Rooms full of fat chefs

I’ve been stewing. Monday and Tuesday I was in Orlando for the American Culinary Federation Convention. Monday night I had an absolutely wonderful meal at Seasons 52, Darden upscale, healthy/seasonal concept which will open in the WestShore Plaza in Tampa in 2010. And then I went to the ludicrous Ice Bar for a drink. Yes, a bar made of ice in which you try to look suave in a huge zip-up snowsuit in a 27-degree room.

These are not the reasons I’ve been stewing.

Now with 22,000 members in more than 230 chapters, the ACF is a professional organization for chefs and cooks founded in 1929. Its aim, at core, is to promote the professional image of American chefs and to offer educational options, certification and apprenticeship opportunities to young folks coming up in the industry. It seems like a great organization, more than 1,000 chefs convening to talk shop, compete a little and brush up on skills. Wandering around meeting folks, it seems like many of the members are culinary educators, many work in hotels, resorts and country clubs. Some are chef-owners of independent restaurants.

But one thing that seemed all too common in the group was obesity. On the second day I started counting, just ticking off numbers on the back of my journalists’ notebook as I sat in the break-out sessions. In each session, the majority of attendees were morbidly obese, even among the culinary students in their late teens and early 20s.

Obviously, in a hot and sweaty job in which one is on his or her feet all day in a pressurized environment, packing on a lot of extra weight is hazardous. But it worries me for another reason. These are the people who feed us, who make choices about portion size, about ingredients, about the direction of American food.

Self-control is hard, maybe especially at conventions, but at the table for the Florida chapter, I watched chefs snarf an absolute mountain of free Butterfingers as if it were foie gras.

This week’s New Yorker features a review of books about obesity by Elizabeth Kolbert. In The Evolution of Obesity, the theory goes that because humans used to live a hand-to-mouth existence, the ability to pack on fat against future lean times was adaptive. Now, there are no lean times. “We evolved on the savannahs of Africa,” the authors write. “We now live in Candyland.”

In the Fattening of America, the author links our growing waistlines to decreasing costs (the real cost of soft drinks dropped by more than 20 percent between 1983 and 2005, which may explain why 7 percent of the calories consumed in this country are from sodas). In The End of Overeating, author David A. Kessler sees food scientists as the evil Svengalis, tinkering with food’s construction to maximize “craveability.” Brian Wansink, director of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab and author of Mindless Eating, describes experiments in which, in the presence of excessive quantity, humans fail to experience satiety. They’ll just eat and eat.

My question: Don’t professional chefs bear a responsibility? If they’re cutting-edge experts in the field of meal preparation, don't they owe it to the public to produce dishes that are delicious without being reprehensibly caloric, huge and fatty? Obviously, a case could be made for simple supply and demand. People want huge quantities of high-calorie, cheap food, so give it to them, or someone else will. But shouldn't the buck stop here? Day in and day out, these chefs are sampling their own handiwork--if the upshot is rooms full of people with a BMI over 40, something needs to change.

Comments

[tom]

do you include yourself in the above group??

[Trevor]

I used to wait tables at a place where the chef was so huge he could hardly work behind the line, and then he would scream to get out of his way. He used to gargle burritos in the kitchen when it was slow, and I think he ate the profits till the place closed

[Jackie]

HAHA Tom! I was thinking the exact same thing. How hypocritical of Laura Reiley to critize the chefs when she is also morbidly obese. I'm sure she doesn't feel the Times should remove her from her job as food critic!

[hospitalitypro]

They say (whoever "they" are): "Don't trust a skinny Chef!" I say: Trust the skinny chef, because he/she is NOT eating it all him/herself, he/she is actually putting it ON your plate!

[The Mouth]

Tom and Jackie, where are you guys getting your information? That cracks me up.

[Colette]

Interesting, Laura -- and a change. I remember going to a chef's convention (albeit a regional one) when I was a food writer in Arizona in the early '90s and being struck by how skinny most of the chefs were. Don't know if it was healthier lifestyles out west or the fact that many restaurant kitchens then weren't air conditioned, so they'd just sweat off the weight.

Tom and Jackie: I sit at the desk next to Laura's. Believe me, if you think she's obese (or even a bit chubby), you've never laid eyes on her.

[Pete]

Chefs are not about to change the state of the economy, and don't kid yourself for one second that it's not about the bottom line. Restaurants are out to make money, not monitor the dietary requirements of the human being. Fatty food is tasty. Tastiness means people will eat it, even crave it. People eating it creates profits. We are pawns in the game of hunger forced upon us by the food industry. Give up eating in restaurants until they serve a healthy meal and maybe then they'll get the idea.

[DJ]

Laura Reiley is the antithesis of obese, and she raises an interesting point here. Please! ... Y'all don't know what you're talking about.

[Richard]

Laura Reilly is so fat that when she sits around the office, she sits A-R-O-U-N-D the office.

She so fat, she don't have belly button lint, she has belly button sweaters.

She so fat, when she sits on a rainbow, skittles pop out!

[johnson]

Ultimately, this article leads back to taking responsibility for one's self. I eat out A LOT, and so for many of the chain restaurants I have googled menus for nutritional info. Virtually all of them serve double portions, and the calorie count for most dishes is around 1500 calories. Now, if that's your only meal of the day, might not be so bad (except it's better to eat smaller portions throughout the day). Now when my meal comes, I immediately carve out half and take it home for another meal. This keeps my waistline in check and also helps keep my food costs down.

[mockdraught]

If the restaurateurs would only cut down the portions and prices, more of us could afford to dine out and more of us could "afford" to dine out. But that'd mean more dishes to wash and they don't want that, do they?

[Luby]

Great Post. I think part of the problem is that people are afraid to make mention of these facts, preferring to tip-toe around the issue until its a big problem (no pun intended). Thanks for being brave and saying your mind Laura.

[Hambone]

I cannot believe that someone as morbidly obese as Laura Reiley has room in her waistband to even mumble a complaint. You know I really cannot believe how large you really are. please go do a few laps around the St. Pete times building lardazz. Hysterical, I love these comments!

[Phillip Reynolds]

There needs to be an immediate 54% tax added to the price of any restaurant food item that contains fat or cholesterol, so that we can pay for the health care of the obese people that can't get around without a scooter, or become diabetic and need constant drugs or other health care. 20% goes to Feds, 34% goes to state of FL. Because obese people are clogging up the heathcare system, this tax will help support them, and the discriminatory punishment of their eating habits will make them quit eating so much, thereby reducing the burden on all of us who aren't morbidly obese and are totally disgusted by their presence. It really is a great idea. Why hasn't anybody thought of it?

[phatgrl]

Wow, Phillip Reynolds, if there is a higher power, I hope it makes you fatter than fat just so that you know what it would feel like to walk a mile in those shoes. You state you're "totally disgusted" by the obese--did you not get hit with the empathy stick at any point in your life?

[JS]

Every book you mentioned is an utter waste of time. The "thrifty gene" and "toxic environment" theories of obesity have been debunked. The writers of those books, as well as researchers and scientists have wasted the last 50 years trying to prove that obesity is a behavioral or psychological disorder. It isn't. Obesity is a physical disorder of excess fat accumulation, not of sloth and gluttony. Overeating is the side effect of the disorder, not the cause. I'll repeat that statement: Overeating is the side effect of the disorder, not the cause.

Body fat is metabolically active. Chronically obese individuals partition their fuel (food) into fat much more efficiently than thin people. Once that fat is stored in fat cells, the fat tissue constantly demands energy from the body. An obese person experiences a form of internal starvation as the food they eat goes to feed their fat cells, not their muscle tissue and organs. The result is chronic hunger, which leads to chronic overeating, which their bodies convert very efficiently into fat tissue, ad nauseum.

Sadly, we'll probably never know what causes this efficient fat accumulation in the first place, because we've wasted the last 50 years doing studies on the behavior and psychology of fat people. Blaming obesity on overeating seems so intuitively correct, we refuse to wrap our tiny, atrophied brains around the possibility that this assumption may be wrong. I'm sure we'll continue to waste time conducting diet and obesity studies that target behavior, not physiology, since we love to heap blame and scorn on the obese, who are guilty only of having bad genes.

[Colette]

Philip Reynolds, I challenge you to go to any restaurant Web sites that list nutritional content and find ten items that contain no fat. I'll bet you can't find five. And every food item of animal origin (meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs) contains cholesterol. Virtually every restaurant item (other than a glass of water) would be subject to your "fat tax." Do you really want to see every restaurant bill increase by more than 50 percent?

[A Chef's Wife]

Obesity is too common - playgrounds, school campuses, malls, work, even at the gym! Agreeing with Laura, obesity IS hazardous. My husband DO IT like you just wouldn’t expect. Kitchen, at home, boat, in Alabama, or off shore> but for my personal reply

Two thoughts on this blog topic: 1) Chef’s Position 2) How Chef’s Position Effects Finished Product = ‘for Healthier Food’
1) How much input does the Chef have? Larger restaurants often hire multiple chefs…they have a boss>and boss sometimes has an investor> boss/investor has a budget & a business plan. Might not always be a healthy “food plan”. Becomes a business of operations. Appearance takes precedence, cause us diners LOVE atmosphere. Finding the next ‘trend’, turning the tables, doing the next ‘gimmick.’ That’s money. Not all concepts/chains operate that way, but enough to see unhappy or obese chefs AND its employees, cause like any other profession (can you imagine an unhappy employee at a Godiva plant?) I witnessed my husband’s frustration for better food quality control, human resources and executing a menu he didn’t have full control of (while working for a concept) I kept thinking?
2) How does a Chef’s Position the Finished Product @ restaurants: What is the chef’s goal? Hovering for hours in heat hotter than Florida’s summer 100s? Hope you love what you do. Does the chef get to personally select products? Does he have freedom to execute the menu AND have cooperation with the staff…

My husband is no skinny chef, but he’s not obese either. He’s a Viking, and they’re just built nice and big, but he plates up some fine dishes that are healthy and tasty. Shaping how America eats? That’s corporate and advertising. I’m no expert in the food business, but as a wife and mom, I do know that if I take the time to cook healthy meals starting with breakfast, my hubby and our toddler go about their business very happily for the rest of the day.

[JS]

Phillip Reynolds, you poor, misguided soul. You've obviously not kept up with all the new research. Since your nutrition knowledge is a little outdated, let me bring you up to speed:

1. Eating fat and cholesterol does not make you fat and does not cause heart disease. The "French Paradox" is not a paradox at all. It's the result of a nation's citizens eating food (cheese, cream, meat, eggs, etc.) that does not cause heart disease.

2. New studies show that moderately overweight people live longer and get sick less often than people at the lower end of the BMI scale for their height, particularly over the age of 70. Uh, health care costs? It's those skinny, exercise freaks that will be driving costs up with their knee replacements and shoulder repairs before they turn 45.

3. Type 2 diabetes is a genetic disease. If you don't have the genes, you can get as fat as you want, and you will never become diabetic. Period. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is also hereditary. So quit talking about things you don't understand. And learn the difference between a "cause" and an "association." Studies show that Type 2 diabetes is "associated" with obesity. An association is not a causal relationship.

Pretty much every public health standard enacted by the U.S. government in the last 30 years has done more harm than good. The public health standards have been based on flawed theories presented as indisputable fact to legislators by self-aggrandizing scientists. Read about the McGovern nutrition hearings in the 70's. Yet folks like like Phil would have the government go even farther by taxing foods based on this same flawed, incorrect science.

[tom]

Yo Mouth info comes from viewing your video's.......

[Hank]

What responsibility do chefs have other than to present food that patrons enjoy and will return for more? A restaurant is a business, not a clinic and not your doctors’ office. There are healthful options on most menus and if you don’t see an item you like, ask the server for something that fits your dietary need. It is not incumbent on the restaurant to monitor your health; that is YOUR responsibility. I cannot think of one instance where a restaurateur has been arrested for making someone come in and eat a meal (although there a few meals I have had where the chef should have been wounded for serving garbage).

And let’s please differentiate between a chef and a cook. There are far more of the later than the former.

One more thing. Mouth, when you were at the James Beard event, weren't the chefs there just like us? All sizes and flavors?

[D.D.]

Hey;
I work in a place that has her picture at the hostess stand; just in case she shows up. She is a very good looking woman, similar to say Jen Anniston. She is also right. Fat is the norm for many culinarians, and use of heavy cream and butter continues unabated. My place isn't that busy, and we go thru 24 qts of 40% cream, the richest you can buy, and a case of butter a week.
D.D.

[The Mouth]

Hank, when I read your comments I'm usually nodding along with your line of reasoning. Not this time. How is it different from buying a car--consumers aren't able to kick the tires, look under the hood and know they are looking at a safe and reliable vehicle. There has to be a certain level of trust between consumers and service providers. Also transparency. If a restaurateur tells me he's serving prime meats, I have to trust that it is so. If he tells me the wine in my glass is a particular thing, I've got to believe it. If he sets an entree in front of me that in fact has 2,000 calories and a zillion fat grams and calls it a single serving, there's a trust issue there. Most consumers aren't savvy enough to break down what's in front of them. "OK, this sauce is mounted with butter. Hmm, I'm guessing from the texture of these mashed potatoes that they were finished with both heavy cream and butter. That fan of pork loin looks like about 16 ounces." We have to trust the experts in the kitchen. In my book, those experts owe the dining public more than just "yummy." Every restaurant dish is a text that most of us don't have the skill set to decode. Exactly what has gone into that dish is often extremely difficult to discern. Not to get all Ralph Nader, but some dishes are unsafe at any speed.

[Coach Bill]

Amazing.. political correctness has now engulfed obese people. In 95 percent of cases, obesity is caused by gluttony/lack of self-control and laziness/lack of exercise. It's not genetic, it's not a hormone problem, it's not caused by ingestion of certain medications. As I said, all but 5 percent of the time it is caused by human fraility. I'm a retired doc and I know.

[Ed C.]

Mouth:

I loved the New Yorker article and your post. So many interesting comments. I gotta respond to JS.

1) While it is true that there may be genetic components to obesity, it's indisputable that personal diet has an impact on weight. The premise of the New Yorker article is that CDC has shown an epidemic of obesity that cannot be linked to genetic mutation nor evolution. So many are getting fatter to such a degree that we can't blame the genes for most of it.

2) Diabetes and other diet related diseases have increased in tandem with the American waistline, again suggesting that the increase is not the result of genetics.

* * * * *

On the topic of responsibility...the only person responsible for what you put in your mouth is you. Don't blame the chef, or FritoLay if you're fat. They didn't make you order the mashed potatoes instead of the salad, and the chef didn't lift the spoon to your mouth. Yes they put that on the menu, because that's what we want. Serving sizes are obvious to those with eyes. Forewarned is forearmed, eating more makes you fatter.

I have seen Mouth and can definitively say the following...

Once she broke her ankle and gravy poured out...

When she steps on a scale it says "to be continued"...

She ordered a stole made of Dark Flying Fox fur, now they're extinct...

She has to iron her clothes on the driveway...

...kidding!

* * * *

BTW, I didn't take Tom's note as a comment on weight, so much as the reviews not focusing on health as much as taste and value....

[Tran Luong]

This is amazing how fired up bloggers are getting on Laura's comment re: chef size and feeding Americans. She's got a valid point people.

My husband IS larger than most men - but he is not obese and he is extremely active. He's 'big boned'. But, As a Chef that has spent a lot of money at culinary school and back breaking grunt work for 2 decades to get where he is today, he DOES personally feel it is his responsibility to prepare food safely, properly, using healthy ingredients, all while delivering tasteful dishes. Cause he likes his customers! Obviously, a creamy bisque, steak n potato soup, or a 24 oz cowboy is going to contain a wee bit more calories than a clear brothy asian pho bowl...but - he can prepare them both carefully and doesn't use excess fat/grease/sodium. In anything.

I like that he puts such healthy consideration into his menu and prep work. And you wouldn't know it, cause he IS a bigger built guy. But, as any professional or tradesman that has a clientle - delivering quality service or goods is important. Isn't it? What separates the ones who are followers and leaders - are the ones that stand up against the norm, and sometimes just has do it the longer, harder, & (unfortunately more expensive way) - cause they TRULY want to offer a better product.

My husband and I's BMIs are night and day. I'm sure people think he eats a lot, when its actually me that eats likes there's no tomorrow. In our case, appearance is deceiving. And, when we dine out, my husband knows where to go for certain types of food, and he knows his seafood and chops. He knows if he just got served a frozen tuna dish. Or if his grouper was probably amberjack. Or how long the server left his steak under the heat lamp.... Actually is maddening for me, cause there's such few places he'll take me on dates now. I just want to go on date nights when we're closed!

He's a chef, and I in commercial business. What if I said distraught clients, what some bloggers are saying, "I didn't twist your arm to invest your 401k and retirement in such an aggressive account" "You should have known, I was simply offering you choices..." Negative ghost rider. Not a cool comment to make.

An approach we think is cool from the get go, is to do our jobs to best of our ability and exceed our customer's expectations. Handling food and effecting a person's health is no less important than handling a client's retirement portfolio.

And, being ~100 lbs, I LOVE BIG MACs and fatty rare prime ribs....BUT I don't eat it often, cause my chef husband reminds me that its not cool for my body.

[mark e]

Fat is flavor and w/out flavor you have
an empty restaurant. If you want to pay 6.00 a lb at a healthfood store w/ a sit in restaurant for brown rice and garbanzo beans GO AHEAD! I eat healthy at home and when I seldomly do eat out I order whatever I want as a treat, because it TASTES GOOD!
Also, It's been my experience that people who are the rudest, meanest and nastiest about people who have a weight problem have never experienced having a weight problem themselves. They just don't get it. I was having lunch w/ my boss one day and all of the sudden he starts loudly ragging on this heavyset guy at the table next to us. He went on and on and on where everyone halfway accross the diningroom could here him including the heavyset guy. I was so embarassed for him (my boss) I never realized how shallow and superficial he was until that moment.

[Kevin]

If we continue at this pace, then we will not be responsible for ANY of our OWN actions. Ahhh, carefree living at its best, right? Are we to begin blaming beer companies for alcoholism? Blame the bars for drunk driving? Blame car companies for traffic accidents? Blame lawn darts for needless childhood head injuries? Ok, maybe you got me on that one, but you see my point?

Restaurants are businesses and a chef's responsibility is to produce good food that gets people coming back and opening up their wallets. Otherwise, they can just quit their jobs and live off the land doing volunteer work (I think that might even put you out of work too, Laura). I don't need a chef to tell me what I can and can't eat. My meal choices are based on my desires combined with a sense of personal responsibility. As much as I'd love to eat irresponsibly all of the time, I made a choice to live a healthy and fit lifestyle. But that choice allows me to eat whatever I want, whenever I want.

Unfortunately our schools don't teach personal responsibility nor do they teach any basic life skills, like personal finance or nutrition. Our society is one of laziness and glutton and until we make a change, it ain't gonna get any better.

No, it is not a chef's responsibility to tell me how to eat. They provide a service and I gladly pay for it. Now, could I get an extra pint of cream in those grits?

[Kevin]

One last note on measuring obesity, that BMI measurement is a piece of crap and shouldn't be taken too seriously. At the peak of my physical fitness a few years back, my BMI placed me in the "overweight" category (borderline obsese). I was around 195-200 lbs and 5'10". Since I had more muscle than fat, and the BMI doesn't take that into account, it is just a generic measurement of weight-to-size (not of health or fitness). FYI, it still tells me I am overweight ;-)

[Ed C.]

Ms. Luong:

Regarding your comment, "What if I said distraught clients, what some bloggers are saying, 'I didn't twist your arm to invest your 401k and retirement in such an aggressive account' 'You should have known, I was simply offering you choices...'"

If true, that is a correct response. If false it may be fraud.

[J]

Thanks to the Mouth for bringing up a sensitive topic. As a person who eats out at least six times a week, I crave fresh, healthy choices.

[caroline]

Wow. A lot of nasty, personal attacks instead of a valid debate about the subject. Real mature.

[Hank]

Mouth, I don't argue for one minute the fact that there needs to be transparency and accountability in the kitchen. You and I both know that in itself is a stretch for a number of restaurateurs. But beyond clear and concise labeling, the consumer HAVE to make the choices for themselves. No restaurant is going to be in business serving what the consumer is not going to enjoy and consequently return for.

The value proposition at a restaurant is different for each consumer. If you want Italian and value is perceived by the amount of pasta you cannot eat, there are plenty of places to go. Same with Steakhouses, if you want Prime, you’re going to get Holstein in most cases and most people do not know the difference. But hey, they got Prime.

So back to my point, the market will dictate the menu and the overall success of the restaurant.

[David]

I would much rather eat good food prepared by someone who is obese and obviously enjoys food, than a stalk of asparagus cut on the bias, served with a bi-color garlic aoli swirl and a sprinkling of minced lemon thyme prepared by a skinny woman in a skull cap who pontificates the importance of New American Comfort Food.

[Ed C.]

All:

For the record Mouth is not fat but skinny.

She's so skinny she has to run around in the shower to get wet...

...she hula hoops with a Cheerio...

...she has to get out of the bath before pulling the plug...

...she can lie under a clothesline and not get sunburned.

Kidding.

[RocketBoy]

Holy moley! Some folks are either pulling your leg or are just plain rude. Glad you have a sense of humor better than mine L.R.Just got to reading the full article. I'm currently a morbidly obese person, from years of overeating and not giving a darn about it. Now a Type II diabetic but that shouldn't be a surprise. Yes, it's very true science and marketing has led many Americans astray from eating to live to just eating because we want to. However, ultimately it is each person's responsibility to be aware of the consequences of their actions. The debate and struggle over providing health care for all and to bring health care costs down is causing us to lose site of the real problem - some folks' inability to control their urges. I don't want anyone to go without proper health care but at the same time I think it would be money better spent to start a truely universally supported campaign to get us eating healthy and appropriately again. Companies sell what sales, bottom line. If like tobacco we could hammer home the consequences of overeating and bad food choices, then perhaps we would be able to improve our children's health, their future and at the same REDUCE the skyrocketing costs of our health care. Private or public, right it costs way too much. It ain't cheap finding yet another drug to control diabetes. There is no cure for diabetes, regardless of the cliams of some. Control. Control. Control. How about making some legislation that goes hand in hand with the health care reforms? It's such a simple damn thing - eat less, exercise more. But that can be the HARDEST thing for an individual to change once they get deep into the mess they're in. I love Butterfingers, can't blame the chefs for WANTING to gorge on them for free. However, they did not NEED to. Big difference. Soon the diabetic's food pyramid and the meal planning that goes with it will be recommended for ALL Americans to follow. Chefs included. If you really care about your long term health, even if you're not a diagnosed diabetic (yet - some of you may already be and not know it), you owe yourself to get educated. NOW. Not a plug but a good site to start at is American Diabete Association's www.diabetes.org. Good luck and good health!!!

[Hank]

Rocketboy,

I admire your courage and your sense of personal responsibilty. We all have our demons, I sincerely wish you success in conquering yours.

[Pat]

I was at the Orlando convention and I do have to admit that there were quite a few heavy people wandering around. But, let's not point the finger at this group simply because they are chefs. There are overweight people EVERYWHERE regardless of professional affiliation, ethnic background, or demographic.

Laura, I wish you had taken the time to write about all the wonderful things the ACF accomplishes for its members and the public.

ACF certification ensures the highest quality standards for its professional culinarians in the industry. I know it makes me feel better to know that our chefs are highly trained and held to such a standard.

The Chef and Child provides nutritional education to thousands upon thousands of children annually through a variety of programs. Our chapter here in Tampa Bay had 70 presentations through our five Chef and Child programs.

Our Senior chefs mentor our Student chefs and provide encouragement and advice to these up and coming professional chefs.

The American Academy of Chefs consists of the best and brightest within the organization and they, too, provide much to the culinary community.

Obviously you were too obsessed with obesity to notice these sterling programs.

By the way, only 4% of the ACF membership was present. Don't judge a group when 96% was not in attendance.

[JS]

Re Coach Bill-
I feel sorry for the patients you treated during you days as a practicing MD. I hope you were a radiologist or some other specialty that has little contact with patients.

Re RocketBoy-
If you want to take control of your Type 2 diabetes RIGHT NOW, abandon the ADA diet recommendations. Find out about Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, read his research, and apply his diet program. Open your mind, because his eating and drug therapy program directly contradicts the ADA plan. If you follow his program, you will have normal blood sugar, and you will lower the amount of meds you need to take. Your pancreas thanks you in advance.

Re Bill C-
I never said "diet has no impact on weight." Of course it does. I said "Overeating does not cause obesity." These are two different statements with two different implications. watch this lecture at Dartmouth Medical School, it explains it better than I can:
http://www.dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm

The fact that Type 2 diabetes rates have increased along with weight in America over time does not mean that one has caused the other. In scientific studies, that's called the "arrow of causality." Population analysis tells us that they're both increasing, but that's all it tells us. It does not give us an arrow of causality. Most likely, there's an external factor that's causing both conditions to increase. If you watched the lecture I linked to, you know what I, along with some others, think is the cause.

Elizabeth Kolbet's article in the New Yorker ends on a "fatalistic" note. If Kolbert was aware of the newest nutrition research that contradicts the prevailing diet wisdom, she wouldn't feel so hopeless. She would be screaming from the rooftops, "I got it, I know the answer."

I've done the research myself and developed my own "healthy lifestyle" that flies in the face of any modern diet advice. Fatalistic? No way.

[Coach Bill]

Disgraceful....JS or whoever you are..being an apologist for obesity is a disservice although it may feed into those who need an excuse for their gluttony.

[tax marketing and operations coaching]

yeah,The Chef and Child provides nutritional education to thousands upon thousands of children annually through a variety of programs. Our chapter here in Tampa Bay had 70 presentations through our five Chef and Child programs.