The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 8
Yes, it’s the Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm… again. What — did you think it was over just because we have reported on it so relentlessly? If only! No, the sad fact is, we’re still in the midst of the tempest. The “perfect storm” is an appropriate figure of speech for what happens when circumstances converge. […]
The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 7
We have talked about the Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm before, and its various components such as the existence of cleverly engineered highly pleasurable foods, the ubiquitous availability of those foods to kids, and the way the products are marketed. We have discussed how stress and obesity go together like a horse and carriage, or, in […]
The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 6
In America, we are so immersed in food, it’s ridiculous. Sure, not everybody can afford it, but it’s out there. Everywhere we turn — in the house, in the school, in the church, in the movie theater — food is staring us in the face. What Dr. Pretlow wants to know is, How will we make the […]
The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 5
The childhood obesity perfect storm continues — the combination of circumstances that have accumulated to bury children in layers of fat, and not only our own home-grown American children, but children all over the world. Something very ominous is happening, and it’s almost like a corny old science fiction story from a pulp magazine. What […]
The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 4
We have talked before about the “perfect storm” that Dr. Pretlow identifies as the cause of the childhood obesity epidemic. It’s a witch’s brew of at least five elements: the high-tech production of hedonic foods; their availability to kids; the increased stress kids are dealing with; the ubiquitous marketing of comfort foods; and the decreased […]
The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 3
We have talked about the Perfect Storm concept before. This is what happens when a whole lot of conditions converge to cause a large problem. Probably no single one of them alone would have done it. But when they gang up and come at us all at once, we’re toast. The childhood obesity epidemic seems […]
The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 2
We’re taking a closer look at the elements of the childhood obesity perfect storm, as Dr. Pretlow terms the combination of circumstances that all came together in just the wrong way. The first element is the use of high technology to develop and manufacture not only food, but pseudo-food, ersatz food, fake food, and food-like […]
The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm
“Perfect storm” is a term that has been around since at least the 1930s. A perfect storm is what happens when a number of powerful factors concur in such a way that a disastrous or critical situation is created. No single one of them alone would have had such a destructive effect, but the synergy […]
Coronavirus Chronicles — More About the Other Perfect Storm
Obesity and COVID-19 have a relationship that goes far beyond compatibility. What a perfect recipe for an ever-increasingly obese population.
Coronavirus Chronicles — The Other Perfect Storm
This is only a partial list of the obstacles families with kids face, and each one contributes in some way to the danger of increasing obesity.