The weather and the impact on our health and other disasters
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40192)
Canada
March 12, 2011 11:56am CST
We still have snow up here even though it is the middle of March and I hear that it is just as bad as in other places. On top of that, the oil prices have gone up through speculation, and to a lesser extent the trouble in the Middle EAst and Northern Africa with the people trying to overthrow the dictators.
Now if you are like me, when things get too costly we cut down on our food supplies. We try to get things cheaper because one cannot go and buy extra blankets and warmer clothes if the material and the clothes go higher in price. Now I was thinking of mhy parents who went through the 2nd World War and had to rely on rationing and on those who went through the Great Depression. Now my own grandmother lived before then and she still had a few of her own teeth, but my own mother and father who lived during the 2nd World war and were born around the 1st world war, both had to have false teeth. This also happend to my father-in-law and mother-in=law who lived in the depression era.
Now some people say that your health is better but we all cannot live in places with short growing season and often people buy what is cheapest and the fresh veggies and produces are iln short supply. So I wonder if those who are young during this time with higher oil prices and higher costs, are going to have the same problem with their health when they get older as my parents and in-laws have with strokes, diabetes, heart conditions, false teeth, etc.
2 people like this
5 responses
@icequeen123 (934)
•
12 Mar 11
I think that our generation is going to suffer a whole new array of health issues. We don't generally exercise as much as our parents and grandparents did. We eat lots more chemicals in our food. We are seeing an increase in illnesses such as cancers and other nasties. Our air is more polluted. So whilst we might all still have our teeth, chances are, we are going to contend with something else before we reach retirement age.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
12 Mar 11
My parents did not have that good food. Because of the war things were in short supply and they were feeding the troops. Now the ones who were born after the war have it a bit easy, and that is why we see those people who still have their teeth. But for us in our sixties, we were born during the war, and when our mothers were pregnant then, they may not have gotten all the nutrition needed. Of course in the 50s there was the addition of trans fats, etc. and those chemicals. I think that those who are not at retirement age and those from the twenties on will be in much better position, that is, until the prices of food goes too high and then they will sacrifice the good healthy food for the less healthy ones. So instead of going organic they will go first for the food that has been sprayed with those pesticides, and when that is too high, will go for the canned.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Mar 11
I believe that. I grew up in VAncouver B.C. The water was soft, there was no fluoride then, and we had natural soft teeth. You could not pull them out with a plier, had to use one of those heavy crushers because we had good gums, but the teeth got cavities easily. I still have some, but not all.
@GardenGerty (160883)
• United States
13 Mar 11
One of the reasons we have better health and healthier children is because of the availability of vitamins and vitamin enriched foods. I think you are right, though, there are people who will choose to do without some of the healthy foods and their bodies will pay the price. It seems that they seldom make the best choices of what to do without though. They might eat mac and cheese and hot dogs, but they will still have pop and chips.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Mar 11
The thing is that because of higher food prices, many will give up on buying the healthier food because they will feel that is either pay for the good vegetables and food, buy the good cheese and the whole grain pasta and make their own macaroni and cheese or being able to pay for the electricity. I was watching a show about the price of gas in California and this lady siad that she was considering quitting work because it cost about one hundred or so dollars to fill her tank and her job was quite a way a way.
So it is not about having pop and chips, it is about if you do not grow your own food, people will make the wrong choices because it is cheaper. Also when you work longer hours for less money, you do not have the time to make a good meal and not everyone is like me and have a slow cooker.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
12 Mar 11
I'm sure there will be all kinds of health problems down the road. People right now are trying to cut their food costs and that usually means eating cheaply--few fresh vegetables and fruits and more canned goods with preservatives, etc. It also means more boxed foods like macaroni and cheese that you can feed a few people with a box for about 75ยข. Eating like that is not good for you and is one of the big reasons why so many poor people here are obese. That leads to diabetes and other diseases and clogs up the arteries.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
12 Mar 11
When we were short of money, that is what we relied on Macaroni and Cheese and weiners. And when I made baked beans or bought them, I used to add weiners to the mix. My husband grew up on Verenki or Mennonite perogis that have cottage cheese filling. (sorry if I got the name spelled wrong) and Farmer's sausage. Of course in his family, there were a lot of strokes, heart attacks, and diabetes. He was very reluctant to eat salads, since they were only in summer. Most of the time it was canned and white stuff.
Now we have had a period of prosperity where we can buy fresh produce, but now in the Store, I noticed that even these are getting short supply and evil me, I took the last package of zucchini. 
@kwylima (451)
• United States
12 Mar 11
well, talking about having to eat what is cheap at store (what means not eating healthy food) I agree with you. Countries where the sun is more stronger, they tends to eat more fruits and vegetables, so they are more healthy and don't struggle so much with weight loss and dieases...However they have their own problems..
I can't see any reasonable solution.We just have to try to do more healthy things like excercises and try eat less processed food.(what is not that easy) and I can't wait for this snow go away!
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
12 Mar 11
We had the blizzard last night and had to go shopping, walked through the snow and my friend called her husband who got somoene over to shovel it. My friend's husband is not in that good health, got diabetes so he cannot do that much. I told my friend that we will probably have winter all year round. I am half expecting mastadons to roam the streets along with saber tooth tigers.
