Food for Fuel Not So Much for Taste
Regardless of the country, and regardless of the geographical location, the growing concern amongst health scientists is the alarmingly growing number of people around the world living a physically inactive, sedentary life style which eventually forces them to face serious consequences of obesity and other related physical ailments. The negative impact of the sedentary life style and unhealthy eating habits is life threatening and most cases end up with premature death. Something must be done about it.
As scholars of the health and fitness management profession we are required to ask serious questions to address the issues of obesity, sedentary life style and unhealthy eating. Questions like: What are the contributing factors for obesity? What prevents people from being active? Is it the lack of education? Is it the lack of opportunities, or availability of resources (such as facilities, equipment location)? Is it because of lack of guidance, supervision, motivation etc.? How about lack of time, money and desire to exercise, how much do they contribute?
Obesity, sedentary life style and unhealthy eating habits can be the resultant of any or all of the above concerns. The issue at hand is whether there can be a logical solution that could be applicable at the local or global level. Should there be a proactive or a reactive solution? The solution has to be radical in nature but practical and simple in application.
The issues and concerns related to the obesity and sedentary life style are significant enough to be dealt with separately. At this juncture, I will focus on the issues and the concerns related to unhealthy eating. I will address this from a Psychological perspective; simply arguing, and building my case around the idea that “food is for fuel not so much for taste.” I will also argue for the prudent action of making the right and logical choices, and about behavioral changes at the personal level that people can do to prevent obesity and other related ailments.
There is a misconception orbiting around the concept of fitness. According to a common misconception “getting physically fit” is about returning one’s natural or desired weight. In reality, that is not fitness at all. The concept of being physically fit is and should be about staying healthy and enjoying one’s life up to it’s fullest. The concept of ideal fitness could be varied from person to person. “One size does not fit for all.” Perhaps the foundation of this misconception is fed by the misunderstanding of the use of or the role of exercise today. Just like the misconception or naïve approach that most people take if when they select food for taste and not for the nutritional value of fueling one’s own body.
Researchers have come a long way from the early exercise scientists and physical educators who attempted to modify the exercise, diet and health related issues such as obesity, and cardiovascular or heart diseases. Out of this progress, for instance, the food pyramid has changed; the concepts of exercise and sport have been redefined. At the same time, life styles of average people have changed due mostly to the use of technology. Presently, everyone is searching with desperation to find new solutions to tackle obesity. I ask myself — Why? Why reinvent the wheel? Why can’t we just realistically focus on the issue from a very simplistic and practical point of view? Researchers and medical doctors know and understand the causes and the contributing factors for obesity? Obesity in its simplistic nature is due to an unbalanced end result of calories taken in (unhealthy eating habits) and calories taken out (sedentary life style) of the human body? In other words, the value of calories taken in is greater than calories taken out. If you know how to manage your money you should understand this very simple concept. Your bank-account calculations are positive if you deposit more and spend less. Calorie calculations should be the same way.
Let us begin with taking a simple quiz to determine whether you are prone to be obese or not.
Q#1: Are you conscious about what you are eating and mostly selecting your food for nutritional values in mind, in other words you select your food for fuel and exercising regularly?
Q#2: Are you selecting your food mostly fortaste and not exercising regularly? If you answered the first question with a yes answer and if you do not have a genetic predisposition towards being obese, most probably you are not an obese person. However, if your answer is yes to the second question, and if your basal metabolic rate is not hyper high you are most prone to be an obese person regardless of your age, gender and ethnicity background.
Obesity is a serious widespread and growing public health issue and recent studies have indicated, “Morbidity and mortality related to obesity may be greater to that of cancer disease.” Within the same equation as a precursor of a variety of chronic diseases, “Obesityis a major cause of preventable morbidity.” (Census, 2000).
OBESITY = HEART DISEASE = PREMATURE DEATH
Although the steady increase in obesity and heart disease cases are discouraging and there is indication that “we are losing the battle, if not the war,” — the good news, however, is that obesity is a result of serious behavioral consequences it can therefore be preventable by making some personal and behavioral adjustments or changes in terms of food consumption. Here are some tips.
-
Food is for fuel or energy. Taste of good food is desirable but we must be conscientious that the real role of food for human body is to providing energy and FUEL for survival.
-
It matters most when you eat rather than what you eat. The time of the day and the duration of eating is extremely crucial. Knowing when to eat and what to eat enables people to avoid unnecessary calorie intake especially from mid-evening to before bedtime, which is physically the most inactive time of the day.
-
Develop an art of eating. Developing a culture for healthy and conscious eating habits requires great effort and discipline. Enjoy your food and be selective about what you are putting into your system because after all “you are what you eat”. At first, just like any other positive and desirable addiction, the art of eating can be too challenging, but once you develop that good habit it will be hard to quit.
-
Do not stuff yourself. Buddhist cultures food consumption is a form of daily holistic ritual. Food cannot be consumed excessively and must be eaten in just right amount with joy and pleasure. It is in the body, mind and the soul triangle that food consumption finds its relationship. The bigger and the larger portions or the “eat as mush as you can” concept is a form of over consumption. It is not a conscious effort for nourishment. Do not overlook food consumption.
-
Be aware of stress related eating. Be aware of your social and natural environment, and the stress that they may add to your life. Stress is one of the leading causes of hyper and or compulsive eating. Look at your living environment and try to identify the stress factors and deal with them at a conscious level. Does your living environment suit you? Your bedroom, living room, and office etc. How is the interior decoration set up, the colors, the furniture in your living environment? Who controls whom? Can you move freely and comfortably? Learn to practice progressive muscle relaxation and the breathing techniques to properly deal with stress.
-
Be aware of the “Glycemic Index.” Consume low-level carbohydrate foods, which are mostly green vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, etc. Potatoes, corn etc. they are high in carbohydrate and high in Glycemic Index, therefore they should be consumed in lesser amounts.
-
To be active or not to be active. Sedentary life style and inactivity is the other half of the cause for Obesity. Especially in the West, primarily in US, health scientists are facing a very serious challenge in the fight against obesity, especially among the school age children. No need for reinvention of wheel, you have to exercise. Don not discriminate the form of exercise, just get moving. Behavioral changes, in turn, influence the prevalence of obesity. If you are a parent limit your children’s time for television viewing or playing video games for leisure. As an adult, discipline yourself not to be a chronic television viewer. When viewing television most people are not only being inactive but also consuming more empty calories into their system. This is a double dose of negative behavior.
-
Set realistic and attainable goals to facilitate weight loss and to improve the probability of long-term healthy weight maintenance. If you are overweight you most probably did not gain the weight over a very short period of time. It took some time to gain those excessive pounds and in reality it might take some time to lose the weight. Patience and persistence are the key words to remember. Be wise against the quick fix idea.
-
Seek for social support. Studies have shown that people with higher levels of social support tend to be more successful at achieving and maintaining goals set for both losing weight and maintaining the healthy eating habits.
In conclusion, it appears to be that humanity has lost the concept of the art of healthy eating, especially in the USA where the pace of life is faster than the rest of the world. Fast food consumption has exceeded and replaced home cooking and home made food. Presently, we are utilizing food for convenience and taste, not for fueling and nourishment. Fast-food restaurants are popping up like mushrooms every where around the world. Two of the soft drink makers are among the richest corporations in the world. More an more people are starting their days by drinking a can of coca cola rather than a glass of water. Unhealthy eating habits have become a norm, have been promoted and in fact turned out to become a culture. Developing a healthy eating habit is not an easy task within this kind of environment but quitting is not an option either. The concept of “food for fuel not so much for taste” can be accomplished through constant nutritional education and behavior correction.
References
“Top 10 Policy Proposals to Combat Obesity.” Retrieved, in 07/ 29/2004, from http://www.gmabrands.com/nutrition/top10.htm. Parents, Schools Develop Innovative Programs to Encourage Healthful Eating. Retrieved, in 07/29/2004/, from http://www.1pfch.org/informed/facts/weight/schools.html
What is the Glycemic Index and Is It a Helpful Tool? Retrieved, in 07/27/2004, from http://www.joslin.harvard.edu/education/library/glycemic_index.shtml
Lifestyle Management of Adult Obesity: Behavioral Strategies. Retrieved, in 07/ 27/2004, from http://www.vhct.org/case2500/behav.shtml
What To Do When Diets Don’t Work: Losing Weight Is Easy When You Get Rid Of Food Cravings. Retrieved, in 07/14/2004, from http://www.betterfacts.com/
Lifestyle Management of Adult Obesity: Etiology of Obesity Retrieved, in 07/ 27/2004, from http://www.vhct.org/case2500/etiology.shtml
CDC (1989). “Prevalence of Overweight for Hispanics – United States, 1982-1984.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 38.
CDC (2000). Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults, Region and State, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved, in 07/ 27/2004, from http://www.cdc.govnccpdphp/dnpa/obesity/preventable91-99reg.html
Census, U.S.. Bureau (2000) Statistical Abstract of the United States: Washington, DC, US. Bureau of Census: 124 th Edition.
Soft drink consumption is running crazy amongst our children. Carbonated soft drink consumption more than doubled in youths aged 6-17 from about 5oz. per day in 1977-78 to 12oz. in 1994-98. A variety of studies suggest that child hood obesity is linked to the excessive use of soft drinks. The children today take in less juices and milk and therefore less vitamins and minerals. (“The Soft Drink Explosion Among Kids.” MSNBC E-News Letter, http://www.msnbc.com, October 4, 2004.)