The show makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Because it ABSOLUTELY conflates weight with health. Food politics need to be addressed and the food in our schools is appalling. But his basic premise really does seem to be that we can get rid of all the fat lazy people if we just eat more veg. And you know my opinion of that.
So, I agree with his intentions in much the same way I agree with MeMe Roth's intentions. We DO need more access to better foods at more affordable prices for communities who have traditionally lacked access. We also need to stop framing all of this as "save the fatties from themselves."
Maybe I'm not watching the show critically enough. Can you point me to some cases (other than how they selected the town itself) where he's focused on weight and not on health?
I haven't watched it yet either. I'm curious but I agree about the conflicting messages.
A friend just posted on LJ today about what bullshit BMI is, for instance. If you're into weight training or other intense physical activity, your BMI will often come up high or even "obese" no matter how fit you are. I'm considered right on the borderline of normal and obese even being just a size 8 US - what bullshit is that? And I workout on average an hour a day, often more than that, and cook mostly for myself a very healthy diet (ok I booze but that's my only weakness, and not enough to throw me that far off track).
Learning to cook and learning how to cook more from natural, fresh ingredients instead of out of a prepackaged box is important, I totally agree. But yeah, there are so many contradictory messages out there it can be aggravating.
I consistently come up on BMI charts as MAJORLY overweight. In truth, I am a little overweight, but most of what I get on BMI charts is because my boobs are a size K and chock full of milky goodness for my baby. They're HEAVY, and inflates my weight by about 15lbs.
Check out this amazing photoset on Flickr if you get a chance. Men and women of all sizes with their BMIs listed. Some of them will really make you go OMGWTFBBQ.
I have been watching this, and I have no problem with his goals. As far as I can tell, they are: 1. To have people eat real, fresh food that tastes good. 2. To reduce the health risks of obesity, especially in children. 3. To make high-quality food available in underserved areas. 4. To give children healthy food habits that they will carry into adulthood. 5. To find external sources of money to fund the above efforts.
I have never gotten the impression that he cares about weight but about health. He's appalled that middle schoolers are delevoping diabetes from obesity and fast food. And he's not really mentioning exercise at all. So I haven't seen any indication that he has a problem with "fat lazy people" at all.
I've seen all the episodes that have aired so far, which are about 3 or 4, I think. I really like the show in a lot of ways. I mean, I have the same problem with it that I do with all reality shows.
I believe they picked the town because it was listed as being the fattest town in the fattest country in the world or some such. But once he's there, he focuses on mortality and disease rates, I think--very health-focused.
You should watch it and let me know what you think.
this is definitely my take on it. I've only seen one episode, but this was what I took away from it. I don't think I heard him mention weight once on the episode I watched, actually. He critiqued one family's use of their fryer at least 2x a day and had them bury it in the backyard, but didn't say anything about them being overweight.
The only thing I have heard about this show is that Jamie Oliver FLIPPED HIS SHIT when he found out that the school considered french fries a vegetable. Totally justified, I think.
He also was pissed when he was yelled at for not having 2 grains in the lunch he prepared for the students, while the mandated lunch was okay because it was a HUGE slice of pizza.
Correction: The requirement is 2 BREADs. He was pissed because it wasn't 2 Grains. His rice did not count as anything on that meal because the standard is Bread not Grain.
Oh that's even worse! It leaves no options for such a wide range of grains that are much healthier than bread. And you know whatever "bread" they use to fulfill the requirement is far from whole wheat.
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So, I agree with his intentions in much the same way I agree with MeMe Roth's intentions. We DO need more access to better foods at more affordable prices for communities who have traditionally lacked access. We also need to stop framing all of this as "save the fatties from themselves."
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A friend just posted on LJ today about what bullshit BMI is, for instance. If you're into weight training or other intense physical activity, your BMI will often come up high or even "obese" no matter how fit you are. I'm considered right on the borderline of normal and obese even being just a size 8 US - what bullshit is that? And I workout on average an hour a day, often more than that, and cook mostly for myself a very healthy diet (ok I booze but that's my only weakness, and not enough to throw me that far off track).
Learning to cook and learning how to cook more from natural, fresh ingredients instead of out of a prepackaged box is important, I totally agree. But yeah, there are so many contradictory messages out there it can be aggravating.
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I consistently come up on BMI charts as MAJORLY overweight. In truth, I am a little overweight, but most of what I get on BMI charts is because my boobs are a size K and chock full of milky goodness for my baby. They're HEAVY, and inflates my weight by about 15lbs.
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1. To have people eat real, fresh food that tastes good.
2. To reduce the health risks of obesity, especially in children.
3. To make high-quality food available in underserved areas.
4. To give children healthy food habits that they will carry into adulthood.
5. To find external sources of money to fund the above efforts.
I have never gotten the impression that he cares about weight but about health. He's appalled that middle schoolers are delevoping diabetes from obesity and fast food. And he's not really mentioning exercise at all. So I haven't seen any indication that he has a problem with "fat lazy people" at all.
Reply
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I believe they picked the town because it was listed as being the fattest town in the fattest country in the world or some such. But once he's there, he focuses on mortality and disease rates, I think--very health-focused.
You should watch it and let me know what you think.
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Sickening and disheartening.
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