SYTFE
Gold Member
- Banned
- #1,261
I am fascinated (and disturbed) by the rapidly rising obesity rate in this country. I'm a big health nut guy who's been both overweight as well as ripped, so I know what it takes to lose fat. It's super easy to put on weight in our culture, and very difficult to take that weight off.
That said, there's a lot of weird elements that are contributing to obesity behind the scenes, things that are fucking with our hormone levels. ChrisL mentioned phones, and we've known that that smart phones actually raise stress levels since 2005. I've come across studies that even showed that every time our smart phones ring or vibrate, we release a bit of cortisol. And cortisol is uniquely related to fat storage. So, there really might be a connection there between the rise in obesity with millenials and teenagers because they're permanently glued to their smart phones. No teenager should be fat. If you're fat as a teenager, you're going to struggle for your entire life to keep your weight at a healthy level. I really feel bad for them. Parents should do whatever it takes to help their fat teenage kids lose weight. Unfortunately, most of them don't know what to do about it.
This is a real, serious crisis.
We're also bombarded with unhealthy food choices. If you don't really understand food on a deep level, you're fucked. You WILL get fat eventually. And the only way to really understand food is to read read read. Most people are very, very wrong with what constitutes "healthy" food. We're very saturated with 'corporate food,' where corporations are controlling our food supply and most of that food is designed to bring in profit dollars rather than deliver nutrition. Take a look at a grocery store -- 90% of it is corporate garbage. If your idea of a healthy meal is a run to Panera bread, you're mistaken. Don't eat anything that your great grandparents wouldn't recognize as food.
There has never been more confusion about food at any other time in human history than right now. We've completely lost our way, and mislead by greedy pieces of shit. The obesity phenomenon is new and 100% related to modern life. Obesity was very rare in isolated cultures. There isn't one micronutrient to blame for the rise in obesity, but if there was, it would have to be refined sugar. Refined sugars have made their way into so many foods that it's almost impossible to avoid unless you're preparing all of your meals yourself and monitoring everything. High fructose corn syrup is even in ketchup! This shit is everywhere. Our caloric intake has also risen, while our intake of actual nutrients and minerals has been lowered. Some of the fancy latte's at Starbucks have even more calories than a Big Mac hamburger from McDonalds.
I could rant about this for hours.
That said, there's a lot of weird elements that are contributing to obesity behind the scenes, things that are fucking with our hormone levels. ChrisL mentioned phones, and we've known that that smart phones actually raise stress levels since 2005. I've come across studies that even showed that every time our smart phones ring or vibrate, we release a bit of cortisol. And cortisol is uniquely related to fat storage. So, there really might be a connection there between the rise in obesity with millenials and teenagers because they're permanently glued to their smart phones. No teenager should be fat. If you're fat as a teenager, you're going to struggle for your entire life to keep your weight at a healthy level. I really feel bad for them. Parents should do whatever it takes to help their fat teenage kids lose weight. Unfortunately, most of them don't know what to do about it.
This is a real, serious crisis.
We're also bombarded with unhealthy food choices. If you don't really understand food on a deep level, you're fucked. You WILL get fat eventually. And the only way to really understand food is to read read read. Most people are very, very wrong with what constitutes "healthy" food. We're very saturated with 'corporate food,' where corporations are controlling our food supply and most of that food is designed to bring in profit dollars rather than deliver nutrition. Take a look at a grocery store -- 90% of it is corporate garbage. If your idea of a healthy meal is a run to Panera bread, you're mistaken. Don't eat anything that your great grandparents wouldn't recognize as food.
There has never been more confusion about food at any other time in human history than right now. We've completely lost our way, and mislead by greedy pieces of shit. The obesity phenomenon is new and 100% related to modern life. Obesity was very rare in isolated cultures. There isn't one micronutrient to blame for the rise in obesity, but if there was, it would have to be refined sugar. Refined sugars have made their way into so many foods that it's almost impossible to avoid unless you're preparing all of your meals yourself and monitoring everything. High fructose corn syrup is even in ketchup! This shit is everywhere. Our caloric intake has also risen, while our intake of actual nutrients and minerals has been lowered. Some of the fancy latte's at Starbucks have even more calories than a Big Mac hamburger from McDonalds.
I could rant about this for hours.
