In a previous post, I discussed how obesity levels might just be an indicator of increasing wealth.
The headline of a recent news item reads “30 Percent of Cubans Are Overweight”. Since Cuba is hardly known as a garden spot so far as economic vigor is concerned, this is a pretty good sign that I might be wrong about how more wealth equals larger waistlines.
The author of the news article states that Cubans average over 3,000 calories a day, 30% of which is subsidized rations provided by Castro’s government. Healthy food such as fresh vegetables are prohibitively expensive, and the diet tends towards fried starches and fatty meat.
It could be that food production technology has just gotten so efficient that obesity is in the reach of just about everyone. Except, apparently, for the North Koreans.
I saw a docu on the discovery channel about one of the frozen bronze age body’s floating around in europe.
Anyways, they went into a discussion of his teeth, and mentioned how his teeth were ground down almost to half the average size. The description (which I remember cuz I thought it was wierd)they offered is that since he was eating whole grains, and likely only cooked his meat, rather than any of the veggies or berry’s that were also a part of his diet.
So his foodstuffs consisted of courser meals.
Also, had a boss who’s degree was in nutrition in some way I don’t know the rules for that stuff, and one day giving us a “class” on basic nutrition (it was the military) started in on a small disgussion about chewing and saliva (it was definately an odd inclusion in the middle of the class) and she also mentioned that with so many of our common foodstuffs being pre-processed, we would do best to eat more whole foods, like a steak, or fresh veggies and such, that way we get all of the stuff that we need without having to compete with the more easily digested processed foods like breads (not carbo’s, but processed carbo’s)
I think that was my boss, might have been one of the guys who was a personal trainer. I forget.
But yeah, thats what I got to offer, sorry for the wordy anectdotal nature.
When I was in Cuba, people were noticeably slim. That was in 2001. I suppose it is possible that things have changed.