Frank's Soapbox

Deviating from my standard topics, I am compelled to write about something that I have felt passionate about for some time...American OBESITY. And to be fair, I need to state that ever-expanding waistlines are no longer the sole claim of Americans as this pandemic spreads globally.

Obviously, when one writes about something as huge, (no pun intended), as global obesity, many causes must be considered. I will only touch on a few of them as I concentrate on DRUGS IN OUR FOOD SUPPLY as my primary focus in this article.

Let's face it, I sell fitness equipment and nothing would make me happier than to tell you that working out is the panacea that the world needs to solve obesity as well as being the total solution for all of the world's problems. And yes, exercise IS a necessary contributor to leanness, heart health, joint health, bone health, positive neurochemistry, and intelligence...(well, maybe not intelligence even though current research shows exercise being a counter-measure to Alzheimer's). Nutrition is another obvious variable in the obesity dilemma. Thousands of books have been written about nutrition and I won't even scratch the surface here, but let's just consider the wildly overly-simplistic statement of, "Eat more than you burn off and you'll gain weight." First, let's consider the "eat more" part of that equation. It's not just a simple measure of how many calories you eat, but what kind of calories they are. I have witnessed extremely impressive weight loss success by some individuals DOUBLING their normal calorie intake without changing their exercise programs. Exercise is only one way to increase the "burn off" variable. By cutting carbohydrate intake to near zero, these individuals eat large quantities of protein and fat, thus driving their bodies into ketosis, changing the chemical process by which they burn calories. The principle "wild card" in the, "Eat more than you burn off and you'll gain weight.", equation is "burn off". The "protein diet" practitioners are completely changing the "burn off" variable in the equation even as they dramatically increase the "eat more" variable. Conversely, the caloric intake of many obese people consists of high carb foods. Breads, starches, fruits, and sugar have always been high carb staples, but now the grocery store aisles offer a growing selection of highly-processed foods manufactured with an ever-increasing amount of corn syrup. (Just look at the ingredients printed on any box, or bag, of food on our grocery store shelves.) Thanks to government subsidies and embedded lobbyists, farmers are paid to produce more corn than is needed prompting new ways to utilize all that corn in our food supply. (This won't be the last time in this article that I blame our current political system which enables lobbyists WAY too much power over our food supply.)

We read many articles and watch many news stories about sedentary, obese Americans who eat super-sized fast food meals while sitting in front of the TV or computer. While I do not disagree that, over the years, Americans have moved in that direction, I think that this explanation misses the principle cause.

I have been to Germany many times over the years and offer the following observations. There is a very good probability that the rare obese person I see in Germany is a visiting American. Why is it that obesity is very low there as compared to here? Sure, as a people, the Germans get outside more to walk and ride their bikes. They also eat more whole foods rather than the overly-processed, corn syrup laden food that we eat. However, they eat three very large meals a day consisting of fatty meats, heavy sauces, pastas, breads, butter, deserts, chocolate and BEER. These are serious meals sure to satisfy any American appetite! So, what gives?

DRUGS! Finally to the crux of my argument. There is no doubt about it! We have a huge mess on our hands! I think that everyone knows that we artificially grow bigger livestock faster than ever before. It's simple economics that getting more meat to market quicker drives profits way up. (I would heartily recommend the full-length documentary movie available on DVD, "Food, Inc.") Spending just 15 minutes on the internet googling livestock steroids and growth hormones, yields a dizzying array of FDA-approved growth-enhancing drugs for America's livestock. (Incidentally, the European Union has confirmed health risks of growth hormones in meat and has BANNED the importation of US beef.) Are we naive enough to think that the long list of steroids and growth enhancers injected and fed to our livestock mysteriously vanish before the meat is consumed? Just one hyper-anabolic steroid, "trenbolone" has a half-life of 260 days. (This means that at 260 days, trenbolone is half as potent as it was initially and at a year and a half, it is 25% as potent, etc.). The government (FDA) is supposed to protect us, isn't it? Does the government work for us or for the lobbyists? We want to trust the government, but increasingly, the words "trust" and "government" are juxtaposed. Hey, I'm a proud conservative, but this huge problem is truly bipartisan with both parties equally to blame. Besides rampant childhood obesity, hasn't everyone asked themselves, "Why are kids so much taller and bigger now than a generation or two ago?" Never mind the fuss made over steroids and growth hormones in sports. I suggest that we ALL are on those drugs! It's been proven for many years that when you give steroids to a weightlifter, he or she will grow dramatically more muscular. But, without exercise, steroids will cause more adipose tissue (fat) growth rather than muscle growth. And it is proven that growth hormone intake in children will make them taller than their genetic predisposition.

And the drug problem doesn't stop there. Consider the many female hormones (estrogens) introduced into our food. American's milk supply contains estrogens given to cows to increase milk yields. Years ago, I remember reading a tiny article buried deep in an issue of USA Today asking the question, "Could hormones in our food supply be causing girls to start their menses earlier and earlier?" The answer is a resounding, "YES!"

We can try to reduce our intake of these drugs by consuming free range meat and organic milk, but we should not have to hide from food approved by our government. These widely used hormones are even in our water! Runoff from livestock feedlots contains excreted hormones as well as pesticides containing these chemicals as well.

I suggest that the health and obesity problem described above may be the deepest, darkest secret of our government. Our government health officials berate us for over-eating and under-exercising and then with a wink and a nod, they fill their coffers with lobbyist's cash as they approve a seemingly endless list of genocidal drugs.