Sunday, 15 November 2009
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Who's Making Me Fat?
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Following a report on BBC3 'Who's Making Me Fat?' (link)...I've taken interest in the subject.
People are overweight these days because of the food we consume; in greater amounts due to availability, and with different ingredients due to the ability to import and how far food science has progressed, but that's not all. Supermarkets are making us fat.
How?
Supermarkets are using 'special offers' to their advantage - overall, junk food is very cheap to buy wholesale because it's just full of processed crap, so supermarkets can bump it off to us at knock-off prices. Crisps at £1 per multipack? Of course we're going to buy it, because we want good tasting, cheap and easy food. We as the British nation love simplicity, and something that we dive our hands into and stuff into our mouths is much easier than standing over a series of pots and pans for an hour. Supermarkets take advantage of this by putting this junk food on special offer, and placing them in areas we are likely to see them - my local Morrisons often keeps special offer junk food near fruit (because we're all dieting) so that we give in and buy their crappy food (which FYI, costs them around 20p for a multipack) and make them rich. It's all about money.
Why?
Supermarkets love people who buy a lot of technically expensive food when it cost them next to nothing. This means that they can be making a 500% profit on things like crisps. When these items are not on special offer, they cost as much as £2... Would you pay £2 for a flavoured potato? No, you probably wouldn't if you thought about it, but mindlessly you do. I just sent my mother to the supermarket to buy me ready-to-grill onion rings at £1 and a multipack of crisps at £1.20. See? I'm just as gullible. I'm hungry and don't know what to eat, so stocking up on snacky things will make me feel better (also quite unwell just now, think my mother might have given me mild food poisoning with her awful cooking at the weekend) and means I don't have to do much cooking. I simply rip the packet open and eat. Easy. A toddler could do it, and oh boy they do.
Let's look at it this way, a supermarket maybe sells 30 multipacks of crisps a day on special offer - it cost them £6 to buy them. It cost us £30 to buy them. A profit of £24 per 30 gullible people. Supermarkets love money. Mmmmm. Money.
What's it to me?
You might be one of those lucky people who doesn't give in to buying cheap junk food, but the chances are that if you're reading this, you're probably guilty. We all like crisps; let's be honest, they're delicious and easy. Even better if they're cheap. Getting in a Friday night treat? A multipack of crisps and a bottle of wine. Costs you about £5 overall. Nice deal, right? No. The supermarkets are cashing in on your flab and love for cheap food. Guilty as charged.
How do I fix this?
Simple, really. Stop cashing in on bargain treats and stump the supermarkets by eating your 5 a day. Or don't. It's really up to the consumer to fix this, the supermarkets wont stop selling seemingly inexpensive food to the nation.
What do you think? Are the supermarkets really to blame, or is it all just down to us being greedy pigs?
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About the Author
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- From: erotyka@xanga
- Name: emma
- About Me: i'm emma, and this is my weight loss blog. i will be totally honest throughout, and i hope that you can learn from my experiences.
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 1 Views: 0 936 Comments: 0 18 View all posts by erotyka@xanga
Comments (20)
supermarkets aren't making us fat. we're making ourselves fat.
um, no. we're making ourselves fat.
no one is making you fat. you are making yourself fat. really, fruits and vegetables are not that expensive.
Genetics? Supermarkets? Socioeconomic status? Brain chemistry? Stress? Ourselves? It's really disingenuous to pick one and make it appear to be the only reason for people being overweight especially since it guarantees that blame will be placed solely on overweight individuals. Thin does not equal healthy, people, remember that. I wish we'd focus more on the health aspect of this, not the weight aspect. :\
This is wrong. You are in control of what YOU eat, YOU are making YOU fat. Genetics, money situations, blah blah blah, at the end of the day YOU are the one sticking that fork in your mouth.
I am so sick of this, YOU are making YOU fat, end of story!! Take responsibility for you health and stop trying to blame other things/people!!!
you are making yourself fat; it's still your fault for making bad choices, yet for the most part, people continue to make bad choices. healthy food are not scarce and it's still widely available. our diet is one factor to selecting your food as well. change it if you need to, and stop complaining. go grow your own food then.
I agree with all the comments but the industry is also so powerful that its hard for some people, especially in poverty. What can they do? Theyre only choices are to shop the dollar menu, to feed themselves and children. Some people are also fighting obesity and there are a lot of emotions and psychology involved.
I eat only fruits and vegetables and healthy food, so the post doesnt apply to me. But I do care about how it affects others.
But thinking of the perseptives of other people, such as those living below the poverty line, they hardly have a choice. You also have to take into consideration how lacking of much education many people also have about health. I met people who think the 100 calories packs are healthy. I met people who think peanut butter is healthy and dont take into account the calorie amount. There are so many people that need to understand the ways food affects the body. Just cause somethign labels something food, the majority of the public beleive it. Its like those before and after photos. people are easily influenced. Especially if it tickles your indulgences and if it has to do with a simple biological need of food.
The answer is that its both. Both people make themselves fat, as well as the manipulations of the food industry and the way the society is. you cannot just say that only people make themselves fat. not everyone knows how to be healthy. not everyone is the same. everyone has different reason for the way they eat.
Blame fall on many levels. Both the supermarkets and ourselves are to blame, but there is far more.
I recommend Everyone to watch the documentary:
"Food Inc."
It will explain everything in a summarized and concise manner.
@salvatruca_stalking_havok13@xanga - Agreed. also we need to focus on all the factors contributing to this issue. I dont think it would be correct to attribute the reason why people eat poorly to just their own decisions. I think poverty is a great example. As well as knowledge and education.
It not jsut about weight or getting fat. THeres definatley health consequences, diseases. e coli. Animal cruelty. Money. Greedy industries. Lies. worker cruelty. Heart disease. Cancer. food poisoning. and sooooo much more.
i watched the first 15 minutes of this program and wanted to throw
my TV out of the window. A big reason why our world is so screwed up at
the moment is because of this (program's) attitude - i.e. blame
everyone else for your problems. It's the fault of:
The government
The school/teachers
Society
Food manufacturers
Retailers
Media
Everyone!!
until
people take responsibility for themselves I'm afraid things will go
from bad to worse. this "culture" we're living in breeds laziness.
Laziness is one of the main reasons why people get fat:
Can't be bothered to cook
Can't be bothered to use fresh ingredients (which are MUCH cheaper than buying ready-made meals too!
Can't be bothered to go to the gym
Can't be bothered to worry about what I should/shouldn't eat
etc
All the above contribute towards being fat - this is a fact.
Jeez, I'm getting pretty annoyed thinking about that program again! ;p
@MissPixieGlitter@xanga - I totally agree with you! I love how you're so concise and right to the point all the time. :p
Its easy to blame other people or entities for our own shortcomings. That's why so many people do it with this and with other things! However, they're just putting the food in front of us and marking it cheap. We are the ones who have such low self-discipline that we're buying so much of it and eating so much of it. They don't actually force us to buy anything. That's our own decision. So supermarkets aren't making us fat. We are making ourselves fat through the choices we make each day. Just because we are lacking in self-discipline doesn't mean the supermarkets are to blame just because they take advantage of it. We let them take advantage of it. :p
You're right on that last part, though, the only way to stop making ourselves fat is to be more conscious about what we buy/eat, and not give in to temptation. But, ultimately, if we don't that isn't the supermarket's fault. Its ours. :p
People are responsible for the decisions they make. Supermarkets do not hold people captive, force them to buy high calorie foods, and then eat them in large quantities.
I like how when I made a post that said we're making ourselves fat people got all upset and came out with 1000 different excuses but when someone wants to point the finger at supermarkets people become rational and turn the finger back onto themselves.
HMMMMM INTERESTING.
The point I was making at the start is that it's not the supermarket's fault that we're fat; it's the supermarkets cashing in on people who like simple, and often fattening food. Jeeez.
I agree and disagree. yes, the government makes unhealthy food more appealing by giving it lower prices and much more advertisement but when it comes down to it YOU are eating the stuff. Even if you do eat junk it is up to you to exercise it off. I am slightly over weight and I don't blame anyone but myself. I KNOW I have been slacking on exercise. I KNOW I can eat healthier. If I weren't a vegetarian I'd prolly be in a worse situation than I am in now. When it boils down to it we need to start taking responsibilty for ourselves. It is not just you who thinks this way. Our whole country is unhealthy. We are either eating complete shit and not exercising or not eating at all or puking all the shit we do consume. It has just become our culture. Sad but true.
personally i think people make themselves fat. im not against food or eating (even junk food) but people have to know when to stop, when enough is enough and get adequate exercise. stop putting everybody but yourself at fault because its really easy to point fingers. its really easy to blame but often times the real culprit is ourselves. we all take responsibility for our actions. supermarkets are supermarkets thats what they do. they dont force anybody to buy neither does mickeyDs.
You make yourself fat by NOT educating yourself about healthy nutrition! If you READ LABELS and understand what they say, you can make healthy decisions.... and avoid the JUNK that's surrounding ALL OF US! Eating an extra cookie here or another cup of granola.... is going to make you fat: READ READ READ!
def, chocolate is always priced down! especially at the checkout as you leave! i agree, it's soo tempting!
i don't think it's just the supermarket's fault...
My parents always buy too much food, junk food. And the same excuse is "Oh well, it was 2 bags for £1!!" So? That doesn't mean you have to buy it.
I also agree and disagree on everything said. Supermarkets are encouraging people to buy more food, good and bad. Fast food chains are targeting younger children who frankly, have no clue about healthy eating because they're simply too young.
But at the same time, WE control what we eat. You choose what you put in your mouth. I don't think your parents push a tube down your throat and then shove muffins and cakes in it. No, didn't think so.
"I'm fat."
"I need to lose weight."
"I eat to much."
"Supermarkets make me fat."
You make yourself fat. So gtfo here and go exercise.