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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 8, 2024

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People in the 1970s weren't skinny because food was too expensive.

The fattest countries in the world aren't the richest countries in the world, nor the countries where food is the cheapest. Look at this list, the fattest countries are Pacific islands (where the necessity of importing food makes it expensive) and Middle Eastern countries (which can be poor like Libya or rich like Qatar). Whatever's causing obesity, it isn't cheap calories.

I personally think that the global obesity epidemic has something to do with the fact that we replaced animal fats with an agricultural waste product that is evolutionarily novel.

Last time I checked Pacific islanders were eating ultra processed food and meager amount of fruits and vegetables, with high caloric intake. And food is still cheap enough there given incomes to easily eat yourself to death.

Is it wrong?

People in the 1970s weren't skinny because food was too expensive.

May depend on location. In Poland it WAS and obesity was far less widespread than nowadays.

Which countries you wanted to use as counterexamples here?

Whatever's causing obesity, it isn't cheap calories.

Cheap calories are at least prerequisite and part of the puzzle. Without that you will not get hordes of fat people

Is there any country where you could spend less than 20% of median income on tasty snacks providing more calories than you need, without obesity epidemic?

Is there any country where you could spend less than 20% of median income on tasty snacks providing more calories than you need, without obesity epidemic?

France and the high income East Asian countries have low obesity rates despite people being easily able to gorge themselves on food that is generally regarded as quite good by outside observers.