How America got so fat…and so SICK!:

We are fatter and sicker than ever We compensate by taking pills and

going on fad diets But the fact is…our fast-food diets and

sedentary lifestyle is trumping the advances in medical science that have been responsible for at least 4 decades of decreasing death rates from heart disease.

The hard truth….whatever shape healthcare reform ultimately takes---it won’t matter—because as a nation we won’t be able to pay for it.

If we don’t halt and reverse the obesity epidemic—our heath care system will be bankrupted by the sheer numbers of sick Americans!

The prediction is that our current population—ages 30-45 could have the dubious distinction of being the “sickest generation.”

For the first time in history…heart attacks are on the rise for this age-group.

Without immediate intervention…for the first time in modern history…we will start to see a reduction in life span.

We are now experiencing an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.

Why? The genesis of fast-food and sedentary lifestyle which has become

toxic.

How did it begin?.... 1873 at the Vienna World’s Fair Steel roller mill debut—this machine

would herald the age of “refined grains” and thus white-flour based products became affordable—leading to an explosion in consumption of “empty calories.”

Next came two game changers…

The home refrigerator and the family car.

By 1910 refrigerators were fairly commonplace---to stock up on foods.

By 1930’s food transported on refrigerated trucks or by rail.

This meant---we were no longer shopping for fresh local food and smaller corner markets were replaced by larger grocery stores.

And by the 1950’s—as the family car became commonplace—no one even needed to walk to the store.

And the march of technology continued…

The shelf life of already-bad-for-you baked goods became further extended with partially hydrogenated oils known as trans fats—really took hold in the 80’s.

Now we can’t live without…

Canned goods Frozen foods Pre-packaged foods Frozen—TV dinners

There was a slow shift, at first, in the family dinner

Which changed dramatically—with the advent of the fast-food restaurant.

now we embrace fast-food restaurants as part of our routine of daily living:

And then there was Twinkies….

Invented in 1930 Still made in Chicago Originally made with banana filling Selling 2 for 5¢ 1999, President Clinton selected

the Twinkie to be preserved in the nation’s millennium time capsule as an enduring American icon.

In 2005—Americans spent $47 million/yr

1,000 are made/minute Which equals 500 million/year! Baked for 10 minutes Cream filling injected through three

holes in the top, but flipped after baking—so the rounded bottom becomes the top!

Has a long shelf life---why?