We need to become our own first line of defence against fast food industry
Recently, CEOs of the major fast food restaurants were challenged to eat from their respective kids’ menu for a week. The point being whether these industry leaders were willing to eat from a menu that served questionable food to children.
Interesting proposition, but I believe there is a much more important discussion that needs to take place a little closer to home.
It’s all too easy to pin the ills of society on big, bad capitalists. Surely someone is to blame for growing waistlines and failing health!
Shouldn’t the first and final line of defence rest within ourselves? Unless there are regulations being breached, a burger joint can’t be held liable for the parenting decisions of a blamehappy generation.
Seriously, does anyone really think chicken nuggets and fries qualify as a balanced, healthy meal? We don’t blame car manufacturers, Netflix and escalators for contributing to the ills of sedentary living. Somehow, fast food seems to have taken the hit.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not defending an industry that knowingly produces a product that diminishes the health of its regular customers. But shouldn’t government oversight bodies also bear some of the load? After all, despite questionable nutrition practices, fast food is simply working within “acceptable” parameters as set out by the powers that be.
More importantly, personal responsibility has to factor into this somewhere. After all, Chubby’s Burger Emporium isn’t forcing you to eat there.
Stepping off my soapbox for a moment, its important to note that I’m not necessarily preaching abstinence, even though it’s the healthiest position to take. I’m merely suggesting a planned and conscious transition toward moderation — although many people need to take a hard look at their definition of moderation.
Let’s be honest, the occasional burger tastes great. The burger, fries and chocolate shake I ordered at the Cancun airport earlier this year still rate high on my “favourites” list. After all, this stuff is engineered to fire the happy receptors in your brain. Is it healthy? Gosh no, but they never made that claim. This was simply a planned blip in an otherwise healthy diet.
Again, choices and moderation. Back on the box.
Over time, feeding leftover spaghetti to your garburator results in clogged pipes and costly repairs. Believe me I know. Likewise, our bodies aren’t wired to function on highly processed food. Eating it daily or weekly is a recipe for a bypass.
Despite the risks, we joke about food such as bacon, even though it’s a loaded gun. Not so funny when Doctor Serious tells you your heart health is equivalent to that of a 70-year-old. Tough message to hear at 35.
Well-known physician Dr. John MacDougall talks about his years working with largely Indigenous populations in Hawaii. He found that older generations who followed mostly plant-based diets lived long, healthy lives. The two generations that followed, however, became sick as processed food and meat-based diets became the norm.
Diseases mostly unheard of in grandparents such as gout, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and obesity began to surface in children and grandchildren.
It’s all too easy to blame the toy of the week for an exploding obesity epidemic. I would suggest, however, that a weak consumer constitution plays a much bigger role.
They say you can’t put lipstick on a pig, but apparently you can. We know fast food is ugly (check out one of the hotdog-making videos on You Tube), but we seem to love eating congealed chemical goop.
In the end, the biggest culprit in this health debacle is lifestyle. Sure, the food industry is an enabler, with regulatory bodies playing a passive, yet equal, role. Better nutrition standards would force fast food companies to fall in line, but ultimately the decision still rests with consumers.
Should Mr. or Ms. CEO be obliged to eat at the kids’ table? No, they should be busy making proper health decisions for their own families — like the rest of us.