Americans Are Getting Fatter, And Technology Is to Blame presents another look at the problem:
The government’s authoritative National Health Examination Survey found 30% of adults in 1999-2000 were obese by the technical medical definition. That’s up from 23% in 1988-1994 and 15% in 1976-1980.
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Some blame the food industry for deceiving us into eating more fatty and caloric foods. Others link the increase in weight to the decrease in smoking. Still others blame a sedentary lifestyle in which playing games on computer screens replaces athletic activity, and cars and elevators eliminate the need to walk.It’s obvious that technology has made us richer and food cheaper, in terms of the hours we have to work to feed ourselves. And of course, technology has changed the physical nature of daily work. Once most of us were paid to exercise on the job, University of Chicago professors Tomas Philipson and Richard Posner observe. Now many of us pay to exercise at the gym. But all that explains why Americans weigh more than we did in 1903, not why we’re heavier than in 1983.
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We eat more because improved technology — from the microwave oven to flavor-protecting preservatives to packaging — cuts the time it takes to prepare food. As recently as 1978, only 8% of homes had microwaves. At last count, 83% did.