Hi! Today we’re going to deal with the issue of fast food, obesity and eating disorders.
- What’s your first reaction to this photograph?
- How does it make you feel?
- Does it cast any doubts about fast food? If yes why?
- Now that you’ve given your personal opinion on the pic you can read this article on fast food advertising on youth. What’s wrong with this picture?
Do the Poll How often do you eat in a fast food I’ve just devised.
Let’s start by watching some scenes from the movie Supersize Me (2004) where while examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald’s food for one month.
Here’s the trailer:
NOW AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BY LEAVING A COMMENT:
1) Do you think that here in Italy we have the same problem of obesity related to fast foods? Why or why not? FIND some DATA & figures.
2 ) WHY & how often do you eat fast food? Do you think about what you are eating, whether it’s healthy or dangerous to your health?
3) Can you think of any strategies to resolve the problem of obesity in the U.S.A.?
I would like to end our post I’m adding some links that you may find of interest:
- SLOW FOOD a completely different vision of eating & food.
- Brief history of Mc Donald’s
Now if you feel like you can watch the whole movie on YouTube.
Enjoy while, if you feel peckish, drinking a healthy fruit juice or eating a fruit 🙂
I don’t like fast food, and I hate McDonlad’s food. I think in Italy there aren’t the same problem of obesity like in U.S.A. but however also here a lot of people like eat fast food and often eat takeaway food.But I think that McDonald’s is only junk food. We have a good food tradition but the tv promote fast food and takeaway food. We have to say also that a lot of people are to busy to cook or to do exercise and for them eating fast food or takeaway food is easier, but non better!
I prefer eating at home and luckily my parents (my mum for lunch and both of them for dinner) can cook everyday.
I think about what I eat, and I also try to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables (I know that a lot of people don’t like them). I always eat fruit (for breakfast with creals, for lunch, for dinner… I love it!!)
I think the best strategies to resolve the problem of obesity are doing exercises (not needs a lot) everyday; and try to eat a lot of differents food.
A lot of teenagers don’t like fruit and vegetable only because they don’t know different types of them.
I’ve also finded this video, please whatch it, is very interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvNkZKHOFaE
I think in Italy we don’t have the same problem of obesity like in U.S.A., because we have a good cooking tradition and fast food is less common (altough a lot of people I know eat fast food ad takeaway food). Probably the problem is that nowadays fast food restaurants are like…everywhere, and tv also promote fast food. I have the fortune to have a mum and a dad who cooks very well , so I almost never go or need to eat fast food. My mum is vegetarian and my dad doesn’t eat meat, like my brother and I, so my diet is healthy and I don’t need fat and unhealthy food too.
When it happens I think about what I eat, and I try to eat the less “dangerous” I can.
I think doing exercise (maybe even a little) is the best way to be healthy, so schools, tv and people around us, should try to convince us to do it and promote sport.
Here in Italy we don’t have problems like in the United States, maybe because the fast food restaurants arrived later and we have a good cooking tradition. I have the fortune to have a mum and dad that are good cooks (and also my grandparents) so I almost never need to eat fast food.
I never go to a fast food restaurant,probably because I hate making queues and I want silence while I’m eating. But also because I Always think of what I’m eating, and Always read the ingredients for example on the biscuits’ boxes, drinks, juices, corn flakes ecc.
I think that people won’t stop eating fast food until someone shows them HOW the food is made! And what there is inside!
Anyway this comment won’t change the situation ☺ But this is my opinion
Adele.
P.s.: also doing exercise is useless when you’r obese because you can’t do it because you’re too fat 🙁
Not true Adele because if obese people add to their diet the right workout under medical control the results can be outstanding.
I think that here in Italy, the problems of fast food, are not so alarming as in other countries, first of them the United States.
This is due to the fact that here the food culture is different and based on different principles of how to consume the meal and what it should be composed.
It all began in 1954 when Ray Kroc, a seller of electric blenders Multimixer,decided to go to a restaurant in San Bernardino, owned by the two McDonald brothers, to understand why there was such a high demand for its flagship model prepare milkshake.
Ray Kroc is so enthusiastic about their simple and brilliant business management, that shortly after he offers to become their agent licensee.
After a year, Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.
After nearly half a century, are more than 30,000 McDonald’s restaurants worldwide, including about 13,000 in the United States. They employ a million and a half people and serving more than 48 million customers every day.
Personally I eat out to the fast food about one/two times a month and considering the amount of sport that I do, eat at fast food occasionally didn’t cause to me any kind of damage to health.
to solve the obesity problem in the united states enough that they were given lessons in nutrition education primarily in schools and to ensure that all Americans are informed about the dangerousness of these fast food, the problem should be exposed by the media such as television and radio .
Riccardo, why did you add the story of Ray Kroc if you had Mac Donald’s story in the link above? Anyway I certainly agree with you when you say that “considering the amount of sport that I do, eat at fast food occasionally didn’t cause to me any kind of damage to health.”;)
I think that in Italy there aren’t big problems of obesity infect when I go around the city I don’t watch so much person who are obese.
But my opinion changed when I read some information.
In 2002 there were 571000 deaths. I was very worried for the situation.
Also the obesity is in increase because in five years it was increased of 9%, now 1 person on 10 is obese.
For me if we don’t do nothing we will live together with many diseases for example:
diabetes and problems of circulation, concentration and heart.
In USA there are more causes of obesity than in Italy but the dates are worrying in all over the world.
In my opinion the problem is related to poor eating habits of the population because the person go many times to fast food.
For example I go to fast food about once a mouth and I eat fast food because I like to spend lunch time with my friends but some of my friends go to fast food twice a week!! For me is impossible because I love eat at home with my family for speak about what I do at school or what I’m going to do at evening.
I think that sometimes we can eat fast food but the important thing is do not do it regularly every day!
When I go to eating these foods I usually think that it’s dangerous for my and my body…
I’m aware of this fact and I prefer to abolish these foods.
For me the only way to decrease the problems of obesity is to follow some simple rules:
>increase the lunch break
>privilege healthy foods; In fact the Italian population have a lower percentage of obesity than the population in other countries for our culinary tradition.
>jog or do exercise in the open air
> watch some videos of causes of obesity to the guys of our age.
> overcome the difficult with determination and will power.
I hope that one day we could solve this problem that now affects many people in the world.
sara I really appreciate your simple rules, based on common sense & wisdom.
In Italy there is the problem of obesity but not us USA. But in Italy has increased the use of fast food, snacks and sugar drinks because they are cheap, tasty and more people go to eat at fast food because they are very busy and have little time to prepare lunch or dinner and then the sugar content in those foods is almost like a drug because many children like to eat them and the parents often tired for work prefer to take their children ready-made foods rather than preparing healthy foods and for me also for this in Italy in recent years has the negative record of obese children in Europe.
I eat fast food occasionally up to once a month because at my sister and at me like the McDonalds food although we know that is not good but once a month isn’t a problem.
The fast food will remain a problem especially now that they are doing an incredible success around the world but it would be important to explain to children in schools and at home which foods are healthy and which are not and make a lot of physical activity.
Yes Tommaso You and YOUR SISTER LIKE mac Donald’s ( not at me & at my sister like” è costruzione italians) & once a month won’t be such a big deal as far as you are aware of the importance of eating healthy food.
I always thought that here in Italy the problem of obesity isn’t so serious as than in the U.S.A but when I browsed on internet I absolutely change idea. In the world 300.000 people are obese and this number will be increase. That involve a serious and difficult problem for the healthy. The most serious problem is in the North America and in Europe, but is widespread in place where, in the past, there weren’t or were in minimal extent.
In the latest years the obesity is doubling in much countries. For example in Europe is doubling of 10-50%. About the 4% of all the children European are obese and this percentage is to increase.
In the U.S.A the problem is double respect Europe, but the rate of increase in the Europeans countries is more elevated. The requisite for a good and healthy life are eating the healthy food and practice a lot of sport. This is the precisely problem in the U.S.A: only the rich people can afford to practice a lot of sports, unlike the poor people that are forced to eat where the food is cheap, like the fast food, and they cannot do the exercise or practice sports because they’re needy.
People prefer the fast food because they’re cheap and advantageous but a lot of person don’t know how the hamburger or the other food are made.
More people around the world are becoming fat. The World Heart Federation in Geneva, Switzerland, reports that the number of overweight and obese people is increasing. The organization says about seven-hundred-million people around the world weight too much. Health experts fear this increase in obesity will lead to an increase in the number of people with heart disease and stroke. The World Heart Federation estimates seventeen-million people around the world die each year from heart disease or stroke. Research shows these two conditions are among the most common health problems related to obesity. Others include diabetes and high blood pressure.
Once a month I go to the fast food like McDonalds or Burger King and the food is very good but when I think how it’s made I change idea. I think that we go ahead together we can reduce the rate of obesity not only in the U.S.A but in all over the world because every countries, every person, every children are challenge against the obesity.
Thanks for your data. As you said we can all fight against this problem and that’s what we’re doing here at school: educating young people. Awareness! It’s our challenge to make the world a better place!
I think the problem with the obesity in italy there is, but is smaller than in the U.S.A. because there in italy we have mediterranea diet which is the most balanced diet. But the obesity in italy is increasing, because in the fast food, we can buy a lot of food with a few money and the fast food use more salt in food so you buy more soft drinks. The new generation are sedentary that’s because now we use more trasportation like car and bus. To reduce the priblem of obesity we can reduce the quantity of junk food, soft drinks and we can do more exercises
I think here in Italy the obesity caused by fast foods is not a problem like in other “Americanized” countries because our food culture is one of the most known in the world and it is one of the healthier. For example, in Italy there are 400 Mc Donald’s but in other countries like Germany they are over 1000.
Sometimes I eat in fast foods because they offers you cheap food and in less time than other restaurants. I prefer to don’t think about what I’m eating because if it happens only some times in a year, it won’t be dangerous for you health.
To resolve this problem in the USA the government must inform people about what they are eating. If they start doing it in the school, the things will change.
I don’t think is a good habit NOT TO THINK about issues like this. And… as you said we’re informing young people like you here at school. Then it’s up to you to make your choices.
All countries are affected by problems of eating disorders, some more than others.
In America, 64% of people are obese (34%) or overweight (34%).
Children between 6 and 11 years are 19% are obese or overweight, and between 12 and 19 years to 19.5%.
But some studies show that by 2030 the rate of obesity will still grow up to 42% and 11% of the population will be severely obese. This means that 30 million Americans will become obese, and that the cost of public health will grow to 549.5 billion dollars.
In Italy luckily for us, the numbers decrease, in fact, the percentage of obese adults is 11% and of those who are overweight is 32%.
Even Italian’s children are for 11% obese and 30% overweight.
The problem of obesity increases with age, and is particularly prevalent in males.
The fast food present in Italy are about 2000, and they are mainly the McDonald’s.
In America 12,000 fast food are just mc donald’s, while all the fast food in America are about 36000.
I always thought these things, and fortunately I have also been educated to not eat at fast food restaurants.
Sure, sometimes it happens, about once a month if not less, to eat at McDonald’s during the school year because it is located behind my school, and I was invited by my friends. Then I only ate 4 times a burger in my life.
I hate eating junk food, the idea to be nourished of things that ruin my health, disgust and g concern me.
Regarding this argument I found a testimony of Len Foley has preserved some of the Mcd
Donald’s hamburger for about 18 years, and these have remained intact as mummies. Other people are curious and they wanted to imitate his experiment.
I think the first step that you can do about the problem of obesity in America is to educate better the children, schools should make children understand what they are eating, you should call and talk to the parents of those who are growing: an obese child with related diseases.
We should reduce the number of fast food and remove publicity of fast food. I know it would not change much, but in the meantime the fast food would already be a bit ‘weaker. We should continually denounce the McDonald’s and make it close.
It’s impossible to eliminate the problem of obesity, and even reduce it’s practically impossible because it’s those who suffer from these problems that needs to be helped, one by one, they should be encouraged to go to a center of eating disorder who still does not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic
Thank you Sofia also for your link. I would check out the reliability of that website. Morgan Spurlock did a test of the decomposition rate of McD’s food and regular restaurant food. Everything began to rot eventually. The McD burgers did seem to break down slower then the restaurant burger but they all rotted in the end and everything was thrown out because of the stench and sight. After glancing through the site (and watching the guru himself on a video)I think the ‘Bionic Burger’ is a HOAX. (BUFALA)
I think in Italy there aren’t the same problems of foods of U.S.A., because there are less in Italy than in the United States and because in Italy food is more genuine than in the U.S.A., for example pasta and spaghetti are typical Italian healthy foods.
In the site: http://www.blogbiologico.it , I read that the exaggerated number of commercial licenses to open fast food is the biggest cause of epidemic obesity.
At the top of the list there are the United States with 7,52 fast food for every 100 thousand inhabitants and obesity rates are of 31,3% among men and 33,2% among women.
Canada has similar result.
The Study was conducted by University of Michigan, led by Roberto De Vogli.
I ear at fast food once a month but sometimes once in two months, I eat this food because I like it, but respect the hamburger I prefer the fried potatoes.
I know fast food is dangerous to my health, but I think that itis not so dangerous if I eat it once a month.
I think the United States can try to give healthy food to the poor people: free or cheap.
But American people has to do something too, for example go to the gym, go to run or do some sport.
I think that in Italy there’s the same obesity’s problem because people is starting to eat at fast food more frequently, but in my opinion is not so serious as in the USA where there’s someone who always eats there.
Luckily, in Italy there’s the Mediterranean diet which is one of the best in the world: following it we eat lots of different food and that’s the best kind of diet we can have.
As I can see, our diet is lighter and healthier since breakfast, and in Italy there are less fast food then USA (only 411 MacDonald here compared to 12000 in the USA). A lot of people I know practice sport in an amateurial way but most of them practice in a competitive level, so that helps people to stay fit and burn a lot of fat.
Last thing I think is better here than in the USA is that, when I go out, I see less fast food or places where to eat junk food as I can see in photos of the USA: that makes me thinking that probably here we have the routine to go to restaurants when we eat out, or in other places which sell healthy kinds of food.
Last year I started to go to MacDonald’s more frequently: I went there with my friends often in Mondays because I used to remain in Pordenone waiting for my basketball lesson; MacDonald was the nearest place to go and also the cheapest one! But unfortunately I saw that all the students from “Flora” were there eating and always we couldn’t take a seat because there was too people. I thought they where there just on Monday, but when I talked with one of my friends who went to “Flora”, I understood that was a habit repeated EVERY days (and I admit that he really scared me, how can a person eat every days fast food? Sometimes I’m really happy when I eat a salad!).
My parents taught me from when I was a child that going to fast food is really unhealthy and I remember that eating with them at MacDonald was a present for me and my brother, and this happened once or twice a year.
Now I’m happy not to eat often at fast food: I’m always scared to eat wrong things and get too fat. I think eating junk food isn’t a problem when we do it rarely, but it can be dangerous if we do it too many times in a short time.
I think Michelle Obama is already doing an amazing work teaching the Americans how to eat well, but some of them still eat junk food, so it could be useful start selling fruits or vegetables in schools and public places instead of crisps or any type of unhealthy food.
Also stopping building fast food could be a good idea, and some organizations should become more active and doing more Health Care in schools since the first years with campaigns for fighting junk food.
Then people should do a lot of exercise taking care about their bodies: I think that’s not just an aesthetic problem, but also a mental one. If someone starts to lose weight, his body will look better, but also his self-esteem: if we love our body we can love other people and we would stay in happiness with everybody.
Thanks for this excellent and knowledgeable comment my dear. I couldn’t agree more 🙂
I think in italy ther is the same problem with the other countries. This low cost food make the lunch or the dinner cheaper than the homemade food.
I don’t like fast food like mc donald’s and my family to, that is why I never go in fast food. Although i think this food is not good for me. I like eating good food and not junk food.
I think also to make the world better is to reduce the cost of the supermarket and reduce or eliminate the number of mc donald’s in the USA
I think obesity and fast food are problems for most of the countries in the world, except countries like China and Japan; this is only because of their food habits and traditions, which are very ancient and people don’t want to change them.
About Italy I think the problem is not as big as it is in other countries, for three reasons: our food tradition, the mediterranean diet, the cost of food, because in countries like USA buying food in markets costs more than fast food, and the times of work, because in USA (but also in UK, of course) people have less time to eat good food, so fast food is the inly thing they can eat in the time they have, if they don’t have to eat it at work or into their cars into the traffic.
I rarely eat fast food, and when I do is mainly after school, when I have something to do at school after morning lessons, and when I go to the cinema.
In both situations I eat there because they are very near and it takes less time than having lunch or dinner with more time and, this way, better.
I know all that food is unheathy and I prefer going home and cook something by myself, even if I don’t have much time, but sometimes I take this faster and easier way.
About obesity in America I don’t think that a group of people, it doesn’t matter if big or little, even if created by the wife of the President herself, can be enough to change the diet of over 100 milion people because the problem isn’t just the eating habits: it’s surely also a social and especially economic problem: social because food habits are difficult to change if they are considered the only way to live. This problem can be solved only with the help of doctors and psychologists, but the costs for health in America are altrady enormous; the second problem, as I said before, are economic: most of people don’t have enough money to buy healthy food, which is even more expemsive.
So the solution is more radical than how it could seem: it needs the help of all people to change not only their diet, but their whole lifestyle.
No, I think in Italy we dont’ have the same problem of obesity about the fast food like in America. In my opinion Italy has less problem of obesity than America because we have more culture about food and we have, we use and we go less to the fast foods than in USA. In fact pasta and pizza are cheap, popular and they are very good maybe more than hamburgers.
Normally I eat the fast food once or twice every month, when I have to stay at school to do some activities. I like go there (Mc Donald’s, for example) because you don’t have to do queue and in other place like “casa dello studente” you have to spent a lot of time to eat; to fast foods the service is really fast! But when I go there I know what I’m going to do because the foods are very unhealthy an dangerous for us health.
To reduce the problem of obesity in USA all the Americans have to do more physical education or sports and they have to eat less food in quantity and more healthy food. I think they haven’t a very dietary culture so the government has the to decide put it in all the American schools.
The crime of the obesity is not only of fast foods, because the people can decide if they want go there or not. If you have more information maybe you can do the right things.
I always thought that America was in first place as “obesity” in the world and I thought that, in Italy, this problem was not so serious.
But looking on the internet about this problem I changed decidedly idea.
The obesity is a disease present everywhere!
Statistical dati can confirm that, I fact in the world there are 300 millions people obese and in Europe 4% of the children suffers from this disease.
Especially in Italy 23% of the children, including nine to eleven years, are overweight and the 12% of the children are obese, but the problem even more important is that people suffering from obesity are always more!
Obesity is disease caused eat “unhealthy” food, like a fast food and a sedentary lifestyle.
In recent years, fast food can be found all over the world and lately there are more and more people prefer to eat in the fast food that cook foods rich in protein, carbohydrates and vitamins.
In Pordenone there are two important fast food, one of these is a MacDonald.
Lately the MacDonald are around the world, only in Italy there are 411 MacDonald and in the world wide there are 98000 of this famous fast food.
I admit that I’m going sometimes to eat to the MacDonald whit my friends because it’s near my school, I’s fast and also good. I know that is not good, but I think that this junk food begins really harmful to my body if I eat it every day. (I like MacDonald, pizza, kebab or another junk food but I know that hurt me and I try to regulate me) 🙂
I think we can give up one meal on fast food for eat a plate of pasta, that is more nutritious
I think to solve the problem of obesity, not only in the USA, bat all over the world should get children to eat healthy, play sports or going to the gym and eat during the meal, not between meals. Even the parents and the school must make available to help them eat better and engage in physical activities.
In the USA there are already initiatives for fight the fast food, like a initiative created by the wife of the president of the USA, Michelle Obama, called “let’s move” for fighting the junk food. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOlz9HDu4Oo
Brilliant comment Susanna. Thanks a million for the video too!
Yes, I think that here in Italy we don’t have the same problems of obesity related to fast food as in America. First of all fast food restaurants were created in America, they are part of her culture and you can find them in every corner of the street. The American people usually go to fast food restaurants because they haven’t time, they don’t want or is more practise than spend hours and hours ‘on the stove’ to cook for all the family. The fast food’s dishes are dangerous and unhealthy. In Italy instead there are fewer fast food restaurants than in America and the most popular are Mc Donald’s and Burger King. The Mediterranean Diet is typically Italian and varied because it contain all the nutritional values that a men needs: meat, fish, cheese, carbohydrates and a lot of fruit and vegetables. American people don’t it so much fruit and vegetables and probably the only lettuce leaf that they eat is inside the burger! For an American man is normal to eat in a fast food restaurant! 🙂 Luckily Americans are beginning to know the Mediterranean Diet, but we hope that in Italy we won’t have more fast food restaurants than now.
I almost never go to Mc Donald’s or Burger King because I prefer home-made food. Until a few years ago I went more than now, but I don’t know the reason. I know that eating fast food’s dishes is bad for one’s health but sometimes you can give yourself a treat and when I go to Mc Donald’s or Burger King is only because I’m in a hurry, is near the school, the cinema or other shopping centres, or because I have nothing to eat at home and going in a fast food restaurant is more practical, but if I can avoid I do it. 🙂
The schools should teach to children that fast food’s dishes are dangerous for health because you have to vary the kinds of food to take all the nutritional values that you need, and in this way young people can help their parents or the adults to eat more healthy than now. Is easier for a child learn this important things than when he will be an adult, because he doesn’t know the rules yet. Of course you must promote the sport because when you practise it you feel better, and also because is good for your health burn calories and keep fit! 🙂
I think that in Italy we have the problem of obesity, but less that USA, because in the last one there are a lot of fast food expecially near the school. This problem regard not only the adults but even the children. This depend on Fast Food but not only.
Other reason are for example : the people don’t do exercises or practise sport that is they conduct a sedentary lifestyle.
I go to fast food because is cheap and near school, however I like junk food even if is bad and dangerous for my health and for this I rarely go.
I believe they should eliminate the fast food and they should build a lot of cheap restaurant where serve healthy food.
I believe that the strategies to resolve the problem of obesity are: in the meantime the parents should try to explain to their children that the junk food is bad for your health. An other solucion is make a tv commercial or “Pubblicità progresso” about dangerous food and the problems that it creates.
Expecially the most important things are eat fruits and vegetables that are healthier and doing a lot of exercises and sport 🙂
I don’t think that here the “Obesity problem” is as advanced as in the US
Yes, people (especially young people, like teenagers) prefer to go at fast foods because they’re cheaper and faster than a lot of other restaurants. The typical American dishes are hot dogs and hamburgers; they try to put everything between just two pieces of bread, it makes me think about how they live squeezing all they can in a scrap of time.
In my life I went only once in a fast food, because my father taught me how much junk food can hurt me and now before eating something I think if it’s healthy or not. In my opinion the U.S.A. should start sharing information, in the schools, between tv programs, I think they should eliminate fast foods and build some cheap restaurants which sell healthy food.
I think that in Italy there isn’t the same problem of fast food as in the U.S.A.! The people go to McDonald’s or Burger King because is faster and cheaper then other bars and restaurants. For example if you went to a bar to buy a sandwich you sure would pay € 3.50! Instead in the fast food with the same price you can buy a cheeseburger with a drink. The reason of this depends on the crisis because it’s better if you can save money although it isn’t good for your health!
I never go to fast food because I don’t like junk food above all this! It’s very dangerous for me for the health like the film “Supersize me” proves!
I agree with Chiara Zorzi who say that young and old people do a sedentary life and this is wrong despite they do a good diet!
At the last question I don’t know how to answer: in my opinion the people, above all in U.S.A., know what are the chances when eat this unhealthy food and if they are really worried of them health they never wouldn’t eat junk food!
I think that here in Italy the food is healthier than the “American” food but some “spots” (like Mc Donald’s) on Tv bewitch teenagers and especially kids,they show that their food is the best,delicious and cheap so they convince people to go there and some people when start to eat this “junk food” can’t stop their-selves and then they become fat and have problems of obesity.
I noticed that kids are more fat and they can’t do exercises, the other kids tease them and they start again to eat this kind of “garbage” to rejoice.
I don’t eat fast food, (only once in a year) because after i feel terrible,heavy and a bit sad and sometimes I have to reject.
I prefer “Slow Food” or things like that when I go home I always eat salads,fish,meat or pasta 🙂
I always think about what I’m eating and I’m responsable of everything I eat.
I started to do sport 🙂 I go twice a week to the swimming pool 🙂 all the childrens,teenagers and adults should do sport!
in the U.S.A. for example for resolving the problem of obesity they should cancel the junk food in all the schools and encourage kids and teenagers to do sport and do two hours of P.I. a week.
What wise students I have. We should use teenagers like you to encourage the others to eat well and do physical ex.!
I don’t think that here there is the obesity but the experts say that if the Italians are not careful about avoiding fast foods, cheap restaurants, junk food and drinks with a high sugar content, they will be like the Americans in 2025.
Fast food hasn’t became as popular because the Italians still love good home cooking. It has been an important part of their culture for so long and the Italians are also very conscious about their figure and fashion.
I sometimes eat fast food but not more than two or three times a month. Because if I eat too much of it I will put on weight. Even though fast food tastes good, I think about the dangers to my health in the future. I could develop heart disease, diabetes and liver disease.
I think that to resolve the problem of obesity in the U.S.A. some parents need to be re-educated with better eating habits before they can be a good example to their children. A dietician could be invited into the home to correct bad family eating habits.
Schools should spend more time on food education. Schools should only provide ideal well balanced diets in the school canteen. Doctors should make obese people follow a diet and exercise program. Eliminate snack food, biscuits, chips and sweet in front of the TV and substitute with nuts and small pieces of fruit and vegetables.
Reduce time in front of the TV or computer and organize more sport activities or outdoor hobbies.
It isn’t a one man battle. To obtain results, healthy eating must become a culture and need the collaboration of parents, teachers, doctors, dietician, advertising, laws and regulation by health inspectors and ministers. 🙂
YES YES YES 🙂 Let’s reeducate parents!
The situation in italy isn’t the same but is becoming very similar cause obesity is increasing in young people and the number of fast foods is every week higher and a lot of people goes there because it’s very cheap.
I don’t eat at McDonalds because I’m vegetarian but even if I wouldn’t been vegetarian I wouldn’t eat there beacuse for example the fries are too much fried and filled with oil at the point you can set them on fire with a lighter and light a cigarette(tried it last month).
Last for fighting the problem in the U.S.A. I think organizations should become more active and doing more Healt Care in schools since the first years with a campaign for fighting the junk food.
Did you know that now Mc Donalds are trying to attract vegetarians by offering more vegetable dishes (salads …)?
I think that in last years we have almost the same problem. Maybe not the adults, but if you look at the children, you’ll see that they are chubby, and this is because parents let them eat whatever they want, crisps, chocolate, drinks cola and things full of sugar, and often they bring them at Mc Donald’s to celebrate their birthday. This is my personal experience.
Instead adults eat there because it’s cheap, fast, and you can eat a lot with not many money.
I’ve ever hated fast foods, since I was at the elementary school. First, I hated it because my friends used to go there, and my parents have never brought me with them. Then, I was invited to a birthday party in Mc Donald’s. That day was a nightmare. I hate that food since first taste. Now, I never eat at mc Donald’s or Burger King, I’m trying to avoid it. I hate that food because it isn’t healthy and also because I really don’t like it.
To resolve the problem of obesity I think that, first, they have to reduce fast foods, and also do a lot of exercise. I’ve seen a pic that shows an American gym. There were stairs, but also sliding scale, and people use that. I think that’s very wrong, because the first step to lose weight is stop to use sliding scale or elevator, and going wherever we want by our feet.
Here’s the picture:
http://www.pallapazza.it/wp-content/gallery/varie/scala_mobile_palestra.jpeg
I’m sorry for my ugly emo picture, this is an old one and I don’t know how to change it. Somebody knows how to eliminate it?
Hadn’t even noticed it. Go to settings (impostazioni) of your email account, personal detais, photo –> select a new one.
You’re dead right Fabiola!! your remark is very wise, that’s why in our school we’ve got three flights of stairs 😉
I think that here in Italy we don’t have the same problems that the people in the USA have. I’m agree with Chiara Zorzi.
For me one of the causes of obesity is “An obesogenic environment, full of temptations” Obviously children and adolescents, can not say ‘no’ at the snacks and the soft drinks. The second problem for me is the sport.Not all young people practice a particulary sport,or in the schools we are subjected to a subject called physical education, but in my opinion it’s made easy and evil.
Honestly, I eat in fast food very often because it’s another way of being together with my classmates after a day of school or with my other friends.
Obviously I attend the fast food because I like the food very much and because it costs less than in the restaurants.I’m not a person who at the time, when I eat, think about the consequences or how I could be but I tend to think all this problems later.
I think that every person decides what to do in their lives, and despite the most temptations,knows the limit of everything. I wouldn’t change anything because every person has a brain to decide what to do in their lives.
I appreciate your honesty & understand that at your age it’s difficult to think about the future years. Nevertheless our body is precious, it’s the only thing that will last forever, whether we like it or not, so we’d better take care of it 😉
I agree with all the people who say that in Italy we don’t have the same problem of obesity because the food that is served in fast food is not part of our culture, but of the American culture and so this problem more Americans. In fact, I know people (like my father) who have never eaten at a fast food .. I think it’s true that this food creates a kind of addiction. I started going to mac donald last year because it was near the school, at the beginning I went there very rarely, but then without realizing it I went there once a week and it wasn’t healthy for me. So now I try to avoid fast food. I think a good strategy to resolve the obesity problem in America is to document the teenagers about what they eat and it would be nice do it at school:)
*and so this problem affects especially Americans.
sorry for the mistake:(
That’s exactly what we are doing, right now 🙂
Yes, I think that in Italy there are similar problems of obesity than the U.S., but here the problem of obesity is not so worrying and is kept under control.
Unfortunately, a lot of guys follow the American traditions and become slaves of the fast-food….I rarely eat fast food.
Sometimes I go to McDonald’s with some friends to eat something quickly before returning home in the late afternoon.
After eating I feel normal and full, probably only those who go there every day will suffer physically; however for me try to solve the problem of obesity in the United States is not going to be easy, it will take a long time surely! Initially you should teach children an healthy, balanced and varied supply, also, kids should do more physical exercise!
for people who are already obese, I would recommend to see a dietician to know what is the most effective diet for them. should also train them with physical exercises that are able to do, under the tutelage of a personal trainer and finally should eat more healthy and nutritious dishes.
http://scienza.panorama.it/salute/alimentazione/Obesita-infantile-cominciamo-a-ridurre-le-porzioni
Thanks for the interesting link bruno. Good diet + exercise … the best way to keep fit!
As the other have already written Italy hasn’t the same problems of the U.S.A. , but certainly we have to emphasize that Italian people are getting fatter too. It depends of the fact that U.S.A. exports all the customs that are the first symbol of globalization. This give rise to the obesity of the world. I guess that Italian food is the best, for example we have the Mediterranean diet which is used in all the world and is established in our traditions. In the U.S.A., for me, there are 2 problems. The first: the custom of fast food is the stock of their culture, in fact even in the canteen of the schools they dish out junk food like hamburger with ketchup, fried potatoes etc. The second one is immediately connected to the first: since in the schools is dished out junk food, the children and all the boys and girls where can learn how to eat? Because for us it is like a silly, but if no one teach you and most important shows you how to eat obviously you follow the “trend”. So it is a form of ignorance. Most people go there because is cheap and fast, but for remedy at this problem I think we have to think up of the “fast healthy food” situated near the schools and the cinema, highlighted by the schools and the States. All the world need a campaign for sensitize the public to the problems of obesity.
Schools are important but what about families? good upbringing & habits start there don’t you think?
I think that here in Italy the obesity is increasing but not so much as in America. Especially in the last years I notice that there are more fast foods than the past years because more people want to eat faster and cheaper.
In this year I eat at fast food once a month because when my mum is at work I and my dad go to eat an Hamburger, I don’t eat fries at Mc Donald’s because they never change the oil for frying and are like “plastic”. I remember that the last year I went to Mc Donald’s every week with my friends and I felt very disgusting, but now I try to eat as little as possible at fast foods and I’m really happy for this.
To resolve the problem in U.S.A. I think that there must be a subject in the schools called “fight the junk food” where the teachers teach how unealthy is eating at fast foods and show how the food in the fast food is coocked. The children remain disgusted after seeing all the trash that the people eat at fast food!
Yes we call it “educazione alla salute” they call it Health Care. Don’t feel disgusted, once in a while doesn’t kill anybody, as far as it doesn’t become a habit 😉 Japanese food is certainly healthier.
Well, in my opinion here in Italy we have problem of obesity but certainlty less then in the U.S.A, and somethimes they are not related to fast foods but to a sedentary lifestyle.
Here are some numbers: 4.700.000 people are overweight in Italy, 1 out 4 (adults) and 1 out 3 (children) have problem of overbalance, 11% is obese and the alarming thing is that 45% doesn’t do any sport.
I eat at Mc Donald’s or at Burger King occasionally because it’s cheap, it’s really fast and above all it’s good. Although it’s shocking how junk food changes and damages you, I think that eating so rarely there, can’t hurt earnest my body.
I think that the obesity in the U.S.A is a problem of culture, they have always eaten in this way and it’s difficult to change (although the numerous campaigns from Barack and Michelle Obama of revolutionize the school food, like Giorgia said). For me one solution will be presenting concrete exemples of how junk food can hurt, abolish the vending machines and the other snacks in the school. So, boost the sport like an expedient of losing weight, having fun and growing up healty. And the parents will have the most important assignment: educate their children to an healty lifestyle, doing it first and especially believe in.
Yes Chiara it’s absolutely necessary that school & families work together & cooperate only this way we can start to change the attitude of young people!
Fast foods are all over the world nowadays and since they sell food that people (usally) like for really cheap, they go there to eat instead of having a healthy homemade meal and this obviously makes the percentage of people who suffer from obesity increase! But I think that Italians live healthier than the others because most of them practice at least one sport and they have a healtier diet. Also, there are less fast foods in here. In the USA the problem is much worse (just like Christian explained) and the percentage of people who suffer from obesity is scary!
I rarely eat fast food, no more than 5-6 times a year. I don’t like eating fast food, the only times I eat it is when I don’t have the time to cook a meal, for example when I spend the whole day away from home and I get home late. Fast food sellers say that their food is healty but I don’t trust them, no matter what they say, that “food” is trash to me! If only I think of how many times those people use the same oil to fry chips all over again it makes me sick! It’s really dangerous for anyone’s health!
Anyway, I have to say that the idea of places where you can immediately eat a meal is (itself) great, the only problem is the food they sell in those places! They should start selling healthier food such as salads, fruit, burgers filled with white meat and baked chips instead of fried chips. Also, the sizes of cokes, burgers and chips are way TOO huge: bigger sizes means more calories, and I would really like to remind people that an average person should assume something around 2000 calories a day (but it really depends on your metabolism, if you’re a man or a woman, if you practice sports etc.) and once I read that a hamburger can contain over 600 calories! That’s insane!
If I could fight the problem of obesity in the USA I would start from the schools: teachers should make their students understand that eat healthily is important and so is practicing sport. Canteens should start offering healthy food and most of all vending machines should be filled with fruit and healthy sanwiches intead of those fat chocolate bars and chips: this is a growing problem everywhere, also in Italy, and I really hope that my school (maybe with the support of the headmaster and the teachers) starts selling healthy food in the vending machines!
I couldn’t agree more Mattia. Brilliant comment 🙂
I go to MacDonald’s sometimes, beacuse is near school and is cheap, but I don’t eat the hamburger or meat there, beacuse I saw a film that esplicated how them are made, I was disgusted and now I don’t want to eat there anymore. So when I go I take or chips or a milkshake.
I’ve never think how dangerous are these meals for me,but now that we are doing this topic, it interest me very much.
Normally I don’t eat very much, but I do a lot of sport that makes me feel good.
I think that in Italy we don’t have the same problems of US, but their diet is coming also here by MacDonald’s and the other fastfood restaurants in which people can eat especially unhealthy food at lows prices.
For me we don’t have to eliminated this fastfood, but we should change the food, I mean to remove the unhealthy food like fat hamburger, hypercaloric softs, chips and substitute them with healthy and fresh food, like fruit’s centrifuges, turkey’s and chicken’s hamburger, baked potatoes, or just need to cook them in another way. But the prices have to remain low.
Maybe with this food the youth want to go there anyway,but it could be more healthy than now.
Was the film dealing with that topic Fast Food Nation? Yes,fruit SMOOTHIES (centrifugati) are a very good idea!
I think that italian people have different habits compared to American people. In Italy people want to eat the traditional food of the country in fact only 2,7% of the Italian people go to fast food every day, against the 55% of the people in the U.S.A.
I eat at fast food every three months, I go there when I want to eat something different, I know that it’s not healthy but if you eat it sometimes it’s not too bad.
To resolve the problem of obesity in the U.S.A., I think that TV shouldn’t publicize fast foods, especially during commercial breaks of cartoons or films for kids, because they are easy influenced from them, and if they see the publicize of a fast food they will probably ask their parents to go there.
You are absolutely right, kids are influenced BY ads & even advertising should comply to ethics.
Well I think the problem of obesity here is on a bad way, not necessary because of the fast foods. They’re obviously built in strategic points, near the schools or the cinemas, where they know people go every day. I think the choice it’s up to you, I mean in our case we have “Casa dello Studente” where you can eat healthy food, but almost all of us prefer to go and eat at fast foods, I don’t know why, maybe ‘cause that kind of food makes you addicted.. We shouldn’t eat junk food very often, there’s always a choice.
I used to eat at Mac Donald’s something like…once in a blue moon, but the last year I started going there every now and then with some class mates, every time I had to stay at school for something.
Mum always disagreed with it, so she gave me some articles to read, and I learnt how much junk food can hurt me. The problem in the U.S.A. is bigger than in Italy, I think they should begin from the schools, eliminating the unhealthy items one by one, as if they were taking off a ball from a dog, they should work with small things, and then improve more and more, making kids learn and like healthy food.
Yes darling, I see your point when you’re with friends sometimes you cannot decline the invitation. But it’s up to us to help our friends make better choices, step by step, little by little and sometimes we have the right to say no and remain out of the pack 😉 as far as it’s our CHOICE!
In my opinion in Italy we don’t have the same problem of obesity because here the fast foods are less than the ones in America, as a matter of fact when i went to New York as soon as i turned i saw a Mc’donals and a Burger King, they were in every corner! In these days the american diet is being established in Italy and i don’t think its a good idea, italians should be proud of their diet because its one of the healthiest in the world and they shouldn’t start the americans one just because it tastes better (most of them are artificial and can damage our body). I sometimes go to fast foods and really like the food they serve but i never thought of how they are dangerous to my health but now that i know that they are unhealthy and so dangerous i will try to eat them less and maybe one day i will stop eating them.. Maybe… And last i think that if they want to defeat obesity in the US the parents have to push their kids to do more exercise and stop taking them to the fast foods and the fast foods could try to make healthy food as well instead of the unhealthy and artificial junk food.
It’s great that you did your homework even if you were absent from school. This is the evidence that using a Blog is a way to make life easier to the students who couldn’t attend the class. 🙂 Thanks
For me in Italy we haven’t the same problem of obesity because, even if in last years Italians are approaching at the USA’s diet, we aren’t arrived at those livels yet. But I think that if the people continue tuo build fast food expecially near schools, the youth will get increasingly worst taking advandage of the cheap and of the nearness. When I enter in a fast food it’s always full of customers, in the last times also old people are starting to go there and this, for me, is an allarm which says us to take attention if we will not want to become like the americans. I go to eat in fast food about one or two times a month, I can say that the foot is very good but it is also very dangerous for myself and unhealty. To solve problems about obesity in the USA they should reduce prices in the other restaurants so that they aren’t too expensive, people should have more free time to cook and to eat at home. In fact people go to the fast food also because they have very fast service and then to save their time.
THANKS Chiara you’re right we all need more time but you can be healthy also at cheap trattoria!
I think that in Italy the problem of obesity is not as severe as in the USA. Since morning our diet is lighter and our dishes are healthier; in our country there are less fast food then USA. Many young people practice sport and the parks and the streets are full of persons who run. In Italy I would prohibit children to eat packaged snacks.
I don’t eat very often in fast food restaurants, in fact, I eat fast food when I go the cinema with my friends. A doctor told me that eating so much fast food is dangerous for my health. From that moment I decided to listen to his advice.
My strategy to resolve the problem of obesity in USA is impose a new subject in all schools of all levels called “Obesity Emergency”. During the lessons is taught an correct diet; a chef teach to cook low-fat and rich in fiber and water dishes; a doctor who explains the diseases that depend on obesity and in each class, there’s also a personal trainer for the students.
Hereinafter I propose an article that explain Michelle Obama’s strategies to resolve the obesty’s problems.
“USA – The Let’s Move campaign, which was launched two years ago by Michelle Obama with the aim of solving within a generation the problem of obesity in American children, promotes the idea that a healthy diet and exercise are a form of health consciousness in which you get used to since childhood. In this project, the first lady organizes frequent social events, set in the White House and televised. Among the latter, in February Mrs. Obama was confronted with Jimmy Fallon, host of the NBC’s Late Night, tug of war, the sack race, the hula-hoop, without flinching in the face of a series of bending and winning all the challenges. This was not the first sports performance for lady Michelle, who had already defeated the bending television host Ellen DeGeneres, and attended the U.S. Open with renowned professional athletes. In March, however, gave way to fourth in the organic cultivation of the White House with groups of students from elementary schools in Fairport, Chester, Ames, Greensboro and Washington. “My kids are not big fans of fruits and vegetables,” says Michelle Obama “but if you help me to grow garden plants, they taste more willingly products.” Let’s move also supports PALA (Presidential Active Lifestyle Award), an initiative that challenges to undergo a food program and sports 6 weeks and includes a prize for the best actuator.” http://www.stoccolmaaroma.it/2012/politiche-pubbliche-contro-lobesita-infantile/
Georgia, you’ve written a very interesting comment. Thanks for mentioning Michelle Obama’s new policy, you’ve anticipated what I wanted to say in class : )
I think that here in Italy we don’t have the same problem of obesity related to fast food as in U.S.A. In Italy the problem is less common because the culture of fast food is less usual than in U.S.A. Moreover the italian peoples are more sporting than american peoples. For example in Italy the percentage of obese children is 11% while in U.S.A. the percentage is 17%. Moreover the percentage of obese men and women in Italy is 14%, while in U.S.A. is 35%. I almost never eat fast food. This year I ate fast food once when I’m back from a presentation because it was late. When I eat at Mc Donald’s or Burger King I know that those foods are dangerous for my health but I also think that if I eat them rarely they don’t cause problems. To resolve the problem of obesity in U.S.A. I would change the ideals of those peoples, I’d eliminate most of the Mc Donald’s and Burger king, I’d introduce some fast food restaurant in which are served only healthy foods, I’d introduce, I’d expand and I’d promote the “worship” of sport, I’d educate young people on issues of fast food, I’d eliminate the fast food from school canteens and I’d impose a healthy regime in the school.
Thanks Cristian, I really needed updated numbers! I also agree on the necessity to promote Sport. Burning calories is the best way to be healthy and fit! & also happy:)