Narrow Minded Smear Campaign

Food activists continue to blame meat for the nation’s rising obesity numbers even when the science clearly shows Americans consume less meat today than they did thirty years ago. So why is the rate of obesity in this country so much higher now than it was then, and why is meat still getting the smear campaign? Some animal science experts believe the attitudes of the 1980’s have continued to linger on in the back of people’s minds - we eat more meat, it has more fat, it causes heart disease, but this just doesn’t hold up anymore. Like the big hair and leg warmers of the 80’s we need to let this unsupported “meat makes us fat” theory go. This narrow minded approach by food activists as to what causes obesity in this country fails to acknowledge the many different causes behind obesity. The lack of physical activity should be right at the top of the list. A former FDA commissioner stated that, “ actual levels of caloric intake among the young haven’t appreciably changed over the last twenty years.” Their physical activity levels though are a different story. Today, only half of American youth regularly participate in vigorous activity, and one quarter of them report that they have no vigorous activity whatsoever.