Food: The Proof Is In The Portion
|
We are a large people. 65% of us are overweight, 30% actually obese. How did we reach this point?
We ate ourselves into a prison of our own fat.
Why?
Well, we certainly didn't sit down and decide that we wanted to gain weight, did we? We had no pressure on us to fatten ourselves for some eventual slaughter. On the contrary, as our collective girth increased, we paradoxically elevated scrawny to a cultural icon, happily dismissing the corseted matronly figures of the past two centuries.
Where did the disconnect between our reality and our ideals begin?
We can blame the processors who milled out the vitamins and minerals we need. We can blame the preservers who cut back on fiber and freshness in favor of additives and chemicals. We can blame the packagers who added sugar and starch to everything. We can blame the fast food industry for frying everything and we can blame the beverage companies for their addictive colas.
While all of these made their contributions to our current plight, one source of our caloric distress runs through everything: portion size.
We eat hamburgers - not the gigantic, multi-patty ones, just a standard burger - that are 3 times as big as those of 30 years ago. Our orders of french fries are at least twice the size of their cousins in the 1970s. Pizza no longer has cheese only on the top but its crust is also filled. Large soft drinks are the size of watering cans instead of baby bottles. Recipes that once announced "serves 8" now report "serves 4" with exactly the same ingredients. Bagels and muffins are 3 to 4 times as large as their predecessors (and any fan of Seinfeld knows that only the tops are worthwhile). Thank heavens for hormones that can produce the 20 to 30 pound turkeys we demand for our holiday dinners.
Compare the small boxes of frozen vegetables that so awed us in the 1950s with the huge bags available today, awash in butter or cheese sauce. The TV dinners we precariously balanced on rickety tray tables are now heavy enough that those same tables wouldn't hold them.
Restaurant meals have grown as well, with a "to go" container almost standard because few eaters can finish them (although we try terribly hard). Far from their smorgasbord roots, buffets have become almost obscene in their offerings.
Whatever happened to nouvelle cuisine? Has the fastidious gourmet been completely swallowed by the voracious gourmand? Is gluttony no longer a deadly sin?
We love nothing better than a good bargain: something for nothing or, at the very least, at a discount. If we can obtain just a few more ounces of something for negligible extra money, we pounce on the larger size. If we're offered two for the price of one and a half, we don't have to stop and think. If we can save money by buying a whole package, even if we don't want all of it, we'll do it because it makes economic sense (ah, the birth of super size!)
Where did we get the idea that bigger is better? Is it the national legacy of the depression when we swore we'd never "do without" again? Is it a natural spillover from our thoughtless squandering of the world's resources? Is it the speed and stress of our competitive lives that logically leads to our attacking our food with the same disregard for restraint we show in business?
Whatever has brought us to this point, it is time for us all to cry "enough!" We may fear terrorist attacks or biological warfare but it is our daily over-consumption of food that is killing us. Diabetes, clogged arteries, and other obesity-related illnesses cost 350,000 American lives a year and the figure continues to climb. The associated medical costs are staggering and threaten eventual bankruptcy for the Medicare system if not reined back.
Several states and school districts are attempting to apply brakes to a junk food society out of control. A change in the structure of our farm subsidy programs has been suggested - to reward the growers of healthy crops and penalize those who raise the building blocks of edible garbage (sugar and corn syrup). Taxation, as has been used to curb the purchase of cigarettes, could change the consumption equation by hitting our wallets (and a 1 cent tax on every soft drink sold in the United States would raise 40 billion dollars a year).
However, the great change will only come when each of us, individually and collectively, start cutting back.
We need to insist, repeatedly and loudly, that restaurants serve child and senior size plates to adults and split orders without extra charge (where are the class action lawyers when you need them?) We have to demand that small sizes of meal components are offered. We should start boycotting those huge "economy" sizes of everything from soft drinks, to frozen potatoes, to cooking lard, and potato chips.
And the buck finally stops at our own plate. For our health, our longevity, and our looks, we must limit how much we eat of anything. If we cut our intake in half, we will be doing ourselves, our children, and our society a great favor and our bodies will thank us for it.
Virginia Bola is a licensed psychologist and an admitted diet fanatic. She specializes in therapeutic reframing and the effects of attitudes and motivation on individual goals. The author of The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a free ezine, The Worker's Edge, she recently published a psychologically-based weight control e-workbook, "Diet with an Attitude" which develops mental skills towards the goal of permanent weight control.
She can be reached at http://www.DietWithAnAttitude.com
She provides support and guidance in use of the workbook through her regular blog, http://dietwithanattitude.blogspot.com
|
|
|
The Mediterranean Diet - Oh So Tasty
Yes, there is more to the Mediterranean than sun, beach and wine... there is the Mediterranean Diet...For many years now the inhabitants of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea - (such as southern Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon and Israel) have been considered to be among the healthiest in the world enjoying both high life expectancy plus showing health benefits like low incidence of chronic diseases and in recent years many studies have been made to discover why and if it has to do with more than just t...(related: Weight Loss)
Low Carb Beer: Not So Skinny
Low carb beer and lite beer are two different animals. Both feature lower calories and both are ostensibly for weight loss. But a typical li...(related: Weight Loss)
Weight Loss Motivation: I Can Do It!
Several months ago I was in desperate need of weight loss motivation. As I was observing my friend's kindergarten classroom I was struck by an idea when I saw her in action. One of her students was filled with self-doubt and seemed to truly believe that he was unable to accomplish the task my friend was requesting of him. She kneeled by his side and patiently showed him once again what was expected of him. After hearing, "I can't do it!" several times, she quietly got up and walked across the room. When she returned she was holding a can that was covered in 'google eyes.' She placed it on his desk and asked, "Do you know what this is?" He shook his head and she...(related: Weight Loss)
Fat Burning Foods
Are there any foods that burn body fat? If yes, how is it possible? It should be possible to lose weight by simply eating such foods. What are these foods?The fat burning foods are foods that burn more calories than the calorie content of the foods itself. There are certain foods which actually burn more fat than the calorie content of the food itself. These fat burning foods or so called negative calorie foods are natural plant foods.Fruits rich in vitamin C like limes, lemons, oranges, grapefruit and tangerines have fat burning properties. Some of the other fat burning fo...(related: Weight Loss)
Is Diet Confusion Stopping You From Losing Weight?
Diet advice ? a million "experts", hundreds of snake-oil miracle pills, and an infinite number of human bodies make losing weight the subject of controversy and confusion.The diet program that worked miracles...(related: Weight Loss)
Wls Patients Take Too Long To Order Food: What?s That About?
Families who dine out with their loved ones who've had gastric bypass surgery often complain the patient takes an unusually long time to order food. Rose, whose mother had gastric bypass about eight months ago asked, &...(related: Weight Loss)
The Mysterious Dr. Atkins Death
Dr. Atkins death was unexpected. On 8 April 2003, he fell on an icy street, lost his conscience and never recovered until his death, 9 days later. On 17 April 2003 medical support was withdrawn and Robert C. Atkins passed away.Soon after his death, nonbelievers and people who denied and blamed Atkins diet, showed very little compassion or sympathy.Veronika Atkins, the widow, was very upset and spoke out about the real circumstances of her husband's dea...(related: Weight Loss)
Close Kept Secrets To Weight Loss Lesson #4
How's the practicing going? Are you spending time each day to practice RET, EFT and affirmations? When you make yourself a priority, then everything else falls into place.When we lose our connection to God, to ourselves, then we get off track. The answer is very simple! Spend time with yourself each day and focus on you.Do you make excuses why you can't spend time with yourself? ...(related: Weight Loss)
Walking: A Key To Weight Loss
Doctors prescribe Walking as the best medicine for weight loss.We walk everyday. Sometimes we go for long walks with our loved ones. But how often do w...(related: Weight Loss)
Dieting While Partying!
It's really difficult for a person to socialise if he is on a Diet. Totally ignoring parties and invitation is definitely not a solution.You have to strike a balance between your diet and social parties which, trust me, isn't easy at all. But we can always take necesaary precautions so as to avoid overeating.Here is some valuable tips to keep everyone happy.a) Try eating light snacks aroung 6 PM before leaving for the party. The prob...(related: Weight Loss)
Stress Eating & Unbearable Cravings
It's common to respond to stress by distracting yourself with your favorite comfort foods. Here are some ideas for healthier ways to cope when you're under pressure:1. Do a preemptive strike on unhealthy eating. Keep unacceptable foods out of the hous...(related: Weight Loss)
Diet Candy For Delicious Weight Loss
There are currently over 100 billion dollars sold in weight-loss and energy products each year. Weight-loss is a very serious and emoti...(related: Weight Loss)
Weight Loss, Exercise, And Bodybuilding Tips ? Keeping Your Body-fat Low: Part 4 Of 10
Which is easier to do ? turn a car's steering wheel while sitting still in the driveway or when it is speeding down the highway? Sure, the answer is simple...it's easier to turn when you are moving or going down the road. When things are moving, there seems to be a more fluid pace. Your time in the gym and during your workouts is the same. Keeping your body fat levels low is a matter of flow and movement.Low Body Fat Technique #4: A Matter of Flow!I have won numerous bodybuilding championships and have consistently exercised every week for over twenty years. The smartest decision I have ever made that has made the biggest influence on my success in the gym is; I put a time frame each day on my workouts.At the time I did not know the impact having a sense of urgency on my workouts would have on my body fat l...(related: Weight Loss)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster - shukra1111 [AT] yahoo.com | All Rights Reserved | Weight Loss