Time machine reveals roots of U.S.’s growing obesity rates
All of us know how chubby of a country we’ve become but what many of us may not know is how we got to where we are today. After all, one in three Americans didn’t just plump up beyond a 30 body mass index overnight. It takes many years of superfluous nourishment to reach our level of corpulence.
Lucky for you, I happen to have a time machine right here, and if you’d step right in — watch your head, fasten your seat belt and keep your seat and tray table in its full, upright and locked position — we’ll take a journey in time exploring the shameful rise of the American glutton.
Whoosh. Ah yes, here we are across the pond around the time of Queen Victoria. The availability of food in Western Europe has become more secure and the view of being overweight is no longer seen as a symbol of status, success and security. Rather, as Peter Paul Rubens depicts in his artwork, overeating is seen as a sinful act. The reverence of being large and in charge has abated.
Whoosh. Let us fast forward to the beginning of the 20th century in the United States. We’re as fit and healthy as a wallaby when we’re not waging wars. Fashion design has gradually begun to reveal more skin. An athletic physique and healthy eating habits are becoming more valued.
Whoosh. Diving into the counterculture and social revolution of the 1960s, we’re still a very healthy nation despite the copious amounts of pot and acid binges. Fresh home-cooked meals and minimally processed foods still dominate our diet.
Whoosh. During the 80s, businesses are finding ways to spend less money to produce more food. Sugar cane is being replaced by high fructose corn syrup, a cheaper, longer-lasting and sweeter alternative. Hydrogenated oils are being widely used since their long shelf life significantly cuts costs. Since businesses can make more food for less, they begin to release products with larger portion sizes, dwarfing their European counterparts.
Whoosh. Nutritional misconceptions dominate the explosion of fad diets during the 90s. The obesity rate has risen over 10 percent in the last 15 years and isn’t slowing down.
Now let’s go back to the University of Nevada, Reno in 2008. Whoosh.
What have we done to ourselves? We are fatter than ever. Our obesity rates have more than doubled since the 1980s.
Our portion sizes are out of control. In restaurants today, many entrees pack a wallop of calories sufficient to sustain a full-grown adult for an entire day!
Hypertension, heart disease and diabetes are rampant as our sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles are killing us slowly. For the first time in our history, our generation’s average life expectancy will be longer than our children’s.
With so many conflicting theories, political hurdles and corporate profits standing between us and the realistic prospect of a healthier America, where does one begin looking for a solution for such a complex problem?
The answer to that question is simple: It begins with you and me. It begins with a better understanding of what we eat and how we treat our bodies. That is the single most powerful catalyst to the change that will bring about a brighter and healthier future for ourselves and our children.
Educate yourself about nutritional labels, the benefits of exercise and balance in your diet because in the end, knowledge is what is going to save our fat asses.
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