Chinese kids eating American junk food

[roddy]

Eating "ACID-FORMING" Foods(or DRUGS) is like putting a BUFFER(filter) in your Brain, that WILL restrict YOUR "Connection" to the God head ("DIVINE ENERGY SOURCE").

And your 'homepage' is an affiliated link to a guy who sells immortality rings? Enough, thanks.

[adrianlondon]

The over-use of capital letters is always a big clue.

*checks capslock key!*

[zhenhui]

I'm feeling really lucky that my mom never buys junk food when we were kids. Maybe she'll buy a tub of ice cream once a year but that's it!

We (me and siblings) were always complaining but now I am grateful. I only tasted my first Macdonalds when I was 13.....

I love Korean food! Actually I love Asian food....Singapore food, Indonesian food, Japanese food, Malaysian food, Thai food....I love rice... i am a 饭桶... although I've been in Sydney for 8 years now... i am not used to eating fish/burgers and chips for meals... i need rice and meat and vegetables and chilli.

[owshawng]

It's not just junk food and fast food that puts on the weight. Processed food and soda has a big part of it also. When your in a food store see what's in people carts. Overweight people are more likely to have lots of canned and heavily processed food as well as junk snack food while the thinner people will have fruits and veggies and fewer processed foods.

Fast food doesn't have to mean one of those big chain takeout places. I usually go to asian restaurants since they serve a mixture of vegtables, meats, and rice or noodles with your meal. Plus it usually doesn't take much longer then a burger joint does and the price is about the same. (Disclaimer: I do get KFC every month or two)

Also it doesn't take much longer to make a well balanced meal then it does to go out and bring home some western fast food that is loaded with fat and sugar. Especially if you live in the US suburbs and have to drive a few miles to get to the nearest store.

[wushijiao]

Another article talking about how the obesity epidemic is a worldwide issue, including developing countries.

"What happened in America is happening everywhere, only faster. Fewer farmers' markets, more processed food. Fewer whole grains, more refined ones. More sweeteners, salt, and trans fats. Cheaper meat, more animal fat. Less cooking, more eating out. Bigger portions, more snacks."

"In country after country, service jobs are replacing hard labor. The folks who field your customer service calls in Bangalore are sitting at desks. Nearly everyone in China has a television set. Remember when Chinese rode bikes? In the past six years, the number of cars there has grown from six million to 20 million. More than one in seven Chinese has a motorized vehicle, and households with such vehicles have an obesity rate 80 percent higher than their peers."

http://www.slate.com/id/2148756/nav/tap2/

[doumeizhen]

TLC, a network station in the states, has a lot of shows on self-improvement. One of their new additions is Honey We're Killing the Kids. In it, they take families who are doing a poor job raising their children nutritionally and also emotionally (which of course are linked) and they do a computer projection of how the kids will turn out if they parents keep on giving them junk food, not playing with them, smoking around them, etc. Then they tell them how many years their style of raising them is taking off of the kids life, and if the parents agree ot it, they give them a therapist/nutriotionalist for three weeks to revamp their routine. The show is depressing but addictive, the proverbial car crash. Perhaps the worst part is watching the kids go through sugar withdrawals and losing it, or fathers getting huffy about the fact that an outsider is controlling the family. The therapist not only teaches them good nutriton, but addresses some fo the bigger emotional issues in the family.

After three weeks they do another projection of how long the kids will live and what they will look like.

Interestingly, I've never seen any previews for a show dealing with an Asian family...

[doumeizhen]

A few years back I taught English to my landlords friend, who told me that when he was a child in the 60's his teacher told them that the reasons Americans, particularly blacks, were overweight, and that the reason was that they loved to eat chicken.

[md1101]

i often find that chinese LOVE chinese food and get quite patriotic about it. same goes for japanese with japanese food. indians with indian food. the italians with italian food ( they go on about italian pizza and pasta all the time). but when it comes to australians, the english, and the americans.. we'll eat anything! just a bunch of food sluts.

[bhchao]

New York City is seeking to ban artificial trans fats at restaurants throughout the city. The city is going to gather a public hearing first before a final vote in December. McDonald's, KFC, and donut shops are the types of businesses that will be most impacted by a ban.

If this prohibition succeeds, NYC will be the first large city in the US to ban artificial trans fats. The city banned smoking in restaurants three years ago, and other cities have followed in succession.

Critics say that despite the health hazards, prohibiting trans fats could significantly alter the taste in foods that use them. They argue that consumer free choice should decide the matter. If the customer decides on unhealthy eating choices, then that is the customer's problem, not the city's.

Proponents of the prohibition argue that fewer people will die of heart disease if the city holds restaurants accountable for offering healthier alternatives, meaning those without trans fats. It could also force restaurants to become innovative in offering product lines that are healthier and yet lucrative for the business. Local government can set a good example by creating a sense of awareness among citizens on current habits.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/nyregion/27fat.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The New York City Board of Health voted unanimously yesterday to move forward with plans to prohibit the city’s 20,000 restaurants from serving food that contains more than a minute amount of artificial trans fats, the chemically modified ingredients considered by doctors and nutritionists to increase the risk of heart disease.

The board, which is authorized to adopt the plan without the consent of any other agency, did not take that step yesterday, but it set in motion a period for written public comments, leading up a public hearing on Oct. 30 and a final vote in December.

Yesterday’s initiative appeared to ensure that the city would eventually take some formal action against artificial trans fats. If approved, the proposal voted on yesterday by the Board of Health would make New York the first large city in the country to strictly limit such fats in restaurants. Chicago is considering a similar prohibition affecting restaurants with less than $20 million in annual sales.

The New York prohibition would affect the city’s entire restaurant industry, by far the nation’s largest, from McDonald’s to fashionable bistros to street corner takeouts across the five boroughs.

The city would set a limit of a half-gram of artificial trans fats per serving of any menu item, sharply reducing most customers’ intake. The fats are commonly found in baked goods, like doughnuts and cakes, as well as breads and salad dressing.

The board members said that the initiative could set an example for the nation, and that New York City should play a leading role because of its high rate of heart disease and because New Yorkers consume more restaurant meals and takeout food than most Americans.

The proposal met immediate resistance among restaurant owners, who said banning trans fats would raise their costs and change the taste of some items.

Trans fats, derived from partially hydrogenated oils, became popular in the 1950’s as an alternative to the saturated fats in butter. They allow fast-food restaurants to use frying oil for longer periods and make crunchier cookies and flakier pie crust. They also have a longer shelf life than butter, olive oil, corn oil or other alternatives.

Health officials said yesterday that many healthier alternative cooking ingredients had been developed that would cost little more than trans fats, and have little or no effect on taste.

If the measure is adopted in December, health officials said, the restrictions would be phased in. Restaurants would be given until July to eliminate oils, margarines and shortening from the recipes that contain more than a half-gram of trans fat per serving.

They would also have until July 2008 to remove all menu items that exceed the new limit, including bread, cakes, chips and salad dressing. The only exclusions from the restrictions would be packaged food items, like candy, that remain in the manufacturers’ original packaging when served, as well as naturally occurring trans fats, which are found in some meats and dairy products.

Health officials said that the regulations would be enforced by restaurant inspectors, who would examine kitchens for products with trans fat, but that there would be no attempt to test prepared foods.

Several restaurant chains, including Wendy’s, Starbucks and Subway, have announced efforts to eliminate or sharply reduce trans fats. McDonald’s, which has not, “will closely examine the board’s proposal,” said Walt Riker, a company spokesman....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15020846/wid/11915773?GT1=8506

...Doctors agree that trans fats are unhealthy in nearly any amount, but a spokesman for the restaurant industry said he was stunned the city would seek to ban a legal ingredient found in millions of American kitchens.

“Labeling is one thing, but when they totally ban a product, it goes well beyond what we think is prudent and acceptable,” said Chuck Hunt, executive vice president of the city’s chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association.

He said the proposal could create havoc: Cooks would be forced to discard old recipes and scrutinize every ingredient in their pantry. A restaurant could face a fine if an inspector finds the wrong type of vegetable shortening on its shelves...

A vote on MSNBC shows that out of almost 80,000 votes, 72% say it should be up to customers to decide what they eat, while 28% say preventing longterm disease is important.

[owshawng]

"A vote on MSNBC shows that out of almost 80,000 votes, 72% say it should be up to customers to decide what they eat, while 28% say preventing longterm disease is important."

The majority of people are clueless. That is why we elect morons, have financial bubbles, and care more about some famous bimbo's new hair cut then what's going on in the world.

If people are going to decide what to eat, then the fast food and processed food companies should be required to provide non trans fatty acid foods as well.

I would rather eat asian fast food over western fast food any day. I think it is tastier, healthier, and less likely to have me running for the nearest toilet 5 minutes later.

[flameproof]

I would rather eat asian fast food over western fast food any day. I think it is tastier, healthier,

Not really. Too oily. Very cheap oil quality too. Pestisides in vegetables, heavy metals in fish. Generally a lower food quality. A food scandal every day.

I like Thai and Indian, but wonder about the health benefits - if any. Italian and Spanish food I would classify as generally more healthy.

[bhchao]

The majority of people are clueless. That is why we elect morons, have financial bubbles, and care more about some famous bimbo's new hair cut then what's going on in the world.

If people are going to decide what to eat, then the fast food and processed food companies should be required to provide non trans fatty acid foods as well.

I agree in principle with the proposed ban on trans fats. However just having inspectors visit every restaurant kitchen in the city, and check for foods known to contain trans fats without actually testing the food isn't going to cut it.

It would be easy to enforce on fast food chains like McDonald's because it is easy to detemine which foods at McDonald's were cooked with trans fats. The difficulty lies more with the upscale restaurants or non-chain restaurants in the city.

The New York City Health Department unveiled a second proposal, which is to have restaurants display the number of calories on menu boards.

Excessive food consumption are much more likely to cause people to become obese, than solely eating foods with artificial trans fats.

This editorial appeared in today's Sunday edition of the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/opinion/01nestle.html

THE proposal last week from the New York City Health Department to require restaurants to use cooking oils free of trans fats was a no-brainer. Trans fats — which are not natural in food but a byproduct of the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils — raise the risk of heart disease, can easily be replaced and should have been out of the food supply a long time ago.

But eliminating trans fats will do nothing to help New Yorkers prevent obesity, which is the greatest food-related threat Americans face. Trans fats are what nutritionists like me call a “calorie distracter.” Removing them from your diet can lull you into forgetting that foods have calories. When it comes to obesity, how much you eat is more important than what you eat.

Lost in the hoopla over the trans fat decision was a second proposal from the health department that might have a far greater impact: to require restaurants that offer foods and drinks made from standard recipes — McDonald’s and Starbucks, for example — to display calorie contents on menu boards.

For doing something about obesity, it’s the calories — not the trans fats — that count. Labeling restaurant calories is a good idea because nobody, not even a trained nutritionist, can compute the number of calories in a meal without knowing the type and weight of every ingredient that goes into it.

Some fast-food companies and family-style chain restaurants have this information because their products are standardized, but usually you have to ask for the numbers or need a computer to find them. You might think twice about asking a Starbucks barista to make you a venti Caffè Mocha with breve milk and whipped cream if you knew it contained 770 calories, one-third of the daily calories needed by an average adult.

McDonald’s does list nutrition information at its restaurants, but on the bottom of the tray liners, where you are likely to find it only after you have eaten your food. (Last year the company announced it intended to start labeling the packaging of some products in 2006, but those packages haven’t arrived at my local McDonald’s outlets.) You might choose smaller portions if you knew in advance that three pieces of McDonald’s Chicken Selects contain 380 calories, but the 10-piece serving has 1,270 calories — more than half the calories most of us need for an entire day.

This is something that chain restaurants can do. And they should. People who eat in such places tend to be heavier than people who don’t, and the chains’ pricing strategies often encourage customers to choose larger portions.

The challenge is to deal with fancier restaurants that typically change their menus all the time. Computing calories would be truly impossible for such places. In them, you are on your own. You won’t know how many calories you are eating but it’s a good guess that they are higher than you can possibly imagine. A tablespoon of butter or olive oil contains 100 calories or more, and these add up quickly, especially with the enormous portions typical today. In nonchains, your only caloric recourse is to eat less.

I can’t think of a better or more practical way to teach people about calories in food than to list them right next to the prices. If restaurant companies really want consumers to be healthier and to make better food choices, they should support both the banning of trans fats and the listing of calories, in New York and across the country.

Marion Nestle, a professor of food studies and public health at New York University, is the author of “What to Eat.”

[Long Zhiren]

If people are going to decide what to eat, then the fast food and processed food companies should be required to provide non trans fatty acid foods as well.

They should also then not expect the public at large to foot the bill for universal health care when they themselves are wholly to blame for their own rotten health.

But bimbos and morons are in charge as you've already pointed out. They want to continue eating their crap, living terrible lifestyles and expecting everybody and the government to subsidize their resulting excessive healthcare needs. They continue to vote for the politicians that promise all.

[liuzhou]

McDonald’s does list nutrition information at its restaurants, but on the bottom of the tray liners

In China?

[WHS Editor]

As a westerner living in China, getting some "junk food" hits is of course something one needs living here. Giving it to your children very ocassionally is also ok, but like everything in moderation.

One thing an earlier post made mention to was the skin being the only unhealthy part of the chicken in KFC. This is only partly true. The Chicken that KFC use is not the Chicken we are used from our "Grandparents Farm", its full of hormones and chemicals to make them grow very fast ready for quick consumption.

True health is all about balance, too much of anything is bad for you.. but somethings of course we should eat less and some things more often!

Drew

[flameproof]

The Chicken that KFC use is not the Chicken we are used from our "Grandparents Farm", its full of hormones and chemicals to make them grow very fast ready for quick consumption.

And the chickens that you get in Chinese restaurants come from the happy chickens with a smile resort? I have doubts...

KFC is way too oily for me. But still less oil in it compare to fried noodles or fried rice.

[WHS Editor]

Good point. In fact almost all Chickens not just KFC chicken is hormone produced. A little hard to find in China but Organic Free Range Chicken will be a better choice... that being said it is also very expensive compared to the local market bought chicken.

[liuzhou]

In fact almost all Chickens not just KFC chicken is hormone produced.

I think you'll find you were hormone produced, too!

A little hard to find in China but Organic Free Range Chicken will be a better choice.

Easier to find in China than anywhere I have lived in the west. I can see one outside my window!

[flameproof]

Easier to find in China than anywhere I have lived in the west. I can see one outside my window!

That's not were the mass produced chickens come from. Free range is out anyway in the west coz of birdflue.

[flameproof]

Anyway, the problem is not american junk food, it's:

generally bad food choices

complete lack of nutrition knowledge

lack of exercise

stay indoors for homework and gaming

generally more income = more food to eat

China has big rise in child obesity and the problem is getting bigger. Literally.