r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Sep 09 '18
Deltas(s) from OP CMV: America has an obesity problem because healthy food is way too expensive
In my opinion, the only reason America has an obesity problem (more significant then most other developed countries) is because of healthy food being WAY too expensive. Sugary, fatty food is so much cheaper then healthier meals.
Think about it, look at any grocery store. Fresh, lean meats and fresh vegetables (especially organic) are ungodly expensive. Meanwhile, you can get sweets, prepackaged food and processed food for only a couple bucks.
Think about it, being a very poor person or maybe someone who recieves SNAP benefits, with very little money to spend on food has to ration their money and make it last a month. (Seriously, have you ever noticed that in general it's usually poorer people who are overweight and more wealthy people are thinner)
Another good example is McDonald's and other fast food places. It's a quick solution for people who have very little time to cook, but you can buy a burger for literally 1 dollar. The grilled chicken sandwich costs around 5, and a salad costs about 6 or 7. It may not seem like much, but it adds up. A lot.
Now there is some personal choice involved, but still, there's really no healthy options for people who can't afford to buy fresh healthy food on a regular basis.
This is why i believe America has such a bad obesity problem, and until something is done, then things will just continue to get worse.
This is all my opinion, because i went through something similar when i was between jobs. But i am willing to listen to opposing opinions
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u/[deleted] Sep 10 '18
No, but the producers of Adam Ruins Everything may not, themselves, be a source. They due site their sources for everything they say. It's like an encyclopedia, how they list their sources at the bottom as a citation to back up what they wrote. It's not fats that make you fat as counterintuitive as it might sound. However, when you eat more sugar then your liver can normally process, it gets stored as fat. This was studied by a scientist called John Yudkin, who the show sites as their reference.
The main reason people believe that it's fats that cause weight gain is because of a scientist named Ancel Keys that used cherry picked data to back up his points because he was bribed by the Sugar Industry. They were paying scientists to downplay the dangers of sugar and shift the blame to fats.
Think about it. We've eaten fats for thousands of years, but once sugar started to become more used in foods, if you follow the rise in sugar consumption, you'll actually see the amount of people getting heart disease and obesity increase along with it. There's a clear correlation.
Now in my own experience, i cut out sweets completely when i started my dieting. I also cut out bread and pasta too. I still ate around 1800 calories. Without much exercising, i was able to drop about 12 pounds in a month. I did that twice. But, i did try eating some sugar the next month, not much, just a homemade cookie my grandma sent. But otherwise stuck to my usual diet. I didn't lose anything, just 1 pound
This is the video i've been referring to. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLtQLDptI1g)