Thomas F. (hardtack) - , reviewed on 3/23/2020 + 2597 more book reviews

I can't say I learned a lot from this, as I already knew most Americans have lousy eating habits. Sometimes I have to stop and stare at obese people, wondering how they feel, knowing if I was to put on only 10 more pounds I'd feel poorly. In supermarkets I sometimes look at what people put in their baskets and wonder how they can eat that stuff.

If you had a car, would you fill your fuel tank with a mixture of gasoline and water? Yet, this is what people put in their bodies. When I was 30 I was diagnosed with Idiopathic postprandial syndrome---so I had to really watch my sugars---and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I became a label reader. When I realized what was in packaged food, I starting cooking at home more with basic ingredients. I need to, and actually want to, know what is in the food I'm eating.

If you are overweight, the very first thing you need to do is stop drinking sodas. Sodas, according to the book are carbonated water, large levels of high fructose corn syrup and some flavoring. Whereas people in Europe think six to seven ounces of soda is sufficient as a drink, Americans, even youngsters, think you need to have a 32-ounce "Big Gulp" with a meal. And you wonder why diabetes II is now so common among children.

Some things I did learn from the book:

"The fatter you are, the more likely you are to be sick. feel sick, and die young."

"...best summed up by the director of a New York medical program trying to treat the disease [diabetes], 'Bring me a fat man,' the director told the Times, 'and I'll show you a diabetic, or someone who will become one.' "

If you are overweight, you risk several different bone problems, as "A pound of extra body weight places from two to four pounds of extra stress on the hips and knees, even during routine movement.... that stress causes the cartilage to wear, leaving exposed bone surfaces."

When McDonald's realized that parents weren't buying meals for their children, but were instead sharing their meals with the children, McDonald's created the fatty-sugary "Happy Meal," so kids would have their own meals. This led to a significant rise in childhood obesity.

In 1999, Eli Lilly built a new manufacturing plant. "This plant is the largest factory dedicated to the production of a single drug in industry history. That drug is insulin, the sales of which are growing, at least at Lilly, at 24 percent a year." The book goes on to state executives everywhere know, if you want to be rich in retirement, you need a portfolio of insulin stocks.

"There is a $100 billion annual price tag for the care and treatment of diabetics. That boils down to one in every ten dollars dedicated to health care. In terms of federal resources, diabetes alone commands one in every four Medicare dollars."

One thing I did learn which was surprising, as little as 20 extra pounds of fat on your chest restricts your breathing at night, causing sleeping problems. As you get heavier, you can literally suffocate yourself as the weight of your body prevents your lungs from breathing.

But there is a positive side. The more people who are obese, the more people who will die young. Thereby leaving more money in Social Security and Medicare for those who eat healthy and exercise daily. If that statement bothers you, than just reach for that box of Little Debbie snacks to settle your nerves.

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