We live in an OBESOGENIC ENVIRONMENT … one that is nutritionally toxic and predisposes us to desire, need, and be able to obtain and consume energy dense, nutrient low foods.

Cheyenne Mountain Introduction to Fast Food Nation (2001) by Eric Schlosser

Cheyenne Mountain Key Points YOU Made from Reading …  Fast food is everywhere. It is inescapable. It is around every corner and consuming it has become routine for us.  Years from now scientists will find out our diets were not really healthy at all.  Even though Cheyenne Mountain was created to help sustain life during a nuclear attack or Armageddon, we are still killing ourselves with fast food.  We spend more money on fast food now than on education, cars, computers, electronics, books, magazines, videos, etc.  A nation’s diet can be more revealing that its art or literature.

Will FAST FOOD really be the only thing our generation will be known for??

“Combating obesity is the challenge for the 21 st century the same way that battling smoking was the challenge for public health authorities in the 20 th century.” Jim Watson, Ontario Minister of Health (2005)

The number of overweight and obese Canadians now poses one of the greatest threats ever to public health in Canada.

“The prevalence of this serious health risk is almost exactly what we faced with tobacco use 30 years ago when half of Canadians smoked. Since that time, smoking rates have dropped by half -- but during those same three decades, we’ve been losing ground in the area of overweight and obesity.” Dr. Anthony Graham, Heart and Stroke Foundation

Report Card on Canadian’s Health Rates Among Canadian Adults% Change Smoking (Aged 15+) 53% decrease Overweight (BMI>25; Aged 20-64)18% increase Obese (BMI>30; Aged 20-64) 50% increase Overweight & Smoking from 1970s to 2000s Who Canadians Believe is Responsible Who do Canadians believe is responsible?% of Canadians Individual Responsibility54% Government18% Food industry2%

On October 23, 2012, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) launched an assault on obesity, saying society should aggressively fight the epidemic using the tools that have made major inroads in the battle against smoking.

The elements of the strategy include:  increasing taxes on junk food and decreasing tax on healthy foods;  restricting marketing of fatty and sugary foods to children;  Prominently advertising health risks on retail displays of high-sugar, high-fat foods;  restricting the availability of sugary, low- nutritional value foods in sports and other recreational facilities that are frequented by young people; and …

The elements of the strategy include:  placing graphic warning labels on pop and other high-calorie foods with little to no nutritional value

Your TURN!!! Create a WARNING LABEL that would appear on a fast food package, beverage container or other high calorie food with little to no nutritional value warning Canadians of the associated health risks. What might that LOOK like?

 “There is no question that the anti-tobacco strategy of the past 20 years has been effective.  Society needs to start addressing obesity or it will face epidemic levels of weight-induced illnesses, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.  If we don’t do something about this now, we’re going to have a tidal wave of the consequences of those conditions.” -- Dr. Doug Weir, president of the Ontario Medical Association