Anyone else watch The Biggest Loser?

I am just using the numbers attributed to the dieticians at Harvard for the number of premature deaths that could be prevented by substituting non-trans fats for trans fats. I did not state that a restaurant ban alone would result in that reduction. I am quite surprised by the "they will just find another way to kill themselves" line of reasoning. It would be interesting to know what percentage of people who die from CHD "want to die", I am working on the assumption that it isn't that high a percent. I am in seriousness somewhat aligned with Lindsay on this. I don't want to be told what not to eat etc, but people are not fully aware (yet) of the dangers. Smoking and drug etc we all know the risks, so yes people choose that option. Something in food that not everyone is fully aware about may need to be guarded against. Whereas overeating and not excercising is usually a choice, and most people know this is not good for health. Banning a substance which can benefit most people's health, when they may not be aware of it, I think, is not a bad thing. For instance, I was not aware of the TF issue until this post--I am not kidding. Now I may still eat stuff with TF in it but at least I know that I can check into it if I have concerns; so education may also be a good idea. For me it isn't so much of a "you can't eat this" thing as a ""we don't want you cooking in this and selling it" thing. Lastly, a good number of, not all, weight issues are caused by humoungous sized portions of food that get served up in diners and restaurants. Overeating becomes a bad habit, and getting a small meal is somewhat "un-American" and would give rise to a customer complaint I am sure. People need education on this too. As an example: 1/2lb burger, fries, and 1pint milkshake is not a good daily meal--as scrumptious as it is. There are so many areas to target on this health issue. Focusing on one is never the solution.

I am just using the numbers attributed to the dieticians at Harvard for the number of premature deaths that could be prevented by substituting non-trans fats for trans fats. I did not state that a restaurant ban alone would result in that reduction. I am quite surprised by the "they will just find another way to kill themselves" line of reasoning. It would be interesting to know what percentage of people who die from CHD "want to die", I am working on the assumption that it isn't that high a percent. I am in seriousness somewhat aligned with Lindsay on this. I don't want to be told what not to eat etc, but people are not fully aware (yet) of the dangers. Smoking and drug etc we all know the risks, so yes people choose that option. Something in food that not everyone is fully aware about may need to be guarded against. Whereas overeating and not excercising is usually a choice, and most people know this is not good for health. Banning a substance which can benefit most people's health, when they may not be aware of it, I think, is not a bad thing. For instance, I was not aware of the TF issue until this post--I am not kidding. Now I may still eat stuff with TF in it but at least I know that I can check into it if I have concerns; so education may also be a good idea. For me it isn't so much of a "you can't eat this" thing as a ""we don't want you cooking in this and selling it" thing. Lastly, a good number of, not all, weight issues are caused by humoungous sized portions of food that get served up in diners and restaurants. Overeating becomes a bad habit, and getting a small meal is somewhat "un-American" and would give rise to a customer complaint I am sure. People need education on this too. As an example: 1/2lb burger, fries, and 1pint milkshake is not a good daily meal--as scrumptious as it is. There are so many areas to target on this health issue. Focusing on one is never the solution.