Tuesday, April 03, 2007
One More Opinion
The not-so-great American diet:
By Phillip T. Alden
San Mateo Daily Journal –
Publication Date: February 5, 2007
There have been recent books and movies, as well as numerous medical studies and news shows that call attention to the epidemic of poor health caused by the American diet. A good example is Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation," a modern-day version of "The Jungle," by Upton Sinclair.
Yet even with the popularity of the human experiment detailed in "Supersize Me," fast-food companies like McDonalds and Pizza Hut are making a killing.
There is an alarming rate of obesity and diabetes among American children, and some are even experiencing cardiac problems due to poor diet and lack of exercise.
A teenager with congestive heart problems. What's wrong with this picture?
The first and foremost problem is Americans are addicted to sugar to the point that our foods are loaded with it. The second is we eat too much of the wrong foods, and the third is we have a sedentary lifestyle that makes the first two problems worse.
Part of the fault lies with our government and part with our food producers, but a large part lies with us. One of the country's leading nutritionists, Professor Marion Nestle, lays out this complex problem in her recent book, "Food Politics." (Professor Nestle is not related to the food conglomerate of the same name or associated with them in any way.)
We have a government that is heavily influenced by the food producers, a system that allows unhealthy food into our schools, and a populace that is purposely kept ignorant of the true facts around American nutrition.
Of course, we don't need the government or a nutritionist to tell us that a "Big Gulp" contains more sugar than is good for us. Part of the problem is we don’t want to change. We want to eat food we know is bad for us while spending much of our day sitting in front of the computer and/or the television. We resist exercise and avoid foods that are good for us.
The problem is we are teaching these bad habits to our kids, and their young bodies pay the price. Part of the problem lies in the way we've changed our involvement in the world. When I was a kid growing up in Palo Alto I rode my bike everywhere, even up to Skyline at the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains, (because it was so much fun coming back down.) I played Frisbee and hiked with my friends, and spent most summers swimming at the local pool.
We need to educate ourselves and our kids, exercise and make sure they do the same, and put down the giant soda. We need to get unhealthy foods out of our schools, and sugar out of our diet. There's a place for sugar and it's called dessert. We need to stop letting food industry executives determine governmental diet policy and education through political appointments.
Mostly we need to take responsibility for what we put in our bodies and teach our children the same discipline. Many parents are surprised when they discover their children have dangerous sugar imbalances, and it's important to remember your child does not have to be obese to develop conditions like Hyperglycemia or Diabetes. We need to make sure our schools have daily physical education classes. If your child is overweight you need to do something about that, including leading by example. Sometimes the whole family needs to go on a diet, which is more about making permanent eating changes than short-term weight loss.
The not-so-great American diet:
By Phillip T. Alden
San Mateo Daily Journal –
Publication Date: February 5, 2007
There have been recent books and movies, as well as numerous medical studies and news shows that call attention to the epidemic of poor health caused by the American diet. A good example is Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation," a modern-day version of "The Jungle," by Upton Sinclair.
Yet even with the popularity of the human experiment detailed in "Supersize Me," fast-food companies like McDonalds and Pizza Hut are making a killing.
There is an alarming rate of obesity and diabetes among American children, and some are even experiencing cardiac problems due to poor diet and lack of exercise.
A teenager with congestive heart problems. What's wrong with this picture?
The first and foremost problem is Americans are addicted to sugar to the point that our foods are loaded with it. The second is we eat too much of the wrong foods, and the third is we have a sedentary lifestyle that makes the first two problems worse.
Part of the fault lies with our government and part with our food producers, but a large part lies with us. One of the country's leading nutritionists, Professor Marion Nestle, lays out this complex problem in her recent book, "Food Politics." (Professor Nestle is not related to the food conglomerate of the same name or associated with them in any way.)
We have a government that is heavily influenced by the food producers, a system that allows unhealthy food into our schools, and a populace that is purposely kept ignorant of the true facts around American nutrition.
Of course, we don't need the government or a nutritionist to tell us that a "Big Gulp" contains more sugar than is good for us. Part of the problem is we don’t want to change. We want to eat food we know is bad for us while spending much of our day sitting in front of the computer and/or the television. We resist exercise and avoid foods that are good for us.
The problem is we are teaching these bad habits to our kids, and their young bodies pay the price. Part of the problem lies in the way we've changed our involvement in the world. When I was a kid growing up in Palo Alto I rode my bike everywhere, even up to Skyline at the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains, (because it was so much fun coming back down.) I played Frisbee and hiked with my friends, and spent most summers swimming at the local pool.
We need to educate ourselves and our kids, exercise and make sure they do the same, and put down the giant soda. We need to get unhealthy foods out of our schools, and sugar out of our diet. There's a place for sugar and it's called dessert. We need to stop letting food industry executives determine governmental diet policy and education through political appointments.
Mostly we need to take responsibility for what we put in our bodies and teach our children the same discipline. Many parents are surprised when they discover their children have dangerous sugar imbalances, and it's important to remember your child does not have to be obese to develop conditions like Hyperglycemia or Diabetes. We need to make sure our schools have daily physical education classes. If your child is overweight you need to do something about that, including leading by example. Sometimes the whole family needs to go on a diet, which is more about making permanent eating changes than short-term weight loss.
# posted by Phillip T. Alden @ 6:11 PM 
