Is it a Choice? - Losing Weight and Your Health
It's not a losing battle. Smoking has gone from cool to gross, but it took almost 50 years. It's sad but true, but there are still some people and some countries out there that didn't get the message.
Even though the Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health led to warning labels on cigarette packages in 1964, 2004 CDC data, showed that 20.4% of Americans smoked. The CDC objective was to have less than 12% of Americans smoking in 2010. But the number 20% has been constant until now and explains why Americans don't live longer.
So if this analogy is applied to food, since we can't stop eating, how long will it take for the majority of Americans to internalize the idea that a bad diet equals bad health and do something about it? The State of Washington has been actively studying the problem for the last 10 years acquiring grants and engaging experts from around the country. They studied obesity as an economic issue and looked at access, anti soda campaigns, and education in day care facilities and schools.
Their conclusions suggest that we will not be a slim nation anytime soon. They found that eating decisions are driven by taste, then cost, then health. Donna Johnson, one author of the state's obesity plan, says they will create Cheeto free zones and "reclaim the territory for healthy eating" but that progress will be "inch by inch."
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in the US and contributing causes that can be managed include obesity, and related diseases such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, and smoking. So the choice is yours, and assuming you don't smoke, please watch what you eat. Time is not on your side.
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