The National Costs of America's Obesity Problem

RedTracker| In a WSJ article that many will find inflammatory, hurtful and politically incorrect, Theodore Dalrymple writes a passionate argument about the costs to America of our obesity problem.

The numbers are terrifying on multiple front, from lost productivity annually to the heartbreaking health consequences of increased mortality rates, as America drops further down the longevity rankings.

The problem is global, with assertions that America’s fastfood-driven, “biggie-size” it, sugar-saturated, carb culture is negatively impacting global health around the world.

Dalrymple’s essay quickly becomes a broader condemnation of America’s way of life and global change. “Thirty-six percent of British children never eat a meal at a table with another member of their family or household.”

Family and social meals are among the most powerful teachers of self-control in the human repertoire. They teach that the appetite of the moment is not, or rather ought not to be, the sole determinant of one’s behavior. The pattern of grazing or foraging independently of everyone else teaches precisely the opposite lesson. It is hardly surprising that those who do not experience family or social meals early in life exhibit the lack of self-control that underlies so much modern social pathology in the midst of plenty. via WSJ

Whether you agree or not with the author, his essay is a worthy read. Sometimes the truth hurts.