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2004/05/10, 05:51 PM
Ok first off will only the serious replying post anything about this. I am trying to get substantial opinions and facts about diets and how they affect our economy. If you have an absolutely fabulous site about this then feel free to tell me, but I have searched the world wide web pretty good. Thanx for all the help.
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2004/05/11, 04:07 PM
Seriously???
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2004/05/12, 01:45 AM
In all seriousnous I don't have any solid facts but they would definitely effect the economy. In terms of positive or negative would depend on what side of the fence you are on. Take for example the new "Atkins" thing. A lot of people were cutting carbs from their diet, basically eliminating bread. It would put a hurt on burger sales, and subway sandwiches, stuff like that. Most of the bigger companys are fast enough to counter with stuff that would seem to appease the misinformed (Atkins followers) and say that a 500 calorie bowl of grease doesn't have any carbs, so it must be good for you. The valley that the Atkins diet would not last for very long on the chart then. So, in closing, I would not think that dieting would have a substantial change on the economy, for the simple fact that McDonalds is not going anywhere. Diet or no diet fad. Buy stock. McDonalds is going to grow along with the waist lines of 80% of the country. And as we all know, the population grows every day.
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In order to live, you must be willing to die.
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2004/05/12, 09:43 AM
I would check out Cnn.com. I m sure there have been studies done, just search for diets.
Id also check out a magazine called "Advertising Age" Google it, I can't remember the website. It's a magazine for advertisers but It should have some demographics for targets by the diet companies. THis might gie some insight as to which economical demographics are affected the most.
Hope that helps.
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It is no fun to be normal!!!
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2004/05/12, 10:50 AM
i actually read an article in the ft. worth star-telegram the other day about how the atkins fad had put a big dent in krispy kreme's profits this quarter. quite interesting, but here is my opinion...
if you think about it, the marketing behind fad dieting has a potential to swing the economy in either direction - by diverting consumers from eating carb-filled foods, you could potentially damage quite a few industries. however, look around the grocery store, the gas station, and now a lot of fast food restaurants...what do you see? things about counting carbs and being on atkins. there is an entire industry now that has been created to cater to the low-carb lifestyle. restaurants like subway, sonic, and mcdonalds have altered their menus to attract more health-concious consumers, and there are entire sections in the grocery stores dedicated to making the low-carb lifestyle available to all.
the catch in this is that because this is undoubtedly a fad, if there is an economic upturn as a result of the craze, it will undoubtedly decline at some point. when this happens, it will be replaced by some other product/concept that will do the same thing. it's a predictable american cycle of creating supply and demand for products that the public won't benefit from in the long term. our culture is one of instant gratification, and when one item doesn't satisfy our immediate demands, we will move on and pour our money into the next thing that will.
that being said, if there is an economic shift because of fad dieting, it will probably be a small one, but it depends on how long the craze lasts and how many people actually buy into it. again, the downside is that when people find out it doesn't work, everything that has gone up will come down. take for instance the dot.com boom and subsequent crash in the late 90s. that comparison is a little extreme because the scale is much smaller, but it's the same principle in theory at least.
well that's my 2 cents, hope this helps you.
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success comes before work only in the dictionary. that's right.
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2004/05/12, 11:17 AM
First off, I just :love: that girl.
Okay that being said. There was a special on Primetime, about the same time Lord of the Rings return of the king came out, on the economics of High Fructose Corn syrup and the Corn industry and how unhealthy and the obesity of our children today are becoming due to these types of corp. that make billions of dollars and back the politicians with funds to keep the global economy strong.
All you have to do is think about the percentage of high sugar items you see in the grocery store and take it away. What would you have? Practically nothing. Look at the Cartoon network, over 60% of the commercials are targeted to kids with cerials, high sugar snacks and very unhealthy foods.
The sad part is that this is becoming an epidemic. These kids are being classified as generation O, for obesity.
Anywho, I would check the NBC website and see what you find, I am sure they still have something on the topic.
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