Our foods are unhealthy (low nutritional value, even if they provide the calorie content necessary to live; vitamin and mineral deficiencies lead to poor health outcomes).
Our foods are often too high in calories (portion sizing, sugary drinks, "coffee" that's 90% sugar).
Our culture is increasingly sedentary (cars versus walking and biking, television and computers that are engaging and help people lose track of time idling away on the couch).
And plenty of other factors I'm not thinking of right now. You can't point to any one of these and say this is the problem. They're all problems and all need to be addressed. Educating people on the impact of food choices and health (not even obesity, all the other health impacts). Reconstructing cities without the need for a 30+ minute commute to work or a grocery store. Emphasizing community activities that get people out of their homes and away from their televisions and computers (harder right now with COVID restrictions). Discouraging (by some measure) restaurants from serving grossly unhealthy serving sizes.
Some of these are more feasible than others. We aren't going to rebuild cities any time soon. Public transportation is a political third rail. People in some regions enjoy aiming their trucks at cyclists (too many close encounters in GA for me to even want to use a bike lane in that state again). Others are more feasibly addressed though.
Great points, but I fundamentally disagree that overeating is not the single biggest component contributing to the first worlds dietary issues. You know what is the single defining feature of skinny people? Outside of Olympic athletes and manual laborers? They eat substantially less than everyone else.
You aren't going to "walk off" a 1500 calorie burger, unless that's the only thing you eat that day
It may be the single biggest component, but it's not the only component which means it is not the problem. And the definition of overeating has changed because of these other factors.
Sugary sodas and drinks are not eaten, consequently what was a healthy and satiating meal is now overeating because people are getting 250-2000 extra calories a day (250/bottle of soda approximately). Drop the sodas and many people won't be overeating (or overeating to the same extreme) as they are now without changing their diet.
Poor nutritional quality of foods can be disruptive to metabolism and health in general. Which again can mean that what was an objectively healthy portion for them becomes an unhealthy portion. As an example, low iron (anemia) decreases a person's ability to engage in physical activity and leads to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. So that a 2000 kcal a day diet that may have been healthy is now overeating.
The general sedentary nature of people also means that what was a perfectly reasonable diet for our grandparents and great-grandparents is now overeating. When people spend 1-2 hours a day sitting so that they can go from one place where they sit for 8-10 hours to another place where they'll sit in front of a computer or tv for another 4-5 hours and then sleep, their calorie needs are barely above that of someone who is bedridden for illness or injury.
Restaurant portion sizes are outrageous (though, anecdotally, the last few times I've been to a restaurant they seem to have toned it down). That is a problem. But these other issues cannot be neglected because it's a system, they all interact with each other.
Definitely agree with all you said, and I especially agree with the implication that overeating is directly correlated with other aspects of your diet and lifestyle (sedation, anemia, etc.). I view weight as a function of calories-in-calories-out, and if you change the parameters to that equation, you're going to see weight-loss/gain. That's the reason why I call it 'the' problem, you can always change the input to that equation to maintain a healthy weight. But your view is also great, the reason the parameters changed in the first place is also a huge part of the issue
Our foods are unhealthy (low nutritional value, even if they provide the calorie content necessary to live; vitamin and mineral deficiencies lead to poor health outcomes).
Our foods are often too high in calories (portion sizing, sugary drinks, "coffee" that's 90% sugar).
Our culture is increasingly sedentary (cars versus walking and biking, television and computers that are engaging and help people lose track of time idling away on the couch).
And plenty of other factors I'm not thinking of right now. You can't point to any one of these and say this is the problem. They're all problems and all need to be addressed. Educating people on the impact of food choices and health (not even obesity, all the other health impacts). Reconstructing cities without the need for a 30+ minute commute to work or a grocery store. Emphasizing community activities that get people out of their homes and away from their televisions and computers (harder right now with COVID restrictions). Discouraging (by some measure) restaurants from serving grossly unhealthy serving sizes.
Some of these are more feasible than others. We aren't going to rebuild cities any time soon. Public transportation is a political third rail. People in some regions enjoy aiming their trucks at cyclists (too many close encounters in GA for me to even want to use a bike lane in that state again). Others are more feasibly addressed though.