How Is It Possible to Lose Weight in This World?

at 9:31 AM

This article from the New York Times (Aug 22, 2010) really hit a true and bitter note.  Why is it that for all the preaching about diet and exercise not many are losing weight and in fact almost 30% of the population is either over weight or obese?  These behavioral modifications, according to Natasha Singer, the author of the article do not seem to be working.

Well apparently not only must we have behavioral changes such as diet and exercise, our environment must also change.  Everyone knows that we should all eat more fruits and vegetables but our unhealthy landscape makes it very difficult to adhere to these rules.  Over worked, stress out moms at the end of the day want something fast and convenient, and lets not forget, affordable to put on the dinner table.  Dr. Brownell, the director of Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale is one of the people who are proposing large scale changes to food pricing.

Fast food restaurants can charge lower prices for hamburgers and french fries than for salads because the government subsidizes the corn and soybean used for animal feed.  But no subsidy for spinach.  So in effect the government has made it very difficult to eat healthy because for many people it is simply too expensive.  The inflation-adjusted price of a quarter-pounder at McDonald's fell 5.44 percent from 1990 to 2007 according to an article published in the journal of Health Affairs.  But the inflation-adjusted price of fruits and vegetables, rose 17 percent from 1997 to 2003.

So not only do we need people to learn how to cook healthy with lots of vegetables and lean meat but also we need to have the right environment to foster healthy eating.  We need to have lower prices for veggies and fruits so that consumer can actually afford buying healthier items with out going broke.