Obesity crisis in Ireland Mod Note post 1

GAA Beo · 06-02-2019 11:12am

Wibbs wrote: »

We drink more from what I've read. Quite a bit more and more regularly. For all the stereotype of the Irish as drunkards, up to the 90's we had one of the lower rates of liver disease in the EU. In the past the pub was where you had a drink, home drinking was much less a thing for most people. It tended to be in spurts too. So a guy(usually a guy) would head to the pub of a weekend, and he might get hammered, but during the working week he was mostly "dry". Lent was a big thing too and many gave up the grog for lent. These days it's more a bottle of wine of an evening. It's only a few glasses your honour. Nearly every evening. Back when I was a kid the only adult I knew who drank wine was my dad(IIRC he got into it when back in the 50's he lived in New Zealand). That was considered more than a tad weird back in the 70/80's and the "wine section" in an off licence was the size of your average home fridge. With about four different wines.

Now that you mention it, my mother always said people drink way more now than back when she was younger. I always assumed they drank as much if not more due to the amount of pubs on every street corner and our reputation as drunks. But I guess the supermarket-drink at home culture now is the difference these days. The giving up the beer for Lent and liver disease rates points also make sense.

It wasnt me123 · 06-02-2019 11:14am

Its just poor parenting - so many young parents don't cook from scratch - nuggets/sausages and chips - and that's in the hospitals as that's what the children eat.

You are what you eat - eat sh!te and you will look like sh!te

You think the health budget is big now, wait till all these obese children become obese parents and see the rise in diabetes, cardio vascular issues, strokes, etc.

Dalomanakora · 06-02-2019 11:14am

Succubus_ wrote: »

I'm glad that you're managing to overcome your issues with over eating and binge eating, I know what it's like. I actually have lost 1 stone 4lbs/8.2 kg in the last few months so I'm on my way, with more to go! It's just that in the past threads like this have sent me off on a self-hating binge and I don't think people realise that saying ''personal responsibility'' only makes you feel more sh1t about yourself for not being ''disciplined'' enough and it makes people more likely to eat to comfort themselves. Not everyone who overeats does so for these reasons of course but it helps to be mindful of it.

Honestly just try to ignore it. I know that's easier said than done and it's hurtful when I see posts about how fat people have no willpower (I've quit smoking and lost nearly 5 stone, my willpower is fcuking great), but ultimately YOU know what's going on with your mind and body and YOU know that you're doing your best for your mental and physical health, and nobody on a forum can take that from you

It wasnt me123 · 06-02-2019 11:16am

GAA Beo wrote: »

......:

Then again McDonalds was packed out in Dun Laoghaire last time I was there.

That was with the crowd from Sallynoggin

valoren · 06-02-2019 11:20am

There are some insidious videos aimed at toddlers on youtube.
Our two year old watched a video where the narration goes as follows;

"Carrot.....*shows a carrot*.....Yucky!!....*negative booing noise*"
"Apple.....*shows an apple*.....Yucky!!....*negative booing noise*"
"Broccoli...*shows broccoli*...Yucky!!....*negative booing noise*"
"Kinder Surprise!!......*shows Kinder*....*positive cheers and applause*"

That particular video has a few million views, it clearly generates money for the uploaders. There's a litany of similar videos.
It's obviously getting toddlers to associate healthy foods as negative and ****ty chocolates and sweets as positive.

Marengo · 06-02-2019 11:22am

Succubus_ wrote: »

I've recently been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Addictions are part of it. I'm just very glad my addiction has been to food and not to drugs so I'll just ignore the pontificating and be on my way.

That's hard. Look after yourself, do what the experts say, and no reason you won't live a healthy, happy life.

Zorya · 06-02-2019 11:26am

valoren wrote: »

There are some insidious videos aimed at toddlers on youtube.
Our two year old watched a video where the narration goes as follows;

"Carrot.....*shows a carrot*.....Yucky!!....*negative booing noise*"
"Apple.....*shows an apple*.....Yucky!!....*negative booing noise*"
"Broccoli...*shows broccoli*...Yucky!!....*negative booing noise*"
"Kinder Surprise!!......*shows Kinder*....*positive cheers and applause*"

That particular video has a few million views, it clearly generates money for the uploaders. There's a litany of similar videos.
It's obviously getting toddlers to associate healthy foods as negative and ****ty chocolates and sweets as positive.

That's weird.

Kids sweets porn.

neris · 06-02-2019 11:30am

with kids its the parents. we had a kid in our creche from a young age who was over weight, at 3 years old they were going home in the evening and been plonked on the couch with an Ipad and large packet of tayto. When they were older and taken out on a trip this kid turned up with a lunch box full of smarties, crisps and other sugary delights while all the other kids were eating sandwiches, cheese slices and yoghurts. When this child started school at 4 and half they were in a uniform for a 6 year old and by christmas was wearing a jumper for an 8 year old. The mother was in such denial that her excuse was the child was getting tall. The child was shorter then other kids in their class and their neck and chin were becoming one. Its sad to see a parent do that to their child at that age but the child knows nothing about calories, obesity or healthy eating.

Wanderer78 · 06-02-2019 11:32am

neris wrote: »

with kids its the parents. we had a kid in our creche from a young age who was over weight, at 3 years old they were going home in the evening and been plonked on the couch with an Ipad and large packet of tayto. When they were older and taken out on a trip this kid turned up with a lunch box full of smarties, crisps and other sugary delights while all the other kids were eating sandwiches, cheese slices and yoghurts. When this child started school at 4 and half they were in a uniform for a 6 year old and by christmas was wearing a jumper for an 8 year old. The mother was in such denial that her excuse was the child was getting tall. The child was shorter then other kids in their class and their neck and chin were becoming one. Its sad to see a parent do that to their child at that age but the child knows nothing about calories, obesity or healthy eating.

was mammy and daddy highly stressed leading to the child being badly feed?

rustynutz · 06-02-2019 11:35am

I'm all for people taking personal responsibility for their actions, but I do think governments need to step in at this point and do something to halt this crisis. If it was as easy as just stop eating, then there would be very few fat people in the world.
At the moment when you walk into a supermarket the vast majority of food on the shelves is unhealthy, highly processed, sugar and fat laden crap. And a lot of it is highly addictive, with little nutritional benefit, and so full of calories you could consume your entire daily intake in one sitting, without feeling remotely full. And it also so happens that this crap is in lovely colorful packaging (while whole foods are generally not) which advertisers choose to get people to buy products (dont underestimate the power of advertising, there wouldn't be billions spent on it by companies every year if it wasn't effective), and to top it all off this "food" is usually way cheaper than any of the stuff that is good for us.
Then you have companies allowed to advertise this junk on billboards and kids TV (again, the power of advertising) so our population is getting bombarded with this crap from a young age. Yes, you can simply make healthy choices and stay in shape, but this requires a lot of effort, knowledge and will power for most people, particularly if you are not educated on proper food choices, and it can be difficult to sift through all the fad and crash diets, to get to the facts, particularly when some products labelled low fat, or healthy are so full of sugar etc.
The biggest difference between this generation, and the generation of the 70's & 80's when overweight people were the exception, is the availability of high calorie, nutritiously void food, and advertising. I think they would be two good places to start if we are serious about tackling the problem.

neris · 06-02-2019 11:39am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

was mammy and daddy highly stressed leading to the child being badly feed?

No it was laziness on their part and they werent exactly slim either. Theres only so far you can go with parents and try to work with them to help the child but it gets to a point where the parents just dont seem to care about their child and all they want is peace and quiet so its easy to just shove a pack of crisps or a bag of sweets in their hand when they get home.

Wanderer78 · 06-02-2019 11:42am

neris wrote: »

No it was laziness on their part and they werent exactly slim either. Theres only so far you can go with parents and try to work with them to help the child but it gets to a point where the parents just dont seem to care about their child and all they want is peace and quiet so its easy to just shove a pack of crisps or a bag of sweets in their hand when they get home.

are they lazy, or do they also have some faulty mental wiring causing them also to have an eating addiction, never underestimate the power of the mind?

Ted Plain · 06-02-2019 11:44am

From what I have seen, every country claims it is the fattest in Europe.

We, the British, the Germans, The Slovaks, the Greeks, the Maltese and so on have claims like these made about them. Just did a quick google there and read an article in a German newspaper from last year. Germany is Europe's Fatmaster, apparently. The UK was number 10. Ireland was mid-table. Other articles will tell you that the fattest children are in Span, Italy and Greece and that they're on course to really top the charts in the future.

Take your pick, really.

Zorya wrote: »

It starts very young. It's gruesome to see the amount of sweets very small children eat. That has to completely mess up their metabolic systems. Yet they are often doled out as pacifiers. At Easter now the smallest child will have a sea of chocolate. Their poor bodies. And then they get ADHD diagnoses and people wonder why. I didn't allow mine to have any sweets until they were about four. I know, what a grinch! Of course I had people saying I was cruel, grannies and grandads saying they wanted to give them a treat. Funny that the word spoil has different meanings. But their palates were trained to love ordinary food. Sugar destroys a child's palate, maybe for life. It's crack cocaine for kids.

This is so true. I'm guilty in this regard as our little lad eats some amount of shyte. He also eats good stuff, though.

The worst, I find, is the likes of junk food breakfast cereal and yogurt masquerading as 'healthy'.

It's definitely a mix of very affordable industrially produced food, heavy advertising and less activity that have people fat.

I think people know that the food is making them fat, but it's just too damned tasty. I've about a stone to lose myself, which isn't all that much, as I'm too vain to let it go beyond that.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 06-02-2019 11:47am

FutureGuy wrote: »

It is worth noting that there is a small fraction of people whose mechanism to lose weight is fundamentally broken in their body.

The key being "a small fraction of people." At this point in time, 70 percent of Irish men and 52 percent of women are classified as overweight. We are on course to become the most obese nation in the EU by 2030 -- when 25 years ago, we were one of the slimmest.

Nevertheless, threads such as this are riddled with excuses for being overweight. It's not my fault -- I have Condition X. It can't be helped.

But 9.9 times out of 10, the cause is not Condition X but how we choose to live and eat. A diet laden with fatty and sugary foods and a sedentary lifestyle will tip most people into the overweight range fairly quickly. And these things are within our power to change.

TomSweeney · 06-02-2019 11:48am

And wait till you see how bad it will get with all these electric scooters now becoming the norm, I can't understand parents who get this crap for their kids - in one swoop eliminating lots of future exercise, endangering your kids health.

RandomName2 · 06-02-2019 11:54am

GAA Beo wrote: »

What can be done about the obesity crisis in Ireland,

Or maybe this 'crisis' that has been a 'crisis' for the last 20 years is just overblown tabloid press that is more comforting than more major concerns relating to health matters that are largely out of our control.

Diseases that were terminal 50 years ago are largely still terminal. We have an aging population without any clear way to manage it in the long term. We have rising costs of healthcare that aren't keeping pace with the output of healthcare.

But yeah, let's talk about banning breakfast cereal and feel smug.

[Deleted User] · 06-02-2019 11:55am

Amaris Repulsive Golfer wrote: »

The key being "a small fraction of people." At this point in time, 70 percent of Irish men and 52 percent of women are classified as overweight. We are on course to become the most obese nation in the EU by 2030 -- when 25 years ago, we were one of the slimmest.

Nevertheless, threads such as this are riddled with excuses for being overweight. It's not my fault -- I have Condition X. It can't be helped.

But 9.9 times out of 10, the cause is not Condition X but how we choose to live and eat. A diet laden with fatty and sugary foods and a sedentary lifestyle will tip most people into the overweight range fairly quickly. And these things are within our power to change.

Yeah totally agree with you regarding excuses. Thats all i hear from a lot of people i know. I found myself picking up the kgs last summer and nipped it in the bud. I was even told 'its easy for you, i am X X X X'. what nonsense, same people were really skinny and way skinnier than me as teenagers.

TomSweeney · 06-02-2019 11:57am

Marvin Flabby Twinkle wrote: »

And yet running and the gym and foods like kale and soya are more popular than ever.

I don't think it's as bad overall as people like to say. Probably only really prevalent among specific groups rather than overall.

And this is the same in the USA, and health freaks have been really popular over there for a long long time - but it's the extremes.
Ireland is getting that way, we will have super fit people and super unhealthy people and a few in between.

TomSweeney · 06-02-2019 12:01pm

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Cars and SUVs are playing a key part. There are people apparently allergic to walk or cycle more than 50m under their own steam.

Yep, kids being shipped everywhere nowadays, driven to school every day.
Christ I used to walk everyday to school - so did all my friends.

[Deleted User] · 06-02-2019 12:03pm

RandomName2 wrote: »

Or maybe this 'crisis' that has been a 'crisis' for the last 20 years is just overblown tabloid press that is more comforting than more major concerns relating to health matters that are largely out of our control.

Diseases that were terminal 50 years ago are largely still terminal. We have an aging population without any clear way to manage it in the long term. We have rising costs of healthcare that aren't keeping pace with the output of healthcare.

But yeah, let's talk about banning breakfast cereal and feel smug.

Unfortunately the healthcare crisis can be directly linked to bad lifestyle choice such as drinking, over eating, smoking etc. so i think it is in everyones benefit and interest to tackle this.

Fact is bad lifestyle leads to cancers and terminal illnesses.
Its no coincidence that the rise in type 2 diabetes would follow the same graph as the rise in sugary products sales, albeit with a time lag.

Another interesting one was the alcohol industry fighting the labels being put on alcohol drinks such as Drinking will cause cancer. A lot of similarities with the smoking industry fighting the same.

The current western diet and lifestyle is detrimental to society. A complete rethink is needed and back to the intermittent fasting point, when food wasnt readily available, people more than likely unwillingly intermittently fasted

GAA Beo · 06-02-2019 12:15pm

Ted Plain wrote: »

From what I have seen, every country claims it is the fattest in Europe.

We, the British, the Germans, The Slovaks, the Greeks, the Maltese and so on have claims like these made about them. Just did a quick google there and read an article in a German newspaper from last year. Germany is Europe's Fatmaster, apparently. The UK was number 10. Ireland was mid-table. Other articles will tell you that the fattest children are in Span, Italy and Greece and that they're on course to really top the charts in the future.

Take your pick, really.

I think we are much fatter than the Italians, Germans, Spanish, Greeks etc. When I was in Italy one thing I took away was how there were far less overweight and obese people than here or Britain. But the Italians cook proper food, and don't drink as much. Plus more sun and more outdoor lifestyle.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 06-02-2019 12:34pm

RandomName2 wrote: »

Or maybe this 'crisis' that has been a 'crisis' for the last 20 years is just overblown tabloid press that is more comforting than more major concerns relating to health matters that are largely out of our control.

Not really. In 1990, only about 10 percent of Irish adults were obese. By 2025, it's projected to be around 38 percent.

That increase correlates with other shifts in Irish society. Increasing prosperity in the 1990s and 2000s led to less home cooking and more reliance on convenience foods and takeaways. Car ownership rates increased significantly during the boom, so people became more likely to drive than walk. And then along came smartphones, tablets, YouTube, Netflix, etc., so that children and adults alike are most likely sitting on the couch for hours a day glued to one screen or another and probably snacking on fatty or sugary foods as they watch.

valoren · 06-02-2019 12:34pm

The obesity crisis is really an insulin crisis.

You eat easy access processed foods and blood sugars (glucose) go crazy, insulin secretes to reduce it.
With insulin in the blood stream doing it's job, it's an on or off biological state i.e. you can't utilise stored fats when it's in your blood. As you're constantly eating within this state you just gain more and more stored fat, that free energy has to go somewhere. With men it goes around the gut and for women, the hips, the bum and thighs.

Once you control insulin secretion, you actively prohibit and prevent the eventuality of obesity.
Which foods are beneficial to that? It's the classic healthy diet. Non starchy veggies (broccoli, peppers etc), high fiber food, lean meat, fish (particularly salmon), nuts, antioxidants like berries. We all know (or as adults should know) the foods which are not healthy for us. These moreish, tasty foods are now staples whereas they should be deemed treats to have every now and then.

AudreyHepburn · 06-02-2019 12:54pm

I can’t understand why it’s considered so hard to tackle obesity. Make healthier choices when it comes to your food, eat less and exercise more.

I don’t buy the idea the obesity is an illness. It’s down to overeating and laziness nothing more.

Wanderer78 · 06-02-2019 12:55pm

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I can’t understand why it’s considered so hard to tackle obesity. Make healthier choices when it comes to your food, eat less and exercise more.

I don’t buy the idea the obesity is an illness. It’s down to overeating and laziness nothing more.

so theres no complex psychological issues at play?

Trump Is Right · 06-02-2019 12:57pm

Amaris Repulsive Golfer wrote: »

The key being "a small fraction of people." At this point in time, 70 percent of Irish men and 52 percent of women are classified as overweight. We are on course to become the most obese nation in the EU by 2030 -- when 25 years ago, we were one of the slimmest.

Nevertheless, threads such as this are riddled with excuses for being overweight. It's not my fault -- I have Condition X. It can't be helped.

But 9.9 times out of 10, the cause is not Condition X but how we choose to live and eat. A diet laden with fatty and sugary foods and a sedentary lifestyle will tip most people into the overweight range fairly quickly. And these things are within our power to change.

Yet another solid reason why we should leave the EU... :pac:

But seriously, I totally agree with your point. It ultimately does come down to taking personal responsibility for your faults and the mistakes you make in life.

That is just the starting point... there is often a long road to recovery for people who are seriously overweight and unfit.

But if one cannot look themselves in the mirror and have an honest conversation with themselves, about their lifestyle choices and damaging behaviours... then they're not even going to make it to the start line for that big journey / challenge ahead.

Society has made many of us soft... we are too far removed from the harshness and struggle that life would have been for our ancestors! Our bodies and minds were actually designed for a certain amount of struggle. It would have been unavoidable in previous generations... now many people have become very skilled at avoiding these aspects of life!

JupiterKid · 06-02-2019 1:07pm

My local McDs is always completely packed out, and the socio-economic groups who seem to be in there all the time are not that of the ABC1 categories.

The same with the local chippers and the Chinese take away - packed out every evening. Some people are eating in fast food joints and chippers instead of cooking dinner - cooking seems to be a skill that many have lost or forgotten so it's hardly surprising that obesity rates are climbing here and in the UK.

It's really very simple - sedentary lifestyles plus a massive increase in eating high fat/high salt/high sugar foods has directly caused this obesity problem.

AudreyHepburn · 06-02-2019 1:11pm

Wanderer78 wrote: »

so theres no complex psychological issues at play?

in cases there might be that as well but I would be wary of using it as an excuse.

I think the biggest stumbling block to dealing with the problem of obesity is people trying to make excuses and not taking a bit of personal responsibility for their own choices and situations in life.

radharc · 06-02-2019 1:12pm

GAA Beo wrote: »

McDonald's is the worst, packed day and night, kids stuffing themselves. If it was up to me I would ban McDonald's entirely but I suppose that isn't feasible.

I think McDonald's is the easy target and if they were gone in the morning it wouldn't make the slightest difference to the level of obesity in the country.

How many people cook any more, everything is convenience now. Our local supermarket sells ready made dinners and they are feeding half the town. They are a great solution (and fine nutritionally) but it just illustrates the death of households cooking a dinner themselves every day.

Wanderer78 · 06-02-2019 1:15pm

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

in cases there might be that as well but I would be wary of using it as an excuse.

I think the biggest stumbling block to dealing with the problem of obesity is people trying to make excuses and not taking a bit of personal responsibility for their own choices and situations in life.

we ve been experiencing this project thus far, is it really working?

Obesity crisis in Ireland Mod Note post 1

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