joether
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ORIGINAL: Vendaval
Food for thought about our obesity epidemic, nutritional deficits and government subsidies.
Why Quick, Cheap Food Is Actually More Expensive
Mark Hyman, MDPracticing physician
Posted: August 14, 2010 08:00 AM
Let's start by looking at how our economy and public policy are geared toward the production of cheap, unhealthy food.
Government Policy Supports the Production of Unhealthy Food
Unhealthy food is cheaper because our government's policies support its production. We're spending nearly $30 billion a year to subsidize corn and soy production. Where do those foods go? Into our food supply as high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated soybean oil (trans fats), that are the foundation of almost all fast food and processed foods that are "manufactured" by the food industry.
Since the 1970s--when our agricultural policies where changed to support corn and soy farmers--we're consuming, on average, an extra 500 calories (mostly in the form of cheap, artificial high-fructose corn syrup) per person.
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The Hidden Costs of Eating Poorly
We all know that bad foods are bad for your health. It turns out they are also bad for the national pocketbook. For example, one expert has estimated that healthcare costs related to obesity are $118 billion per year. That's nearly 12 percent of total healthcare expenditures--and more than twice that caused by smoking! Seventy-two percent of Americans are overweight and over one third are medically obese. One in three children born today will be diabetic in their lifetime and the life expectancy of our population is declining for the first time in human history.
A report from the Worldwatch Institute called Overfed and Underfed: The Global Epidemic of Malnutrition documented the real costs of obesity related to poor diet--and this does NOT include the other effects of poor diet such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, autoimmune diseases, and osteoporosis."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-quick-cheap-food-is-a_b_681539.html?ref=fb&src=sp
This post has alot of problems with it.
A) The most obvious, is the subsidizes is $300 Billion, not $30 Billion (per your cited source, 3rd paragraph)
B) Its been well documented by the AMA, NEJM, ADA, APA, and many other organizations, not to mention studies by the goverment over the past sixty years, on good vs bad food in the market place. While the abundance of food is readily availible, the desire to eat it, is not. Many foods contain several chemicals that interact with our brain chemistry. These form desires for substances (i.e. sugars and fats), that become a craving with exposure. People 500 years ago, did not have Pepsi or potato chips laced in greasy oils. Their idea of 'late night snack' was water-down ale and stale bread.....mmmm....yummy.
C) While its easy to aquire this vast amount of food, it is also expensive. In my local grocery store, they always put on all the produce, what country it is from. So, getting blueberries from America during the summer is a New England past-time, getting it in April, from Mexico is not. The cost of healthy food, verse produced crap, is tilted deeply towards processed. Its simply 'economies of scale', that fresh tomates will not stay fresh for five months. But stewed tomates, in a can, will be fresh for over a year! Maybe some people still have their heads in the clouds, and dont realize that money is tight during a recession. Buying fresh food, is simply not in the budget. Its not that the household's supply person doesnt want to buy the best and healthy food, its often times, the price. I recall recently, seeing a produce market from 1943, colorized. 'a doz. apples, $0.08/dozen', '5 pears, $0.07', were in there. Would a 1940's consume purchase anything in my grocery store? No, they would be carried out in a straightjacket to visit the nice building, with men in white uniforms.
D) Creation of food. There are some that are good cooks, and some whom can burn water (I'm in the later group). Creating healthy and good food, isn't as easy, as some make it out to be. Yes, professional chefs whip up a five course meal in thirty minutes, no problem. I myself, would be hard pressed to do the same. Even with education, cooking classes, and hands on experience, people have a hard time, cooking well. Its not a skill that you just, whip up 18 different things like in World of Warcraft...and BOOM....you can make a 7 course meal from 3 fish, 2 bulls, 8 grass, and some salt. Sorry....real world doesnt work that way.
E) Even if we have just a slab of steak, that was created in the USA; what is the quality of that steak? What conditions was that steak created from? If its created here in the USA, the FDA has standards that have to be met. If it comes from outside the USA, it follows less standards (I believe, but not sure). Produce is a bit questionible. As the food laws for one state may not be the same for another. Nor, is the standards of one country, and the same as the USA. So even though we are talking a pound of healthy food, that same pound may turn out to be pretty bad to eat.
F) Getting back to price, Americans demand their food, low in cost. If a gallon of milk were to suddenly drive up to $7, people would go ape-crap around hear. Riots in the streets, mass hysteria, "Real Wrath of God Stuff", "Forty Years of Darkness", "Dogs and cats....living together...." (to use a few Ghostbusters lines). Right now, there's a big push in this country to go after illegal immigrants. The same people, that keep produce, low cost, are the ones being deported. There isn't a single American that would work, below the Federal Minimium wage of $7.25/hour. Nor, would they work beyond 40 hours without 1.5 times the pay rate. So, by reducing the illegal immigrants in the USA, food prices will be sure to rise (with the company adding alittle more in for profit). So, which do you want? Food to cost little, or no illegal immigrants?
G) Overweight and obesity, is not just caused from poor food intake. Some of it, is genetics. Some of it, is in poor or no exercise. Some of it, is purely willpower. And yes, some of it, is from food that is both fresh and processed. But blaming the entire arguement solely on food, does a disservice to the other factors involved. Smoking, drug, and alochol abuse play factors, as well as physical and/or mental problems. A depression suffer rarily gives a flying hell about eating healthy; they do it, because it helps them feel normal again.
Should there be more regulation? Yes! Will there be more regulation? Depends who is in power at the time. I'd like to think Democrats would fight for more regulation, if only to drive down health care costs, and have Americans eating better. Republicans have always been for less regulation. Should it surprise anyone, that red states (according to the last election), are among the worst, if not THEE worst in the country? West Virginia, according to Forbes Magazine (I'm pretty sure I saw it there) recently explained, was the heavest, dinging in at 68%. 68% of the population is either overweight or obese. The states with poor health care, and poor child and adult health, are in states in the south and midwest....alot of red states.
Now, I'm not doing this for a cheap attack on Republicans; but to state the idea, that those states, suffer the most from poor health, but yet, voted against better health coverage. It just seems counter-productive to do. These arent questions that are 'Red/Blue', 'conservative/liberal', 'Republican/Democrat', but questions we Americans need to seriously answer. Unfortunately, given the political landscape right now, its pretty low on the 'discussion and do something real about it' list.
West Virginia (if the statistic is correct), presents a question: How does that number get lowered? Part of the answer I believe, deals with food.
So what sort of food are West Virginians consuming?
Why are they consuming the food?
< Message edited by joether -- 8/18/2010 11:33:38 PM >
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Cheap food and hidden costs, gov. subsidies - 
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