This post is both interesting and kind of disgusting. It is shocking that it is being argued that the obesity epidemic may not be caused by sedentary lifestyles, but rather by overconsumption because our appetite controls systems are being tricked by carbohydrates and fats that mimic proteins. These certain proteins are much cheaper than the real thing and have made their way into the feed of livestock and pets. The fact that this has actually caused us to evolve appetite systems that are bad at judging when we’ve had enough of them is scary. It is mind blowing to think that the processed foods we have been eating have actually altered our bodies and are responsible for overeating and constant cravings. I understand that this substitution is driven by economics and the effort to produce things as cheap as possible, but at what point is it too much? I believe that point has come with the alteration of our appetite systems. Although it is appealing because the manufacturers get fatter livestock and the high cost of protein drives consumers to purchase cheaper processed food loaded with fat and carbs, this is having a horrible effect on our bodies and something needs to be done. If this can help reduce the obesity epidemic than it will actually benefit the economy in other aspect, such as reduced cost of medical bills.
