I’ll have the sirloin. Hold the fecal matter.
Last Updated on Saturday, 06 March 2010 21:04 Written by Administrator Saturday, 18 April 2009 12:34
Saw this movie last week at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA. It exposes the horrors of the food industry, such as the mistreatment of farmers by big business conglomerates, genetic engineering, and the disgusting processes of meat-packing sectors (I guess Sinclair taught us nothing). It shows how livestock are raised and slaughtered in frighteningly mass quantities. Yes, I know animals need to be killed for my dinner somehow and that America needs to be fed, but you’ll really be questioning what you’re putting into your body after watching this movie. The film pushes for stricter sanitation controls and food safety laws, fair treatment for farmers, and healthier eating habits for Americans. Here’s some childhood obesity statistics provided by the CDC which shows that obesity trends have almost tripled since the 1970s:
The following graphs show trends in childhood overweight based on NHANES data for various age groups, beginning with NHANES I (1971–1974) and ending with NHANES 2003–2006 (the most recently available published data).
Data from NHANES I (1971–1974) to NHANES 2003–2006 show increases in overweight among all age groups:
- Among preschool-aged children, aged 2–5 years, the prevalence of overweight increased from 5.0% to 12.4%.8, 46
- Among school-aged children, aged 6–11 years, the prevalence of overweight increased from 4.0% to 17.0%.8, 46
- Among school-aged adolescents, aged 12–19 years, the prevalence of overweight increased from 6.1% to 17.6%.8, 46
| Prevalence of Obesity* Among U.S. Children and Adolescents
(Aged 2–19 Years) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey Periods | ||||
| NHANES II
1976–1980 | NHANES III
1988–1994 | NHANES
1999–2002 | NHANES
2003–2006 |
|
| Ages
2 through 5 |
5% | 7.2% | 10.3% | 12.4% |
| Ages
6 through 11 |
6.5% | 11.3% | 15.8% | 17.0% |
| Ages
12 through 19 |
5% | 10.5% | 16.1% | 17.6% |
|
*Sex-and age-specific BMI ≥ 95th percentile based on the CDC growth charts Sources: Ogden CL, Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Johnson CL. Prevalence and trends in overweight among U.S. children and adolescents, 1999–2000. JAMA 2002;288:1728–1732. Hedley AA, Ogden CL, Johnson CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999–2002. JAMA 2004;291:2847–2850. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Flegal KM. High Body Mass Index for Age Among US Children and Adolescents, 2003–2006. JAMA 2008;299:2401–2405. |
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Here’s some stats on diabetes in the United States:
Diabetes is becoming more common in the United States. From 1980 through 2006, the number of Americans with diabetes tripled (from 5.6 million to 16.8 million). As the detailed tables show, people aged 65 years or older account for approximately 37% of the population with diabetes.
And the increase affects all age groups, including children:
Okay yea.. so.. watch Food, Inc. and eat smarter or face huge medical bills.