Posted on 01/24/2003 8:12:48 AM PST by Isara
Fast Food: A federal judge has news for America - McDonald's () didn't make you fat. And new research suggests that obesity is home-grown.
Why are Americans too fat? (By all accounts, on average they are.) The answer is painfully obvious: They eat too much. And overeating is a matter of choice. It can't be blamed on McDonald's, agribusiness or even the government.
That's pretty much what U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet was saying this week when he dismissed a lawsuit charging McDonald's with causing the obesity and other health problems of two teen-age girls in New York City. The suit was filed by the girls' parents and a lawyer looking for class-action riches. Sweet punctured that balloon, hopefully for good, with some apt words:
"Where should the line be drawn between an individual's own responsibility to take care of herself and society's responsibility to ensure others shield her?" he asked. "The complaint fails to allege the McDonald's products consumed by the plaintiffs were dangerous in any way other than that which was open and obvious to a reasonable consumer."
Among the things that should be open and obvious to any sentient adult or teen-ager is that hamburgers, fries, sugary soft drinks and shakes are not low-calorie foods. Facts like these are so widely known that McDonald's should not have to point them out.
Small children, who really may not know better, should be under some parental supervision when it comes to their eating habits. If they're obese, Mom, Dad or both need to take responsibility for the problem rather than blame some conspiracy by Big Food.
There's plenty of evidence, in fact, that parents are guilty of overstuffing their kids. A study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says the trend toward bigger food portions, already noted in restaurants, has been going on at home, too.
Both in and outside homes, for instance, the size of the average hamburger grew from 5.7 to 7 ounces between 1977 and 1996, up 97 calories. Mexican food helpings went from 6.3 to 8 ounces, for a 133-calorie boost. Desserts went from 4.2 to 4.8 ounces, adding 55 calories.
The reasons for this trend may be obscure, but the cure is obvious - trim the portions, not just at McDonald's but at the dinner table at home.
This might be the last we hear of the fast-food junk suits, but Sweet's ruling is a welcome outbreak of clarity on an issue that's seen its share of sloppy thinking and plain old self-delusion.
What qualifies McDonalds as "ilk"?
From Fox News:
But the judge did not let McDonald's off the hook completely. Referring to Chicken McNuggets as a "McFrankenstein creation" of elements not used by home cooks, he said the plaintiffs could refile their case with information backing their claim that diners have no idea what is really in their food or that the products have allegedly become more harmful because of processing.
LOL!
I have my metabolism measured regularly; my resting metabolic rate is about 2100, which corresponds to a total daily requirement of about 2600. So I'm not a lightweight when it comes to burning calories. But I will not eat a full meal in an American restaurant any more as a matter of policy. The typical meal is simply far more calories than almost any human on the planet can eat on a regular basis and maintain his weight and proper nutrition level.
On those occasions when I do go to a restaurant, I decide before I even start that half of the meal is going to be the next day's lunch. That works out pretty well, by experience and by my best guess at its calorie and nutrient content.
If anyone believes that, I have a bridge for sale...
Anti-smoker attorney (founder of ASH) was quoted in the New York Daily News yesterday: "Somewhere there is going to be a judge and a jury that will buy this, and once we get the first verdict, as we did with tobacco, it will open the floodgates.”
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