1st Time In History

[tarcone]

Our children have a life expectancy that is lower then the previous generation. Many factors are being blamed, but the biggest factor is diet.
While the abundance of food in industrialized nations is abundant it is also making the lives of the next generation shorter.
Fast food, processed food, and additives to food are making this possible.

What a sad day indeed.

[jeff061]

Very interesting, I did not know we were trending towards this. Is this just the US? Got a source?

[Passacaglia]

link?

[Rizon]

I'd be interested in reading the article. Google showed something slightly different

http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met_y=sp_dyn_le00_in&idim=country:USA&dl=en&hl=en&q=life+expectancy

[Rizon]

The CIA's 2011 estimate is 78.37, just slightly lower than 2009. But from Google's chart, it looks like it dipped from 1961/62, 67/68, 79/80, 92/93, and 02/03.

[jeff061]

Admit it Tarcone, this was ganked from somone's facebook status ;).

[tarcone]

The New York Times > Health > Children's Life Expectancy Being Cut Short by Obesity (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/17/health/17obese.html)

The New York Times > Health > Children's Life Expectancy Being Cut Short by Obesity (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/17/health/17obese.html)

Obese Children First Generation Set to Have Lower Life Expectancy Than Parents: Green Minister’s Push for Stronger Advertising Regulations Welcomed : Tasmanian Greens MPs (http://mps.tas.greens.org.au/2011/05/obese-children-first-generation-set-to-have-lower-life-expectancy-than-parents-green-minister%E2%80%99s-push-for-stronger-advertising-regulations-welcomed/)

Americans Have Shorter Lives (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/15/life-expectancy-us-counties_n_877647.html)

Here are a few links. It is all over the place. Obesity is one of the main culprits. Sedentary lifestyles and poor diets are the main culprits.

[jeff061]

1st is 6 years old, last article is comparing US the the healthiest countries in the world, 2nd one is against advertising unhealthy food.

I don't think anyone's questioning food in America sucks. You either spend the time to prepare it yourself, spend a ton of money or eat unhealthy. That's this country. I've started eating healthier, but I'm paying an embarrassing premium to accomplish it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I've started eating healthier, but I'm paying an embarrassing premium to accomplish it.

I've always been surprised by the amount people pay sometimes to eat healthy. I can feed my family (4 people) a meal of wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce and frozen veggies for under $5 total. I can marinate and grill chicken with frozen veggies for $10-11 total. You don't have to go fancy or expensive to have good, healthy meals.

[jeff061]

Yeah, I've tried meals like that but I get tired of it real quick and apparently don't have the willpower to stick with it once I reach that phase. Same things over and over. I'm spoiled really.

I think it would be different if I was providing for a family though.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Yeah, I've tried meals like that but I get tired of it real quick and apparently don't have the willpower to stick with it once I reach that phase. Same things over and over. I'm spoiled really.

I think it would be different if I was providing for a family though.

Yeah, when you pay for four rather than one, you start to find alternatives.

Even then, we can do several different kinds of fish baked with veggies for around $12 for the family. Turkey hamburgers with veggies for around $7. Wheat based tacos with turkey meat and fresh veggies for around $14-15. Even can make mac and cheese with skim milk and olive oil at a low calorie count. A lot of times you just have to plan ahead enough to purchase for several days so you're not left wondering what to cook next after 2-3 days.

[Rizon]

The New York Times > Health > Children's Life Expectancy Being Cut Short by Obesity (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/17/health/17obese.html)



Published: March 17, 2005

BOSTON, March 16 - For the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents, according to a new report, which contends that the rapid rise in childhood obesity, if left unchecked, could shorten life spans by as much as five years.

Life Expectancy, Actual, Google Stats (http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met_y=sp_dyn_le00_in&idim=country:USA&dl=en&hl=en&q=life+expectancy)
2005: 77.7
2006: 78.0
2007: 78.2
2008: 78.4
2009: 78.7

The 2011 Statistical Abstract (http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/births_deaths_marriages_divorces/life_expectancy.html) shows numbers slightly different than Google, but similar.

Their estimates for 2010, 2015 and 2020:
2010 78.3
2015 78.9
2020 79.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

Food police say it has to be the food so that must be right. Couldn't possibly be the difference in stress levels, stability or anything else.

I've noted before (with considerable shock when I first realized it a few years ago) that I'm quite possibly part of the first generation who has parents that will say that day-to-day life is much harder now than back in their heyday. I was surprised to learn that it wasn't just my mother who felt that way either. Considering the tendency for previous generations to have "walked to school in the snow, uphill, in both directions", that's something that has really stuck with me.

[jeff061]

I'm not the food police, I don't care if you make yourself fat(though I am a dick so I'll poke fun). I can afford to carry your(the royal "your) fat ass with my money.

But come on Jon, really? I find it hard to believe that it's a coincidence our fattest states also have the shortest lifespan.

Why Americans Live Shorter Lives | dagblog (http://dagblog.com/health/why-americans-live-shorter-lives-10749)

But like I said, I don't want to to keep people from eating just like I don't want to keep people from smoking. But let's not lie to ourselves. We should be educating so people can make informed choices.

[Kodos]

Hey. I'm doing my part. I got my chicken cordon bleu on whole wheat today, rather than a hard roll. :)

[Rizon]

I'm surprised about Hawaii. Everyone there seems to be fat as fuck. All the hula girls might be throwing the curve off.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm not the food policep

Didn't mean to imply that you (specifically) were. It was the royal food police so to speak.

But come on Jon, really? I find it hard to believe that it's a coincidence our fattest states also have the shortest lifespan.

Considering the connection between various stresses & food that many people have, I don't find it incompatible with what I was getting at. Mainly that there's almost certainly multiple factors in play, I'm hard pressed to buy the panic button du jour as "THE" cause.

We should be educating so people can make informed choices.

The notion that virtually anyone doesn't know that 7 straight days of Combo #6 isn't a perfectly healthy option provokes a pretty good giggle. I'd argue that people ARE making choices, with convenience+cost+satisfaction winning simply & easily winning out over the alternatives.

[JediKooter]

I just got a crock pot. Haven't used it yet, but, my theory is that hopefully it will circumvent as much of my laziness in preparing meals as possible. Throw the stuff in, turn the thing on, go to work, come home, eat.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Throw the stuff in, turn the thing on, go to work, come home, eat.

Get stuck at work or in traffic, have it cook down dry, ruin the meal, possibly burn the house down when it overheats & ignites the counter.

[jeff061]

Ha, yeah, I was all for an idea to easily prepare my own food. But cooking at home while I'm at work isn't one of them.

[Passacaglia]

Don't most crock pots these days set to warm automatically after the cooking time is finished?

[JediKooter]

Get stuck at work or in traffic, have it cook down dry, ruin the meal, possibly burn the house down when it overheats & ignites the counter.

Counter ignites the wall, building burns down, get sued, live in my car, 4 years later inherit millions from a long lost relative, pay people to make my food for me.

Win/win

[Telle]

Food police say it has to be the food so that must be right. Couldn't possibly be the difference in stress levels, stability or anything else.


I've actually read recently about studies that have found that in populations where there is no stigma against fatness, the fatter people do not show more tendency towards heart disease, etc. However once the stigma arrives and they become stressed regarding their size, these kinds of "obesity related" diseases start to crop up. So, yeah, stress can be a BIG factor.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Don't most crock pots these days set to warm automatically after the cooking time is finished?

No clue, still using the multiples we got as wedding gifts eons ago.

Brings to mind an incredibly random question though: I wonder what the average age of a crock pot in use would be.

[JediKooter]

Ha, yeah, I was all for an idea to easily prepare my own food. But cooking at home while I'm at work isn't one of them.

They cook at a rather low temp, so it's not as adventurous as it sounds. :)

Don't most crock pots these days set to warm automatically after the cooking time is finished?

I'm not sure, but, that does sound familiar. The one I just got has a ceramic 'pot' that goes inside the shell of the crock pot. I was looking at it and other than a major design flaw or hardware malfunction, that thing is not catching on fire. Besides, it was made in China, what could possibly go wrong?

[Chief Rum]

No clue, still using the multiples we got as wedding gifts eons ago.

Brings to mind an incredibly random question though: I wonder what the average age of a crock pot in use would be.

What older? Crock pot or Tshirt worn every day in college?

Tough questions.

[jeff061]

I've actually read recently about studies that have found that in populations where there is no stigma against fatness, the fatter people do not show more tendency towards heart disease, etc. However once the stigma arrives and they become stressed regarding their size, these kinds of "obesity related" diseases start to crop up. So, yeah, stress can be a BIG factor.

lol come on. Not being obese, not even just stress but the stress of being fat? This is just getting silly. Love to read the study...

[Telle]

lol come on. Not being obese, not even just stress but the stress of being fat? This is just getting silly. Love to read the study...

I'll see if I can find it. I haven't read the study myself, but have seen it referenced multiple places.

[Ksyrup]

If it's valid, I'm buying Homer Simpson's MuuMuu and moving to a "fat pod."

[JonInMiddleGA]

What older? Crock pot or Tshirt worn every day in college?

I think the t-shirts wear out faster.

I was so intrigued by this that I actually called my mother to ask about her current crock pot: soon to be 30 years old, still cooking fine.

Which makes me wonder why we don't see about getting these manufacturers to go into the car business.

[Marmel]

I would bet money that a crock pot has never burned a house down, not counting a poorly or outdated wiring job in the home. They are designed to be left on all day, they are ceramic and they run on electricity not an open flame.

[Rizon]

All this food talk makes me want to deep-fry a bunch of stuff.

[SteveMax58]

Well...if true....then it solves our SS & Medicare problems. :)

[JonInMiddleGA]

I would bet money that a crock pot has never burned a house down, not counting a poorly or outdated wiring job in the home. They are designed to be left on all day, they are ceramic and they run on electricity not an open flame.

Here's the random proof of the contrary. Note that the cause was a grease fire, not anything wiring related

Kitchen fire damages Eagle Mountain home | Deseret News (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705356103/Kitchen-fire-damages-Eagle-)
Mountain-home.html

Then you get other incidents, like this recall where the units with a faulty control panel were "smoking, melting, and sparking with three panels catching fire

http://www.associatedfire.com/1489/burlington-coat-factory-recalls-slow-cookers-due-to-fire-hazard/

It can & does happen, it being uncommon just doesn't outweigh the risk to me. YMMV {shrug}

[Telle]

lol come on. Not being obese, not even just stress but the stress of being fat? This is just getting silly. Love to read the study...

Well this isn't the study I was looking for, but includes some of the same ideas. Let me know if you can't access it and I'll post the abstract.

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1c3eedb9-6d45-479a-8972-8173dc279e97%40sessionmgr15&vid=8&hid=21

ETA: And don't discount the amount of stress being fat in a stigmatizing society can hold. When you literally receive hundreds of messages a day from the media, family, friends, the first lady, and even yourself that you are wrong to exist as you are, it's not an easy thing to deal with.