One Guy's Viewpoint

This Obesity Epidemic

That's what they're calling it, an epidemic. On average Americans are fatter than ever. Basically, I believe, this large scale obesity problem is a phenomenom of the last thirty years. A lot of people blame McDonald's or some other fast food outfit. Once the government pushed for a low fat diet (which of course had to be a high carb diet) using its famous pyramid. But, later, this government plan itself was blamed for our increasing fattiness to the point that the feds altered that pyramid into some other geometric shape. Our problem, numerous others say, is that we don't exercise enough. But, let's face it, the more overweight one becomes the harder exercise becomes. True, we're eating too much. But why? That's the question.

I've done a good deal of research on this question, and below I've listed what appear to me to be the top three, but largely unknown, causes for the so-called epidemic:

3. Aspartame (i.e. NutriSweet). I used to think that this chemical was only responsible for things like brain tumors and depression. But, no.
While aspartame contains no calories of its own, it triggers body responses which lead to overeating.

2. High Fructose Corn Syrup. The epidemic began about the time this high fructose corn syrup came on the scene. That's only correlation, you say, and correlation doesn't prove cause and effect. Okay. But, obesity certainly didn't cause high fructose corn syrup. Any cause and effect, which I believe is there, must certainly go the other way. It's a difficult thing to avoid, the most used sweetener in supermarket foods today. I used to believe it was number 1. But I was wrong.

1. MSG (Monosodium Glutemate). This stuff is in almost everything. Seldom, though, does it appear by name in a label list of ingredients. "Natural Flavorings" is where they most often try to hide its existance. If it was a good thing why hide it? Almost all restaurants use it these days, not just Chinese. MSG is what they have to use to produce obese lab rats. No matter what they're fed, rats can't/won't get that fat. No, they must be injected with MSG. While we're certainly not injected, unless we are very careful, we take it in with practically every food and drink we don't prepare from scratch ourselves.

There you have it. I believe that if these three items were gone from our food this epidemic would soon run its course. As bad as old fashioned sugar may be for us, it's something we've dealt with a long time without getting fat in the manner that's so common nowadays.

posted by Burt @ 3:21 PM