Question 3
The second article
suggests that the obesity epidemic will never slow down unless empty calorie
food and beverages are reduced as well as providing consistent messaging about
healthy foods. Do you believe this is truly the answer? Would reducing the flow
of empty calorie foods and beverages really slow down the obesity epidemic or
would Americans find new ways to eat the same?
posted by JociSchumann @ 10:22 AM
12 comments
12 Comments:
I feel like if empty calories were truly reduced then yes the obesity epidemic would be slowed down. However, if Americans simply are switching from just one source of empty calories to another than it will no make any difference. However, I feel like this is more of a global issue and not only food related. We need more activity, less empty calories, and a deeper appreciation for our body's/family/and mental health in order to actual influence obesity.
The reduction of empty calorie food would aid in the reduction of obesity, but I do not think it would eliminate it completely. I think many people struggle with portion control, even with foods that are nutrient-dense. I feel that in order to reduce obesity, nutrition education is really the key. Teaching people how to choose healthier foods and portion control is important. People are also less active than in the past, so encouraging some form of activity every day is important as well.
I absolutely agree with Alana. Portion control is one of the major downfalls right now in America. Having smaller portions in takeout food would really help people learn proper portions. Having this aspect along with increasing the activity so a person can find a healthy balance of calories in and calories out more easily.
I'm struggling with answering this because I'm not quite sure how we're proposing to reduce the empty calorie foods. I'll take the approach that reducing these foods is not going to have an appreciable impact on obesity rates. Americans are not going to reduce their intake of these foods unless it is accompanied by education or a health crisis or bad test results. Some people may want to be healthier, but simply don't know how to make sustainable change. Others don't care until it becomes an issue critical to their health.
I don't think that regulatory or legislative changes such as the soda legislation in New York are the answer. Many people don't want government telling them what they can and can't eat. And food manufacturers are going to continue to make what sells.
Haven't we been promoting messages about healthy foods for quite some time? That hasn't seemed to help a whole lot. I think it may help a little to reduce empty calorie foods in stores but people will find new substitutes. People need to change their habits and have enough self control. I think the knowledge is out there... it is like Dianne said Monday night, "Knowledge does not dictate behavior". I know what is healthy for me but I do not always choose it. So I guess ultimately, no, it is not the answer.
Reducing empty calorie foods and beverages could have a positive impact on the obesity epidemic but I think it will take changes in more than one arena to really make an impact. Pinpointing certain nutrition patterns related to the obesity epidemic are important but it will take a more collective action than just reducing empty calorie foods and beverages. I also wonder how that idea would be regulated because even if vending machine and soda/snack sales were limited in public locations people still have the right to purchase what they want from the grocery store.
I agree with Angela's comment about the New York soda legislation. I think the more limitations and rules on consumption that are imposed the more people will desire and crave the item. In this case I believe the statement "you always want what you can't have" applies quite well. As others have mentioned, I also believe that focus should be placed on nutrition education and lifestyle change in order to control the obesity epidemic.
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This subject is very interesting to me. Something that I've always wondered is what would happen to purchasing/eating choices if grocery stores, restaurants that strive to serve whole foods, really any place that sells whole, organic produce had as much marketing power as companies like Coke, Pepsi, Hersheys, McDonalds, Budweiser, etc. Although I plan to spend my career striving to find a way, I do not think that in our lifetime we will find a way to slow down empty calorie food choices, at least enough to compete with the business and marketing strategies of those huge organizations. It's going to take a LOT of change, and change is hard and resisted. So I guess I agree with the writers, that unless we can create a way to slow down empty calorie consumption and make it so that everyone understands why "healthy food" is so powerful, the obesity epidemic will persist.
Interesting thought, Emily! I wonder what would happen if the playing field was equal. Even the big chains like Whole Foods don't have nearly the marketing power. You're absolutely right that change is hard. I think that is a big challenge to us as future RDs to help people overcome their barriers to change and help them find their own personal reasons for making healthy choices.
I also think that reducing the consumption of empty calories would help to slow the obesity epidemic but there are other factors as well. Portion control and a lack of exercise are the biggest ones.
Regarding Angela and Emily's comments...Maybe I am a little optimistic here but I feel that the general population is becoming more aware of particular foods/ingredients to avoid or look for. I feel like the movement towards a "whole foods" approach to eating is growing and growing. Maybe the obesity issue has gotten so much attention that people are starting to take a more intellectual and social approach to their purchasing and eating habits.
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