The Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released on July 1 the “F as in Fat Report,” which studied obesity rates in America While it is certainly worth reporting the facts of the study, NBC managed to take its report to another level. On the July 2 “Today,” host Meredith Vieira interviewed NBC News Chief Medical Editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Snyderman used the report to give her over-the-top personal opinions about America’s role in the world and drive through pharmacies.
Vieira cited study findings, saying that obesity has tripled since 1980 in children and not a single state has decreased its obesity rate in the past year. Snyderman chimed in, “And we know that now almost forty percent of these heavy kids- teenagers- have diabetes, they already have plaque in their arteries, they grow up to be bullies. These are kids who already start to have problems sort of fitting in.”
Snyderman then made this observation in relation to exercise: “I was in Florida this last winter. I came to an intersection. On each corner, a different pharmacy all with a drive up window. What that told me was in America, when you are unhealthy, don’t worry about getting out of your car and walking up and getting your medicine. Drive up, get your medicine.” She didn’t explain exactly how making Florida septuagenarians walk through hot parking lots to get their meds will solve America’s “obesity epidemic.”
To Snyderman, the report wasn’t just discouraging, it was apocalyptic. “I wonder if America hasn’t peaked and we’re really going to have to figure a way to turn this all upside down or I don’t think we’re can be a world power if we’re this unhealthy,” she said. Again, she didn’t explain this intriguing connection between calorie consumption and geopolitics.
More should be expected of Snyderman. She started hosting her own shown a MSNBC on June 29. Howard Kurtz, of “The Washington Post” reported that when Snyderman asked her producer, Shannon High, about “how they might deal with a renewed panic over swine flu,” High replied, “You will be the voice of reason. You will be the calm, cool, collected surgeon who says what's real and what's not real.” Too bad she didn’t try on that “voice of reason” about obesity.
But talking up a national health care problem serves the purposes of the liberal Snyderman, since she’s already started using her new show to promote President Obama’s health care policies. She stated, “The White House, their health care agenda continues to be our agenda.”
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all with a drive up window.
July 2, 2009 - 15:42 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsall with a drive up window. What that told me was in America, when you
are unhealthy, don’t worry about getting out of your car and walking up
and getting your medicine. Drive up, get your medicine.
Umm, where's your proof of this? I have used the drive up windows to drop off my prescriptions for later pick up, I always go inside so I can sit in comfort, but have never sat in my car waiting for a pick up. There's always a line for pick up. Also, I wish the hacking, coughing people waiting for a script WOULD use the drive up window.
I wonder if America hasn’t peaked and we’re really going to have to
figure a way to turn this all upside down or I don’t think we’re can be
a world power
Didn't you get the memo from Obama? We already AREN'T a world power anymore. He said so, we're just another country, a mean, greedy and rotten one, but nothing special. According to Obama.
D
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Sick of Studies
July 2, 2009 - 17:02 ET by allanfI for one am sick of studies designed to push a political point of view. As for Snyderman, she is a whining and boring person, best suited for neurotics feasting on the hysteria dolloped out by Today.
Meds
July 2, 2009 - 15:43 ET by iveseenitallSounds like Dr. Nancy is the one who is "off her meds". What a putz!
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Judgmental Elite Media Types
July 2, 2009 - 15:44 ET by HoosierEmA drive-thru pharmacy window? Oh, the horrors! Americans suffer from too much stress? For shame, for shame! Americans are eating badly and we are more obese now? Might as well commit suicide then!
In my opinion, some of these problems will only get worse. We all have to work more hours just to support our overbloated government and we all know that's not going away anytime soon.
Snyderman is as militantly
July 2, 2009 - 16:34 ET by TESnyderman is as militantly leftist as ABC political activist Tim Johnson. I'd love to hear ABC and NBC explain how it is that their two so-called medical correspondents happen to be as leftist as the other political activists (who call themselves "reporters") at those two networks. Did the people hiring Snyderman and Johnson know before their hiring that Snyderman and Johnson were both boilerplate leftists? Did they ask Snyderman and Johnson to identify their ideology? Would they have hired Snyderman or Johnson if they were not militant leftists?
Yes. Yes. (Subtly at
July 3, 2009 - 00:47 ET by AlanaYes. Yes. (Subtly at first.) No.
Just got back from over an
July 2, 2009 - 16:42 ET by nolotrippenJust got back from over an hour of Krav Maga. For lunch? Bacon cheeseburger and fries that I split them with my wife. This was followed by an apple and now I'm eating mixed nuts.
Government programs and interventions involved: 0.
Here's what I noticed schools abandoning (I think I have the order right):
1) Prayer
2) Arts
3) Physical Education
4) Home economics
5) Math, Writing, Science (oh yeah, the last one was W's fault).
But they still have that sex ed coming.
So far I have three years on Michael Jackson.
Wow! I taught high school
July 2, 2009 - 17:30 ET by mothergooseWow! I taught high school for 38 years in 3 states and NEVER noticed that fat kids with diabetes were bullies! How could they chase down the skinny kids? And drive throughs at the drug store? They want sick people to go to the pharmacy on their bicycles.
I noticed that. Fat
July 3, 2009 - 00:49 ET by AlanaI noticed that. Fat people as bullies. That's a new one on me.
Surely she meant they become the victims of bullies.
case
July 2, 2009 - 19:10 ET by owlpelletsI sufferd a spinal cord injury in Aug. of 2003. They told me that my chances of walking again were pretty slim. After about 18 months, by the grace of God, I began to recieve some return to my legs. I am now walking. It's not very pretty, but I am walking. During the past five years though, I proceeded to gain about 50 lbs. Back in December, I looked in the mirror and realized that I would never live to see my grandson grow up if I continued. I did what I needed to to address the situation. I now keep a daily tally of my calorie needs and calorie intake. As long as I am in deficit I am losing weight. Since December I have lost 60 lbs. You need to want change bad enough to run a deficit. Arnold is starting to get a pretty big gut.
Don't blame me....I voted for Palin...
Wow!
July 2, 2009 - 19:15 ET by HoosierEmGreat job! Your recovery sounds impressive.
owl... What a great
July 2, 2009 - 19:17 ET by bigtimerowl...
What a great analogy...he has a huge gut...I don't see how he can see the tip of his shoes at this point.
Btw....Glad you are doing well. ;-)
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Owl, but didn't you need
July 2, 2009 - 19:27 ET by Radical1979Owl, but didn't you need the government to help you with this? Are we expected to believe that an American can take responsibility for his own life? Liberals won't like hearing that!
Congratulations on your recovery!
yup
July 2, 2009 - 19:52 ET by owlpelletsEven happened without consulting John Edwards......Recovery from SCI is 99.999% based on what you get back as nerves firing muscles. I have been very blessed. The other .001% though has been a SOB.
Don't blame me....I voted for Palin...
Tip of the Iceberg. With
July 2, 2009 - 19:54 ET by G. MayTip of the Iceberg.
With the govenment taking a much higher stake in healthcare, you can bet your fat ass they will take a higher stake in your behavior patterns too.
If the gubmint feels a particular behavior pattern is unhealthy, expect regulations to be forthcoming. And oh will we see more regulations!
It seems our liberty is eroding on multiple fronts and the avalanche is about to begin.
weighing in !!!!
July 2, 2009 - 20:10 ET by PaarlNo doubt there is an issue with obeisity and it is costly but like man made global warming the government has gotten the science wrong (in my scientific layman's opinion) and over the past decades have made the wrong food consumption reccommendations as a result.
Several decades ago the dept of agriculture issued a food pyramid that emphasized the consumption of carbohydrates in very large proportions and deemphasized fat and protein. While the Feds did not say to chow down pizza and fries they did not categorize carbs at all and that led to a wholesale increase in the ammt of carbs vs fats and proteins in school lunches etc and across society. Carb consumption went up and fat/protein consumption went down. And the carbs eaten were high glycemic not the good carbs of bean etc..
This diet was very different from what was eaten just a generation or two prior. My family in America and southern africa saved many narratives of food eaten from the 1920s to the 1970s and it was very different. More home cooked for sure but lots of cheap fatty meats in stews and soups with veggies and much less bread and of course much less sugar.I remember back in the mid 1960s when my father ballooned up to 230 lbs....that was FAT back then..my mom threw out the bread and taters and rice and in came sour cream..cheese..meat...veggies....the weight melted off my dad in 5 months..45 lbs..with only golf as exercise. After I gained 40 lbs after quitting smoking I went the Atkins route and the weight came off and stayed off....cheap carbs are NOT good.
But even more important than the pro carb bias of the Feds is that I am sure that NO ONE has studied this obeisity epidemic and controlled for marriage rates and/or single mother headed families. Preparing good food is time consuming and single parent families just cannot do it at all. i bet you will find a direct correlation in this regard.
JMHO
Paarl of Rhodesia
PS..I am not a food nazi and while I totally ignore pizza I am a weekly visitor to McDs for the 1/3 lb angus burger..a first class product esp when fresh off the griddle and the fat dripping...PS McDs should go back to using beef tallow for their fries..they are lousy now...but the food nazis would scream bloody murder
Your post made me very
July 2, 2009 - 20:35 ET by nolotrippenYour post made me very hungry.
Politically incorrect food
July 2, 2009 - 21:00 ET by PaarlAs a celebration of the 4th of July I will prepare...as an appetizer...for those carnivores extreme...beef tartare topped with raw egg yolk...
Pure protein fat and cholestrol ;>) for the caveman in all of us...along side of course will be raw oysters and little neck clams..Shuck your own !!! quantities unlimited...!!!
Paarl of Rhodesia
Go Figure
July 2, 2009 - 21:52 ET by sic721"Vieira cited study findings, saying that obesity has tripled since 1980 in children.."
Let's see, no more dodge-ball, no jungle-jims, no tether-ball, no playing tag, etc., no wonder.
Liberalism is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it.--- Mark Twain(paraphrased)
tired of liberal lies My
July 3, 2009 - 00:47 ET by stunnedtired of liberal lies
My three kids are slim and healthy and eat like horses. They all have sweet tooths too. The reason they are not obese is excercise excercise excercise. I do monitor snacking of course and they love their fruits and veggies but being active and growing they burn off the calories. Obesity is the single biggest healthrisk to the poor especially kids. They can't play outside without the risk of getting shot in many neighborhoods but you never hear about crime being linked to weight gain. Attacking crime is the number 1 way to ease this problem but the government solution will be taxing "bad" food and hitting the poor with another regressive tax with along with the cap and trade tax. If government actually did its job and protected people by creating secure neighborhoods this is one problem they could solve.
We used to have P.E. in
July 3, 2009 - 00:53 ET by AlanaWe used to have P.E. in elementary school when I was a kid and they'd run us ragged. And then we'd run some more at recess.
These days, recess is considered a waste of "valuable learning time," and P.E. often non-existant, as it was in the case of my kids, who were in a top-rated school district.
I had to enroll my kids in athletics and dance after school in order that they would get enough physical activity. And that costs money - not everyone can afford it.
Alana... It has been sad
July 3, 2009 - 01:26 ET by bigtimerAlana...
It has been sad that they have taken P.E. out of schools...and it shows now.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
When I went to a Catholic
July 3, 2009 - 05:16 ET by motherbeltWhen I went to a Catholic school (back in the stone ages LOL) we had concrete yard to play on (to be fair, the public school next door didn't have grass either) and we ran, played tag, Red Rover, Dodgeball (Yikes!) jumprope (can you imagine a kid being allowed to bring a rope to school today?) hopscotch (yes, we brought chalk and drew on the ground!) We suffered some skinned knees, but we survived.
Now, stuff like that, and running in general are banned, even running in general; they are too afraid that someone might....heavens!....FALL on the GRASS!
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
I went to Catholic school
July 3, 2009 - 07:30 ET by Tom PaineI went to Catholic school too, and we played all those games on our blacktopped playground. We also seperated the boys on the playground at the back of the school and the girls on the playground at the front of the school (oh, the discrimnation!). Most of us walked to school and played outside after dinner instead of playing video games. On Saturdays we'd ride our bikes from the time we got up until it was dinner time. Going to McDonald's was an occasional treat and not a daily occurance. I think we had 2 fat kids in the entire school and nobody I knew was lactose intolerant, had food allergies or ADD. We also learned real American history, proper English grammar and usage and respect for adults. It's amazing we surrvived without the intervention of a bunch of liberal do gooders.
I think we had 2 fat kids
July 3, 2009 - 07:31 ET by motherbeltI think we had 2 fat kids in the entire school and nobody I knew was lactose intolerant, had food allergies or ADD.
Isn't it funny how they think?
They take away all physical activity; then they complain that the kids are unfit, and medicate the boys who can't sit still in class because they have no outlet for their energy.
The Laws of Unintended Consequences don't seem to exist for these people!
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
jessieH
July 3, 2009 - 11:58 ET by jessieHjessieH How long are WE going to let these hacks insult US & our families? Kids eat. A lot. I guess WE could spank them. No, WE would go to jail.
bullies??
July 3, 2009 - 14:54 ET by ozarkianLet me be the third to question the concept of fat kids as bullies. Geez, it's not enough to say they're the downfall of the country, now let's add meanness to the cross they have to bear. These doctors must not have been anywhere near a school lately, or they'd know these kids are the target, not the bullies.