This might come as a shock, but! The human body runs on food.
Once upon a time, food shortage was the major concern. However Post World War 2, we have come a long way in all kinds of ways. Food related technological has advanced exponentially and has meant a new era of food production that looks a lot like an over abundance of affordable food. It also means that we as humans have reduced our physical activity in comparison to pre war, and traditional indigenous life styles.
That’s not the only thing to change. There have been a number of other socio-cultural shifts that have contributed to the changing way we eat and perceive how we eat.
A first hand example from a couple of years ago is an experience I had at a Wananga (workshop) with a beautiful group of humans. At meal time, I was talking to one of the participants who was praising the 'traditional' meal we were being served. It was delicious! succulent pork, roasted vegetables, and salad. Tasty and delicious. But as I looked at her second plate piled high with meat and potatoes I couldn't help myself.
“This is about as far from a traditional Maori meal you can get. If you are talking about the true traditions of Maori.'' She looked bewildered. “This kind of food was not available until the settlers arrived: Pork, Potatoes, and pumpkin. In fact I would hazard a guess that animal protein didn’t exist beyond birds, fish and shellfish and even then I don't think it would have been in every meal.” it was a very spirited conversation that others got involved in and we learned a lot from each other about the nature of the traditional indigenous diet.
Death of the home cooked meal
But I digress, post war, Women were the primary caregiver in the home controlled the majority of the average family's food preparation. It didn't take long and they began to enter the workforce in significant numbers. As a result the processed food industry made the most of our need for fast convenient food.
Fewer meals were cooked at home, in favor of what was to become the TV dinner. Prepared convenience foods were generally higher in calories than home-cooked meals, and just like that the average person's caloric intake increased practically overnight. imagine how things changed again when microwaves made it into every home.
Studies of how food and health meet like those done by Michael Pollan author of such books as “This is your mind on plants” and “Caffeine: How coffee and tea created the modern world,” have written extensively about the implications of this cultural shift on the way we eat. In particular what we know as the west.
One of the largest Implications to outsourcing our food is that we eat less of the good stuff: fresh meats, fish, fresh vegetables and other plant base foods, more salt, fat and sugar. And we are generally eating more food. But why? Because processed food is often designed to be snacked on and marketed that way so we are continually eating throughout the day. We are being socialized to eat constantly.
Think about it for a moment: I am 46 years old and when I was a kid if I was out shopping with mum and was hungry or thirsty I had to either wait until I was home. We didn't get the option to stop into the food court or just buy a packed of snacks. Even bottled water wasn't available. The thing is we were socialized to wait for the next meal and not just grab a snack off the shelf.
Epidemic or profit?
Over the years the changes in the way we eat has led to the emergence of obesity as a recognized chronic disease. And this is not limited to the United States, obesity is everywhere in eh west and seems to be creeping in to other cultures as they embrace processed and fast foods. Obesity is an epidemic that appears to have taken a back seat to food industry profits.
I used to be of the mind that I wasn’t being affected by obesity so “not my problem” however when I spent time looking at the food I was consuming I noticed how much processed food I was actually putting into my body. As a result of my food choices my health wasn't as good as it could have been. I began to experience vertigo, I was getting sick with the common cold and flu regularly and I would lose sensation in my extremities. Despite being reasonably fit and healthy I was experiencing what I now understand to be diet related health issues.
Obesity is a “disease” with well-defined health consequences, and medical recommendations have been made to try and bring it to the attention of the public (those affected), government and the food industry to address this growing health crisis.
A War on Nutrients
In the second half of the 20th century, attention was given to reducing saturated fat (animal fats), and the total fat in our diets. The processed food industry responded by giving us exactly what we wanted. All the while satisfying their need to continue to sell their products.
Like any good business they found ways to make the reduced fat product taste good. One way they did this was by adding massive amounts of sugar in all it's forms, like corn syrup. Getting to the point where sugar was in almost everything we ate. This made the reduced fat foods more appealing, and the added value of increased shelf life.
The processed food industry had a new huge incentive to add corn syrup, and other sweeteners to any packaged food. As you can see this reduced fat intake but increased sugar intake further fueled our modern epidemics of obesity and now diabetes.
Food consumption
Changes in food consumption patterns over the years, now three or four generations deep, has brought us to a place where we are more readily storing excess energy as fat in a way that doesn't really suit our environment appropriately. The imbalance between food availability and energy expenditure has left us with an exponential increase in the incidence of obesity over the past 60 years.
An epidemic that the World Health Organization has labelled a worldwide public health crisis.
I know I have experienced diet related health concerns, and I can almost guarantee that you or someone you know has experience some form of diet related health issue. if not obesity something else.
