Manchester's fattest city in UK!

[Malcolms Billy]

today's Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/stor ... 09,00.html

See ya,
Billy

[Rochellita]

That's sad! I'm surprised as well, because I don't see that many obese people out and about here, and I've never lived in a city with SO many gyms and health clubs!

Having said that, I meet so many people here who refuse to walk or cycle anyway and use their cars for the shortest distances- in that sense, this is the laziest city I have ever lived in.

This obesity might be linked to poverty levels as well, which is something surveys like this don't consider. People on welfare and low income often have to eat the cheapest stuff they can get, and that's often not the healthy stuff.

Rochelle

[Malcolms Billy]

This obesity might be linked to poverty levels as well, which is something surveys like this don't consider. People on welfare and low income often have to eat the cheapest stuff they can get, and that's often not the healthy stuff.

Not necessarily so though. It's got a lot to do with health education. You go to Asda, one of the supermarkets at the cheaper end of the scale, and you see people pushing around trollies chocca full with sausage rolls, crisps, ready meals and what else have ya, and maybe a little veg right at the bottom. All that processed stuff is a lot more expensive than fruit and veg.
The kids who took part in this "war diet" a couple of weeks ago weren't from wealthy families by any stretch of the imagination either. At the end the mums were saying how much they'd learnt, and how much healthier this was than the food they gave their children before. When they got their "confiscated" food back, it all consisted of biscuits, cakes and crisps.

The article also mentions this, i.e. that health education is the key issue. You can say that again in a country where companies like Walkers and Cadbury's encourage children to eat as much crisps and chocolate as possible, so that they can save up for school books and sports kit with the wrappers!

See ya,
Billy

[Mary]

I thought it was Stoke. I am sure I saw that in the local media. There are loads of fat people in Wolverhampton as well. I see far more fat people walking around in Wolves than I do in Manchester. Unless it is all us slim vegans visiting the capital of England...

There seem to be a lot more fat kids around nowadays than there ever used to be. Seamus stands out as being slim, and also having some muscle tone, while about a third of his classmates are overweight, and two or three in his class are actually obese. Really very sad when you think they are only seven and eight. In fact, watching them play football etc, Seamus is the only one of them with lightly defined muscles in his arms. I don't know whether this comes from karate, or just running around like a happy little cheerful maniac from dawn till dusk. Whatever, he looks a lot healthier than I did at that age. I always had a pot belly, so it is not just a modern phenomenon. However, it is worse than ever before. Apart from the belly, the rest of me wasn't fat. I know a three year old on our road who is so obese I nearly cried when I first saw her. She has three chins for gods sake, and she can't run and play. She has a lovely nature, and I feel she is being betrayed by her carers (her grannies look after her during the day.)

I was on local radio this Thursday talking about obesity in children, and the very sympathetic interviewer helped spread the message that a vegan diet is good for kids. Hope to get back on soon. I also hope the little girl I mentioned doesn't stay fat all her life. I would like to think of her getting healthy and well one day.

[Malcolms Billy]

I thought it was Stoke. I am sure I saw that in the local media. There are loads of fat people in Wolverhampton as well. I see far more fat people walking around in Wolves than I do in Manchester. Unless it is all us slim vegans visiting the capital of England...

It was Stoke last year, but got pushed from its first place by Manchestah!

's Funny, I send the same article to our community message board, it got some discussion going, but I found this highly amusing: two overweight residents blamed the council for their (over)weight, because they don't give people on low income discounted memberships to their gyms! Not that their diet had anything to do with it, and off course going to a gym is the only way to exercise!

That's so sad about that 3-year-old though. That amounts to child abuse in my books. Did you see that programme a few weeks ago (actually it was a documentary in 2 parts, only saw the last part), about those 8-year-olds and their families, who were given a "war time" diet for a few weeks? The results were amazing! One of the mums had lost a stone on this diet, which just contained the basics (unfortunately it wasn't vegan or even veggie), and she started crying when she found this out.

It's great taht you did such a good, positive iinterview, with a positive interviewer as well. Makes a change doesn't it?

See ya,
Billy

[Mary]

We are doing well in Wolverhampton with the vegan veggie group, as the local press love the generosity and good feeling of the free food fairs we have put on. I know Manchester put a good fair on for last WVD, and hopefully your next one will start to attract good publicity. I think it was our third one that the press started to become interested. Wish we had a few more sporty types though.

Bye the way, do you know any incredibly fit and healthy looking vegan people (preferabley including a female) who could be interviewed by a local paper about the health benefits of a vegan diet? Pass it on!