Junk food copy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Picture of an Obese Teenager (146kg/322lb) with Central Obesity, side view. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is a must-read article by Laura Donnelly, Health Editor, at the Telegraph. Check it out!
via Two in three middle-aged men will be obese by 2034 – Telegraph.
OK, the obesity level in the UK is not new. But the headline truly captures the rapidly escalating crisis.
Causes of obesity are well-known, like eating the wrong food, drinking too much alcohol and inadequate physical exercise.
At the national level, the increasing levels of obesity will put a massive additional burden on the UK’s public healthcare, which is already struggling desperately.
Surely, it’s time for radical measures to tackle growing obesity? Here are some suggestions:
- Obesity related medical costs are excluded from public healthcare
- The obese should pay more tax to cover their extra burden to society;
- Obese people should be forced to do national service, where their diet is controlled and they are forced to do physical activity.
- Double Value Added Tax on junk food
- Ban advertising of junk food
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 
Dr Alf has some good suggestions for this growing problem which lies behind both our productivity crisis and the crisis with Adult Social Care and the NHS.
What should happen as well is :
6)Variable taxes on food
7)More park and ride facilities for cities as per Salzburg in Austria and City Centres left for pedestrians
8)Salt ,sugar and e-number content reduced in all foods
9)Education on nutrition,vitamin supplementation and cookery
10)Zoning laws applied to reduce the number of fast food outlets and increase the number of healthy food outlets
11)Opt out of Alimentarius Commission directives on food and seeds and set food policy ourselves
12)Give employers tax breaks for creating workplace gyms subject to their employees losing weight and getting fitter
13)Ban cigarette smoking in all places except for a person’s home
14)Encourage the brewers to close down more pubs and create more gyms and hotels
15)Refuse surgery to obese patients and smokers until they have lost weight and stopped smoking as happens already in the North and East Herts NHS Trust in my area.
16)Remove harmful chemicals some of which cause obesity and cancer and dementia from packaging,plastic bottles,fertilisers,plastic products,tins,tinfoil and cooking utensils
17)Ban fluoride from toothpaste,water and foodstuffs
18)Ban Aspartame
19)Eliminate aluminium saucepans and ban the use of aluminium in deodorants go for Pit Rock instead
20)Eliminate eostrogens from fertiliser and water
21)Promote exercise in counrty parks and Tai Chi in village halls
22)Promote the growing of vegetables and gardening in general
23)Reintroduce 2 years of National Service for all youngsters and Civilian Conservation for the long term unemployed
24)Reinstate school playing fields and domestic science