The War against Obesity – The Response

De Maitre has mentioned the various reasons behind obesity amongst people, and postulated that obesity may or may not be the fault of the obese person in question. There are genetic, biological and psychological reasons behind obesity as well.

But given those reasons, we still need to consider the other perspectives of the problem of obesity.

First, the nature of food culture in the world today,
Second, the pervasiveness of slimming centres,
And third, the socio-economic reasons behind personal lifestyles.

As I have mentioned in my post, It’s What You Eat, and How You Eat, food culture plays a role in influencing dietary habits. De Maitre is right in saying that fast food by itself is harmless, as long as consumption is controlled. But the problem is not just the lack of control among some people; it is the sheer ubiquity of fast food that is the real problem.
The issue is not very pertinent to Singapore, but in other countries like the US, the relatively higher price of “conventional” food influences the dietary habits of people toward fast food. The problem is further compounded by the fact that working people tend not to engage in cooking, due to it being time-consuming.

So what can we do? Mac’s et al understands the nature of the problem, so they are starting to introduce healthier food in their menus, and to stop the sale of “supersize” meals. But more can be done. In addition to the control on quantity, there has also to be control on quality, to focus on nutritional value.

But even then, there are still other issues. Food that cause obesity is one front in the war against obesity, processed foods (specifically, the pre-cooked, pre-packed meals that you just chuck into the microwave) is the other front. These foods have no nutrition to speak of, and are saturated with sugar and salt. These are the foods that also contribute to obesity.

Therefore, in order to truly deal with the problem of obesity where food is concerned, I propose three “offensives”

First, to control servings in fast food restaurants, and to introduce healthier food,
Second, to “boycott” processed foods for their lack of nutritional value and poor taste,
Third, to introduce and promote natural ingredients and healthy cooking methods.

The idea of these changes is to fundamentally change food culture to one that is healthier.

Second, on the pervasiveness of slimming centres.

Unlike De Maitre, I personally don’t have an issue with slimming centres. In the exhaustion of all options for slimming, the slimming centre can provide some solution to one’s weight and figure woes. But of course, the concern of over-reliance on slimming centres for weight management rather than to adopt a more balanced lifestyle is still valid. But for me, the problem can be interpreted in another perspective. Given the social pressure to look good, there is immense demand for slimming programmes and weight management programmes, along with skincare and cosmetic surgery. So the problem isn’t just over-reliance, it’s when people forget that it’s only a “short-cut”.

Third, on socio-economic reasons.

The socio-economic reasons that contribute to obesity are as follows: a “couch potato” society, and the demands of work.

The “couch potato” society is one that is fundamentally unbalanced. There is little exercise, either because of the lack of personal will, or the lack of time, or both. The prevalence of television and the internet means people spend a disproportionate amount of time in front of some form of screen. Given this unbalanced lifestyle, poor dietary habits is certain to compound the problem of weight gain and obesity.

The demands of work means that people do not have time to exercise. Of course, it’s quite often an excuse. But the point is, the amount of time spent at work creates pressures against the conduct of regular exercise. The stresses of work also mean some people binge to de-stress.

To conclude, the consequence of such a lifestyle only means that people are doomed to a fate of obesity. The problems of obesity isn’t just personal, it’s structural in nature. It’s a war of many fronts, against many enemies, all of them much more powerful than the individual, who is armed only with the weak desire to control his/her weight.