America Has Super-Sized By Alan Freeman

[Guest guest]

This is the first thing I noticed when I went to US - how massive the

portions were and how big the people were. It's unbelievable the calories in

soft drinks. You just need to look in very large people's trollies at the

supermarket and often you see large bottles of coca cola or other

softdrinks. I've seen whole families of large people with a trolly full of

soft drinks when they are on special. I used to have a very large friend who

could eat a whole cheesecake in one sitting, and she gave up sugar totally

and became thin. McDonalds have a large size drink cup with no choice for a

small one. When I lived in the UK, portions were tiny, and they had 1/4 lb

of tea for sale. You could buy a tiny packet of cheese. I could get my

week's food from the supermarket in a shopping basket. (not counting fruit

and veg) It was not often I saw people massively overweight, as people had

millions of stairs to climb. Now many are overweight according to the BBC

health pages online. Is something depleting the thyroid? I wonder if the

computers are slowing people's metabolisms, as I've heard the computer's elf

waves slow the metabolism of the body. Or unless it's all the soy depleting

the thyroid. When I lived in the UK, 1 in 4 were vegetarians and they sold a

lot of the TVP soy imitation meat, which is supposed to be terrible for the

body. It was even put in real meat baking to fill it up, as it was meat

flavoured too. Plus all the estrogen in the rivers. Many women on the Pill

flushed it down the toilets straight into the Thames River. It is

indestructible, and it goes straight back into the drinking water, along

with all the other medications people flush down the toilets. If you give

the Thames a pregnancy test it comes out positive. Estrogen is used for

fattening cattle. The Thames water is recycled 5 times. I'd be thinking it

might be the soy, as it contains 10 times as much estrogen as other foods.

It's added to bread often, plus the thyroid depletion. Maybe the portions

have doubled in the Uk? Nicky

 

America Has Super-Sized

By Alan Freeman

The Globe and Mail

2-28-4

http://rense.com/general49/supser.htm

 

WASHINGTON -- I knew that something was up when I wandered into the

drugstore next door to The Globe and Mail's Washington office looking for a

soft drink and realized that the smallest size available was a neat 20

ounces.

 

It probably dates me but I still remember when the classic Coca-Cola bottle

contained 6 ounces of the stuff and the new king-size bottles were a

generous 10 ounces. Who could drink 20 ounces of carbonated brown syrup in

one go and not explode? Looking around me, I soon realized that 292 million

Americans do it every day and think nothing of it.

 

After living in Europe for the past seven years, spending five weeks in

Middle America was something of a shock. At times I began to think that all

of American society had gone on steroids. From soft drinks to cars to houses

and sadly, to people, America has gone super-sized.

 

Sure, Europeans are getting fatter and there's considerable gnashing of

teeth about too much sugar and fat in the daily diet in Italy and France.

There's worry in Britain that children are no longer walking to school and

spending too much time at their computers rather than shivering on

rain-soaked soccer pitches kicking around a ball.

 

But nothing prepared me for Des Moines, Iowa, in mid-January. It was like

the scene from a science fiction film after some nuclear disaster. Not a

soul could be spotted walking down the cold, windswept streets. Instead,

massive SUVs with hefty names like Escapade, Navigator and Yukon cruised

around like earthbound aircraft carriers, disappearing into the massive

parking garages that abutted every highrise office building.

 

When I wondered who exactly would need such huge vehicles to get and from

the convenience store, I thought again when I saw the size of the people

climbing in and out of the front seat.

 

When I checked out the scene at 801, Des Moines's classiest steakhouse and a

favourite with the journalists and politicos who had crowded into town for

Iowa's presidential caucuses, I was taken aback to learn that the most

popular item on the menu was a 24-ounce Porterhouse. For those who thought

it was too much like an appetizer, I was told, there was also a 40-ounce

Porterhouse.

 

As a friend commented later, " Why not just eat the whole cow? "

 

When checking into hotels, the desk clerk would sometimes apologize for the

fact that all the King-size beds were taken. Considering the fact that I was

travelling alone, a double bed seemed more than adequate to me.

 

On TV, it was clear something was going on. If it wasn't low-carb beer or

low-carb bread that was being advertised, it was the miraculous Ab-Flex or

the tread mill you could fold up and slide beneath your king-sized bed. Yet

at the same time, I remember an ad for a brand of ready-made macaroni which

had just increased its standard size by 50 per cent because it said that

growing kids couldn't get enough of it.

 

All of this just confirmed a pet theory of mine, that the problem in America

is that food and gas are simply too cheap. When it costs you $100 (Canadian)

to fill your gas tank, as it does when I go to the service station in London

in my ancient VW Passat, you think twice of buying a mastodon that gets half

the mileage.

 

Likewise, when your home refrigerator is the size of one that would look

fine in Barbie and Ken's kitchen, there's simply no place for super-sized

tubs of ice cream or soft drink containers that require a forklift for

pouring. Cheap gasoline is another pernicious influence. With the help of

abundant land and tax-subsidized mortgages, it has suburbanized America and

destroyed public transit in most cities. And in turn that all helps make

people fatter still.

 

When people use buses or subways, they're forced to move around to get

somewhere. There's always the walk to the bus stop or the climb up the

stairs in the subway station. And unlike working out in the gym, walking

home from your neighbourhood shopping street or local school laden with

parcels or schoolbooks costs nothing, burns calories and is easily

integrated into a daily routine.

 

Whether it was Nashua, N.H., or Columbia, N.H., I never seemed to have to

walk more than a few metres from my parked car to a restaurant for a meal or

a high-school auditorium for a political rally.

 

Not to say that there aren't some advantages to America's love affair with

size. Parking is a breeze because parking lots are massive and individual

spaces appear to be twice as wide as the standard one at a European parking

garage. And if you're inclined to be frugal, you can always order just one

portion of linguini or fajitas at an American restaurant and feed a family

of five with it, with some left over for a doggie bag to take home and put

in your commercial-sized refrigerator.

 

Yet excess seems ingrained in the American psyche. I'm convinced that the

reason the Atkins diet is popular is not because it forces people to eat

fewer carbohydrates but because you can eat as many 40-ounce Porterhouse

steaks as you want.

 

Moderation, I guess, is simply no fun.

 

© 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. .

 

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.2004021

9.wlett0219/BNStory/International/

[Guest guest]

The effect of flouride on the thyroid (US is 70% > flouridated--the UK has just expanded its flouridation program) and the rest of the endocrine system is enough to both expand people and zombify them---and that is just one thing out of thousands that attack the endocrine system. Personally I'm amazed at how resilient we are...Misty <misty3 wrote:

This is the first thing I noticed when I went to US - how massive theportions were and how big the people were. It's unbelievable the calories insoft drinks. You just need to look in very large people's trollies at thesupermarket and often you see large bottles of coca cola or othersoftdrinks. I've seen whole families of large people with a trolly full ofsoft drinks when they are on special. I used to have a very large friend whocould eat a whole cheesecake in one sitting, and she gave up sugar totallyand became thin. McDonalds have a large size drink cup with no choice for asmall one. When I lived in the UK, portions were tiny, and they had 1/4 lbof tea for sale. You could buy a tiny packet of cheese. I could get myweek's food from the supermarket in a shopping basket. (not counting fruitand veg) It was not often I saw people massively

overweight, as people hadmillions of stairs to climb. Now many are overweight according to the BBChealth pages online. Is something depleting the thyroid? I wonder if thecomputers are slowing people's metabolisms, as I've heard the computer's elfwaves slow the metabolism of the body. Or unless it's all the soy depletingthe thyroid. When I lived in the UK, 1 in 4 were vegetarians and they sold alot of the TVP soy imitation meat, which is supposed to be terrible for thebody. It was even put in real meat baking to fill it up, as it was meatflavoured too. Plus all the estrogen in the rivers. Many women on the Pillflushed it down the toilets straight into the Thames River. It isindestructible, and it goes straight back into the drinking water, alongwith all the other medications people flush down the toilets. If you givethe Thames a pregnancy test it comes out positive. Estrogen is used forfattening cattle. The Thames water is recycled

5 times. I'd be thinking itmight be the soy, as it contains 10 times as much estrogen as other foods.It's added to bread often, plus the thyroid depletion. Maybe the portionshave doubled in the Uk? NickyAmerica Has Super-SizedBy Alan FreemanThe Globe and Mail2-28-4http://rense.com/general49/supser.htmWASHINGTON -- I knew that something was up when I wandered into thedrugstore next door to The Globe and Mail's Washington office looking for asoft drink and realized that the smallest size available was a neat 20ounces.It probably dates me but I still remember when the classic Coca-Cola bottlecontained 6 ounces of the stuff and the new king-size bottles were agenerous 10 ounces. Who could drink 20 ounces of carbonated brown syrup inone go and not explode? Looking around me, I soon realized that 292 millionAmericans do it every day and think nothing of

it.After living in Europe for the past seven years, spending five weeks inMiddle America was something of a shock. At times I began to think that allof American society had gone on steroids. From soft drinks to cars to housesand sadly, to people, America has gone super-sized.Sure, Europeans are getting fatter and there's considerable gnashing ofteeth about too much sugar and fat in the daily diet in Italy and France.There's worry in Britain that children are no longer walking to school andspending too much time at their computers rather than shivering onrain-soaked soccer pitches kicking around a ball.But nothing prepared me for Des Moines, Iowa, in mid-January. It was likethe scene from a science fiction film after some nuclear disaster. Not asoul could be spotted walking down the cold, windswept streets. Instead,massive SUVs with hefty names like Escapade, Navigator and Yukon cruisedaround like earthbound aircraft

carriers, disappearing into the massiveparking garages that abutted every highrise office building.When I wondered who exactly would need such huge vehicles to get and fromthe convenience store, I thought again when I saw the size of the peopleclimbing in and out of the front seat.When I checked out the scene at 801, Des Moines's classiest steakhouse and afavourite with the journalists and politicos who had crowded into town forIowa's presidential caucuses, I was taken aback to learn that the mostpopular item on the menu was a 24-ounce Porterhouse. For those who thoughtit was too much like an appetizer, I was told, there was also a 40-ouncePorterhouse.As a friend commented later, "Why not just eat the whole cow?"When checking into hotels, the desk clerk would sometimes apologize for thefact that all the King-size beds were taken. Considering the fact that I wastravelling alone, a double bed seemed more than

adequate to me.On TV, it was clear something was going on. If it wasn't low-carb beer orlow-carb bread that was being advertised, it was the miraculous Ab-Flex orthe tread mill you could fold up and slide beneath your king-sized bed. Yetat the same time, I remember an ad for a brand of ready-made macaroni whichhad just increased its standard size by 50 per cent because it said thatgrowing kids couldn't get enough of it.All of this just confirmed a pet theory of mine, that the problem in Americais that food and gas are simply too cheap. When it costs you $100 (Canadian)to fill your gas tank, as it does when I go to the service station in Londonin my ancient VW Passat, you think twice of buying a mastodon that gets halfthe mileage.Likewise, when your home refrigerator is the size of one that would lookfine in Barbie and Ken's kitchen, there's simply no place for super-sizedtubs of ice cream or soft drink containers

that require a forklift forpouring. Cheap gasoline is another pernicious influence. With the help ofabundant land and tax-subsidized mortgages, it has suburbanized America anddestroyed public transit in most cities. And in turn that all helps makepeople fatter still.When people use buses or subways, they're forced to move around to getsomewhere. There's always the walk to the bus stop or the climb up thestairs in the subway station. And unlike working out in the gym, walkinghome from your neighbourhood shopping street or local school laden withparcels or schoolbooks costs nothing, burns calories and is easilyintegrated into a daily routine.Whether it was Nashua, N.H., or Columbia, N.H., I never seemed to have towalk more than a few metres from my parked car to a restaurant for a meal ora high-school auditorium for a political rally.Not to say that there aren't some advantages to America's love affair withsize.

Parking is a breeze because parking lots are massive and individualspaces appear to be twice as wide as the standard one at a European parkinggarage. And if you're inclined to be frugal, you can always order just oneportion of linguini or fajitas at an American restaurant and feed a familyof five with it, with some left over for a doggie bag to take home and putin your commercial-sized refrigerator.Yet excess seems ingrained in the American psyche. I'm convinced that thereason the Atkins diet is popular is not because it forces people to eatfewer carbohydrates but because you can eat as many 40-ounce Porterhousesteaks as you want.Moderation, I guess, is simply no fun.© 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. .http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040219.wlett0219/BNStory/International/«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§ - PULSE ON WORLD HEALTH CONSPIRACIES! §Subscribe:......... - To :.... - Any information here in is for educational purpose only, it may be news related, purely speculation or someone's opinion. Always consult with a qualified health practitioner before deciding on any course of treatment, especially for serious or life-threatening illnesses.**COPYRIGHT NOTICE**In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,any copyrighted work in this

message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

 

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