long run.

Your health is also going to cost you money if it sucks. And possible more. Short term vs long term.

 

[PenguinPower]

A lot of people work jobs and don't have time to cook every day or have their wife and their mom making dinner.

And rice has pretty much no nutritional value, and the starch metabolizes to sugar, which is just empty weight gain. Fruits and vegetables are expensive.

Assuming you're talking about white rice...so, no nutritional value to you means what, exactly?

I'm fairly certain that a cup of cooked white rice (not enriched) has carbs, fiber and protein, vitamins, minerals, essential aminos, and a very small amount of fat.

 

[nehalem256]

Assuming you're talking about white rice...so, no nutritional value to you means what, exactly?

I'm fairly certain that a cup of cooked white rice (not enriched) has carbs, fiber and protein, vitamins, minerals, essential aminos, and a very small amount of fat.

There is indeed something bizarre about saying the staple food of most of the world has no nutritional value^_^

For some reason "healthy" food has come to mean only fruits and vegetables.

Which quite honestly doesn't seem like an effective way to get people to eat better even if it were true.

Screw eating brocoli I'm going to McDonalds