It would be a good idea, that the government would implement a system that assures that its citizens are healthy. Eating yourself to be fat is not "freedom".
All the fast food restaurants on every corner is destroying our lives. I've never seen so many fat people here in America. It's so easy just to get a takeout meal and you're eating everything in only 5 min instead of going home and cooking a two-hour meal plus all those commercials and advertising non-stop every time you watch TV. That's why we need help. Every other commercial is a pizza commercial and all the rest. If you ever watched an NFL football game and watch their commercial you will see it or WWE Monday Night Raw wrestling. It's brainwashed us and pulled us to them
Dont you think social media shoves it to our face too? We have almost all the fast food chains from America. The media shoves it to our face as well...
There are too many perverse incentives in my opinion with trying to do that, and I suspect whatever measures would spill costs (whatever they are) to those who eat in a healthy way.
The one area where I'd be interested are infrastructure changes, including some zoning de-regulations and more emphasis on public transportation like trains. I actually think this impacts people's health.
For example, in Japan they have all sorts of junk food (including Western types like McDonalds). Fried foods are popular here along with lots of refined carbs. But a huge difference I see in many parts of Japan is the lack of need to own cars to get around.
The infrastructure makes it easy to shop for fresh groceries on a daily basis by just walking or cycling. This makes Japanese favor buying fresh groceries on a daily basis over things like processed foods that last a long time loaded with preservatives. The trains and subways make it easy for people to take trains to get around and walk the rest of the way to their destination from the train station.
Meanwhile when I compare to the US, people tend to have to drive a good distance in many parts to buy groceries, and I think that tempts people to stock up on foods loaded with preservatives and frozen foods and such. On top of this, I've even seen Americans take their car just to drive to their mailbox, get the mail, then park their car again. It's like they can't even be bothered to walk 10 meters.
With Japan, the infrastructure is such that even in very rural parts, there's usually a grocery store within 5-10 mins walk from your home. So people conveniently walk or cycle to get fresh groceries every day. In the US, I found myself tempted to stock up on many more things like microwavable frozen foods, junk food, preserved food, etc since it was too much of a PITA to buy groceries every single day when I might have to drive miles just to buy groceries.
That also skews the prices as I see it. Fresh foods then become more expensive due to the lower demand, while processed and preserved foods and such become so ridiculously cheap in the US.
>> The trains and subways make it easy for people to take trains to get around and walk the rest of the way to their destination from the train station.
This also means that your average Japanese person is generally walking or cycling at least a couple of kilometers every day.
Every Japanese person I’ve ever talked to always emphasizes fresh food and avoids frozen food. It’s interesting because in the US people are only concerned with calories and macros.
I think that there should be some incentive to be healthier because our general poor eating puts a strain on programs like Medicaid and Medicare. When people are young they might not see the long term effects but doing it life long it starts to take a toll in the later years. That is when medicare kicks in and that when it gets expensive for tax payers.
Even though we should be able to do what we want to do as long as we don't break any rules is overeating and eating badly really good for the nation as a whole. Wouldn't it be better to promote a healthier lifestyle. People who eat well tend to be healthier, have a better outlook on life because of the nutrients they are taking in and even if they are sick and eating healthier they usually fair better than those who don't
. Maybe have some sort of incentive program to eat better instead of trying to control by removing items or taxing them or whatever. When people feel punished or shamed for eating badly it isn't usually productive. Plus even if people like me who eat healthy we still like to splurge ever once in a while on bad food.
The government loves to say what we should and shouldn't eat , how much , how many servings etc.. but the government has very few options of how many chemicals that can be put in food ! For example lucky charms contains trisodium phosphate a ingredient in paint thinner , American cheese is not cheese it's a pasturized cheese product 1 molecule shy of being plastic ! They allow confusing product labels so it's hard to stay informed So if the government such as the FDA and EPA , USDA wants to not pick and be aversive on what we eat for our so called safety then it needs to have more control over food manufacturing companies so people can make better choices for themselves. The government needs to step in on GMO , heavely processed food , artificial sweeteners , color additives , flavor enhancers , chemicals and other dangerous ingredients that cause problems like obeasity , birth defects , learning disabilities , growth and other health problems that are associated with chemicals in food and livestock
Also unless you make it from scratch most modern food contains little to no nutritional value we don't have food in the United States we have food-like products
No the government should not control what people eat. HOWEVER, the government has a responsibility to keep the food industry honest about the benefits and drawbacks of the foods they produce. That means clear and easily understood food labeling. The government should be doing a better job of informing the public of health risks of consuming excessive amounts of sugars and processed foods.
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Anonymous
(30-35)
+1 y
Yes, i think so, particularly the people collecting food stamps and government assistance should only be allow to use it on healthy foods. A lot of people living in poverty are obese with loads of health problems. All the tax payers are having to pay for the poor and obese people collecting government assistance while they continue to eat crap and destroy their bodies. The tax payers are force to pay and take care of them, so it's only reasonable to have a say in what they eat. We need to stop giving them more food and letting them eat themselves to death because we're the ones who have to pay the bill every time they get a heart attack and go to the E. R. room.
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Anonymous
(45 Plus)
+1 y
They already do. What do you think FDA guidelines are? Should they have more of a say? It's funny because a year or two back thete was a movement that was put forth to have fast food reduce it's salt content by 10%. Immediately people came out of the woodwork shouting gov't overreach. And i was like "really" we're talking 10%. You're not really going to notice 10% less salt. But maybe your overall health will. I think the obesity in this country has reached a point it wouldn't hurt for the FDA to get a little more restrictive. But having said that americans are drinking more water and less soda now so maybe it's slowly righting itself.
Certainly if you buy lunch/food from the government or in some way subsidized by the government then yes. If you receive subsidies or some government benefit that drives health costs then yes.
If for instance you are like me where you pay for all your own food, health costs etc then no.
With childhood obesity on the rise, it is time everyone took a look at what their children are eating and being wise about it. But that doesn't mean good and portions have to be minuscule and tasteless. It just has to be balanced. There is poor execution in most nutrition plans whether it be in the education system or in general.
The problem is metabolic typing - people from different gene pools have different dietary needs. Some people thrive on a high protein diet and some people thrive on a high fruit and vegetable diet. Some people thrive eating grains and some people thrive eating only dairy and meat and vegetables.
Yes I do. I'm fed up with this it is a violation of my free will. So should murder and rape. You may day but that is violating another and not myself. Right, but we have rules for people who try killing themselves. We place them in mental facilities against their will. Their mental health is more vital than their freedom to abuse or harm others or themselves.
I'm fed up seeing people glorifying obesity and hearing about people only 34 years old having heart attacks while there are 65 year old folks who exercise and work out. People need discipline over their bodies if they don't take care of it themselves.
The government fucks up EVERYTHING it gets involved with, healthcare, travel, trades, education, home defense, etc.
As much as I think the U. S. has an obesity crisis, I don't see any way that the government could help without harming others in the process. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
In Canada, they implemented a law where all restaurants are required to show the number of calories on the menu. I'm not sure if that's only in Ontario, but I feel it's a national thing. That's the farthest the government has intervened.
I'm ok with that, because if food packaging is required to show nutritional info, that info should somewhat be on menus
Someone other than Americans should have a say, just look at our country, we’re obese as well. I travel a lot and it’s embarrassing to see other Americans coming off the train or Airport, all fat and flabby. Then half the medical issues are cardiovascular disease from all the fast food. Government fronts that bill for those not employed. So maybe they should have a say if you need welfare.
Only if you like the government controlling more of your life. If you start with that, what's next? What about cigarettes and alcohol? Next thing you know they will be telling us how many kids we can have too. Let us adults make our own choices. If we die early that was our choice not to live healthier. We don't need the government babysitting us.
No, but at the same time, the government shouldn't be subsidizing this behavior in any way, shape, or form. Diabetes or heart attack from being overweight? No coverage from govt. The trial lawyers also need to be reigned in, because they'll sue for every stupid illness under the sun.
Yes, because if the country has high obesity rates, they should do something it because it's a leading cause of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and atherosclerosis and result in things like heart disease, strokes which is not good.
Well probably. Cause I think in Japan kids are taught what to eat and they're the ones that prep meals for the other students. So you learn how to cook and what to eat.
In the USA all the kids and teens are lazy as hell. Most of them either eats out or uses a microwave.
It is the person's responsibility to eat right. But I feel like something else can be done to help the idiots eat better.
lol it'll be like that episode of The Thick Of It where Nicola Murray wants to spearhead a public health campaign, but they can't get any athletes to be the "face" for it, so they just send some pasty-looking junior minister to do it instead. Honestly, those lazy fucks couldn't climb a set of stairs without needing to take paid work leave afterwards, so ain't no way I'm letting them dictate what I do and don't eat.
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Anonymous
(25-29)
+1 y
The government doesn’t care if you’re fat or fit, just like anybody else, they only care about taking your money at whatever cost. Just like healthcare and pharmaceuticals and fast foods and “organic” foods, all bs taking your money at whatever cost. It’s sickening.
Take care of yourself because nobody else will EVER! Not even the commercials telling you to drink milk because it does your body good... it’s actually one of the worst things you could put into your body.
well it kind of does but that's not necessarily a good thing. you see the American government for example spreads false information that makes people grow fat while the japanese system corrrectly addresses obesity as a condition and established compulsory programmes containing education as well as physical practice in order to limit the issue. so i would say government influence can go both ways.
Meat? Don't try to tax something because you think it's bad or we shouldn't eat it. Lots of people get healthy and lose weight by cutting out carbs and eating meat.
@PinkMichae Nope, because you have to feed animals plants to make them grow. But not only that, only a small portion of the calories that animals consume are converted to calories so raising meat is basically wasting food. And as for us "thinking" it's wrong? Do you think hurting a conscious being is wrong?
We do not need a nanny fed watching our plates. It's bad enough that they change the Food Pyramid and Nutiontion Labels as often as they do. Serving size logic has escaped their brain. At least in Europe, they standardize at a 100 gram "serving" - we can calculate from there.
Absolutely not, but the government also needs to stay out of the health care business in general. People should be allowed to make their own choices, but they should also be responsible for the consequences of their choices too.
Sort I think more things should be done to try and curbs people diets.
obese people in the UK are a contributing factor to the NHS struggling to stay a flout so I think they should have a say when they pay the medical bill
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Anonymous
(36-45)
+1 y
Considering that the government is expected to pick up the bill for so much of the sickness that happens, they ought to have some say in what our diets are like. Not in the sense of telling you what you can and can not eat, but in the sense of encouraging healthy diets and exercise, and rewarding people who do have a healthy life style. . Also, in taxing some things that are particularly harmful.
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Anonymous
(45 Plus)
+1 y
I would prefer the government didn't have much of a say in anything at all but as they seem to want to insist on being omnipresent in the western world they might as well make themselves useful.
The best way for them to have a say would be to tax unhealthy food and to put that money into the health service or provision of sports and health promoting centres etc.
This encourages people to make better choices while retaining personal freedom.
It already does, by producing insane amounts of junk food and genetically modified nutrients that may or may not have negative effects on consumers in the future, they couldn't care less, as long as they have the most effecient ways of delivering food to the people.
Yeah that's a brilliant idea, let the people that where feeding soldiers acid for the better part of a decade tell us what we can and cannot put into our own bodies. Why the hell would we do that? That's just an awful idea.
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Anonymous
(45 Plus)
+1 y
Yes , i believe government should only allow people on Snap benefits ( Food Stamps) to buy certain foods but no candy , no potato chips, no junk food only good food ( Meat , Potatoes , Vegetables, Bread, Milk etc) No ice cream , No cake, No little debbie cakes
I am convinced that unhealthy life styles would be much more prevalent if the government had control over it, why? Because money. Large corporations would be fucking us up real bad, more than they do now.
They should prevent all of the artificial garbage from going into food that otherwise would be all natural. High fructose corn syrup, for example is extremely unhealthy.
Government doesn't know how to control that because it is nearly impossible. How can you control people's diets? It would go against the law of human freedom.
Government can impose taxes, which simply induces desirable behaviour.
Sure, the government cannot really tell you and enforce to eat x grams of a vegetable, but it can impose taxes on e. g. meat so that people eat less of it
That's not it. If you'd really liked that, you would still buy it. It's like banning cigaretes, you know. Government made a law that you can't buy cigaretes under 18, consume any drugs (well I'm not including weed because in some places it is legal), buy alcohol under some age which is regulated by the government. But you know what, people still find a way to get these things even if they are younger. They still manage to buy even if it's too much to spend money on. You can't control a person, because it is his choice how to live. Everything is your choice. There will always be consequences but it's still your choice. That's what I wanted to say
There is this thing called the price elasticity of demand.
Like this study (https://academic. oup. com/ajae/article-abstract/50/4/888/116467? redirectedFrom=PDF) shows the elasticity of demand is -0.5 which means that if the price of cigarettes increases with 1%, demand decreases with 0.5%.
Even the demand for heroin (which is very addictive of course) is according to this study (https://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC4417427/#! po=0.387597) decreasing as price increases.
Or a more normal substance, alcohol. This study shows as 1% price increase, there is a 0.3% decrease in demand for alcohol (https://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/m/pubmed/6390555/).
Yeah people can find loopholes to circumvent laws and still procure alcohol, but that demand decreases when price increases (even with more addictive substances like heroin and cigarettes) is known.
Depending on the good, taxation has a decreasing effect on demand of various magnitudes
Well, yes, there will be less consumption of something that has a higher price. Because there are people who are nice and etc. But I mean, they still can't control everything. Addiction it is
Fuck the government, they’ve taken enough rights away as it is. I should have the right to do what ever drug I want to eat anything i want as long as my actions don’t take away the rights of others.
I don't think the government should control what I'm eating, sure we can promote the habit of eating healthier. However, I won't force people to stop forcing to stop eating junk food.
Yes to help prevent bad eating habits which leads to obesity and diabetes which require high medical costs. So having better diet can prevent this from happening
Considering the US Government has been pushing a low-fat, high carb diet over the past 30 years which has helped explode our obesity rates, I'd say 'no'.
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