Obesity, The Big Picture of Profit

By Mary Chantler

In the United States, we are facing many epidemics when it comes to the state of our health. It can be a pretty bleak picture when you look right at it. About 74% of adults are obese or overweight. About 14.7 million children from the ages of 2-19 suffer from obesity in the U.S. This number has roughly tripled in the last 30 years. Half of our children here in the U.S. suffer from some sort of chronic disease. And there are around 200 diseases and conditions related to being obese.

This is a critical issue for many reasons, and not a question of vanity or fat-shaming. It is a question of toxicity…on many levels. We are dealing with toxicity in our bodies, and we are stuck in a broken toxic healthcare system.

I began writing this article about Weight-loss drugs, to shed some light on the mechanism that makes them work, and how we can activate this mechanism naturally. It was my goal to bring awareness and context for why I wanted to write about this topic, and then it became so long that I have decided to break it up into separate articles. I want to share the big picture here; one that exposes the systems in place in our society that keep obesity at an all-time high, and the true story of what is happening inside of many of our bodies first.

Things do not change unless we can see the full picture of why they need to change, and then we can move into a space of visualizing the change as possible…which is the first step to creating it. Once we can see what a successful picture of health looks like (in the micro-cosm of our own bodies or the macro-cosm of our collective health and how it impacts the world around us), we can take steps of all sizes toward it.

Our obesity epidemic and the related economic gains to be made by large corporations benefiting from our chronic diseases is staggering. There are billions of dollars to be made by keeping people addicted to ultra-processed foods, and then dealing with the repercussions of this type of eating in the hospitals across America.

Guess who employs the most scientists in America? Large food conglomerates… who also spend billions on marketing and lobbying for their financially motivated causes in our government spaces. If you really look around, you will see the fruits of their labors everywhere from the brightly colored boxes touting wobbly claims of health, billboards which incite hunger and coke/ vending machines with snacks that have post-apocalyptic staying power in places like schools and hospitals. All so very counter-intuitive…and anti-life at its core.

It’s a tragic reality that a child being addicted to ultra-processed food and sick as a result of being powerless against this system is incredibly profitable to many different corporations and their shareholders.

You may think that’s not your problem directly, and you are capable of making healthy choices. And that is great, and where it all can start for any of us. But the truth is that this situation affects us all, from the functionality of our own bodies to a complete overwhelm of our healthcare resources and our taxpayer dollars being funneled in the trillions to foreign countries. We have a huge opportunity here to turn it around, now that we are all becoming aware.

The Ideal Consumer

I want to start with inviting you into the story of a lower income family living in an area where there are no fresh whole foods to choose from…even if they wanted to choose them. Think about what is available in a gas station for instance, in some towns, a small market like this with products that are filled with preservatives and chemicals is the only place to shop. This is called a food desert. No grocery store with fresh organic produce or freshly stocked Farmer’s Market because this area is impoverished, and the stores would not make enough money to stay in business. There may not be a farmer’s market since this area is not good place to grow food, possibly a more urban area. Not only are ultra-processed foods the only products they can afford, but they are also the only ones they can find in their area. They live in a reality of consuming only chemical and herbicide laced food that is devoid of any real nutrition. They become obese and malnourished simultaneously, as the harmful chemicals, added sugars and other toxins that their cells are overburdened with are stored in visceral fat, which surrounds their organs, adding strain to each system to not only function, but to survive.

This is what is happening in our bodies, by the way, when we are exposed to toxic chemicals and additives. We take in far too much of these things (because ultra-processed food is full of it) and our cells refuse to take on more… shutting the door and forcing these chemicals, sugars and toxins to be stored in fat cells. This affects hormones in a myriad of negative ways (This is a very basic explanation of insulin resistance and diabetic conditions). This is the truth behind what is happening to our bodies, and it is completely treatable with diet and lifestyle changes. We know this.

I want to express the lack of choice that many kids across the US are experiencing, which is not really limited to low-income areas. In fact, ANY parent who tries to feed their children organic whole foods will tell you that they are hard pressed to find choices while traveling or eating at restaurants. Any “kids menu” is normally populated with only foods that are pulled out of a freezer and thrown into the fryer.

Returning to the story of our low-income family…they will most likely be on Medicaid, or other taxpayer funded medical assistance programs. They are truly trapped in a system where obesity seems unavoidable. And in this particular healthcare terrain, as they call for drastic measures, obesity doctors and pediatricians are now normalizing the idea that obesity is a “brain disease”, which then requires medication and bariatric surgery as the first line of defense. They are recommending weight loss drugs for children as young as 12 and pushing to lower the age to 6. Seems crazy, right?

It is important to note the following when thinking about giving weight loss drugs to kids:

These types of weight loss drugs (GLP-1 agonists) typically are taken for life. And if they come off of the drug, they gain the weight back with gusto.
Starting them young is incredibly profitable for foreign drug-makers. Novo-Nordisk and its shareholders are banking on their drugs becoming covered by Medicare (for many different conditions) and pushing to lower the age limit for obesity patients via their own incomplete studies (with the help of main-stream media outlets such as CNN), to “secure affordable access” for 110 million people. Who pays for this? You do. This will be a further financial burden on our already maxxed out healthcare spending, without a root cause solution.
There are many side effects of course, including increase in cancer risk and organ damage.
One side effect is loss of muscle mass, leading to frailty and injury, when an exercise routine which includes resistance training is not implemented.
Another side effect is depression and suicidal thoughts.
These types of medications affect satiety hormones and impact the production and levels of other hormones related to appetite. The amount of food taken in is less, but if the patient is not changing their food choices, more nutrient deficiencies and malnourishment will be an issue.
These medications do not get at the core issues of why the blood sugar imbalances and metabolic disorders are actually present. They are a band-aid on a gaping open wound that won’t heal, not a solution.
Although the FDA (which is also mostly (up to 75%) funded by pharmaceutical companies, not taxpayer dollars) has approved many of these drugs for kids as young as 12, more studies are needed. The ones I could find were funded by the companies selling the drugs and were using small groups of kids for a relatively short period of time. Longer term unbiased studies would be needed to truly understand the impact on a growing child.

These kids are unfortunately trapped in a system that profits greatly off of their disadvantage. Adults are also there, but kids DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. They are fully exposed and engulfed in a world that is toxic. We are responsible for making healthy choices for them. And for teaching them how to listen to their bodies and make smart choices in the future.

The money that taxpayers pay to remediate the effects of our toxic food system via healthcare costs (which actually supersede our current military spendings…and not because we are getting more peaceful, in fact it’s quite the opposite as our toxicity drastically affects our mental health) could be diverted to programs that actually help to change the system. Can we take the harmful chemicals out of our food supply? Can we encourage a healthy lifestyle instead of a sedentary lifestyle? Can we admit that this problem is caused by and resolved by what we put into our bodies every day? We can, but we don’t. And here is part of the reason why.

In my classes, I talk about the “why” of it all. Why do we do what we do? How do we benefit? And what motivates us to make choices? It’s important to remember that doctors, farmers, corporate CEOs…are all human beings in this experience with us. As humans on this earth, and in this capitalist society, many of us are just trying to survive on a daily basis. We tend to all be under the same illusion that there is only a certain number of resources, and we have to get what we can, or we will not survive. This mindset that there is lack, or not enough for everyone, may be at the core of the problem here. We are exposed to information every day that says, “Be careful, someone may hurt you or rob you. Someone out there is waiting to take what is yours, to take what makes you safe. You are not safe. Do what it takes to secure your life, your material possessions…or else.” So what happens, is there are a whole lot of people struggling to make it and making choices out of integrity or justifying that in the scheme of things…maybe it doesn’t really matter. But this is what keeps us stuck. Making choices out of fear…on an endless quest to make “enough”. And enough never comes for many people.

Too Much Money At Stake

Farmers are receiving subsidies from our government to grow corn, soy, wheat and rice. 80% of the American Farm bill subsidies pay for these crops that are the components of ultra-processed food, to feed the current demand of an addicted population. The argument is that we need to create massive amounts of food for our growing population. But this type of food is quite literally lowering our life expectancy and there is so much research now about more sustainable and regenerative ways to farm that point to localizing the food supply (instead of the large-scale production of food products) as part of the solution to our health and ecological crises.
The food companies are winning because their products are cheap, addictive and available everywhere. Children are quickly addicted to ultra-processed food because they have added sugars and other chemical compounds that are made to be addictive. (See my article on MSG and be aware that there are about 50 different names for MSG. It hasn’t been removed from food, it has been hidden.) Remember those scientists and marketing teams? They get paid billions for a reason. They know the extent of our psychological food issues and they know we need to save money in this day and age. As I type this, I am listening to a nearby conversation in the coffee shop centered on the price of groceries and these women are bragging about how little they can spend. Price is often the deciding factor when it comes to food choices, especially when you have many mouths to feed. Large food corporations make food on such a large scale that they are able to find ways to make it very cheap. Big food companies provide countless discounts and coupons to create a steady flow of sales. Our incentive to buy the food is that it’s cheap and convenient…but we tend to regret it when we realize we have traded our health in exchange for a few dollars and what we thought was extra time. Its a terrible race to the bottom in quality and cost which we all pay for in the end.
The pharmaceutical companies profit because doctors are now able to prescribe weight loss type drugs starting at younger ages, not to mention all the drugs that they can prescribe to treat the symptoms of their other related disorders (From sinusitis, eczema, and fatty liver disease to ADHD, autism and other mental imbalances) caused by damages to the fundamental core of health (cells) from ultra-processed food and toxicity. Pharmaceutical companies provide incentives to doctors for prescribing their drugs. They give money and gifts to doctors through many different avenues. These doctors are highly trained about every medicine available, when it is “needed” and how to prescribe it. The institutions where they get their degrees are also heavily financially backed by large pharmaceutical companies, undeniably influencing the curriculum. It is becoming a well-known fact that medical schools do not provide sufficient education in nutrition related topics (an obvious avoidance of the elephant in the room of the chronic disease epidemic). This field is called “Medicine” after all. And doctors are encouraged to focus on what they can prescribe, not the idea of systemic, overall health that begins in the cell. Is that intentional? Probably.
Doctors and hospitals are profiting as well by treating the myriad of chronic diseases caused by the toxicity of our food supply and environment. Chronic…that means not a broken arm…but a condition that is ongoing, labeled as uncurable and treated in ways that are not addressing the root cause. “Keep it Chronic” should be their slogan…because this is how they profit. The financial benefits do not lie in successful outcomes (A complete recovery or healing), they lie in more appointments, more prescriptions and more surgeries.

I am inviting you to understand that generally, doctors are human beings that have incurred massive amounts of debt with idealistic hopes of helping people. Sure some are in it for the money (Hello again, security fears). But really, they are just as susceptible to being stuck in this broken system as any of us. Imagine what it may feel like to dedicate massive amounts of time and money to becoming a doctor, only to realize that your hands are virtually tied to provide any real healing for people. You are expected to go with protocol that does not ask “why”, but only treats just enough of people’s symptoms to keep them coming back. More appointments, more medications, more surgeries…this is what pays the bills. Doctors also have the highest rates of burnout and suicide. Some compassion is in order, and awareness that doctors are not our saviors. Many doctors simply do not have time to keep up on the latest research regarding our food supply and how it affects our bodies. And this all is just a strong argument for empowering yourself to take control of your own health.

The financial gain is limitless for all of these industries as long as we continue to give away our power to them. These industries are designed to grow…to make more money, and please their shareholders. And they profit when we are sad, addicted, sick and always looking for exterior pleasures. Keep that in mind.

Also keep in mind that you have the ability to take back your health and your power, by stepping outside of the ultra-processed food system. Countless people have experienced a complete turnaround in their health simply by going whole food organic. This looks different for everyone. The ideal way of eating for each person is unique to their own physiology. If you need help with this process, please reach out!

This all may look like a very bleak picture and I would like to share with you that there are entire countries and smaller pockets of community all over the world that have turned around the health of their society by prioritizing health over profits. Japan is one of these countries. In the 1920s, the government of Japan began to be concerned that its citizens were unhealthy and malnourished. This movement was instigated by a desire for a healthier military actually. They implemented several changes, and however you feel about governmental control overstepping its boundaries, their population is now among the healthiest in the world, with an obesity rate of only around 4%. The biggest difference I see that can be pivotal, is a focus on teaching children how to take care of their bodies through nutrition and movement very early on. Every school in Japan (BY LAW) employs a nutritionist, who is in charge of not only providing healthy and balanced meals for children, but also in charge of teaching children all about healthy food and how it supports the body. These kids are also just kept away from ultra-processed food. It’s a combination of not being exposed to the foods that are incredibly harmful and addictive, and being taught a very deep discipline of taking care of themselves. This is the vision I am holding for America, that we eventually will make similar efforts for the benefit of our own future.

Solutions on a larger scale are being initiated by many organizations who work daily towards recovering the food supply situation. Here’s a list of resources to check out. Educating ourselves and sharing what we learn is a huge part of the solution since ignorance is no longer an option! These sites also include petitions to sign that will help keep our government accountable and change legislation.

Moms Across America blog

Home – Food Integrity Now

Glyphosate Facts – The Truth About the Herbicide Glyphosate

Center for Food Safety | Home

Fighting to Protect Your Health – Who We Are | Environmental Working Group (ewg.org)

Learn — Casey Means MD

CHD-TV | Childrens Health Defense

That being said, it is our government that should be banning chemicals and pharma ads on television as well as implementing many other systemic changes that need to happen in order to turn the tide.

Next up…

How to hack your GLP-1 (satiety hormone) for weight loss and more…without drugs!

Thank you to Mary Chantler of Divine Integration for this great information!

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