Irish people are getting fatter/obese.
I was dragging my heels over whether or not to go to the gym when this caught my eye.
It appears as a nation we are eating a lot of the wrong foods and a lot of food period. We jumped from 18% of us being obese in 1999 to 23% in 2007 and if we don't do something to counteract our bad eating habits that figure will rise.
None of this really surprises me, a quick look around any board will find countless Lipotrim/Celebrityslim/Slimfast users desperately trying to fix quickly what takes a lifetime to create. Junk food is cheap and tasty and a lot of people haven't the faintest idea what constitutes portion control.
It interesting to me that the Department for health is warbling on about salt and fat intakes as though fat and salt are the defining factors in our national fattening. I'd be more concerned by our intakes of carbs and junk calories. But I suppose we must address one thing at a time.
If the government REALLY wants to address eating habits they might consider a campaign aimed at children, the next generation. The food pyramid is all good and well but it doesn't really address anything about how much to eat or why some foods are better for us than others. If we target our children we may have a chance of halting a life time of bad eating habits, and not by telling them they 'can't have' but by convincing them the 'don't want' certain foods. Tricky I know, but better on the psyche.
Anyway, it's all a big gloomy to me, so I'm going to the gym to lift weights until my veins are disgusting and my eyes get very bulgy.
It appears as a nation we are eating a lot of the wrong foods and a lot of food period. We jumped from 18% of us being obese in 1999 to 23% in 2007 and if we don't do something to counteract our bad eating habits that figure will rise.
None of this really surprises me, a quick look around any board will find countless Lipotrim/Celebrityslim/Slimfast users desperately trying to fix quickly what takes a lifetime to create. Junk food is cheap and tasty and a lot of people haven't the faintest idea what constitutes portion control.
It interesting to me that the Department for health is warbling on about salt and fat intakes as though fat and salt are the defining factors in our national fattening. I'd be more concerned by our intakes of carbs and junk calories. But I suppose we must address one thing at a time.
If the government REALLY wants to address eating habits they might consider a campaign aimed at children, the next generation. The food pyramid is all good and well but it doesn't really address anything about how much to eat or why some foods are better for us than others. If we target our children we may have a chance of halting a life time of bad eating habits, and not by telling them they 'can't have' but by convincing them the 'don't want' certain foods. Tricky I know, but better on the psyche.
Anyway, it's all a big gloomy to me, so I'm going to the gym to lift weights until my veins are disgusting and my eyes get very bulgy.
posted by fatmammycat at 2:17 p.m.
10 Comments:
It's hardly shocking tho, is it? Just take a look around any city centre or shopping complex in Ireland and you'd probably see something close to 30% of people at least appearing obese.
I find it crazy how uneducated people are about food. I know I am trained in this field but still, I knew most of what I know before then, from my parents, who made a point of knowing what we were eating, I say all this while devouring (half) a Cadburys Caramello, I didn't purchase said chocolate myself, it was a gift, so it doesn't really count...right?
Good plan, FMC. If you want to see changes, you have to start with kids when they`re young so the habits for good eating start early.
From the word go, we fed our children fruit & veg, were very restrictive on their sweetie intake and had them drinking water when they were thirsty. Consequently we've never had tantrums from them demanding to be given chocolate or fizzy pop. Of course they love these things, but understand it's for treats, not main meals.
But I think a lot of (especially younger) parents have no idea how to provide decent food from the start.
That's it, when junky food becomes the morn it's awfully hard to change the taste buds. Especially with regards the overly saturated foods. I mean have you ever noticed how 'fake' a lot of junk food tastes? Like really really odd. If you were used to eating that you'd find normal everyday food rather bland, and I think that's what happens with kids.
the horrible thing is that junk food is cheaper and easier to make/buy than good food so you can see the temptation of instead of cooking a proper meal just bung some oven chips in the oven and it would keep kids happy.
I find it freaky how much kids like McDonalds too, they must be completely brainwashed somewhere but there aren't even that many ads for it are there?
McDonalds is associated with treats and 'happy meals' and toys tied in to whatever current movie kids are crazy about. It's a marketing ploy that really works on kids.
Funnily enough I occasionally get the most ridiculous craving for McDonalds big macs, and it's like NOTHING else will do until I have one. It's not the meat but something to do with the sauce.
Actually - bord bia has launched food dudes, promoting fruit and veg in primary schools. Kids get rewarded for eating fruit and veg.Rewards are things like pedometers, fridge magnets. It is a good program - my 6 year old who would eschew anything not a white complex carb or chocolate has eaten peppers. Jeez.
madness! i knew the nation was getting fatter, but i was shocked to read that 2/3 of people are now overweight. wtf? seriously?
i think you're right, fmc, kids need to learn about healthy food from a young age. and parents should be given some advice too.
and i agree with babs, it's crazy how clueless people are when it comes to basic nutrition.
That is good news Glinda and the fridge magnets are a terrific idea. Get kids to think about what they're eating and make informed choices, but that still taste good.
Tina I know, you'd go grey if I'd told you about the countless arguments I have had over the years with my mother over food. Like her version of a healthy lunch would be two rounds of sandwiches-salad sandwiches- on white bread with thick butter, full mayo, a TON of salt and a cup of sugary tea. Then she'd say she couldn't understand why she was putting on weight when she only had 'a bit of salad'.
GAH!
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