Obesity costs $147 BILLION in 2008

[LauraMax]

And NJ's moron of a governor taxes health clubs. Yeah, that's right, punish the people who'll save you money.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aTy59DsnA3Wg

Obesity Medical Costs Balloon to $147 Billion, Study Finds


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By Shannon Pettypiece
July 27 (Bloomberg) -- Medical spending for obesity is estimated to have reached $147 billion in 2008, an 87 percent increase in the past decade, according to a government-sponsored study.
Each obese patient costs health insurers and government programs $1,429, or 42 percent, more a year than a normal-weight individual in 2006, according to the analysis of health expenses released today by the journal Health Affairs. In 1998, the medical costs of obesity were estimated to have reached $78.5 billion.
President Barack Obama has said his administration wants to control the rising cost of health care in part through preventive medicine programs, such as those to help people lose weight or quit smoking. Medicare, the government run program for the elderly and disabled, spent $7 billion on obesity-related prescriptions drugs, such as those to treat diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, the study said.
“Although health reform may be necessary to address health inequities and rein in rising health spending, real savings are more likely to be achieved through reforms that reduce the prevalence of obesity and related risk factors, including poor diet and inactivity,” said the study’s authors. “These reforms will require policy and environmental changes that extend far beyond what can be achieved through changes in health care financing and delivery.”

 

[kirsten777]

The only way to even get a start on the obesity epidemic is to start with the top 4 agri-businesses that have altered our food to point where there is little nutritional value, and have saturated (no pun intended) the market with food that has more chemicals than actual natural, real ingredients. I hope President Obama, watched Food, Inc - I'm going to be watching it this week, but the 3 minute preview was informative enough to make me see that the solution starts with the food that is cheaply made, cheaply sold, has a shelf life of 100 years, and makes us sick and fat!

It is truly scary, how powerful our major food corporations are, and how much pull they have in government. What really makes me sick, is that our own government subsidizes farmers who grow corn and soybeans - the very ingredients that are used in all the pseudo-food. I want my tax dollars to subsidize true organic, family farms - not multi-billion corporations who could give a rip about our health.

Kirsten

 

[LauraMax]

I'm less concerned with organics than I am with the fact that an apple costs more than a MacDonald's cheeseburger. CNN did a very interesting story on this a week or two ago focusing on low income, high density areas, where there was a slew of fast food restaurants & not a grocery store to be found.

 

[dr.mel_PT]

I'm less concerned with organics than I am with the fact that an apple costs more than a MacDonald's cheeseburger. CNN did a very interesting story on this a week or two ago focusing on low income, high density areas, where there was a slew of fast food restaurants & not a grocery store to be found.

i heard about this too.

not a coincidence that cancer and other diseases are on the rise since we're stuffing ourselves with over-processed foods!! it makes me sick how much is run by the almighty dollar. people just dont care about anything else, including their own health. disgusting...

 

[sparrow13]

Organics are important but I don't think they are the first step. The first steps towards conquering obesity are access and information. As Laura says, there are many communities that don't have grocery stores. This is not just in the rural areas either. In the 80s many many many larger grocery stores pulled out of the inner cities; these populations often have the choice of shopping at the bodegas and 7-11s or taking a 45 minute bus ride with kids in tow to a bigger store. And really, how many groceries can you buy when you have to lug them back on a bus? So, there needs to be incentive to get the groceries back into these neighborhoods. As for information, I think we need to GET RID of this idea once and for all that it's expensive to eat healthy. <shakes finger at CNN > It's *not*. An apple may be more expensive than a McDonald's burger in some places, but how many people are going into fast food and *just* ordering a small burger? Add the fries, the cokes, the super-sizing, the combo meals and you're well up there in terms of what the meal costs, especially if more than one person is eating. If we were handed $15-$20 Ill bet anyone of us here could go into the grocery store and buy everything needed for a healthy meal that could easily feed a family of four. Rice and beans, chili and rice, pasta, omelets, stir fry, chicken on sale - it can be done. What we wouldn't have in the cart are Oreos, Coke, Doritoes, cold cuts, prepared meals...those are the expensive things not bananas and oatmeal! Honestly I sometimes think that people want healthy food to be expensive so they have an excuse to keep eating junk.

Sorry. Getting off soapbox.

 

[dorothyrd]

But Sparrow, a box of mac and cheese is far cheaper than the fresh produce offered(not as good tasting I might add, but that is me), plus it is quick. I think people look for quick inexpensive meals, and this is the type of thing they grab. That is why fast food is so attractive, quick, and really not that expensive.

I am not sure how to turn this around. Gone are the days when Mom stays home and cooks a meal. My daughter has a friend who is often over for dinner. She thinks it is funny we all sit together for our evening meal. She says her family never does that. They eat in front of the TV, or grab whatever.

I think the quick nature of our lives lends itself to eating convenience foods that are not good for us. I know it takes planning and effort to make sure I have produce on hand, and healthy meals. I have to go to the store more often, and in the stores around here, produce is expensive. I try to buy sales and in season, but it is expensive. So is the junk food my DH wants to bring in though, gah!

Also, when someone goes to the food bank, what kinds of things to they give them.....you guessed it, mac and cheese, processed foods, things of that nature.

 

[fit44]

I think the quick nature of our lives lends itself to eating convenience foods that are not good for us. I know it takes planning and effort to make sure I have produce on hand, and healthy meals. I have to go to the store more often, and in the stores around here, produce is expensive. I try to buy sales and in season, but it is expensive. So is the junk food my DH wants to bring in though, gah!

ITA! I stopped in a grocery store to pick up a quick snack for the road. I bought 2 nectarines and the total was $3. A box of 12 Twinkies cost $2.

I make at least 2-3 trips to the grocery store every week for produce. My family has been going through 2 bags of fresh cherries every week They are so sweet this year!

 

[LauraMax]

Good points from everyone. And most people don't realize how easy & quick a healthy meal can be.

Although I'm a salad junkie, & prepping all that stuff every Sunday does take some time.

I just have to wonder how much of a "health care crisis" we'd have if there were incentives for people to live a healthy lifestyle, instead of financial punishments like more costly food & TAXES ON GYM MEMBERSHIPS!

 

[Alana_as]

I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard that the president was talking about putting a tax on sugary drinks! I actually think this is a great idea. however, I'm not sure if it will be too effective because look at all the smokers still buying cigs for about 5 dollars a pop! and the tax keeps rising on them too but not reallly anyone seems to stop smoking!

I think it should be the other way around with the food...junk food more expensive, healthy, not so expensive. But I'm not sure that'll happen anytime soon! arrrgh! anyway, thanks for the link Laura! =)

 

[Gayle]

If we were handed $15-$20 Ill bet anyone of us here could go into the grocery store and buy everything needed for a healthy meal that could easily feed a family of four. Rice and beans, chili and rice, pasta, omelets, stir fry, chicken on sale - it can be done. What we wouldn't have in the cart are Oreos, Coke, Doritoes, cold cuts, prepared meals...those are the expensive things not bananas and oatmeal! Honestly I sometimes think that people want healthy food to be expensive so they have an excuse to keep eating junk.

Sorry. Getting off soapbox.

*takes soapbox from sparrow*

The Food Renegade - http://www.foodrenegade.com/the-price-of-real-food/#more-1111 - did a piece in her blog recently where she compared the prices of food based on nutritional density.

While I think her particular analysis, grass-fed beef vs. oats, was a little flawed, I think she was spot on in that when consumers look at nutritional value per dollar, the good stuff is much less expensive than the mac & cheese, etc.

Take the pricey organic part out of it and look at conventionally grown REAL FOOD...you can get a very big nutritional bang out of $15-$20.

 

[DDRdiva]

My 2 cents worth, to add to everyone else's : there needs to be a cultural shift to get food out of our faces constantly. There was a time when kids could play together and when it got to be lunchtime or dinnertime, unless you were specifically invited to stay for lunch or dinner, you went home. Today we have "playdates" where food "has" to be served, and I've seen entire buffets of snacks set up at playdates! And while I am very glad to see no-cupcake policies appearing at schools (ducking the flames), when my girls were in preschool and there were no food restrictions other than no peanuts, parents were constantly sending in treats for the class. One parent sent in a ton of pizzas for a kid's birthday, another sent in several platters of nuggets from Chick-Fil-A, enough for an army. On Valentine's Day, nearly every valentine my DD received had candy (full-sized, not Fun Size) or a cupcake attached. The bag of treats she brought home that day had to weigh a couple of pounds at least!

Smoking decreased as more places became smoke-free and people had to go outside to smoke. Perhaps making more places food/drink-free will make people cut back on nibbling? At least you'll burn a few calories if you have to get up and go to the break room to snack. Just an idea...

 

[kathryn]

My 2 cents worth, to add to everyone else's : there needs to be a cultural shift to get food out of our faces constantly. ...
Smoking decreased as more places became smoke-free and people had to go outside to smoke. Perhaps making more places food/drink-free will make people cut back on nibbling? At least you'll burn a few calories if you have to get up and go to the break room to snack. Just an idea...

I do think that as a society we are focused too much on "food as fun" or the social aspects of eating, and too little on "food as fuel" or the nutritional aspects of food. We should think more about the old adage "eat to live, don't live to eat."

And there is so much sold as 'food' that is really more what John Robbins (and others, perhaps) refers to as "edible, food-like substances." We can chew, swallow and process it, but it provides no nutritive value beyond calories, and may even serve as an 'antinutrient,' especially by taking the place of real nutritious food.

 

[dorothyrd]

The local water park put a new rule in place this summer. No outside food and drinks, you have to buy from the concession stand. This has made people very angry. Not only is it overpriced, it is nutrionaly vacant. An article in the paper was even written because folks are so angry. The pool said it is too hard to keep fresh produce, so they cannot be asked to do that.

It just seems we are fighting an uphill battle with this. When I go out to eat, I try to chose carefully. If we go to a steak house, I will chose the 6 ounce cut. It always looks so small and puny next to everyone else's because we are so skewed on portion sizes anymore.

I have always had a hard time with my weight, since being a teen. It is hard enough when you have a tendency to gain, and then pile all these issues on top it is crazy.

My DH drinks a lot of Mt Dew. I think that the only thing a tax on sugary drinks will do is make him gripe more about taxes.

 

[sparrow13]

*takes soapbox from sparrow*

The Food Renegade - http://www.foodrenegade.com/the-price-of-real-food/#more-1111 - did a piece in her blog recently where she compared the prices of food based on nutritional density.

While I think her particular analysis, grass-fed beef vs. oats, was a little flawed, I think she was spot on in that when consumers look at nutritional value per dollar, the good stuff is much less expensive than the mac & cheese, etc.

Take the pricey organic part out of it and look at conventionally grown REAL FOOD...you can get a very big nutritional bang out of $15-$20.

Adding to my OP: absolutely there are cheap processed and convenience foods on the shelves. My point is that there are also many healthy foods - or at least healthier- that are comparable in price. In fact when they are broken down they are actually cheaper, because in many cases you can get more than one meal out of them. The same people who claim that romaine lettuce is too expensive to buy at $2.99 a head will lay down close to $5 for a family-size bag of Doritos without thinking twice. With that same five bucks I could buy a 2lb head of cabbage, a 1lb bag of rice, a box of frozen spinach and one or two cans of beans. I know it's not sexy food, but for people on a budget, it *works*. I know, I am living it right now!

Also, I'm not sure this is a class or income issue in the end, though I know the food manufacturers would like low-income people to believe that it is. I know several struggling families that are committed to healthy eating;I know several middle-class families that claim healthy food is too expensive, yet they always have plenty o' beer in the fridge and a cable package so elaborate the actors practically show up to perform right in the living room. I have nothing against these things per se, I only point them out in reference to people who claim they can't afford to eat real food.

 

[LauraMax]

The local water park put a new rule in place this summer. No outside food and drinks, you have to buy from the concession stand. This has made people very angry. Not only is it overpriced, it is nutrionaly vacant. An article in the paper was even written because folks are so angry. The pool said it is too hard to keep fresh produce, so they cannot be asked to do that.

It just seems we are fighting an uphill battle with this. When I go out to eat, I try to chose carefully. If we go to a steak house, I will chose the 6 ounce cut. It always looks so small and puny next to everyone else's because we are so skewed on portion sizes anymore.

I have always had a hard time with my weight, since being a teen. It is hard enough when you have a tendency to gain, and then pile all these issues on top it is crazy.

My DH drinks a lot of Mt Dew. I think that the only thing a tax on sugary drinks will do is make him gripe more about taxes.

Wow, that is just outrageous! They won't let you bring a picnic basket to your pool? Makes me wonder who's getting kickbacks there. I remember when I was a kid my mom would make popcorn for us to take to the movies (for economic reasons, not nutritional) & then all of a sudden the theaters wouldn't let us bring it in.

Well, I think I agree w/pretty much everything said here except the food always being in our faces thing. I would like to always have food in my face, thank you very much.

Edit: Sparrow, I think you're right, & I think there's a huge educational component missing here. I listen to my secretary ordering her breakfast, lunch & dinner every day. Pork roll, hot dogs, sausage subs, pretty much everything that'd make us cringe. She's always crying poor, but I'd wager she spends about $30 a day eating out (that's $210 a week!), while I spend MAYBE half that, probably a lot less.

 

[sparrow13]

My 2 cents worth, to add to everyone else's : there needs to be a cultural shift to get food out of our faces constantly. There was a time when kids could play together and when it got to be lunchtime or dinnertime, unless you were specifically invited to stay for lunch or dinner, you went home. Today we have "playdates" where food "has" to be served, and I've seen entire buffets of snacks set up at playdates! And while I am very glad to see no-cupcake policies appearing at schools (ducking the flames), when my girls were in preschool and there were no food restrictions other than no peanuts, parents were constantly sending in treats for the class. One parent sent in a ton of pizzas for a kid's birthday, another sent in several platters of nuggets from Chick-Fil-A, enough for an army. On Valentine's Day, nearly every valentine my DD received had candy (full-sized, not Fun Size) or a cupcake attached. The bag of treats she brought home that day had to weigh a couple of pounds at least!

Smoking decreased as more places became smoke-free and people had to go outside to smoke. Perhaps making more places food/drink-free will make people cut back on nibbling? At least you'll burn a few calories if you have to get up and go to the break room to snack. Just an idea...

I agree, and I think we also have to move away from this notion that at home every cabinet and fridge have to be crammed with snacks, drinks, frozen treats, what have you. I know people who routinely have 2 or three kinds of chips, pretzels, ice cream and a few types of crackers going at the same time.

 

[Jaffas]

The local water park put a new rule in place this summer. No outside food and drinks, you have to buy from the concession stand. This has made people very angry. Not only is it overpriced, it is nutrionaly vacant. An article in the paper was even written because folks are so angry. The pool said it is too hard to keep fresh produce, so they cannot be asked to do that.

I could go on for ever on this topic but since I'm a little short on time I'll just say this. We went to the renaissance festival a while back and no outside food was allowed. There were a lot of choices, mostly unhealthy of course, so it wasn't such a big deal but when you added it to the cost of admission it made for an expensive day. I got some falafel and sat at a picnic table next to a large family. They had an amazing spread of middle eastern food, including falafel, that they had brought in. The mother must have caught me eyeing it with envy, my falafel looked like McDonald's in comparison, and offered me some. It was a million times better than mine. Anyway I asked her how they got it in, there was no way they could have concealed so much stuff. She said they told them it was kosher and the only food they could eat. You could try that at the water park. I bet they'd be too afraid to no let you bring it in!

 

[dorothyrd]

Nope they would tell the families to leave the pool to have their picnic and then come back in. I don't go to this pool because I have other issues with it, such as taking away any useful swimming water, and putting in a lazy river to float on, and a zero depth pool to sit and watch your toddler in, no lap swimming at convenient times(unless 9pm is convenient), no diving well and this grand new concession stand full of junk. They did this new rule because of the economy. They want to make more money off their concession stand(on top of the admission which for me would be 9.00), and they openly stated that in the article in the paper.

People around here are really angry about it, but not sure they are angry enough to stay away(since I dont' spend my money there I don't know). I just remember when my kids were tots, I always brought in water bottles and healthy snacks in a small cooler. It saved money, saved standing in line on a hot day, and it was better for them.

 

[DDRdiva]

I agree, and I think we also have to move away from this notion that at home every cabinet and fridge have to be crammed with snacks, drinks, frozen treats, what have you. I know people who routinely have 2 or three kinds of chips, pretzels, ice cream and a few types of crackers going at the same time.

Yes! I think this is a guy thing, because DH gets antsy and wants to go grocery shopping if he sees an inch of empty space in the fridge or there are fewer than 5 boxes of cereal. OTOH I love seeing only a few, quality items in the fridge. It's like "less is more"

And I can remember when portions used to be a lot smaller, too.

 

[icumom]

An economic PHD candidate at our local university (comes to my yoga class) commented that for a 10 cent TAX (ooh that dirty word) on every product containing high fructose corn syrup,and I think all the processed snack foods,we could provide national health coverage in the equivalent of medicare (not medicaid) with prescription drug option (he got a little detailed and I'm likely fuzzing everything) with a surplus.

Not saying anyone likes taxes, but just sayin....