America's Future

[Adam R Wende]

I know this is preaching to the choir, posting something like this on a running blog. But just in case any of you needed more motivation to eat right and exercise here you go:  http://healthyamericans.org/report/88/
Click on the link to the .pdf of the "2011 Report" on the right side of the screen.
I think that if you know anyone who does not exercise or eat right it is worth getting them a copy of this report...

[Paul Petersen]

I saw this yesterday. It blows my mind how in some states, 1 out of every 3 adults is obese, and 1 out of every 5 children is obese. Not just overweight...obese. Colorado is #1 (least-fat state), with "only" a 19% obesity rate. In 1995, this rate would have ranked Colorado dead last, and no state had an obesity rate greater than 15% in 1995. In only 16 years, we have become twice as fat.

What changed since 1995?

I was a junior in high school in 1995. Believe me, there was plenty of junk food back then, and I ate plenty of it. We all did. It's not like Kraft Mac 'n' Chesse, microwave pizza, Mountain Dew, or packaged cookies are new inventions. So what is different? Are portions bigger? Are soft drinkers sugarier? Is "real" food less accessible? Are we more sedentary? All of the above? It just blows my mind that things have gotten this bad in 15 years. I actually eat healthier now than I did when I was a kid, so have been in a bit of a vacuum and have had no idea what the rest of America is doing. I'm stunned.

[Jake Krong]

It really is quite sad and disturbing. Its probably a combination of all the things you said, Paul. Reduction in activity, poor food choices, bigger portions, etc.

Another interesting graph... look at the USA vs. a sampling of some other countries...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Obesity_country_comparison_-_path.svg

[Adam R Wende]

Paul, Everything you said is correct but there is more. This is at the heart of what my research focuses on. One of the most recent developments in the field is the concept of "epigenetics". The easiest way to explain this is that there are long lasting changes on (not in) your DNA that alter how your body expresses the proteins that make it function day to day. The scariest part of this is that a number of studies both in lab animals and in people have shown that what your parents ate before you were conceived and while you were in the womb alter these DNA marks and predispose you to a number of diseases. This also includes other environmental and activity factors. What it says is that once things started going downhill with pollution, diet and activity each subsequent generation has a higher hurdle to clear...

[Superfly]

Wow! I usually have something funny to say about posts on here but there is nothing funny about this. Kind of doom and gloom. I'm kind of like Paul. I don't eat really healthy now but much better than I did in 1995.

[Jon Allen]

I'm on vacation this week at a relative's house, and it's been a real eye-opening experience for me.  I'm used to mainly fruits, veggies, whole grains, yogurt, etc.  The house here has not a single one of those.  Not. A. Single. One.  They come home with groceries, and it is 2 sacks full of chips, 1 of cookies, 1 of donuts, hot dogs, beer, cigarettes, and some milk.  I've felt terrible with this eating- no energy, stomach hurts, etc.  I honestly love fruits so much, it is amazing to me how some people never eat them.  And living in the south now, I've seen a lot more fried foods, biscuits and gravy, etc.  If a fair portion of Americans eat this way, I can understand how so many people are obese.

In some ways it doesn't affect me, except my health care money (and taxes) are paying for the health problems others have due to lifestyle choices.  Such is the state of affairs in this (formerly great?) country of ours now.  But I can't control much outside myself and my family (where my little 3 year old daughter the other day was requesting a salad!).

By the way, that picture of obesity rates between nations is stunning.  Being 25% higher than the next closest country is not an award we want to win.

[Jake Krong]

I'm definitely not the perfect example of eating healthy (I enjoy my ice cream and candy as much as the next person, probably more!)... but I definitely make sure to eat a very balanced diet... lots of veggies, etc. Otherwise I'll feel like crap in training! And in terms of the "extra" stuff... when I'm running 100+ miles a week, I feel like I deserve it! When I backed off my training after UVM, I actually lost weight, b/c I paid more attention to what I was eating. It comes down to accountability.

In any case, I'm rambling, but what I wanted to say is that a pet peeve of mine is how its perfectly socially acceptable for heavier people to poke fun at skinny people, but if the opposite happened - well, that would just be plain mean!! Obviously I'm generalizing a bit, but its just sort of a weird double standard that I've noticed over the years.

I taught health & wellness class when I was in grad school, so this is a topic I am very passionate about. Not everyone wants to be a skinny distance runner... I totally get that... but staying at a healthy weight would prevent so many chronic health problems and reduce the amount of money spent on health care by BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of dollars!

[Andrea North]

The health care industry and medical schools need to put more focus on preventative medicine and living a healthy lifestyle, not merely treatment of disease.

[Adam R Wende]

Jake, I agree with the double standard. It is sad that when the now "average" American sees a runner they assume we are the sick ones, just so sad...

Andrea, That is the scariest part about my research. Most of what I have learned over the last decade says that the only way to stay healthy is proper diet and exercise. I agree with it and live it but we are talking some major social reform. That is why I like this report because it attempts to find ways to change peoples habits. Easier said than done though. I think the thing that people like us (myself included) don't understand is that many of these people never had a good example. I grew up exercising and eating right, I never had to overcome the problem in the first place. But a serious attitude shift needs to take place to convince the people coming from 200, 300 and even 400+ lbs...

[Paul Petersen]

Something else that amazes me (in a positive way) is how "uncool" smoking has become in the last 20 years. Seems like very few people smoke these days, and you're a total dork if you do. It is banned in most public places, and the public perception of smoking is quite poor. And not just in Utah, I'm talking about other places too! Perhaps the same will happen with "artificial food".

[Adam R Wende]

Paul, I sure hope so...

[allie]

While I can't argue with the data -- we are definitely getting fatter -- I think that we have started to see some very positive changes in both our food system and consumer attitudes/interest about the foods they are consuming. Even though obesity is still on the rise, I think many people are least seeing the negative impacts and truly desire to make the necessary changes to their dietary habits and physical activity levels. 

It is alarming the things that are available to us in our grocery stores -- so many artificial ingredients that you can't even consider some things as being food (i.e. check out the label of Sunny Delight "orange juice" sometime...). It will definitely be a slow process, but as Paul said, I think artificial and highly processed foods will become increasingly more "uncool"  and undesirable. You can already see these changes being made gradually just by the evolution of many products in grocery stores -- the new buzz words you see on packaging such as "all natural", "no artificial ingredients", "hormone free", "no high fructose corn syrup" etc. Manufacturers wouldn't reformulate their recipes and reprint their labels if consumers weren't demanding these products. We have also seen many consumers demonstrate a newly-found interest in their food over the past few years with the increased popularity of farmers markets, food co-ops, community supported agriculture, etc. Even though these types of things operate on a much smaller scale, I think it's at least a step in the right direction and will help bring about bigger changes in the future.

[Bonnie]

The problem is, allie, that it is much more expensive to eat (and buy) healthy.  Large corporations have, aided by farm subsidies, been able to make "fake" food so cheaply that it is harder and harder to buy raw, natural foods. Couple this cost with general inactivity and it is a disaster waiting to happen.  It is not as difficult for single, motivated people, but people with large families living on minimum wage incomes can't afford healthy food; not to mention access to it.  When I lived in DC I was appalled at the inner city groceries and what they stocked, in order to get vegetables people would have to travel way outside of their neighborhoods - in most poor cities people rarely venture much outside of a couple miles outside of where they have always lived.  This was also the case in rural Tennessee. 

I also think that people just eat too much.  Instead of eating to not be hungry, many people eat all the time and eat to "fullness" - a perpetual cycle.  We have been trained to think that huge mountains of food are necessary, when really, it doesn't take that much to provide your body with the sustenance it needs.

All this said, I do feel badly for many overweight people, I can't even imagine how hard it is to even get *started* to exercise - when I go backpacking and carry an extra 50 lbs on my back I realize how hard it would be ...

An interesting article about California's farm subsidies can be found here: http://farm.ewg.org/pdf/california-farm.pdf , I don't think California is unique. 

[April G]

You bring up a great point Bonnie.  It's no wonder low income tends to coincide with obesity and disease.  I have many diabetics on a fixed income on my home health service--how's a grandmother with $600 a month supposed to pay the bills and feed herself and the grandkids that have been dumped on her?  Well, processed and cheap is the only way.  If you can only go shopping once a month fresh produce is generally a joke.  Nope.  Gotta buy canned stuff, ramen, mac and cheese, and hot dogs.  Medicaid, medicare, all of them have taken massive budget cuts.  Families with disabled children no longer have respite care and can't leave to go work.   Charities and community groups that can help are spread thin and drying up.  I've been exposed recently to a lot of situations where people simply can't afford to be healthy.   If you could get in the kitchen and get serious about cooking staples bought in bulk like whole wheat flour and beans and keep a garden, I suppose it's feasible, but for someone that is fragile and in failing health, once again, no can do.

[allie]

April and Bonnie - Great points and I totally agree.

Here's a timely article: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=16307808

I recognize that having access to healthy food that is actually affordable is just one facet of the issue, and I know this is a small example that will likely have little impact. But I think it's a good start.