MOVE IT, MOVE IT
The Chief Executive of the
Royal Society for Public Health has recently said that food labels in Britain
should state how long it would take to burn off that particular food or drink
in order to fight the increasing obesity epidemic. Her explanation came on the
back of a poll where over 50% of people said that they found food labels
confusing and if they could see things spelled out more clearly it would affect
their choices (I’m still not convinced of this, but I’ll give the benefit of
the doubt).
With obesity rates climbing
at an alarming level (by 2025 40% of the population will be obese according to
statistics), I’m all for doing whatever we can to combat this frightening
health epidemic; be it educating the masses, writing things on labels, or
putting up large neon signs in the supermarket that say ‘IF you eat this you
will regret it!’ I will however admit that I still find it baffling that people
are so unaware of how their food choices affect them. This poll went on to
highlight that not only do people not really understand what it takes to burn
off a candy bar, but that they have very little idea when it comes to portion
control. In essence, when they scoff down a giant Indian takeaway four nights a week
and then put on weight they are baffled they do not look like Giselle. Okay
fine, I’m being a tad harsh, but the way I see it, it’s always been very simple
math. What we take in, vs. what we burn off - give or take. If you eat too much
and move too little you’re going to get fatter. And furthermore (for those of
you that are still confused), if think your 35-year-old body can ingest copious amounts of Snickers bars like your 18-year-old body, you’re going to have problems
squeezing into those skinny jeans.
Recently we went to a
restaurant where calories were on the menu beside every single dish. And trust
me, it was sobering at best and made you reconsider what you ordered, or at
least gasp in amazement at the tables that didn’t give a hoot and ordered half
the menu anyway. Whereas I don’t always want to live by the site of a calorie
count and believe a certain amount of indulgence is necessary, it is
interesting how a calorie labeled menu influences your choices. Suddenly the
taramasalata isn’t such a must when you can opt for hummus instead. Like
anything in life, it’s about choice and the choice is up to you, scary as that
sounds.
The bigger issue at play, in
my opinion, is that we are not only a short cut culture – wanting things easy
and fast – but we simply don’t want to have to work that hard to stay in shape.
People that look athletic and fit are, well, athletic and fit. They exercise
and choose what goes into their body with careful precision. Don’t get me
wrong, you don’t have to live like a church mouse and eat crackers that taste
like carpet (although funny enough, being Californian, I’ve always liked
crackers that taste like cardboard), but you do have to choose your moments and
grasp the concept of moderation.
My advice to anyone that
cares enough about their body and what goes into it is try it for a week, total
up the calorie count of what you eat without taking anything out and see how
much you are eating (and drinking!). Then try not to pass out from shock. Then
in the next few weeks make small substitutions for things you can simply live
without out. Not to mention, it is a big world out there in the food department
and often humans get stuck on a myopic gastronomical path. Branch out, try
something new and for god sakes, MOVE. You might surprise yourself and actually
enjoy it.