As someone who now has a healthy Body Mass Index (under 25) for the first time in his life I have a real interest in fatness. And so I am intrigued to discover a website showing just how fat Americans are. The US is the fattest industrialised nation on this planet (a few freak 3rd world places beat it for special reasons) with 33.9% of Americans defined as “obese” – that is having a BMI of more than 30. The percentage of Americans who are obese or overweight is close to two 66%.
The website is packed with data and can be found here.
What is baffling is that since 2002 Americans who are obese have been able to get tax breaks for special healthy food and weight loss programmes. Do not tell Mitt Romney’s horse this or he will start taking it easy to save Mitt more cash. But are Americans getting less obese? No they are not. I wonder if you are an American with a BMI of 29.9 are you tempted to head down to Krispy Kreme Donuts for a mega box just to gain an extra pound or two just for the tax breaks? If you get tax breaks on eating “healthy food” what do you spend the extra cash on? Krispy Kreme Donuts?
It is up to the individual to make themselves fatter or thinner. As it gets fatter and fatter, the US shows why state intervention does not work and just wastes taxpayers’ cash.
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