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<\/p>\nT-Shirt Says to \u201cEat Less\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n So Urbane Outfitters pulled this T-shirt from their stores due to cries from anorexia groups that it sends the wrong message. So let\u2019s look at the numbers:<\/p>\n Prevalence of Anorexia = 1%<\/p>\n Prevalence of Obesity = 35%<\/p>\n Americans eat, on average, 3,790 calories a day<\/a>. That\u2019s nearly double what we should eat. Know how many calories you should eat.<\/a> [Note what an active person needs to eat, personally I think they need another column for really active people who average 20+ mile bike rides daily. ;)] <\/p>\n I think it\u2019s safe to assume that the US could stand to \u201ceat less.\u201d In fact, obesity kills more people than smoking. It\u2019s a message the vast majority of us need to implement in our lives. Because remember, the kids today are expected to live a shorter, lower quality life than their parents. And that\u2019s not due to anorexia.<\/p>\n UPDATE: So any time I mention anything on my blog about eating less\/obesity, it tends to irk many people. A few people have commented saying \u201cNo, the US doesn\u2019t need to eat less, we need to eat healthier.\u201d So here\u2019s the deal. If one person eats 5,000 calories of fast food a day vs. another person who eats 5,000 calories of food from Whole Foods, both will be obese. It\u2019s simple physics. First, ensure you are taking in just the right amount of calories per day. Then, ensure those calories come from healthy, fresh, and whole foods.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t support this t-shirt, but I do support the conversation it brings up. We need to have a real dialogue about this issue of obesity. Our culture doesn\u2019t want to talk about it for fear of offending 35% of the population. But the real issue is, it\u2019s killing 35% of the population. Ignoring the issue won\u2019t help us progress and solve this epidemic. So what does the conversation look like? We desperately need to change our culture and understand that obesity is bad for you, bad for our economy, and bad for the environment. <\/p>\n UPDATE 2: Why did I post this?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n