Still Amazed

Ah, our love affair with food. Everywhere you look, the portions in restaurants are getting bigger. From Burger King to McDonald’s to any steak house in town, the size of meals keeps growing, and so does our waistline.

Do we really need that much food? Do we need half-pound hamburgers, huge orders of fries, or shakes the size of oil barrels?

Probably nowhere on earth is a culture subjected to so many mixed messages. One commercial tells us to lose weight; another tells us where to get thousand-calorie soft drinks. Weight-loss clinics are everywhere, while at the same time, we are told how great it is to order pounds and pounds of greasy, fried food.

Of course, right now, we have the COVID-19 pandemic adding to the weight-gain problem. We’re all home more, exercising less, and getting of the house far less often. Then, naturally, we add stress eating to the mix and oh my, my, my.

Figuring it all out

How are we supposed to get it all straight? How are we supposed to be healthy when it seems all we really want is to just shove more and more fries down our throats? On television, we are inundated with ads that create a desire for more food, while at the same time we know how unhealthy it is.

There are numerous studies out there proving to us how unhealthy it is to overeat. We know this. And yet. There are scientists and physicians with absolute proof that too much fat in the diet leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and more. We know this. And yet. We continually see evidence all around us of the cost of being overweight. Insurance statistics, medical records, government evidence, and more prove that those who consume too much fat, salt, and sugar, and do not eat enough fruit and vegetables die younger, much younger, than those who eat a healthy diet. We know this. And yet.

But it tastes good! It takes some of the stress away!

There is an old saying that states, “If it tastes good, it’s not good for you.” Some of that is, indeed, true. Unfortunately, that taste is one of the reasons why we like to eat food that is slowly killing us.

There are other reasons, of course, for overeating. For some people, it may be habit. Some use food to relax, or to make themselves feel better psychologically, or they are just unaware of how much they are eating (the unconscious eater).

If you are in the business of selling food, you must make it taste good, be appealing, smell wonderful, be served in an inviting atmosphere, and create a need. The restaurant industry is great at this, especially fast-food restaurants. And that’s one of the deadly combinations: restaurants that must sell food to stay in business, coupled with people who love or need to eat (and we all need to eat—it’s just how much we need that creates the problem).
Please don’t misunderstand me; I am not simply blaming the fast-food industry. They are, after all, just giving us what we demand. We need to learn to demand less.

We, as individuals and as a nation, need to want less food, be happy with less food, and love less food. And yes, I know that goes against some of our most basic instincts. But our health and our kids’ health, even our national health, requires it. We need a national shout: Want less!!

And not only could we lose weight in the process, we might even save some money as well. Want to be healthier? Want to feel better? From now on, when you eat, order the small size. Get the small hamburger, the small French fries, the small soft drink. Save the money, save the calories, save your waistline.

Not just an American problem

Have you ever noticed that when you look at photos of city streets from Asia or Europe or the Mideast, you’ll often see a McDonald’s sign or the golden arches? You’ll see signs from any number of US fast-food companies now. Look at photos from fifty years or more ago and you’ll never see them. Hey, it tastes good, people want it, and we export and give it to them.

Western-style diets are fattening the planet. But it’s more than that—it’s also the reality of affluence. With more money to spend—more disposable income—people eat in restaurants more often, often eat foods higher in fats and sugar, and their weight goes up in proportion.

Japan never used to have problems with obesity. People primarily ate fish, rice, green vegetables, and ate very little sugar or processed foods. That all changed after WWII. Just as the US started opening more Japanese restaurants, so did Japan open up more American restaurants.

Add an increasing taste for Western food with ever-increasing income as Japan became hugely more affluent and a “perfect storm” was created that had obesity skyrocketing. Japanese got to taste French fries and then got to pack on pound after pound after pound. Lucky them.

So, where are you going to eat lunch today? What are you having for dinner? Are you going to eat French fries or rice? Are you going to eat beef or chicken? Are you going to eat a hamburger or broiled fish? Going meat or vegetarian? Or vegan?

What are you going to put around your waist? What are you going to make your legs and feet carry? What are you going to pack into your arteries and veins? I know, I know, I know. I sound like everyone’s mother. We know how to do the right thing, the healthy thing. We know what to do and we know how to do it. Even I do. And yet.