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The French population is getting fat,American sized.

shuamort

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From Slate, French Women Do Too Get Fat

According to a recent article in the Times of London, the traditional French meal is eaten by only 20 percent of the population. Instead, they increasingly favor the abbreviated, on-the-go meals of Americans. The national rate of obesity is rising fast. While only 6 percent of the population was obese in 1990, today the proportion is 11.3 percent. That is still well behind the same figure for the United States (22 percent) but on track to match our levels by 2020. The French are not happy about it. In a parliamentary report last spring highlighting the dramatic increase in obesity, legislators proposed launching a new government agency to fight weight gain, to be funded by a tax on high-calorie or high-fat foods.
Hunh, but the most interesting part of the article is this:
Which brings us to the second way in which the American/French divide is more complicated than Guiliano acknowledges. The French accept a level of government paternalism that would not go over easily here.
To each their own really, but, IMHO, the less government intrusion the better.

As for eating disorders, well they seem to know no boundaries.
, French women are not necessarily more balanced in their attitudes about food. While many people think of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia as an American problem, they are, as far as can be measured (and these statistics should always be taken with some degree of skepticism), equally prevalent in France. In the United States, somewhere between 0.5 percent and 3.7 percent of women will be anorexic in their lifetimes, while 1.1. percent to 4.2 percent will suffer from bulimia. Between 2 percent and 5 percent of Americans binge eat. Among young French women, an estimated 1 percent to 3 percent are anorexic; 5 percent are bulimic; and 11 percent have compulsive eating behaviors. Certainly, young French women today are as interested in eating disorders as their American counterparts.
 
First Chris gets locked up in the UK, now obesity on the rise in France.

How about that US Superpower influence?!! :eek: :D :D
 
http://epp.eurostat.cec.eu.int/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-08-02-011/EN/KS-08-02-011-EN.PDF

It's in English but if you have trouble with the big words, just ask and I'll help you out. I think you'll see France does rather well in many areas. Not perfect of course, no nation is. Still far behind you McFatties for obesity.

And here we see shuamort in his true colours. When he comes up against somebody too clever for him, he goes off to start a thread he thinks will annoy them. Far from it, I laugh in his face. I am not even French, so quite what his point is remains a mystery. As for his original source, The Times (part of the Murdoch stable, notoriously anti-French, anti EU and as unreliable as any US news source) can hardly be taken seriously. I'm surprised it wasn't backed up with yet another quote from his wankypaedia (which must pass for a porn mag in his house). This is the problem with people like him: they can't debate intellectually. Constantly seeking out printed facts and figures to back up their ideas because they have NO capabilities of philosophical analysis, don't understand post-modern thought and can't see beyond 'one truth'. A truly narrow minded person.

As for lack of government intervention, that's exactly why your nation is a slave to unbridled capitalism and has untold numbers of people in poverty in "the wealthiest nation in the world". No food stamps in France honey: free health care and education, good levels of state pensions and help for the unemployed, good public transport and civic amenities. Give me state intervention any day. No, we don't have as much personal wealth as you to spend on face lifts, silicone boobs, gas guzzling cars and birthday cakes for our pets, but give me the more equitable societies of Europe any day.

Enjoy your Big Mac.
 
Uretha, you come back with a link about cancer? How about you stay on topic instead of hijacking every thread you entangle with your ignorance.

Please stop with the ad hominem attacks too. They serve you nor this message board any good and they do not further discussion.
 
face lifts - No.
silicone boobs - No.
gas guzzling cars - Yes.
birthday cakes for our pets - Yes.

Enjoy your Big Mac - Thanks.
 
shuamort said:
Uretha, you come back with a link about cancer?.

Yes, intestinal cancers, widely known to be linked to obesity, poor nutrition, an over-reliance on junk food. Therein you find links to statistics on many other diseases often linked to nutrition and poverty. If you need further evidence as to the links between poor health, inequality and poverty I would point you towards "The Black Report: Inequalities in Health and the Health Divide" a Uk government report published in the UK by Penguin.

shuamort said:
How about you stay on topic instead of hijacking every thread you entangle with your ignorance. .

I did stay on topic. Anybody with two neurones could see the link.



shuamort said:
Please stop with the ad hominem attacks too. They serve you nor this message board any good and they do not further discussion.

You give it out dear boy. You must learn to take it.
 
Urethra Franklin said:
Yes, intestinal cancers, widely known to be linked to obesity, poor nutrition, an over-reliance on junk food. Therein you find links to statistics on many other diseases often linked to nutrition and poverty. If you need further evidence as to the links between poor health, inequality and poverty I would point you towards "The Black Report: Inequalities in Health and the Health Divide" a Uk government report published in the UK by Penguin.
Tenuous relations at best. Of course, the UK's health is not germane to this topic. Please stay on task.

Urethra Franklin said:
I did stay on topic. Anybody with two neurones could see the link.
Ad hominem attack. Please refrain from this.
Urethra Franklin said:
You give it out dear boy. You must learn to take it.

And you might want to stay in step with the forum rules.
3. Flamming - "Originally, flame meant to carry forth in a passionate manner in the spirit of honorable debate. Flames most often involved the use of flowery language and flaming well was an art form. More recently flame has come to refer to any kind of derogatory comment no matter how witless or crude."[google] In a forum with sensative topics such as this, derogatory flamming is bound to happen. Common sense will prevail, yet this is not an invitation to flame.
 
Here's another bit of info from MSNBC:
In France and Italy, about one in three is overweight, and the proportion is rising. All told, about 1.2 billion people in the world are fat, and another 350 million are obese. Obesity-related illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes, are rising.
 
shuamort said:
Here's another bit of info from MSNBC:

And they are still far behind you, and "overweight" in France and Italy isn't usually 200 pounds as you people are used to.

You are obsessed with this topic. Have we touched a raw nerve?
 
More info:
"noticeable rise in the prevalence of obesity" in France has led the ministry of health to recommend schools hand out free fruit and install more water fountains to encourage healthy habits in kids. Broader school programs involving diet and physical exercise are being launched in other countries, like Australia and Great Britain.
And more:
Obesity. Like Visa, it´s everywhere you want to be. At least now it is. France and many other European nations are facing grave increases in obesity among their populations, specifically among adolescents (sound familiar?). A recent Sofres survey reveals that 11.3% of the French population is obese, with obesity rates rising 6% per year. So how does this happen in a nation that prides itself on portion control, balanced diet and plenty of red wine? I´ll tell you. Portion control seems to be passe and a balanced diet, highly debatable. Allow me to use as an example one of my favorite dishes, the "Salade Geante." It´s all in the name. Not only are these salads so large that they are served in pots, but also what would normally be a healthy meal is topped off with a mound of fried potatoes and cheese. In some circumstances the salad is further improved with ham, fried eggs, chicken livers or gizzards. The genesis of these salads is the Gascony region in southwest France, where organs and potatoes play an integral role in the cuisine.
SNIP
Obviously, these Big Macs of salads are not the sole contributor to France´s growing obesity problem. But I do like to utilize these luncheon salads as an example of the blatant disregard for health and portion control that certainly exists here. Obesity is a global phenomenon borne out of the inability or unwillingness to resist that which we desire. Whether eating a fried chicken salad in Atlanta or a salade geante in Paris, dining indulgence is a human trait that transcends cultures, languages and foreign policy.
France is behind the US in obesity, but they're lumbering up quickly. Uretha, this shouldn't affect you too much since you're not French.
 
Urethra Franklin said:
You are obsessed with this topic. Have we touched a raw nerve?

As you responded with yet more quotes, do we take it the answer's yes?
 
Urethra Franklin said:
As you responded with yet more quotes, do we take it the answer's yes?
Please stay on topic. The topic is "France's rising obesity". If you can't stay on topic, please open your own thread.
 
shuamort said:
Please stay on topic. The topic is "France's rising obesity". If you can't stay on topic, please open your own thread.


Your silence says all.

Bye. xxxxx
 
shuamort said:
Uretha, you come back with a link about cancer? How about you stay on topic instead of hijacking every thread you entangle with your ignorance.

Please stop with the ad hominem attacks too. They serve you nor this message board any good and they do not further discussion.

Dear Shuamort - what language is "ad hominen" and what does it mean? Please sir - just simple explaination and not pages of links !!

Fried Rice has a useless dictionary
 
Fried Rice said:
Dear Shuamort - what language is "ad hominen" and what does it mean? Please sir - just simple explaination and not pages of links !!

Fried Rice has a useless dictionary
Ad Hominem:
1 : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect
2 : marked by an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made

Merriam-Webster's website, www.m-w.com, is a great free online dictionary.
 
shuamort said:
Ad Hominem:
1 : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect
2 : marked by an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made

Merriam-Webster's website, www.m-w.com, is a great free online dictionary.

Thanks :p
 
shuamort said:
Please stay on topic. The topic is "France's rising obesity". If you can't stay on topic, please open your own thread.


We never went off topic.

You can quote all the statistics you like. A walk down any French street compared to one in the US gives proof of the pudding. You are attempting to get back at my highlighting the US fat problem by trying to say "look, others are just as bad" but the reality is, they're not. And you've picked France because you thought that was getting at me. Ad hominem???????

When you quote reports and statistics, you need to have the insight to look beyond. Where did this report come from? What were their motives? Who sponsored this piece of research? What methods did they use? How large was the sample size? Have comparative studies been done? Has a meta-analysis been done? You quote the Times: barely objective and always with an anti-French slant. Intrellectual debate is about thought, analysis, putting forward your own interpretation of a situation and freeing your mind from the rigidity of modernist philosophies. Intellectuals don't need to run to their wankypaedia and post another link.

Yes obesity is rising everywhere, France included, but nowhere beats the US. How is obesity calculated in the US? In many European states you only need to be 10% above your recommended BMI to be classified obese. Hence many of the obese people in European studies are fat yes, but not gross. What you don't see in France are 250 pound people rolling round the shopping malls. Despite the rise in fast food (which is seeing a crisis in France) many French people still stick to traditional mealtimes where they sit at a table and take a proper balanced meal. I don't need to post you links to give you stats: that waht I see every day living here. Food is essential to the cultural life here, but most people know when to stop. Whinge all you like, the problem here is tiny compared to the US, and 60 thousand links posted ain't gonna change what we all know.
 
Your retort with antedotal evidence does nothing to support your claims. I could claim that the majority of people that I'm in contact with in my daily routines are quite fit. I live in one of the top ten fittest cities in the United States. It'd be an illicit major syllogism to claim that since my antedotal evidence is correct that it's applicable to the rest of the country. Just as yours is. That's why facts, quotes, and cites are being used. Most of your claims in the recent post have been rebuffed with proper evidence. And whether or not that is credulous in your empirical evidence realm, it still needs to be rebuked with proper facts. As intellectuals do. Reliance on empirical evidence without proper facts led to the belief of a geocentric system until it was discovered that with proper facts, that it is indeed a heliocentric system (and then yadda, yadda, yadda).

I just showed a link that said that only 20% of French citizens are still abiding by classical French eating standards. Your obsequious for the minority of the French citizens as proof standard is far from germane. The proof is definitely in the pudding and the main point of this thread has gone to buttress the fact that the French citizens are getting fat and are catching up to the US (assumption is by 2020). Eschew all of the quotes and cites I provide and claim to be more knowledgeable, the problem is the facts are still going to be there when you move your hands from your eyes.

Urethra Franklin said:
Yes obesity is rising everywhere, France included, but nowhere beats the US.
Obviously then you agree with my posting. I never claimed that France was surpassing the US, had surpassed the US, or was on the verge of surpassing the US. It's just become evident that obesity is rising in France as has been proving by many cites from many various sources and even your assertion above that France's obesity is rising as well. If you agree, why are you agruing? :rofl
 
shuamort said:
(assumption is by 2020).

Key word: assumption.


shuamort said:
. I never claimed that France was surpassing the US, had surpassed the US, or was on the verge of surpassing the US. It's just become evident that obesity is rising in France as has been proving by many cites from many various sources and even your assertion above that France's obesity is rising as well. If you agree, why are you agruing? :rofl

You accept everything you read as "fact" It's in the papers, it must be true :rolleyes:
You accept blindly the "findings" of dubious sources, but ignore links which are not convenient for you to accept (the links between intestinal health and nutrition for example).
You avoid the isuue of why you started this thread in the first place: to try to get back at me after criticising folk for "ad hominem" attacks. Hypocrisy.
Lastly you are clutching at straws. Admit it, you started a duff thread. Get over it.
 
Urethra Franklin said:
Key word: assumption.
Yup, that is the key word. That's why I put it in there. It's a theory and a valid one based on the increase of obesity that even you aren't denying. Of course, I don't need to build strawmen to support my position.
Urethra Franklin said:
You accept everything you read as "fact" It's in the papers, it must be true :rolleyes:
You accept blindly the "findings" of dubious sources, but ignore links which are not convenient for you to accept (the links between intestinal health and nutrition for example).
Yeah, news sources, articles, reports, cites, they're all wrong and only you are right. You can't seriously be going down that road with your strawmen, are you? As for your source, a report dated 1994-1996 (which is obviously disallowed since my cites have all had current data and the current data reflects a recent trend <10 years), the article does not address obesity, it discusses post hoc affects of it. There are links but they are not POST HOC.
Urethra Franklin said:
You avoid the isuue of why you started this thread in the first place: to try to get back at me after criticising folk for "ad hominem" attacks. Hypocrisy.
Lastly you are clutching at straws. Admit it, you started a duff thread. Get over it.
The thread was started so we can address the fact that France is indeed catching up the US. Instead of hijacking your dubious and annoying inflammatory hijacks in other threads or your own re: the US. If you don't like it, don't post. Simple as that. I can debate facts without ad hominem attacks or building strawmen all over the place. Le sigh.
 
shuamort said:
Yeah, news sources, articles, reports, cites, they're all wrong and only you are right. .

News articles often have a bias. Research has the ability to be flawed.
We don't dismiss out of hand, but we do consider, reflect and analyse. What we don't do is blindly accept.
I don't have all the answers, but neither does your encyclopaedia.
shuamort said:
The thread was started so we can address the fact that France is indeed catching up the US..

Very slowly, and I doubt sincerely the problem will reach US proportions.
shuamort said:
Instead of hijacking your dubious and annoying inflammatory hijacks in other threads or your ownURL=http://www.debatepolitics.com/showthread.php?t=927&page=1&pp=10] re: the US.[/URL] If you don't like it, don't post. Simple as that...

You can choose not to click on threads I start if you find me "inflammatory". You can ignore my posts. As it is, you come back immediately like you're hanging on my every word, waiting for the next post. You love it. You're gagging for it.
Perhaps people hold such views precisely because they find the US itself "inflammatory" and the place to discuss those issues is on a US website? When I say these things on European websites everyone just agrees with me. Where's the fun in that? Yes, I like firey, passionate debate. And you bite every time. You're one of the best on here. Haven't you worked it out? I actually like you.
shuamort said:
I can debate facts without ad hominem attacks .
Oh I think you've shown you can't. Very few of us can.
Do you get a kick out of typing ad hominem all over the place?

shuamort said:
It's le soupire.
Have a good weekend.
 
If it weren't fun, we wouldn't be doing it. ;-)
 
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