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Gary Taubes Mind/Body Health: Obesity

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Author, Gary Taubes states in an interview for Fed Up that, “This whole generation of kids, they’re doing their best, they’re torturing themselves to do the cure that we tell them and it is the wrong cure and we’re blaming the willpower, the immortal fortitude of these kids, and it’s a crime.” (Fed Up) Obese patients are doing the “cure”, as Taubes describes it, that society is telling them will work but it is not doing anything for them and instead of questioning the “cure” society blames obese patients. This causes these patients to doubt themselves and can lead to depression and an increase in weight. This topic of discussion from the documentary if supported by the paper, Mind/body health: Obesity published by the American Psychological …show more content…

Care2 presents one such law in its article, Big Food Wants Final Say Over Health Reports, that explains what the law was and why the food industry wanted to control it. The article states that, in January 1977, fearing the fast approaching obesity problem, government proposed the first dietary guidelines in the form of The McGovern Report. This document expressed that the American diet had “...become increasingly rich--rich in meat and other sources of saturated fat and cholesterol and sugar.” and suggested to reduce the intake of such harmful products. (Greger) After hearing these statements the food industry fought back. The Egg, Sugar, Dairy, and Beef Association's banned together to protect their products. They rejected the McGovern Report and demanded it be changed. Due to this strong opposition the document was rewritten and the words “reduce intake” were removed from the report. Instead, the new version encouraged consumers to buy food that was leaner and less in fat. (Fed Up) Thus a new line of food was born and more money was put into the food industries …show more content…

During an interview in Fed Up Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition at New York University, comments that, “ Food companies are interested in selling more food. That’s their job as a corporation, and one way to do that is to co-opt potential critics.” (Fed Up) An example of this is Former First Lady Michelle Obama's “Let’s Move” campaign. Launched on February 9, 2010 “Let’s Move” opened people's eyes to how food industries market harmful products to kids. An article from ThinkProgress explains how big food corporations swayed the focus of Michelle Obama's “Let’s Move” campaign away from the food industry. The article shows that at the beginning of her campaign in 2010, Mrs. Obama gave a speech at a Grocery Manufacturers Association's conference, stressing that personal habits would not change if big food companies continued to target children with ads for sugary and fatty foods. She urged these companies by saying“... we need you not just to tweak around the edges, but to entirely rethink the product that you’re offering...and how you market those products to our children.” (Shen) This scared the food industries so they agreed to help her. “Let’s Move” partnered with companies including Coca-cola, Hershey’s, Kraft and many more. After their partnership the meaning of the

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In the article, How Junk Food Can End Obesity, author David H. Freedman advocates that the fast food industries can actually make great contributions to reverse the direction of obesity. Compared to the impractical likelihood of organic food becoming a core diet in everyone’s lives, it’s far easier to make healthier changes to something that’s already convenient and affordable as a solution to end obesity. He explains how the pressure coming from the criticism fast food industries receive for being unhealthy actually prompts them to make healthier changes in their menu. Processed food chains are applying methods in a cunning way to produce less calorie-filled versions of their products while maintaining the same satisfying taste their customer

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In the twentieth century, the government of the United States began taking more of an interest in the food industry. Soon after the twentieth century began, the government realized the harsh conditions in the factories and how unsanitary they were so they went from favoring big businesses to passing laws against the cruelties they did and regulating the items sold in the United States. The government’s regulation of the food industry in American history has evolved from them ignoring the problems and letting factories do what they wanted in the nineteenth century, to them having full control over the food industry in the present-day by passing laws and creating organizations such as the Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Food

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Food regulation and laws are a normal part of our life. In the early 1900’s, big businesses were ruthless and more concerned with making larger profits than the quality of its products. Also, in that time, the competition between businesses was scarce opposed to today’s market. There are countless number of businesses and companies in which one can purchase their goods from. This causes companies to really focus on the quality of their product in order to please the consumer.

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Many companies and people had failed to label foods and drugs properly claiming that they are something they are not. “Before the act, companies could alternate ingredients for a more inexpensive, low quality substitute. This made for a better profit for the producers” (“Results/Impact.”). However, with the Pure Food and Drug Act these “companies could either shut down or label the foods properly” (“Results/Impact.”). Many were against consuming products that were harmful to them which is why “[t]he House vote was 240-17” (Robertson, Derek, et al.), making the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 “one of the most daring demonstrations of bureaucratic autonomy in the history of the United States” (“Pure Food and Drug Act (1906).”).

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In David Freedman’s essay How Junk food Can End Obesity, Freedman makes the claim to policy arguing that instead of demonizing processed foods, Americans should instead support the idea and production of healthier processed and junk foods. He calls on the public to recognize that while many products on the market these days are labeled as “wholesome” and “healthy”, consumers should learn to become aware of the fat and calorie content in these products because many times they have the same- if not more- fat and calorie contents as that of a typical Big Mac or Whopper. In his essay, Freedman primarily places blame on the media and the wholesome food movement for the condemnation of the fast and processed food industries saying, “An enormous amount of media space has been dedicated to promoting the notion that all processed food, and only processed food, us making us sickly and overweight” (Freedman), he further expresses that this portrayal of the

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At the same time, food began to play a larger role in society and the

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In 1977, based on the idea that fat and cholesterol intake is linked to heart disease, the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition released a set of guidelines urging Americans to eat less red meat and dairy. This resulted in major backlash from the industries producing these products, forcing the committee to rethink their strategy and only suggest guidelines for the intake of the nutrients—such as saturated fat—instead of the entire food. The fixation on nutrients continued to grow after 1977, sparking the era of what Pollan calls

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Part three, exploiting kids corrupting schools, talks about how children at or under the poverty line are far more likely in danger of nutritional deficiencies and discusses the childhood obesity epidemic and how companies specifically target their advertisements at young children, especially through schools. Deregulating dietary supplements or part four, discusses how supplemental companies convinced everyone that their products didn 't have to be regulated to strict

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The Foods and Drug Act of 1906 has tremendously impacted the health of Americans. The act ensures that there is uniformity among food and drug products. Requiring uniformity makes sure that

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For a long time, one of the most controversial topics of conversation has been the rise of obesity in America. Through the expansion and growth of the food industry, responsible for the exportation of healthy food products, companies have abused their control by disregarding the health and safety of their animals. As a result of this negligence, unhealthy food is manufactured and distributed to American consumers. Responsible for the welfare of products, the food industry is accountable for America’s obesity epidemic through the manipulation of advertising, science, and animal welfare. While it is the public’s decision in choosing what foods to eat, consumers do not have a choice in how the food they buy is manufactured.

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The government has been taking more and more control over what we have been consuming. They have too many worries going on in America to try to judge us on how we eat. The government shouldn’t have any involvement in how we eat and what we need to do to limit obesity in America. The Government may have control over our meals and diets, but they also don’t understand it is recommended for men to consume 2,700 calories and 2,200 for women.

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When companies can produce food in larger quantities, they can often achieve economies of scale, which means they can produce more food at a lower cost per unit. This can translate into lower prices for consumers. Lower prices can make food more accessible to people who might otherwise struggle to afford it, which can be especially important for people living in poverty or with limited financial resources. This means more low-income families can access more food and save money on food. It then shows that means they can save lots of money to spend on other necessities such as healthcare, debt, or rent/ house

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Political Context In 1993, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) urged the FDA to require trans fat labeling due to the strong link of heart disease and consumption of trans fat. Although CSPI sent a petition to the agency in 1994 to mandate a line for trans fat on nutrition facts labels, it wasn’t until more than a decade later, in 2006, that the FDA implemented mandatory trans fat labeling laws. There is a lack of accessible academic articles exactly explaining why the FDA took twelve years to act on information they had regarding the detrimental effects of trans fat on human health. However, the food industry was worried that the government was claiming interest and authority over long term health consequences of food.

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In early 1977, after years of discussion, scientific review, and debate, the US Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, led by Senator George McGovern, recommended Dietary Goals for the American people (US Senate Select Committee, 1977). The Goals consisted of complementary nutrient-based and food-based recommendations. The first Goal focused on energy balance and recommended that, to avoid overweight, Americans should consume only as much energy as they expended. Overweight Americans should consume less energy and expend more energy. For the nutrient-based Goals, the Senate Committee recommended that Americans: Increase consumption of complex carbohydrates and "naturally occurring sugars; “and Reduce consumption of refined and

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With the amount of power, food advertising companies hold over a child’s diet, many parents wake to find solutions for their child. As most parents struggle to set limits, corporations often undermine parental authority by encouraging children to nag or complain. This can portray children to believe that their parents are mean or unfair. When discussing the strategy for selling Kraft Lunchables, a marketing expert put it this way: “Parents do not fully approve—they would rather their child ate a more traditional lunch—but this adds to the brand’s appeal among children because it reinforces their need to feel in control ( Neville 2001, 17). ’’

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