When we talk about the country’s “culture wars,” we assume it’s about politics. But Americans disagree on much more than that. They protect to the death what they eat and their right to eat whatever they want. This is why attempts to replace American eating behavior with healthier foods continue to face difficult obstacles.
As well as the political divisions that have been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic: vaccines; Masks; School policies – The obesity pandemic in the United States has served as an accelerator for those in government and public fitness who seek to force the food industry to make their products more fitness or scare consumers away from family prepared meals.
In a recent move, the FDA is pushing to tighten the definition of “healthy,” making it more difficult for food companies to meet that criteria (ConAgra, the maker of Healthy Choice, has stated that it may throw in the towel on its eponymous healthy brand). Public health advocates are promoting warning labels to go on the front of packages to alert consumers to high levels of calories, added sugars, sodium and saturated fats. And the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health has signaled that it will facilitate lowering the sodium and added sugar content of foods.
But Americans don’t do it. Their eating behaviors are not on the same page as those of those who need help. While a portion of Americans say they eat healthily, the CDC reports that more than 36% eat fast food regularly. And a study from the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University indicates that 73 percent of the United States’ food supply is ultra-processed.
Also think about how other people eat to celebrate smart times: The 10 most sensible foods to eat on Super Bowl Sunday are chips and salsa, wings, pizza, nachos, cheese and crackers, cookies, hamburgers, and hamburgers. , meatballs, tacos and ice. cream. From winter holidays to summer barbecues to fall Oktoberfests, indulgent foods and drinks are ingredients in beloved cultural rituals. And in a post-pandemic world emerging from nearly three years of isolation and loneliness, people are hungrier than ever for those customs and foods that are part of the experience. According to a Georgetown study published in Forbes, “authorized indulgence” is now “in. ”
Food classics live on for their sweets and savory delights. They reject the incentives of consistently “woke” nutritionists who tell them what they eat or drink, or threaten to ban or tax their favorite foods. This discord is eerily similar to the way our politics play out now. The 19 states with obesity rates of 35% or higher are in more classic states in the South, Midwest, and Appalachia. This aligns with the top 10 states that have the highest rapid food intake per capita. By contrast, efforts to tax soda, for example, have been led by progressive-leaning states.
Given the current political divisions, it’s no wonder we’re stuck on the healthy food factor. Part of the challenge would possibly be that fitness advocates – rightly alarmed by rising rates of obesity and what this costs society in terms of lost lives and lost productivity – are jealous and highly bestionist who seek to do too much to the time. Their goal is to eliminate the challenge entirely, through bans, taxes, and disturbing labeling. In this quest to eliminate all “bad” foods, the best has the enemy of the smart: not only locking up food companies, but also handcuffing the customer and angering other people who need the freedom to eat what they need. ‘they need. The jump is too big.
Tying the hands of food corporations to make and market healthier foods ignores a vital reality: food investors are slaves to the needs of their consumers. If consumers were clamoring for broccoli, we’d find those cruciferous treats in every meal, snack, and snack. While public and government officials aspire to a total shift to “fitness,” food corporations wonder how to meet the demands of their “base. “
Now I’m not letting the food and restaurant industries off the hook entirely. They would be remiss to ignore the growing number of consumers who want healthier foods and beverages. Packaged foods companies have been more aggressive in capitalizing on this trend but restaurants need to step up, particularly on reducing the size of their portions.
This yawning gap between what Americans eat and the proposed policies to help them sustain (or regain) their health demands a re-think as to how we go about trying to tackle the challenges of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related diseases. Instead of pushing hard for draconian change to get Americans to eat healthier, it will be more effective to take “bite size” steps so that people can start dislodging from poor eating habits rather than automatically resisting any proposed changes.
Here are some steps fitness public advocates can take to make additional progress:
The food crop wars are genuine and have created an effect that mirrors Newton’s third law of physics: for every action, there is an equivalent and opposite reaction. Demanding a swift and draconian replacement to force American customers to abandon bad foods en masse will fail. Conversely, food corporations, whose customer base suffers from higher rates of obesity and diabetes, will have to (finally!) innovate and offer tasty, healthier products that appeal to this population. base. Without those replacements, it will take us even longer to counter the obesity crisis in the United States.
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