What is most likely to kill you?

What is more dangerous to you?

Murder?

Smoking?

Something else?

What is your answer?

In fact, murder kills about 15,000 people every year in the US. Smoking more than 430,000!

Yet, the latter is legal. It is one of those "excluded harms" are far more dangerous than crime.

Turns out another legal behavior is also very dangerous. And props to media organizations such as CNN for pointing it out.

What is it? Not moving!

Physical inactivity as deadly as smoking

Now, one in every 10 deaths worldwide is caused by just sitting on your butt too much.

Researchers say physical inactivity has become a global pandemic.

10 least healhty eating states in America

From the article:

"Americans are fat and getting fatter by the year. Recent data reported in medical journal Lancet showed that BMI (Body Mass Index), a recognized measurement of obesity, is higher on average in America than in any other nation.

"The obesity problem, however, is international. The report in Lancet states that "In 2008, 9.8 percent of the world's male population were obese, as were 13.8 percent of women. In 1980, these rates were 4.8 percent and 7.9 percent." U.S. eating habits and diets have been exported, many experts say. Nations which before had relatively lean diets which were high in grains and fruits now consume many more soft drinks and hamburgers.

"This trend toward poorer diets has caused obesity to be the most written-about health problem in the United States. Fat Americans are more likely to have diabetes, coronary artery disease, strokes and certain forms of cancer. Less well reported are links between obesity and dementia, obesity and postmenopausal estrogen receptors, and obesity and social status. Thin people, apparently, are more likely to be chief executives and billionaires."

In my Injustice in America class, the issue of who is to blame for this came up. One student said parents, since they control what their kids eat. Another said they should not be blamed since they are working many hours and are targeted by fast food companies who make the food cheap, fast, and fun for kids.

Both are probably right. I equated it to crack cocaine dealers. The people who use it are to blame for making the choice to smoke it. But so too are the dealer of the crack, which is why they are arrested.

Clearly, food is legal and crack is not.

But remember, anything -- literally anything -- can be a crime. Perhaps it is time to look at how we eat and take appropriate steps to stop us from killing ourselves. Or to stop the food companies from killing us. Or both.

In this article, the ten states with the most deadly eating habits. Look who is number 1 (the same state that wants to make a license plate honoring the KKK).

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112083/10-states-with-the-deadliest-eating-habits

Scientists warn of 'tsunami of obesity' as Western lifestyles spread across the globe

For decades, we've sat on our couches, being constantly bombarded by advertisements for highly sweetened and high fat foods, especially fast food (think Super Size).

And we've consistently gotten fatter and fatter.

Now, our lifetsyle is spreading across the globe.

Yeah,

I know, I know.

We have a choice about what we eat. Of course we do.

But "choice" is what we decide to do, like eat a healthy meal at home at the end of a long, hard day, or eat an unhealthy but easier one at a fast food restaurant. If choice is what we do, then "choice" cannot explain why we choose.

Research now shows fast food meets at least some definitions of addiction.

Add on to this that companies most heavily promote their least healthy foods, and that the least healthy foods are also the least expensive, and then you better understand why people choose these foods.

Take this Paris Hilton ad for the "Monster Thick Burger."

Now personally, this makes me NOT want to eat it. I mean, I want to stay as far away from that as possible!

The point of this post is that food companies are promoting products that they know will kill more and more of us. Not only here. But all over the globe.

And since anything can be a crime, maybe this should be.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/how-tiny-nauru-became-worlds-fattest-nation-2203835.html

A food revolution

This is an amazing story from the New York Times:

"Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, will announce a five-year plan on Thursday to make thousands of its packaged foods lower in unhealthy salts, fats and sugars, and to drop prices on fruits and vegetables.

"The initiative came out of discussions the company has been having with Michelle Obama, the first lady, who will attend the announcement in Washington and has made healthy eating and reducing childhood obesity the centerpiece of her agenda. Aides say it is the first time Mrs. Obama has thrown her support behind the work of a single company.

"The plan, similar to efforts by other companies and to public health initiatives by New York City, sets specific targets for lowering sodium, trans fats and added sugars in a broad array of foods — including rice, soups, canned beans, salad dressings and snacks like potato chips — packaged under the company’s house brand, Great Value.

"In interviews previewing the announcement, Wal-Mart and White House officials said the company was also pledging to press its major food suppliers, like Kraft, to follow its example. Wal-Mart does not disclose how much of its sales come from its house brand. But Kraft says about 16 percent of its global sales are through Wal-Mart.

"In addition, Wal-Mart will work to eliminate any extra cost to customers for healthy foods made with whole grains, said Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for corporate affairs. By lowering prices on fresh fruits and vegetables, Wal-Mart says it will cut into its own profits but hopes to make up for it in sales volume. “This is not about asking the farmers to accept less for their crops,” he said.

Is this a crime story? You better believe it is!

Poor nutrition and inactivity kill about 300,000 Americans a year, so says the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control). And much of that is due to the foods we eat, that are marketed to us and sold to us by large companies. When those companies change, so too, will we.

Wal-Mart is significant " ... because Wal-Mart sells more groceries than any other company in the country, and because it is such a large purchaser of foods produced by national suppliers." Thus, "nutrition experts say the changes could have a big impact on the affordability of healthy food and the health of American families and children."



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/business/20walmart.html?_r=1&hp