NYC "Soda Ban"

[mouse]

Re. nutrition education: there are some basic things that a lot of people don't know. For example, too much starch is bad. I know a ton of people who think they're healthy when they eat pasta. Others may think processed, Stouffer's type stuff is okay, if they stick to chicken and veggies because they don't understand the effects of sodium or how much salt is in processed foods. As for exercise (not nutrition, but still fits into education as a solution), a ton of people consider weightlifting working out, but that doesn't cause you to lose weight, and doesn't help your heart. Kids, especially in poorer communities (I don't agree with Bloomberg, but he's right that obesity is a bigger problem for the poor), need to understand basic stuff about nutrition and exercise, and unless things have gotten a whole lot better since I was in school, they probably don't. I don't know that anyone has the money to do this (the school I work at certainly doesn't), but if people want to begin to solve the obesity problem, they need to get someone into a school a couple times a year to do basic presentations. Some outside organizations like Americorps try to do this, but not enough, and not with enough organization.

[Devils731]

Some of my friends lost a lot of weight from changing their diet and running.  So you're saying they probably could have gone without the running and would have lost almost the same amount of weight?

 

Gov't did a 10 year study on diet and weight loss, they found the vast majority of weight loss came from caloric intake.  The people who started exercising more tended to increase their calories, without realizing it, to balance out their extra activity.

 

The study wasn't about who was healthier, I'm guessing the exercising people were, it was purely looking at weight loss, and caloric imbalance was all that mattered, not how you came to the imbalance.

[Dead]

I see the affects of bad diet on a daily basis at work, since I work at an city inner ER.  Banning certain types of food/drinks is crazy, if someone wants to eat/drink that garbage it is up to them to make that personal choice.

 

However I will say there is nothing like seeing a patient that wants their family to bring them McDonalds after having a MI.   Or a diabetic that enjoys the super sugary meals/drinks then comes in with a BS of 800...

 

Even when the above people make BAD (terrible) choices it is THEIRS to make, not mine, not yours not anyones elses.

Edited March 13, 2013 by Dead

[DevsMan84]

I see the affects of bad diet on a daily basis at work, since I work at an city inner ER.  Banning certain types of food/drinks is crazy, if someone wants to eat/drink that garbage it is up to them to make that personal choice.

 

However I will say there is nothing like seeing a patient that wants their family to bring them McDonalds after having a MI.   Or a diabetic that enjoys the super sugary meals/drinks then comes in with a BS of 800...

 

Even when the above people make BAD (terrible) choices it is THEIRS to make, not mine, not yours not anyones elses.

 

I really have no issue at all if people want to make bad decisions in their life.  That is what is great about our country that we can do whatever the hell we want even if it negatively or positively affects ourselves.

 

However, I think it becomes a little fuzzier when because people choose to lead a terrible lifestyle in terms of their diet, that usually they end up in the hospital and often the bill for that stay is either left to the insurance thus helping to raise premiums, or their stay if funded by the government.  As a taxpayer I really do not want to pay for other people's lousy decisions.  I believe you should suffer all the consequences of your decisions whether they are good or bad and not having others pay for it.

[Daniel]

I really have no issue at all if people want to make bad decisions in their life.  That is what is great about our country that we can do whatever the hell we want even if it negatively or positively affects ourselves.

 

However, I think it becomes a little fuzzier when because people choose to lead a terrible lifestyle in terms of their diet, that usually they end up in the hospital and often the bill for that stay is either left to the insurance thus helping to raise premiums, or their stay if funded by the government.  As a taxpayer I really do not want to pay for other people's lousy decisions.  I believe you should suffer all the consequences of your decisions whether they are good or bad and not having others pay for it.

 

Well then maybe the time is coming where Medicaid can refuse to pay for medical expenses of morbidly obese people, smokers, or people who otherwise engage in risky behavior.  (Wouldn't include Medicare, since, theoretically anyway, users have paid into the system).  Or, and this is something I agree with, there should be specific taxes on unhealthy things people consume, such as fast food, alcohol and cigarettes.