A story outlined in the Washington Post recently outlined the health travesty awaiting our country in just one generation. With one in three children now overweight or obese, the clock is ticking on irreversible health consequences. Doctors are seeing children in elementary schools with gallstones, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.
Among those children in the 6 – 9 age groups, obesity has tripled in an unprecedenteded growth of girth. Because studies indicate that these children will probably not outgrow their weight problems, up to 80% of obese teens will go on to be obese adults.
Experts are now fearing an exponential explosion of cardiovascular disease, adult diabetes, stroke, cancer and other obesity – associated health conditions.
This could be the generation with the shortest lifespan according to some experts. An analysis done in 2018 showed a forecast of a two to five year drop in life expectancy unless aggressive actions are taken to reverse this obesity trend. Since then, America has only gotten fatter.
This epidemic of obesity is expected to cost the nation billions of dollars in health care bills. Treating a child with obesity is three times more costly than treating a child with no obesity. The total care's expense is estimated to be $14 billion dollars annually.
Obesity an Economic Problem
Paul Zane Pilzer, a world-renowned economist, says the problem with obesity is an economic problem. Instead of marketing to new customers, it is less expensive for food companies to sell more products to existing customers. (He says it will cost an average $100 to market to a new customer who may or may not like the product after trying it.)
He uses an example to illustrate his point. If you have never tasted a banana and after trying the banana, you may want to have another one because of its good taste. You may want a second or third one but you will most likely say no after the third banana. Then you would want to try another type of food, such as an apple. This way, your body gets different nutrients from different foods.
But the food companies want to keep their existing customers. They altered the food chemically (particularly children’s foods) so you will never get tired of it. But just in case that you do, they can always change the formula so you won’t be able to stop eating their products.
If these existing customers like certain celebrity, then the food company will pay the celebrity to promote their product in the commercial.
If a person usually feels full after eating 60 ounce of potato chips, then the food company makes 50-ounce bag of potato chips. Then the consumer will have to open a second bag to feel satisfied and they know we usually finish both bags.
These food companies are doing all these to get more sales (I understand that it’s what companies do) but it is conflicting to our health and weight loss goals. I refuse to be these food companies’ lab rat and I won’t let my children have these unhealthy foods. I’ll stick with natural, wholesome foods that our ancestors had been doing fine with for thousands of years.