I agree, education is huge but one way we educate is to give consumers information on food labels. The percentage of recommended amounts of sodium that one serving of the packaged food has is clearly stated on the label and Americans have decreased the amount of salt in their diet. The Trump administration has proposed rules favored by major food companies that would limit the ability of the United States to require prominent labels on packaged foods warning about the health risks of foods high in sugar and fat. Consumers should know how much sugar is in everything!!! And yes they need to move more and look at their phones less.
I'll add one caution: when you put the rule making in the hands of the government (in this case, the rules about what kind of information the food companies have to put on the food labels) they always end up botching the whole thing because they're so heavily influenced by the private sector. It shouldn't be hard to communicate clearly what's in a Snickers bar or what it is scientifically known to do to your health, but that's not what you'll see if you look at one today. Just as frightening, companies are making more and more stuff look healthy by using meaningless words ('tis the era of Trump!) like "natural" and "eco-friendly."
It shouldn't be hard to communicate clearly what's in a Snickers bar or what it is scientifically known to do to your health, but that's not what you'll see if you look at one today.
If you need any more indication that a Snickers bar is made of garbage and will make you look and feel like garbage then I'm afraid you're beyond the help of some additional text or labels on the packaging.
Fine. So let's consider microwaveable burritos. Some of them (the ones you'll find at a gas station) are loaded with salt. Like, WAY more than is appropriate/healthy for a human to ever eat. Other variations (Amy's, for example) are significantly healthier, though still probably not something that people should eat too often. As much as I hate to admit it, the labels do add some value in these instances. Right?
"Food" is food, but "lifestyle" covers a gajillion things: social life, exercise, sleep patterns, use of technology, having a pet, etc.
I believe that the only approach to health that works is holistic, meaning, accounting for the fact that health is an integrated, interrelated concept, not a concrete system. My food habits obviously impact my mood and sleep. And exercise obviously impacts my appetite. The "whole" system is interconnected and infinite.
I don't think government regulation is the answer. What can we do to make efforts to educate people about nutrition more effective?
I agree, education is huge but one way we educate is to give consumers information on food labels. The percentage of recommended amounts of sodium that one serving of the packaged food has is clearly stated on the label and Americans have decreased the amount of salt in their diet. The Trump administration has proposed rules favored by major food companies that would limit the ability of the United States to require prominent labels on packaged foods warning about the health risks of foods high in sugar and fat. Consumers should know how much sugar is in everything!!! And yes they need to move more and look at their phones less.
+1 Well said!!
I'll add one caution: when you put the rule making in the hands of the government (in this case, the rules about what kind of information the food companies have to put on the food labels) they always end up botching the whole thing because they're so heavily influenced by the private sector. It shouldn't be hard to communicate clearly what's in a Snickers bar or what it is scientifically known to do to your health, but that's not what you'll see if you look at one today. Just as frightening, companies are making more and more stuff look healthy by using meaningless words ('tis the era of Trump!) like "natural" and "eco-friendly."
If you need any more indication that a Snickers bar is made of garbage and will make you look and feel like garbage then I'm afraid you're beyond the help of some additional text or labels on the packaging.
Fine. So let's consider microwaveable burritos. Some of them (the ones you'll find at a gas station) are loaded with salt. Like, WAY more than is appropriate/healthy for a human to ever eat. Other variations (Amy's, for example) are significantly healthier, though still probably not something that people should eat too often. As much as I hate to admit it, the labels do add some value in these instances. Right?
lol, just to make this one level even crazier: GMOs are the answer!!!
*P.S. Fully aware that that has very little to do with what we're talking about. :P
I agree 100%. As a society, we need to hold ourselves and one another to a higher standard. That belief can be taught. Reading definitely helps. ;)
I wonder how much is 'food related' and how much is 'lifestyle related'?
Good question.
"Food" is food, but "lifestyle" covers a gajillion things: social life, exercise, sleep patterns, use of technology, having a pet, etc.
I believe that the only approach to health that works is holistic, meaning, accounting for the fact that health is an integrated, interrelated concept, not a concrete system. My food habits obviously impact my mood and sleep. And exercise obviously impacts my appetite. The "whole" system is interconnected and infinite.
This is disturbing. I appreciate that the article doesn't pontificate on approaches to alleviate the problem. "Dismal" is definitely the word.