How on earth did they reach this conclusion?

So they want more government control over us, now extending into our eating and exercise habits - despite admitting that they have absolutely no clue how to do it?

Saying that the individual is not to blame for their own obesity is like saying that it's not waters fault it's wet. Only they can decide what they eat and how much they exercise. Yes there are some genetic signposts that make some more prone to obesity that others, but that is simply not a good enough excuse.

Likewise, you can't blame society. Just because lots of people are fat doesn't mean that it is why one particular person is. Being obese is, rightly, regarded as being a bad thing. How many obese celebrities are there?! In that world, it's the opposite which is the problem. Society does not deem your weight, size or body-fat content. Only the individual can through eating and exercising appropriately.

The only person to blame for obesity is the tub of lard themselves. They either eat too much, the wrong stuff, or don't exercise enough. No-one force-feeds them fast food. No-one ties them to the couch. The only person who is to blem for their condition is themselves - and to suggest otherwise is utterly wrong.

Also, even if it wasn't the individuals fault for their obesity, it still wouldn't be the job of Nanny State to come in and "take action". Espiecally when they have absolutely no idea what they could possibly do anyway - bar banning all bad food and enforcing exercise.

Sources: BBC, The Telegraph

Children don't get enough exercise.

I can't say that I am overly surprised at this. Playing outside has become a luxury denied to many children through fears of accident, crime or of paedophiles. Computer games have replaced riding your bike, playing football, "It", and the like. And parents even drive their kids to school every day.

But I am shocked that the study revealed that "children averaged just 17 minutes of moderate exercise, and two minutes of "vigorous" exercise a day." How is it so low? Do they do nothing with themselves all day? Kids are supposed to be active, not couch potatoes. Being a kid is the only time you get to run around all day, and they should make the most of it.

When I was eleven, we'd play outside all the time we could, pretty much just coming in for meals and sleep during the summer. Whilst we weren't "active" all that time, we were for much of it. If something is not done, this generation of kids will grow up fat, lazy, and mollycoddled. Parents need to learn to relax their grip around their children and their activities, and kids need to be encouraged to get outside and play! Go ride your bike, play football, etc. Don't just sit inside and play on your computer.

Sources: The Telegraph, BBC

I have never subscribed to the idea of eating "diet" varieties of food. I have never seen the point. Just either eat less or exercise more. There is now evidence that for children, "diet" foods could cause them to become obese:

"Diet foods for children may inadvertently lead to overeating and obesity, say researchers.
In tests on young rats, animals given low-calorie versions of foods were induced to overeat, whether they were lean or obese.
The researchers believe low-calorie versions of usually high-calorie foods disrupt the body's ability to use taste to regulate calorific intake...
Lead researcher Professor David Pierce said: "Based on what we've learned, it is better for children to eat healthy, well-balanced diets with sufficient calories for their daily activities rather than low-calorie snacks or meals."" (BBC)

It is pretty obvious in many ways that eating healthy balanced meals and exercising is better for children - and for adults. Whilst so-called "diet" alternatives have less calories than the standard foods, they often appear to have higher levels of salt or sugar instead - just as bad for you. It really is obvious that just replacing what you already eat with the "diet" variety is not going to help all that much. It is your lifestyle that needs to change more than anything else.

Children anyway shouldn't have any need to be fed "diet" foods. They should be actively playing enough to work off at least most of any surplus calories they ingest anyway. They shouldn't need to be fed "low calorie" snacks, and those that do need to should get up from in front of the TV and go out and run around outside.

Source: BBC

What makes people fat? Is it just because they are "greedy"?

"The head of the British Medical Association has sparked a row after claiming that fat people are simply greedy.
Dr Hamish Meldrum was reported yesterday as saying doctors over-medicalise the condition.
Obesity experts rounded on him saying his remarks were unhelpful and anachronistic...
Dr Meldrum said an obsession with labels may be stopping overweight people from tackling their problems. He said: "We are saying 'This patient has a hyper-appetite problem' rather than 'They are just greedy'."" (The Telegraph)

I agree with him on one thing - obesity is over-medicalised and over-medicated like so much in our society is now. But to say that people who are fat are "just greedy" is severely trivialising it. There is no doubt that to a certain extent being fat is genetic, and "[l]atest thinking suggests that genetics could be responsible for between 30 per cent to 70 per cent of cases."

Of course, genetics alone cannot and do not determine precisely who and what we are, but they do point in a certain direction. Lifestyle is undoubtedly also a component in obesity but not just, or even only, due to sheer greed. Lack of exercise is also going to be a cause, to start with, along with eating the right amount - but of the wrong thing.

On the other hand, lifestyle can be modified. It is possible to eat less, to eat better, or to do more exercise. So "greed" cannot be ruled out as a big component of obesity, in one form or another. But for the head of the BMA to make such a declaration, certainly in the way he has phrased it, is wrong. Some fat or obese people may well be "just greedy", but that certainly isn't going to be the only cause for even them, and certainly not every obese person in Britain, which is nearing a quarter of our population. That is a scary thought.

Source: The Telegraph

A new website, funded by the Department for Health, aimed at 4-7 year olds, and:

"strives to encourage healthy eating and an active lifestyle in a fun and informative way. We hope that by visiting our interactive site, children will become familiar with healthy living messages and develop positive habits that will follow them through to adulthood."

Named "The Great Grub Club" (with the really unimaginative tagline "Being healthy is fun!") it appears to be working on the premise that children react well to cartoon characters, and so by making cartoon characters who are health conscious they can make kids want to be more healthy and eat more fruit and veg. With names such as Snack the Dog and Professor Foodsmart, the cartoon characters encourage children to cook and even grow vegetables. And, of course, a website aimed at making children healthy would be complete without a section on exercise.

Do they really, seriously, think that a bunch of cartoon characters are going to make children want to eat healthy? I mean, come on! Children don't tend to react well to that sort of blatant pro-healthy stuff, especially when the characters are only known through one website! It is simply a waste of money to use only a website to get this message across. It needs to be in the form of a TV programme really, or else kids just won't take anything away from it. An example of this is the success LazyTown had in Iceland.

It is, of course, a good thing to be pushing for children to eat healthily, but it's not children who are deciding what they eat. Also, children - and adults - like junk food because it tastes good. Children, certainly, don't have enough awareness to be able to equate that with any badness. Children won't switch to wanting fruit and vegetables rather than burgers, pizza, or chips, and certainly not on the basis of a rather garish website and accompanying cartoon characters.

Source: BBC