#时事热点头条说#
In our Chinese eyes, plump people will probably be called "rich", after all, if the family is not solid, where are the conditions to make themselves fat? But this is only the previous view, modern people pay more attention to diet nutrition and health, many people will share part of the time and money to go to the gym for exercise, obesity has also become one of the major health problems in the 21st century.
Even if more and more people pay attention to their health and eat calories, there are more and more obese people in the world, and among several developed countries, the United States is particularly obese.
But as long as you look closely, you will find a magical phenomenon: in the United States, on the contrary, the poorer people are fatter, is obesity in the United States not only a health problem, but also a class problem?
Obesity in the United States
The problem of obesity in the United States has become more and more serious since the end of World War II, and has gradually evolved into a common social problem, and even the Pentagon has admitted that obesity has become one of the biggest reasons why applicants cannot join the military, and the 2020 US Congressional Survey Report also specifically discusses the impact and problems of obesity on recruitment.
Not only are there more and more fat people in the United States, they are also becoming easier to identify. Generally, the richer Americans seem to be in better shape, while the poorer people have a higher probability of becoming fat, what is the root cause behind this?
Why are fat people poor?
The answer is that poor Americans cannot afford to eat high-quality meat and healthy vegetables, and their money is only enough to consume a lot of sugar.
Sugar is cheaper in the United States because of the joint operation of several food industry companies and interest groups. The documentary "Food Factory" depicts a middle- and lower-class family in American society who gets food by driving to a fast-food restaurant to buy a set meal.
"Candy is cheaper than fruit, potato chips are cheaper than vegetables, and soda is cheaper than juice. Sometimes you look at the price of vegetables and you think that you can buy 2 burgers for this money. ”
Can't afford to eat high-quality meat and organic vegetables, and even if poor people know that eating these high-calorie "junk foods" for a long time will only reduce their health, what other options do they have? If you can't even fill your stomach, how can you continue to work and earn money to support your family?
Why are high-calorie foods cheaper in the U.S.? This is the result of decades of countless food factories working together.
Health is a game
In 1978, the introduction of the Energy Efficiency Act directly prompted more and more farmers to start growing corn on a large scale, and a large amount of corn provided ethanol raw materials for the United States, and also allowed major food processing plants to obtain a super large amount of high-fructose corn syrup.
Corn syrup became an indispensable additive in processed foods because of its more stable supply and most importantly, lower cost, and in 1984, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo completely replaced cane sugar with higher-calorie corn syrup.
Subsequently, corn syrup appeared in more American foods, a steady stream of calories was swallowed by Americans, and the problem of obesity naturally became more and more serious.
Michael Pollen, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, once said:
U.S. agricultural policy for 25 years was designed only to promote corn overproduction. The country only subsidizes the production of high-fructose corn syrup. While the surgeon general warned of a rising obesity epidemic, the president signed the farm bill to keep cheap corn on the ground, keeping the most unhealthy calories in supermarkets at the lowest prices.
Driven by the state, processed foods have become cheaper, and merchants often engage in "increase the amount without increasing the price" big promotions to attract customers. People have habit, if you eat a lot of sugar and high-calorie foods every day, it will become very difficult to quit them.
Some people may say that they are now advocating health, are those manufacturers not afraid that their food will be boycotted?
In the United States, there is an organization called the International Life Sciences Society, which is a lobbyist for various food company giants. In the intricate network of interests, only money is the most important, who will really care about the health of the middle and lower classes?
In the 2013 ILSI draft tax return, Coca-Cola provided $337,000 in funding. In the 2016 ILSI tax return, Pepsi, Nestle, Hershey, Kraft, Starbucks coffee and other food giants appeared.
epilogue
Obesity kills between 100,000 and 400,000 people in the United States each year and continues to increase the use and spending of health services. In the United States, it is very simple to get fat, there are many bloggers on the Internet who are shocked by their diet after going to the United States, in turn, it is difficult to lose weight in the United States, and it takes a lot of money and time from diet to exercise.