The Men Who Made Us Fat, 9pm, Thursday, BBC2

hollypink

This sounds like an interesting 3 part series:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jxzv8

Around the world, obesity levels are rising. More people are now overweight than undernourished. Two thirds of British adults are overweight and one in four of us is classified as obese. In the first of this three-part series, Jacques Peretti traces those responsible for revolutionising our eating habits, to find out how decisions made in America 40 years ago influence the way we eat now.

Related article in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/11/why-our-food-is-making-us-fat

Why are we so fat? We have not become greedier as a race. We are not, contrary to popular wisdom, less active – a 12-year study, which began in 2000 at Plymouth hospital, measured children's physical activity and found it the same as 50 years ago. But something has changed: and that something is very simple. It's the food we eat. More specifically, the sheer amount of sugar in that food, sugar we're often unaware of.

I'm not sure that in my case, it was just sugar that made me fat. Takeaways and alcohol played a part too so it was comfort eating of a variety of high calorie foods. But certainly sugary foods were (and still are really) my preferred choice for comfort eating.

UnknownSpecies

hollypink wrote: »

This sounds like an interesting 3 part series:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jxzv8



Related article in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/11/why-our-food-is-making-us-fat


I'm not sure that in my case, it was just sugar that made me fat. Takeaways and alcohol played a part too so it was comfort eating of a variety of high calorie foods. But certainly sugary foods were (and still are really) my preferred choice for comfort eating.

Both of which are full of sugar and refined carbs. I think it was alcohol that did it for me. Sorry... I KNOW it was alcohol. I never knew that I was consuming 2 days worth of food in a drinking session. What's worse is that I would have done it 2-3 times a week. I'll watch this if I remember though, thanks for the heads up.

El_Dangeroso

Tenner bet Robert Lustig makes an appearance! I'm getting really sick of that guy.

cojomo2

dorgasm wrote: »

Both of which are full of sugar and refined carbs. I think it was alcohol that did it for me. Sorry... I KNOW it was alcohol. I never knew that I was consuming 2 days worth of food in a drinking session. What's worse is that I would have done it 2-3 times a week. I'll watch this if I remember though, thanks for the heads up.

How many pint were in one of your drinking sessions,25?:eek:

UnknownSpecies

cojomo2 wrote: »

How many pint were in one of your drinking sessions,25?:eek:

Slight exaggeration :P But I could easily do 12 pints/cans + bottle of spirits with Coke or Sprite. I'm a lot more conscious now though.

dahat

Breakfast Rolls ruined Ireland!!

King of Kings

watched it the other night, really well made.
good balance for a general (i.e. not science driven) audience.

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Tenner bet Robert Lustig makes an appearance! I'm getting really sick of that guy.

you won !

but why are you sick of him , I found him quite interesting.

Transform

Will be nice to see John yudkin get a big shout out as he has been banging on about the dangers of sugar and processed foods for 30+ years now. His book pure white and deadly (a standout classic book who's importance can only been seen today) was the first book I read over 15 years ago that explained what a cluster**** we were getting ourselves into with a decrease in fat and increase in sugar/carb intake

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pure-White-Deadly-diabetes-completely/dp/0670808199/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1339925621&sr=8-4

Show looks good

El_Dangeroso

King of Kings wrote: »

you won !

but why are you sick of him , I found him quite interesting.

He seems to be on a political crusade, rather than do his actual job of being a scientist, and there's probably good reason for that, his science behind his theory is not very strong at all. Sugar is getting the blame for what should be placed at food manufacturers door, the manipulation of food to be almost addictive in nature, regardless of it's sugar content. There is no point taxing, banning or otherwise punishing the public for their consumption of things that companies design to be overeaten.

Until that changes (my preference is banning advertising a la cigarettes), taxing sugar is like pissing in the wind.

rocky

Another take (-down) on this program

http://carbsanity.blogspot.ie/2012/06/bad-bad-american-science-fruktion.html

El_Dangeroso

Also, new study out about how artificial sweeteners contribute to obesity presented at the ADA conference recently:

Fat Cells Sweet On Saccharin

Fat cells appear to have a taste for artificial sweeteners that may make them pack on the lipids, researchers found.

It's been shown that the sweet receptors T1R2 and T1R3, which are expressed on the tongue, are also found in adipose tissue. This may help the cell sense whether there's excess energy to be stored, which may contribute to adiposity.

In several different types of cells, Becky Simon, BS, of the University of Michigan, and colleagues found that putting the artificial sweetener saccharin in the cell environment led to greater adipogenesis.

They found the converse was also true; knocking down these receptors prevented fat cells from getting bigger, even in the presence of saccharin.

Simon and colleagues saw similar results in mouse models: animals that lacked these receptors in their fat cells didn't experience excessive weight gain, even on a high-fat diet.

Presenting the results during a late-breaking session at the recent American Diabetes Association meeting, Simon said that artificial sweeteners appear to have a higher affinity for taste receptors than naturally occurring sugars such as fructose and glucose – a finding that needs further exploration.

This is a real nod in the direction of the taste improving qualities of sugar rather than any toxic nature of the substance that contributes to obesity. Having said that, excess calories of sugar will still do a number on your liver in the absence of sufficient choline, so y'know, eat eggs and stuff.

Gummy Panda

Did the show demonise sugar and not talk about overall calorie consumption?

rocky

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Having said that, excess calories of sugar will still do a number on your liver in the absence of sufficient choline, so y'know, eat eggs and stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meringue and use whole eggs

opinion guy

There are really good books on this topic

I'm sure you all know the book Supersize me as it was very popular
but also
Fast food nation
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Food-Nation-All-American-Doing/dp/0141006870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339934362&sr=1-1

and this:
http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Land-Americans-Became-Fattest/dp/0618164723

If i remember correctly the last one is the best one - written as a piece of investigative journalism

rocky

Is it true that Taubes is a 'food historian' in this ?

hollypink

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Sugar is getting the blame for what should be placed at food manufacturers door, the manipulation of food to be almost addictive in nature, regardless of it's sugar content. There is no point taxing, banning or otherwise punishing the public for their consumption of things that companies design to be overeaten.

That's interesting; in one of the comments under the blog Rocky linked to, there is TEDHarvardLaw talk by Stephan Guyenet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC20OoIgG_Y where he compares the American diet in 1900 with the present day and speaks of engineering of food and 'hyperpalatibility'.

I can see the point; you'd never eat 10 teaspoons of sugar on its own but in a can of coke it's no problem.

El_Dangeroso

opinion guy wrote: »

There are really good books on this topic

I'm sure you all know the book Supersize me as it was very popular
but also
Fast food nation
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Food-Nation-All-American-Doing/dp/0141006870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339934362&sr=1-1

and this:
http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Land-Americans-Became-Fattest/dp/0618164723

If i remember correctly the last one is the best one - written as a piece of investigative journalism

My favourite is Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, I think it underlines the crux of the issue, we have become so divorced from where our food comes from, and the more steps between you and the farm, the more unhealthy your food becomes.

Problem is actually getting people to care. These days people seem way more concerned with price than quality, understandable given the economic environment.

El_Dangeroso

hollypink wrote: »

That's interesting; in one of the comments under the blog Rocky linked to, there is TEDHarvardLaw talk by Stephan Guyenet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC20OoIgG_Y where he compares the American diet in 1900 with the present day and speaks of engineering of food and 'hyperpalatibility'.

I can see the point; you'd never eat 10 teaspoons of sugar on its own but in a can of coke it's no problem.

Guyenet is the man. His entire blog should be mandatory reading for all health professionals. I think the old adage is true, we get treated by a health industry that pays no attention to food and a food industry that pays no attention to health.

opinion guy

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

My favourite is Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, I think it underlines the crux of the issue, we have become so divorced from where our food comes from, and the more steps between you and the farm, the more unhealthy your food becomes.

Problem is actually getting people to care. These days people seem way more concerned with price than quality, understandable given the economic environment.

Hadn't heard of it!!! Will at it to my consdierably long list of things to read

Transform

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Guyenet is the man. His entire blog should be mandatory reading for all health professionals. I think the old adage is true, we get treated by a health industry that pays no attention to food and a food industry that pays no attention to health.

True dat. One smart dude and would throw dr briffa and mat lalonde into that mix also

rocky

On youtube now.

Gummy Panda

this is on again

EDIT: WOW! apparently a large coke in a Seven eleven is 2lt called a double gulp

JessieJames

Gummy Panda wrote: »

this is on again

EDIT: WOW! apparently a large coke in a Seven eleven is 2lt called a double gulp

you could take a dip in that tub it was that big :eek:

Gummy Panda

It's not on this week. Tennis instead by the looks of it

disappeared off the iplayer too. Pretty disappointing. I found the first two parts fascinating, and had recommended them to people only to discover they'd been taken down.

christmas2012

what about ben & jerry :mad:

MacBoogerBalls

part 3 on tonight @ 9 pm bbc2

Scanlas The 2nd

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

opinion guy wrote: »

There are really good books on this topic

I'm sure you all know the book Supersize me as it was very popular
but also
Fast food nation
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Food-Nation-All-American-Doing/dp/0141006870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339934362&sr=1-1

and this:
http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Land-Americans-Became-Fattest/dp/0618164723

If i remember correctly the last one is the best one - written as a piece of investigative journalism

My favourite is Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, I think it underlines the crux of the issue, we have become so divorced from where our food comes from, and the more steps between you and the farm, the more unhealthy your food becomes.

Problem is actually getting people to care. These days people seem way more concerned with price than quality, understandable given the economic environment.

If people were so concerned about price everyone would have a fridge full of liver and veg.

Boring enough episode so far. Scientific ones prior were great, this is just a finger pointer.

El_Dangeroso

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

If people were so concerned about price everyone would have a fridge full of liver and veg.

Touché!

Transform

Most people just crave the high reward foods which food companies spend millions on to make them as addictive as possible i.e. stick losts of salt, wheat, veg oil, flavouring and coloring in anything and watch the zombies flock to fill their boots full of the junk without question.

oh and slap a quasi 'healthy' or 'low fat' label on any of the above and you have another winner e.g. weight watchers foods, margarines (flora, low-low, butter alternatives etc), all types of healthy whole grain breads, cereals, soya foods.

All of the shows are an eye opener for some people but its not new news really as there have been smart people banging on about this for decades now and many of them have been pointed out on this very forum in the past.

Conclusion - your fat or lack of health is your fault

Transform

Transform wrote: »

All of the shows are an eye opener for some people but its not new news really as there have been smart people banging on about this for decades now and many of them have been pointed out on this very forum in the past.

But as we all know, there has been a tolerance level built into most people before they're even really concious enough to make decisions about this. For instance, I've explained everything to my parents countless times. They're not going to have any of it though. Habit of a lifetime isn't easy to convince people to change. Even when they see the results.

Habits are hard to break. How many on here are well versed in Nutrition yet can still 'poison' themselves at weekends? (I know I do).

This programme while not groundbreaking for people who've been reading, listening and trying to get to grips with nutrition for the past few years, is groundbreaking in that it was on a British National Broadcast. The 'sheeple' might have caught some of it.

Proper education of how to eat, what to eat, is exactly what people need. We all know that the information is out there, but people are lazy, people aren't bothered enough to sit down and read even the most condensed 2 hours of stickies (we see this weekly! - "What's a good low fat snack to have, I like crisps" type threads).

Visual media beamed onto people's couches can have a pretty important role in this regard. I think the programme did quite well to explain without overdoing it. I'll personally be able to use it as a pointer to family and friends when they ask questions.

By no means a perfect programme, but a very decent appetiser for many I'd hope.

syklops

dorgasm wrote: »

Slight exaggeration :P But I could easily do 12 pints/cans + bottle of spirits with Coke or Sprite. I'm a lot more conscious now though.

Don't forget the kebab and garlic and cheese chips on the way home. 2 days calorie intake is not far off.

Transform

Deleted User wrote: »

But as we all know, there has been a tolerance level built into most people before they're even really concious enough to make decisions about this. For instance, I've explained everything to my parents countless times. They're not going to have any of it though. Habit of a lifetime isn't easy to convince people to change. Even when they see the results.

Habits are hard to break. How many on here are well versed in Nutrition yet can still 'poison' themselves at weekends? (I know I do).

This programme while not groundbreaking for people who've been reading, listening and trying to get to grips with nutrition for the past few years, is groundbreaking in that it was on a British National Broadcast. The 'sheeple' might have caught some of it.

Proper education of how to eat, what to eat, is exactly what people need. We all know that the information is out there, but people are lazy, people aren't bothered enough to sit down and read even the most condensed 2 hours of stickies (we see this weekly! - "What's a good low fat snack to have, I like crisps" type threads).

Visual media beamed onto people's couches can have a pretty important role in this regard. I think the programme did quite well to explain without overdoing it. I'll personally be able to use it as a pointer to family and friends when they ask questions.

By no means a perfect programme, but a very decent appetiser for many I'd hope.

Show was good, eye opening etc etc buuuut where are people left in the end?

Well they are left with what I get asked every day - "so what do I fu@king eat"
Answer = step 1 ditch All the junk foods
Step 2 cut out wheat and gluten containing foods
Step 3 move your ass more and for the love of good be able to do press ups, chin ups, squats, lunges etc
Step 4 stop looking for more answers and take some blinkin responsibility

Regards habits - I have seen clients change like the flick of a light switch (yes they are an exception) but its only when the pain of staying fat, out of shape and fatigued all the time is so great that change will happen. Pain is a great lever and people use it every day but tend to ignore it when it comes to their health.

Get busy living, get busy dying. It's your choice

Inspector Coptoor

Transform wrote: »

Will be nice to see John yudkin get a big shout out as he has been banging on about the dangers of sugar and processed foods for 30+ years now. His book pure white and deadly (a standout classic book who's importance can only been seen today) was the first book I read over 15 years ago that explained what a cluster**** we were getting ourselves into with a decrease in fat and increase in sugar/carb intake

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pure-White-Deadly-diabetes-completely/dp/0670808199/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1339925621&sr=8-4

Show looks good

The cheapest version of that book is £160.

Wtf?

Transform

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

The cheapest version of that book is £160.

Wtf?

I know crazy!

Classic book which is no longer in print, hence the mad price

RATM

Real eye opener of this show for me what how much power the fod industry have over our politiciabns. I remember reading before that Tesco were one of Labouirs and Tony Blairs funders right throughout his tenure from 1997 onwards. So when it came to getting the traffic light labelling system scraped all CEO Terry Leahy had to do was pick up the phone to Blair and he got it sorted.

What goes on in the food industry is part of the general malaise in society that has been rotting away for a few decades now but has become even m,ore salient with our modern consumerism and faster l8festyles. While we are all rushing around living busy lives our friends at Tesco are sitting in government buildings lobbying for policies that are not in the public interest.

If Joe Publlic requested a meeting with the minister on the same topic there is not a hope they'f get one. There's new legislation forthcomi8ng on political lobbying but we all know it won't go far enough- persoanlly I think a minister should have to publish the minutes of every lobbying meeting then have under the FOI act. But I won't be holing my breath.