Orlando theme parks adapt to accommodate overweight guests

It's absolutely a public health problem

To continue my workplace-insurance theme...it's also increasing my health care costs. The whole idea behind employer-sponsored insurance is to spread the risk around the entire employee pool. But, each person who makes stupid health choices increases the costs for everyone---because the costs to treat them have to be repaid by premiums, etc. eventually, or the insurance companies go broke.

Now, I make plenty of stupid health choices myself. I'm overweight. I drink more than I should. I've only been getting a reasonable amount of exercise for about five weeks now---but it's been going long enough that it's now "habit", so I think I may have turned the corner on that one (and it is producing results.)

I do generally eat "whole" foods rather than processed crap, but in portion sizes that are too large---and definitely too much meat. But, guess what? "Real" food is, somehow, more expensive than processed crap. For me to cook a decent dinner, with low-fat protein and plenty of fresh vegetables, easily runs a good $30 in groceries for the four of us, and often more. I can feed the four of us for half that from Dominos, not spend any time cooking, and have leftovers.

^But it's probably healthier to just eat the cardboard box... ;)

Brian Noble said:
"Real" food is, somehow, more expensive than processed crap. For me to cook a decent dinner, with low-fat protein and plenty of fresh vegetables, easily runs a good $30 in groceries for the four of us, and often more. I can feed the four of us for half that from Dominos, not spend any time cooking, and have leftovers.

Watch Food, Inc.. :)

It's on my netflix queue. Maybe I'll bump it up.

I loved Food, Inc.

I knew I'd seen Food Inc. but for the life of me barely remember it.

On Netflix I gave it 2 stars and on my blog gave it a one-word review of "Meh"

Not really sure why though. I wanna say it was because I didn't find it paricularly surprising or revelatory, but I honestly don't remember for sure.

I'm sure I'm the odd man out. :)

Here's the thing about food cost... you've gotta find the places that eliminate as many middle steps as possible. I was shocked to see how expensive Whole Foods markets are here in the Seattle area, compared to a locally owned grocery store in Northeast Ohio. Part of the difference is because stuff is sourced as close as possible.

There's a farmer's market that runs every weekend a few blocks from our place, and veggies in particular are crazy cheap... a third of what they are at the grocery store at most. If you live in a city with a market, that's typically cheaper too (think West Side Market in Cleveland, or Pike Place in Seattle).

It has not been my experience that eating out or getting fast food is cheaper. Not by a long shot.

Lord Gonchar said:
...I didn't find it paricularly surprising or revelatory, but I honestly don't remember for sure.

That's probably it, as I'm sure most pseudo-informed and above wouldn't find anything too shocking there.

My point in bringing it up was that the doc focuses on how corn subsidies push the cost of corn below market value, which means fast/crappy food - which is almost entirely corn-based - costs less than "real" food.

Lord Gonchar said:

I feel like the tide is swelling in attitudes toward the obese in the same way they did towards smokers. It may be just the beginning and slow to build, but...

You can't leave 50 llbs at home or in the car.

No, you can't. But weight issues can be rationalized (like smoking issues) and people can be stigmatized and penalized into not carrying that 50 lbs at all. Basically using the same 'social engineering' that's been used the past couple of decades with those who smoke.

I can absolutely see it going there. You mentioned smoking on planes... the last time I remember that was when I flew to Italy in 1995. Smoking was banned on domestic flights, but as soon as we cleared US airspace you could light up. Thing is that the air recirculating systems on the plane were so good that I was sitting 3 rows in front of the smoking section and couldn't smell a thing.

Tie that in (somehow) with obesity... airlines charge for baggage under the pretense that the extra weight costs them extra in fuel. Is it that much of a stretch to see them charging people over, say, 250 lbs an extra $50? Should I have to pay extra for my 40 pound bag when the guy next to me is 100 pounds heavier than me? Dunno. It's definitely out there, though, and it's getting closer.

djDaemon said:
My point in bringing it up was that the doc focuses on how corn subsidies push the cost of corn below market value, which means fast/crappy food - which is almost entirely corn-based - costs less than "real" food.

Exactly. And to bring it full circle, then there's people who want a 'sin tax' on those 'crappy' foods.

So the government subsidizes those foods through the corn-based approach and then we get taxed for eating them.

Wow.

Some overweight people already have to buy 2 tickets, so it isn't like it's that far off.

Part of the difference is because stuff is sourced as close as possible.

That's sometimes helpful, but not always. Transportation costs can be dwarfed by the costs to actually grow stuff, depending on the efficiencies involved in growing. There was an article on this in the Times not too long ago, focused more on energy footprint, but the idea is the same:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/business/yourmoney/09feed.html?_r...local_food

Locally grown also often suffers from poor economies of scale. I was in a farm cooperative for about five years when I lived on the other side of town (closer to the farm). If you actually work out the cost, it's not much less expensive than the grocery store. Granted, this is because we were consciously paying the farmers a living wage rather than have our crops picked by migrant labor, but still.

Finally, comparing to Whole Foods for "price sanity" is, well, insane. Those guys will mark up anything and everything well beyond what could possibly be supported. Someone has to pay for all that fancy lighting, etc. :)

If the government insists on subsidizing food products, how about a little less $$ for ADM and the like and a little more to the small family farmers who might raise smaller amounts of crops and critters, but who do so in a healthier and more environmentally-conscious manner?

Re: Jeff's FB link to Morgan Spurlock and his eternal McD's fries....anything that lasts in perpetuity in a non-airtight jar can NOT be a food item you want in your body - no matter how delicious! ;)

Loosely related and because it's chance to turn more people on to one of the most entertaining shows on TV:

Penn & Teller BS! - Fast Food Part 1

Penn & Teller BS! - Fast Food Part 2

Penn & Teller BS! - Fast Food Part 3

(warning: naughty words and maybe boobies in those vids, but they're on YouTube, so maybe not.)

EDIT - actually, they touch on the subsidize-then-tax idea in part three (direct link - and yes, swear words)

Could you link me straight to the boobies part?

Boobies.

*walks in chomping on a Snickers bar* Hey guys! What are ya all talkin' about in here? ;)

Just thought I'd mention that my employer's health care provider, Highmark, is also offering benefits for wellness programs. They launched a Healthy U. (with U. standing for University...they're cute, aren't they?) program three years ago where we are offered the incentive of discounted health care coverage if we collect so many points during the year for wellness programming and preventive care exams.

It's great conceptually, but at the end of the day, it's still very honor system based. There's just no way to validate in many cases that a person has actually completed the required wellness programming. But I guess it's at least something.

Highmark is BC/BS, Right? We have the same thing with our BC/BS, and when they explained the points, I was all "But how do they know if you really earned the points or not?"

Highmark Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

...or so my card indicates. :)

Yeah, it's very much based on your honor. But I imagine with the preventive care exams at least, they could verify that you actually had those.

Preventative healthcare? Oh yeah, like mammograms! (Just keeping the theme going, LOL).... ;)