People are confused and tired about all the conflicting information that appears on the front page and then disappears: trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, low carb diets, the PYY hormone, and of course, the story that never quite disappears is the one that suggests just who we can blame for making all of us this fat.
The fast food chains seem to be trying to convince us that they've changed and we shouldn't blame them. McDonald's has hired Oprah's trainer, and Wendy's is allowing kids to substitute milk for soda and fruit for fries. Taco Bell has introduced healthy alternatives named "Fresco Style" that include Fiesta Salsa as a substitute for cheese and sauce.
Food brands want to avoid the kind of class action lawsuits and bad publicity that tobacco companies faced. Kraft, one of America's largest and best known food companies, is reformulating their products to get rid of trans fats, reduce portion size and create a more healthful product profile. Frito-Lay introduced "Smart Snacks" under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Cooper (best known for his heart saving work at his Cooper Clinic in Texas) with a nutritional profile that has no transfats, less than 1.5 grams of fat and less than 120 calories per serving.
School systems throughout the country have been blamed for accepting money from those companies that have filled their vending machines with soda, candy and fat laden snacks. California, always a leader in matters of health and fitness, once again showed their stuff when last year the Oakland school district enactated a system-wide ban of all junk food from its buildings. Governor Gray Davis, amidst sharp criticism and a recall election, signed SB 677 into law, which limits the sale of beverages on elementary, middle and junior high school campuses to milk, juice, water or sports drinks beginning in July 2004. The bill also prohibits a school district governing board from entering or renewing a contract with any vendor that sells it non-nutritious food or beverages, without first notifying parents about the contract and providing for public comment.
Even the IRS has gotten on the fat bandwagon. In accordance with the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, the Internal Revenue Service now acknowledges obesity as a disease that in "some" cases requires medical treatment. However, the law is very specific in stating that write offs relating to weight loss are only legitimate if ordered by a physician.
So if we can no longer blame the fast food joints, the food companies, the schools or the government who can we blame? The answer is simple. We should blame ourselves.
This past June I made a commitment on air and in print, that I would no longer use words such as "obese," "large," and "overweight" to describe our most important health problem, or my fellow fat Americans. In my opinion, by using these politically correct terms, the debate changes. Fat is an emotional word - obese is not. And what we most definitely need these days is a bit less rhetoric, less miracle foods and certainly less expensive diet plans and books. What we need is to emotionally connect fat to people. And I've kept to my word.
On Monday, June 23, 2003, I put my own fat on notice and started to post a daily journal of food, exercise, water consumption, and stress level along with the required daily weigh-in. Researchers have proven that people who keep a food diary and monitor what they eat, actually consume 15% less food than those do not. And while I haven't reached my ultimate goal of losing 15 pounds, I'm about halfway there, there is no doubt I'm eating healthier, drinking more water, reducing my stress level and feeling very guilty about how little I actually exercise.
