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Looking at the amount of processed food available in Japan, it is hard to think it is just the processed food that is to blame. I think it is a cheap observati
by taeric 2y ago
Looking at the amount of processed food available in Japan, it is hard to think it is just the processed food that is to blame.
I think it is a cheap observation, such that I expect people to push back on me, but it is hard to ignore portion sizes. Will try and take a dive on some of the data around that. But a personal level, it is hard to grapple with the fact that I just got less food per place that I went.
And it is frustrating, as getting the food, I would want a large burger/sandwhich/whatever. But waiting a small amount of time after a small snack/meal works.
- burnte 2y agoThere have been experiments that control for portion size, processed food still spikes glucose more, etc.
- taeric 2y agoIsn't that some of what this article was challenging?
- burnte 2y agoI don't believe so, I felt it was we know it does just not why yet.
- taeric 2y agoI mean, that is the headline. The thrust of the article was that a lot of the common things people offer for why don't have any real evidence. All we seem to have is that people eat more calories when doing processed foods. Specifically, the RCT showing that people eating ultra processed foods eat an average of 500 more calories per day is what I was looking at. Seems to basically align far more heavily with it being the volume of food than it is other qualities. Though, my memory was stronger in what that paragraph claimed.
- nightski 2y agoI honestly think stress and work obsession along with sedentary lifestyles has a lot more to do with anything health related than ultra processed foods.
- coding123 2y agoVery true, someone that has time to make a meal from scratch is clearly not stressed, has money and time. Maybe not all, but from a category view, there are so many factors on those two different worlds that affect health, that focusing on just food is crazy.
- presentation 2y agoPlenty of stressed and work obsessed people in Japan too, and yet the obesity rate is tiny.
- bee_rider 2y agoWhat’s special about Japan in this context?
- bilekas 2y agoThey do have a particularly high life expectancy. https://data.who.int/countries/392 https://data.who.int/countries/392
- zeroCalories 2y agoGood health outcomes compared to other first world countries?
- makeitdouble 2y agoJapan isn't special IMHO, but overweight rate is on the low side. Now, trying to understand why is can of worm (social pressure and bullying probably plays a role for instance, which have other adverse effects possibly worse than just being overweight)
- formerlurker 2y agoI went to Japan recently and one of the most striking things to me was how easy it was to walk to places. Their infrastructure astounded me because it was set up with people in mind and not car companies.
- bee_rider 2y ago
- AmVess 2y agoIn the US, portion size, calorie density, frequency of eating high calorie foods are contributing to people getting a lot fatter a lot faster than before. We now have instant gratification in food delivery services. Get anything you want without leaving home. In fast food, people are eating a day's worth of food in one sitting. Triple burger, large fries, large drink. People are doing this once a day every day of the week.Then they go home and order more high calorie food with high calorie drinks and constant snacking. It is amazing to see how much more obese people have gotten in the last decade, and the % of fat people has gone up a lot, too. Restaurants of all types serve massive portions, and people eat it without thinking or realizing they are eating a day's worth of calories in one meal, and I haven't touched on the amount of fat, sugar, and sodium they are packing away. The fact that people today have shorter lifespans than their parents should be sounding alarms everywhere, but there is nothing but silence.
- throwup238 2y ago> In fast food, people are eating a day's worth of food in one sitting. Triple burger, large fries, large drink. People are doing this once a day every day of the week.Then they go home and order more high calorie food with high calorie drinks and constant snacking. The UK had a reality TV show called Secret Eaters where they signed up people to be monitored 24/7 by cameras and private investigators which tracked every single thing they put in their mouth and counted up the calories. It was really informative to see how some people eat and it is not pretty. Even the people who didn't regularly eat fast food or go out to chip shops ate way more than is healthy with fatty sausages, fried things, and little fruit or vegetables, all in huge portions.
- Sohcahtoa82 2y agoI'd love to see that happen with people that are keeping a food diary and see how much they're being honest with themselves. Though their behavior would probably change if they knew they were being recorded.
- chrisweekly 2y agoSedentary lifestyles are a huge factor too.
- 4gotunameagain 2y agoYou cannot imo use Japan as an argument for anything. There are so many unique and localised factors at play in Japan, that it could be something as obscure as incredible self limiting eating due to fear of social stigma. Japan is a basket case.
- dzhiurgis 2y agoJapanese people are much smaller so explains smaller portions. But I am too surprised how processed (but tasty) their convini food is.