It’s What You Eat, and How You Eat

Here are some of my thoughts after reading the posts on obesity and anorexia.

If you ask me, the problem with obesity in the West has to do with two main reasons, first, the ubiquity of fast food, second, the problems with western food culture and dietary methods.

First, the ubiquity of fast food. Several reasons allow for the proliferation of fast food in the west. The first is the lack of cheap, healthy alternatives; the second is the various marketing schemes they have used to make their meals more appealing.

The consequence of these is to create the situation where fast food becomes a staple for people in the west, and we all know the effects of the prolonged consumption of fast food.

Second, the problems with western food culture. The trouble is, it’s arguably true that unhealthy foods tend to be the tastier ones. Who doesn’t like fried chicken and fries? But to consider the problem on the other hand, why are the so-called “healthier” foods relatively bad?

The first possible reason is the youth of western culinary culture. Western cuisine (if I can call it that) didn’t really begin until the 15th and 16th century, when Europeans got their hands on spices from Asia. Spices allowed them to favour their food, making them more palatable.

Before that, they cooked like this: everything was boiled in a big pot for several hours, until they were a soggy mush. Not very appetizing isn’t it?

Of course, one might argue, didn’t they have baking and roasting? True, but how many could afford meat back then? Besides, to some extent, this was precisely the problem in their cuisine, because they didn’t have the variety of cooking methods that turns out to be much healthier.

I recently read a book, Why the Chinese Don’t Count Calories. It’s a book about Chinese food culture. The author highlights the point why westerners have having, first, the problem of obesity, and second, so much trouble trying to slim down, and found the answer in Chinese cuisine.

First, there is balance in the Chinese diet. Plenty of vegetables, and other nutritious ingredients, like tofu, as compared to the meats of a western meal.

Second, there is variety in cooking methods. In addition to frying, there are many more cooking methods, like steaming, etc. Point is, more than just baking and roasting.

Third, it’s not about calories. It’s about nutrients. The reason why dieting for many westerners are so difficult and prone to failure is because they get so caught up with calorie intakes they end up measuring the amount of spread for a measured amount of bread, when every meal has to be carefully calculated, and worse, having to abandon essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates for high-protein diets (the Atkins’ Diet is this type of diet)

The author’s point was, if there is balance in the meal, plus the use of other methods, and to focus on nutritional value rather than just calorie intake, the dieting would be easier, along with the other benefits of a simple diet.

But for me, there’s one more thing I’ll add: exercise.

A balanced diet is good, but so is a balanced lifestyle. Just eating and not exercising will not be good, even if one is eating food as simple (or austere for some) as Japanese food.

I enjoy my food. But I also take care not to be enslaved by them.