According to some sources, at least 1 in 8 of the world population is classified as ‘obese’. Since nobody in any government seems to have thought up a working solution, what do you believe can be done to solve the epidemic?

the alleged definition of obesity

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    4 days ago
    • Cheap access to fresh fruit and veg

    • Education for healthy eating starting in childhood

    • Public outdoor spaces that are enjoyable to exercise in

    • Cheap, frequent public transit to allow everyone to access food and public spaces

    If those don’t take care of most of it we can keep going from there.

    • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
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      4 days ago

      Cheap access to fresh fruit and veg

      Won’t work. In my hospital cafeteria at lunch, med staff is lined up at the salad bar, patients line up at the deep fryer. People get a plate of fries and pour gravy over it and call that a meal.

      • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        4 days ago

        Why does your hospital have a deep fryer to begin with? I’m sure if they set out a pile of low cost cocaine they’d consume that as well, it’s silly to offer people addictive foods and then turn your nose up at them when they eat them; especially in the context of being in the middle of what is probably one of the most stressful events of their lives and likely wanting familiar comfort food.

        Anyway, the only difference between you/your colleagues and your patients is covered by my second point: education.

        • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
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          3 days ago

          Why does your hospital have a deep fryer to begin with?

          Because the cafeteria needs to stay open and patients demand it. If we didn’t have shit to feed idiots, idiots would order shit in. You cannot force people to eat well.

    • rowinxavier@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      A thing most people don’t get is that knowledge of how to prepare food and the time to actually do it are also key. My parents could cook 3 meals between them and poorly at that. I didn’t know anything about how to use a knife including the most basic things like sharp knives being less dangerous than blunt ones. I have learned later in life and I am fairly accomplished in the kitchen, including making a roux, making passata from scratch, fermenting and pickling vegetables, making yoghurt, making adaptable stir fry dishes, making stews and soups, and all manner of other things like breads and pâté. None of those things were taught to me by my parents or through schooling. All the access in the world wouldn’t make me able to use chicken liver without making it chalky and nasty, or cook a steak without ruining it.

    • Cyril Strobe@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      4 days ago

      It’s a very good suggestion, but do you think any government right now would push for that? Not disagreeing with you, just wondering about the feasibility of such ideas?

      • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        4 days ago

        Those are two separate questions, without a strong public push for those things it’s unlikely governments will do it of their own accord unless they’re specifically trying to cut healthcare costs. But there are places with the things listed; you can’t go anywhere in Central America without running into a fruit cart, cities with good public transit exist, and places with public spaces that encourage exercise exist, programs to educate the public about healthy eating exist. Each thing is individually accomplishable.

      • BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca
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        4 days ago

        Nah. There’s not really any significant benefit to making such changes from a government perspective.

      • Seb the goblin@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Nah, can do stuff like the UK did - taxing sugar - so that instead of getting less income from removing sales tax, it’d be more income from new tax