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Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

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Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#131
We’re seeing similar in the UK, fast food restaurants are having to adapt and dieting companies have outright collapsed.

Sounds conspiratorial, but when you look at the revenue impact this is having, the deluge of baseless articles about it making your eyes fall out or “users who stop taking it gain the weight back” or whatever malady they can make a tenuous link to, it all make a lot more sense.

The biggest food companies do not want people to be thinner. They want people to buy their low-quality, high-margin products.

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#132
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not American, but I think you are unfairly dismissing the massive benefits GLP-1s have for people who struggle to maintain a healthy diet. It really feels like a miracle drug. > It's insane to me that so many people need these to get off the processed foods killing them in the US. Your comparison of your friends in Germany vs "insanity" in the US doesn't feel relevant

I didn't dismiss any benefits. But so many people needing an anti-addiction drug to get off addictive foods IMO should raise alarm bells. The food producers need to be sanctioned. It's unsustainable for a whole nation to be on these expensive drugs. If you think an outside perspective is irrelevant I'm also not sure why you don't just move on and not comment.

Food is addictive because all animals including humans are by our very genes instructed to be addicted to it. Even the most healthy food is addictive. Just like water and air is addictive.

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#133

That’s an astonishing number. Wouldn’t that be more than enough to cause a decrease in grocery prices?

Your assumption of the existence of a grocery market competing on price might be wrong.

If they aren't competing on price, what were they competing on to have Wal-Mart take over so much market share? Did people just switch to shopping at Wal-Mart because they like the greeters?

And what about Aldi and Lidl? Why do people put up with these weird German hard discounters, if not for lower prices?

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#134
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For artificial problems, artificial solutions. I think the state of food in the US is really bad, and one cannot compare such products to the superior EU food quality standards and eating habits (and city designs) which render the incentives really perverse

I lived in Germany and Indonesia. It’s easier for me now back in the US than ever to eat healthy. I can buy pre-chopped Cole slaw, diced peppers / onions, etc. Whole Foods is best in class (Alnatura doesn’t come close) While to me, the layman, it seems health regulation in general in Europe is more conservative about what can be put on the body / be consumed, I think it’s mostly Americans don’t want to eat healthy. A…

> I can buy pre-chopped Cole slaw, diced peppers / onions, etc.

These accessible food options come with a premium that I strongly suspect put them out of what a median income household can sustainably afford.

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#135
post #6

>The share of U.S. households reporting at least one user rose from about 11% in late 2023 to more than 16% by mid-2024. I was wondering how you could get such a high impact overall. But it seems one in 6 households are on GLP-1 drugs in the US. In my friend circle in Germany I don't even know one single person on this stuff. It's insane to me that so many people need these to get off the processed foods killing them…

> It's insane to me that so many people need these to get off the processed foods killing them in the US.

Completely agreed. That said, I've been to Germany a handful of times but not in the last 7 years (sadly) and two things always stuck out to me:

* There's way more attractive/healthy looking people.

* There's wayyyy more young attractive people that smoke (wtf!).

Not sure if the smoking has subsided, but it was far more prominent than in NA since I've last visited.

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#136
post #6

>The share of U.S. households reporting at least one user rose from about 11% in late 2023 to more than 16% by mid-2024. I was wondering how you could get such a high impact overall. But it seems one in 6 households are on GLP-1 drugs in the US. In my friend circle in Germany I don't even know one single person on this stuff. It's insane to me that so many people need these to get off the processed foods killing them…

i considered it, but the gym was a much better option. for everyone who says "i've tried etc doesnt work" all i would say is, possibly if you dont have the time due to kids etc. Otherwise, get to it!

Even easier than the gym, and cheaper ! Eat less shit. Simply.

If you eat only vegetable and meat, you’re going to have a hard time gaining weight.

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#137

[flagged]

Yes, but this is literally a study trying to determine whether correlation is causation.

I'm not sure they are able to disentangle it from general lifestyle changes someone on a new weightloss drug might want to make?

(However, you can probably compare it to other lifestyle changes people on previous weightloss drugs did. If we presume that going on a weightloss drug at all is roughly the same impact on associated lifestyle change choices.)

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#138
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't dismiss any benefits. But so many people needing an anti-addiction drug to get off addictive foods IMO should raise alarm bells. The food producers need to be sanctioned. It's unsustainable for a whole nation to be on these expensive drugs. If you think an outside perspective is irrelevant I'm also not sure why you don't just move on and not comment.

Food is addictive because all animals including humans are by our very genes instructed to be addicted to it. Even the most healthy food is addictive. Just like water and air is addictive.

No you can’t say that. Fat people don’t get fat on eating vegetables and water.

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#139
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in Germany and Indonesia. It’s easier for me now back in the US than ever to eat healthy. I can buy pre-chopped Cole slaw, diced peppers / onions, etc. Whole Foods is best in class (Alnatura doesn’t come close) While to me, the layman, it seems health regulation in general in Europe is more conservative about what can be put on the body / be consumed, I think it’s mostly Americans don’t want to eat healthy. A…

I think there is argument to be made that the path of least resistance is very different in the US, Europe and Asia. I think maybe by living abroad you have adapted by default to a path (shaped by the environment) to eat more healthy. In the US I heard there is now parity in terms of quality products, but maybe culture takes some time to adapt to such environments.

I agree that when it comes to portion size and whole foods, Europe makes it easy to follow by example. FWIW, I ate healthy in the US before because I rock climbed and needed to maintain a very lean mass. If I wanted to cut weight in Indonesia, it was easy: just eat their portion size, and I'd come in below maintenance.

What I've seen consistently amongst the non-healthy eating Americans is that they argue:

1. Dieting requires them to be hard on themselves and they're focusing on self-love, which they struggle with

2. They deserve a daily treat. They look forward to it, it brings meaning, etc

3. The taste of their food is super important to them, such that they can't imagine repetitively eating (meal-prep) or eating cleanly (no added sugar, monitoring sodium)

Re: Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy

#140
post #6

>The share of U.S. households reporting at least one user rose from about 11% in late 2023 to more than 16% by mid-2024. I was wondering how you could get such a high impact overall. But it seems one in 6 households are on GLP-1 drugs in the US. In my friend circle in Germany I don't even know one single person on this stuff. It's insane to me that so many people need these to get off the processed foods killing them…

Americans (and increasingly us Europeans) are pigs.

The society is built to sit in a chair 8h, get in your car and drive 1h home and sit in a chair. Then repeat.

Also "eating 3 meals a day"

I eat 3 full meals, I blow up like a balloon. I don't get it. It's like they have to constantly eat. When I was a teen or in my 20s yes. Now in my 30s its game over.

It is also the way society, public transport, cities are designed.

I walk 4km to work when its nice out here in Europe. Could I do that in the USA?

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