The Four Horsemen of the Fatpocalypse

nah. you had to go to burger king to get the super awesome star wars collectors glasses.

 

Michelle Obama's campaign is I think proof that increased awareness of the need to eat healthier foods and exercise isn't enough to move the needle.

As Michelle Obama's Anti-Obesity Push Turns 2, It's Time for a Check-Up

You can read this, but to sum up the main thing that the main accomplishment of the program to-date has been to raise awareness of the existence of the program"

In a recent survey by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than eight out of 10 Americans say they have heard of "Let's Move!" Thirty five percent say they've heard a lot about it.

Improving school lunches is a promising start, but it's not nearly enough.

When Brandi Thompson's Mississippi high school removed the deep-fried chicken and pork chops from the lunch menu and replaced them with potatoes that are baked instead of cooked in fat, the move didn't sit well.

"I understand the part about us being healthy, but the food they cook, we don't eat, because everybody can't cooked baked food the same. And it just don't taste right," she told health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser shortly after the initiative started.

Oy

 

In the food being to expensive arguement, last week the value orange juice in my local supermarket jumped from £1 to £1.24. And it wasn't on offer either time.

I always check the prices, even on the regular stuff I buy and everything's been going up.

 

How does Burger King ALWAYS get those deals? The last two times I ate there were to (1) get a Star Wars watch in like 2005, and (2) get a Star Trek XI glass in 2009.

 

the last time i ate there i actually was enticed by their advertising to try a "california whopper". i know the word epic has lost all it's power now, sort of like the word awesome, but it was an epic disappointment.

 

mmmmm, California Whopper... 820 calories, 56 grams of fat.

Add large BK fries to that, you get another 540 calories and 27 grams of fat.

Add a soda for another 400 calories (it's fat free!) and you get 1,760 calories a mere 240 calories a way from taking care of your whole day.

Better get some of those Cini Minis with icing. That will take you over the top with a little room to grow.

 

Your penultimate post reads almost like it is criticizing Michelle Obama.

 

Dude, I really, seriously think Michelle Obama is the best first lady who ever was or ever will be, and lord knows we need a national cheerleader for preventing childhood obesity. But we also need a massive public health approach with serious spending and social programs aimed at measurable outcomes.

 

Jabba, have you ever considered a more measured approach? Basically, instead of getting on McDonald's case for killing people, look at it the other way: they're not killing people efficiently enough.

If McDonald's can successfully kill off low income people in their 40s and 50s via massive heart attacks, and they can get it right the first time, then your country can save a huge amount on pensions and long term health care. Basically, the problem is that too many people go through long stages of "Oh my, I'm so fat I have 15 different fat related illnesses, including depression." And in that period, they're scarfing down valuable resources (not the food, that's dirt cheap - the drugs and the medical costs are the expensive part), just as badly as they would when they were older. You want people without savings, who are going to have to rely on government support when they get older, to be productive every day of their lives until they die suddenly at the age of 50 or so. McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, etc are on the right track; they're just not quite there yet.

 

Soda is the worst of them all. A can of soda is like a candy bar. I would rather eat the candy bar and have some water! I get my caffeine from hot tea now. Soda is a treat to be enjoyed when you have dinner out.

 

Raven, you've nailed the heart of the issue. While it would be great for our nation if we could reduce our population to 100 million healthy, productive people able to contribute productively to society well into their 70s, morbid obesity is a terribly inhumane and expensive way of accomplishing this goal.

 

I've always been confused by the "healthy food is too expensive!1!" complaint too. Admittedly I do like to whine about the price of the fresh veggies I like to buy, e.g. I love me some asparagus but I can rarely find it for <$4/lb, but things like flour, oats, and rice are dirt cheap and I can substitute snap peas or broccoli more cheaply. Yeast and sugar aren't exactly bank-breakers either so if you bake your own bread it's just pennies to a meal. I never cease to be confused by people who somehow think eating out, even fast food, is cheaper.

 

i'm really looking forward to this jack in the box limited edition bacon milkshake.

 

The BK Family Bundle

one Whopper
one Whopper Jr.
two small fries
two small drinks
Kids Meal

Rape yourself, your wife, and one of your children, for a limited-time offer of $9.99.

 

I was out cycling today and I passed a McDonald's just as a rather large family was leaving it. It got me to thinking: putting birth control in fast food would solve a lot of problems at the same time.

 

Raven, this is an idea that could win you the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Nobel Prize in Medicine, Knighthood from the Queen of England, a Chevalier of the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, etc. They will be erecting statues of you 5,000 years from now. Your face will be carved into Mount Rushmore. And Oprah Winfrey will interview you.

 

Well, you know, rBGH has been linked to infertility

 

Fair enough point on the staple crops, but this is ridiculous. Any fair economic analysis would also have to factor in the opportunity cost of baking your own bread. It's fairly easy to imagine that someone may not have time to do this, especially if they work multiple jobs.

 

Or have multiple kids...

 

To be fair, you don't have to really bake it in an oven. Just mix a little flour with water and dirt and let it "bake" in the sun, like they do in Haiti. Only in Haiti I think they often have to leave out the flour.

 

Well, yes, you could substitute any number of common situations that aren't allowed for consideration in the magical fantasy land of libertarian policy-making.

 

Just to be clear, the "staple crops" mentioned as being dirt cheap aren't really that nutritious. Yes, they're probably better than most processed food, but white flour and white rice (generally cheaper than their more nutritious, whole grain counterparts) don't really provide much nutrition.

 

hey jabbadabbado, have you heard this song. i wrote it for another thread a year ago or so but it seems even more appropriate for this one. anyway, you might like it.