Health Care Is Not the Problem: We Are Too Fat Is the Problem

The health care debate matters, but no matter what Congress does, America’s health is not likely to get any better

Because health care isn’t causing the problem: our diet is.

“The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care,” writes Michael Pollan in the New York Times.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of health care spending now goes to treat “preventable chronic diseases.” Not all of these diseases are linked to diet — there’s smoking, for instance — but many, if not most, of them are.”

See here for the eye opening piece by Michael Pollan

“There’s lots of money to be made selling fast food and then treating the diseases that fast food causes.”

Yes of course WE the PEOPLE decide what to put into our mouths and most of us make terrible choices most of the time. And we pay for them with our sick, fat and tired bodies by the time we’re 40.

But it doesn’t help that nearly ALL the food that is available is not real food at all, but spicy, addictive food-like substances full of artificial and often toxic ingredients. Artificial food has long shelf life and little nutritive value. But it’s cheap.

Like Pollan said, there’s lots of money to be made selling fast food and then treating the diseases that fast food causes. And we the people are going along with it.

Yes, we don’t pay for it immediately, but we sure do pay. Don’t we?

Health care might even make the problem worse – lulling folks into thinking there’s a drug or surgery fix for eating and living habits that are making them sicker and fatter.