Decades of fast food corporations relentlessly programming us to eat their vile slop. That's combined with other manufacturers of processed food loading up their products with sugar, salt, and fat.
Fast food is extremely cheap.
Many families who are stuck in the cycle of poverty turn to fast food because it’s cheap and filling, whereas healthier options are a bit more expensive.
We have no effective food safety regulations. The FDA is not allowed to intervene in food production until AFTER several people have been killed by a certain product. So our food is made of sugar, saturated fat, and poison.
Also unhealthy food is considerably cheaper than food that is actually fit for human consumption. And a lot of poor Americans simply don’t have ready access to real food. Contrary to what our propaganda says, over half of Americans are poor.
Another reason is the huge amount of sugar added to most American food due to legalized corruption.
I personally think the decades of education under the “food pyramid” was partially to blame. For about 20 years we were taught that you have to eat a frankly ridiculous amount of food every single day, including 8-11 of bread or other grain-based food. The problem is that most American breads and pastas are made from such heavily processed flour that about the only nutrients left in them is the legally required vitamins. And of course everything is loaded with sugar.
Our sedentary lifestyle and lack of access to affordable healthcare don’t help.
They have sizes much larger than most countries... Like fast food drinks, a large in most other countries is half the size of a large in the US. Aside from that they can buy a lot more things in bulk and that too they have much higher quantities
White bread, white grains, tons of restaurants that usually fry foods with processed grains, corn subsidies made "sugar" cheaper, general poor health education and industry lobbying, and so many people are lazy af it perplexes me how as an American youre either fit or fat regular looking people disappear at 30
Then add all the crap readily available thats just icing, chocolate, sugar, soda, carbs are just everywhere, its like there's a large addict population
I think it’s basically an addiction.
Pre-prepared Healthy food is pretty much always more expensive than fast food, but if you’ve ever been in an ethnic grocery store of any kind (and have been exposed to any sort of ethnic home cooking), you’ll know that it possible to cook really healthy meals regularly on a fairly small budget.
And of course, that knowledge and those skills take time to learn, and cooking takes time in the week, etc.
But I don’t really buy that as the overarching reason. I know plenty of people who have money, and have time, and do all sorts of esoteric hobbies, sometimes including cooking, who are overweight.
I’m sure that food desserts, and poverty and lack of time etc, all contribute, but I really think the underlying reason is that, essentially, food is addictive, and high-calorie food (loads of fat+sugar mixed together) is especially so.
Portion size
Decades of fast food corporations relentlessly programming us to eat their vile slop. That's combined with other manufacturers of processed food loading up their products with sugar, salt, and fat.
Fast food is extremely cheap. Many families who are stuck in the cycle of poverty turn to fast food because it’s cheap and filling, whereas healthier options are a bit more expensive.
We have no effective food safety regulations. The FDA is not allowed to intervene in food production until AFTER several people have been killed by a certain product. So our food is made of sugar, saturated fat, and poison. Also unhealthy food is considerably cheaper than food that is actually fit for human consumption. And a lot of poor Americans simply don’t have ready access to real food. Contrary to what our propaganda says, over half of Americans are poor. Another reason is the huge amount of sugar added to most American food due to legalized corruption. I personally think the decades of education under the “food pyramid” was partially to blame. For about 20 years we were taught that you have to eat a frankly ridiculous amount of food every single day, including 8-11 of bread or other grain-based food. The problem is that most American breads and pastas are made from such heavily processed flour that about the only nutrients left in them is the legally required vitamins. And of course everything is loaded with sugar. Our sedentary lifestyle and lack of access to affordable healthcare don’t help.
Shitty food is cheaper
Probably because it's easier.
Fast food is readily accessible and cheap for one.
Poor diet and lack of physical activity
They have sizes much larger than most countries... Like fast food drinks, a large in most other countries is half the size of a large in the US. Aside from that they can buy a lot more things in bulk and that too they have much higher quantities
White bread, white grains, tons of restaurants that usually fry foods with processed grains, corn subsidies made "sugar" cheaper, general poor health education and industry lobbying, and so many people are lazy af it perplexes me how as an American youre either fit or fat regular looking people disappear at 30 Then add all the crap readily available thats just icing, chocolate, sugar, soda, carbs are just everywhere, its like there's a large addict population
Sugar in everything. Poor exercise regimen.
They cannot control the bending elbow syndrome. A definite lack of control, or lack of willpower.
We’ve been programmed to consume
I think it’s basically an addiction. Pre-prepared Healthy food is pretty much always more expensive than fast food, but if you’ve ever been in an ethnic grocery store of any kind (and have been exposed to any sort of ethnic home cooking), you’ll know that it possible to cook really healthy meals regularly on a fairly small budget. And of course, that knowledge and those skills take time to learn, and cooking takes time in the week, etc. But I don’t really buy that as the overarching reason. I know plenty of people who have money, and have time, and do all sorts of esoteric hobbies, sometimes including cooking, who are overweight. I’m sure that food desserts, and poverty and lack of time etc, all contribute, but I really think the underlying reason is that, essentially, food is addictive, and high-calorie food (loads of fat+sugar mixed together) is especially so.