To suggest that enforced national food rationing might help solve the nation's obesity problem?

[Lucia39]

During the period 1939-1954 the nation's diet was, apparently, the healthiest it has ever been.

So would a similar regime assist helping those who are increasingly "dimensionally challenged"?

Vegetables, fruit, and pulses would be more freely available but meat, dairy produce, sugar and fats would be strictly rationed.

Any thoughts?

It really isn't food - it used to be all lard and saturated fat and full fat milk and everything - in terms of calories I think I remember reading that we consume fewer calories now.

The problem is our activity levels.

People used to walk everywhere
People didn't have gadgets for everything and used to do everything by hand
Kids used to play outside, running around, climbing

In comparison, we barely get off our arses these days. That difference between calories consumed and energy expended is why we are getting fatter.

Lucia your suggestion just turns us into even more of a police state than we already are.

The thing is, people should have the freedom to choose for themselves what they eat, not be controlled and rationed by their government.

If you did it with food where would you draw the line? Where would it stop?

I don't want to live in a country that controls what I eat or how much I eat, any more than I want to live in a country that has so much control over any aspect of my life and my life choices.

Would it just be fat people who are rationed? What about skinny people? What about people who are sick or need certain foods?

The key to tackling obesity is education and encouraging a more active lifestyle.

Honestly I think it sounds terrifying to have the Government deciding what and how much I can eat.

You guys need less government interference and nannying in your lives, not more.

I love this country, really I do, I enjoy the British people very much, but you all go down without a fight anymore. Oz isn't much better, but at least we make a bloody noise and don't swallow things whole.

Lucia I think you are a nutter and the diet you suggest would cause me to gain 20kgs within a month, I promise you.

How about healthy street food? Stir-frys and the like. Families would wander out of an evening and eat five food groups out of recyclable containers. Cheap as chips but not chips. Goes hand-in-hand with global warming too.

Morloth - british people have always bent over and taken it up the arse. It is 'not british' to make a fuss about anything. [rolls eyes]

I think we should have an AIBU thread start ration to prevent people from indulging themselves in public places.

Dalrymps? One for you I think...

Exactly Hecate

It just makes me so cross Hecates (and more importantly makes me feel loud and difficult in comparison! ).

Next, we'll have people suggesting the government enforces a certain amount of sleep on us all, with a national 'in bed and lights out' policy

It makes me cross too Morloth (not that I'd make a fuss or anything, you see, just sigh quietly to myself and bend over, again)

Now that I could do with - I'm very bad at going to bed.

And it would help obesity since people who don't sleep enough are more likely to be obese.

2 birds, one stone and no need for rationing.

Actually I am warming to a National Bedtime.

We could have lullabys and bedtime stories as the last programmes on the tv and radio before they shut down at the alloted hour!

Agree with Hecate - tis energy out, not energy in that's the issue.

Also remember reading somewhere (Andrew Marr's recent History of Britain book?) that arguments against rationing included that men and women were approx 400 cals a day below what was needed for good health when on rationing. So starving, yes.

Actually do you know, some people have babies when they really shouldn't as well. Lets get the government to sort that as well. I will put my hand up to decide who gets to breed and who doesn't.

Who gets to decide who gets to eat what?

Not enough time to read all of this until later, but rationing would be unfair to the rich and powerful (like MPs for example).

They would not get the benefit of it as they would be exempt (as they frequently were last time)

I am all for making all fruit/veg really cheap and not allow factories to produce much of the crap that they do...but I can't see it happening....

TBH, I don't think it was so much the rationing, it was the unavailability of over processed foods that made the real difference....but considering that that is a massive market, I don't thnk it would help in the current climate to stop the production of those cheap quick foods, because it would mean jobloss....

Soooo, are you including having the war in here? Because I am sure being shit scared every night during black outs and German bombing raids helped to stop overeating as well.

lucia perhaps you SHOULD RATION YOUR INTERNET TIME?? you sound like a super slim smug bitch.... why dont you run for gov't if your so up for this idea?uhh because you wouldntr get elected!!

this is a very insensitive post, and is factually incorrect. daft cow has probably just watched a show about it on BBC3 and posted. utter twat... Whatever happened to personal choice!

Well Tee stress does help to burn calories, increased heart rate constantly!

I am not sure why this thread has actually managed to piss me off, not much on the internets manage that.

I think it is the sheer stupidity of someone who has enjoyed the freedom and safety provided by this country to suggest that it be taken away. Such breathtaking ignorance of how it is to live under the boot astounds me.

Lucia have you travelled? Have you been to countries where people have very little self determination? If so how can you suggest handing over control of our bodies (and that is what you do when you allow someone else to feed you)?

Aaw. Thankyou GothAnne.

What lovely people you and your husband sound lucia "Spot the fatty adult" Adorable, you suit each other. Oh and I'm speaking from the view of being a size 8 btw before you make assumptions; not that it matters anyway.

National bedtime is a great idea. How about a uniform as well to stop people wearing inappropriate clothes for their size? It would end the scourge of muffin top overnight!

I'd vote for national bedtime, actually, would stop me being daft and staying up far too late and then feeling knackered the next day.