Food For Thought - McCalories: Is it too late for us?
We, as a society and generation,
are heavier than any other before
us. Harsh but true, I fall into that
category myself and am not proud
of it. Too often I see advertisements
for fast food flooding everywhere
we look. Dollar drink days
here, 24-hour drive through there –
it's getting on my nerves more than
ever before.
Time and time again, I'll walk by (or dine at) a McDonald's and see parents with their young children feeding them all those empty calories and I wonder if it's too late for us. Are we so far gone that we let the fast food industry win? In a war that's been raging since the time of our grandparents, fast food has become, now more than ever, a norm for most of us on an all too regular basis and our waistlines bear the proof. When did it become okay for us to fill all of our daily meals with fast food? I worry not only for all of us but also for my future children. With childhood diabetes and obesity on the rise, the world has become a scary place. After all, what's more important than our health? It's time to take action.
The quarter pounder or classic single you eat today becomes the caloric build up of tomorrow and we're shortening our lives because of it. The first step to overcoming an early funeral in a double-wide grave (once again, I am guilty of this as well) is to take note of the signs that trigger the cravings. Advertisers for these businesses are the best at what they do. Often you'll see pictures of happy families and children running, jumping and generally having a good time while eating that store's product. Do not forget that these photos are staged and I'm sure none of the physically fit and active people regularly dine at McDonald's. Along with making you think that by eating their product on a regular basis you'll be more popular and happier, they display larger than life photos of their food, which are designed to make you all the hungrier.
Enter the food artist.
A food artist is someone who is paid to take a product and build it up to make it look better than it actually is, often by using food colouring and water to show off specific features.
Take a picture of a burger at any of these places for example. Cooked meat in a photo will not do at all; it's grey, drab and doesn't look good on film, so they paint the raw thing to make it look like it's cooked. Remember, meat shrinks a bit when cooked and they would want it to appear as large and succulent as possible. Also, water is added to make it look like it's juicy, right off the grill. Top it off with toothpicks to pop up the rest of the ingredients and you've basically got a painted piece of raw meat splashed with water held together by toothpicks. Hungry yet? There's a reason why it never looks as good as it does in the picture and the reason is simply that you wouldn't buy it if they showed it for what it was: a small, compressed, mass produced thing. (They use coloured LARD to show ice cream in commercials because the real thing would melt under the heat of the lights.)
An example I can give from myself is this now-infamous "Double Down" sandwich from Mr. Sanders. It's everywhere you are! On buses, TV, radio, etc., and as much as I hate to admit it, I broke down and tried one only to have everything I've said so far in this article proven true. So I ordered this thing and expected this grand result after all the hype it's been given. When I got it, it was small – very small. The pieces of chicken they use to make up the top and bottom are just the boneless chicken from their sandwiches. It's nothing special and I laughed at myself for spending roughly $5 for it. It was a mistake I will not make again.
Overcoming the advertising is the hardest obstacle as it's everywhere; television, radio, newspaper, online, etc. Once you get past that, it's all a matter of training yourself to just not do it. Now, I'll be the first to admit that yes, I've eaten when I haven't been hungry out of routine or craving, but we all know that that's no way to be. Many people, students included, cite "It's easier" as their main reason for scooping up some fast food, but have we really become so lazy? In the Culinary program here at Fanshawe, they teach us to use our own hands and create meals and dishes, giving us the knowhow to survive healthily on our own. While I know that not everyone has that same advantage, it isn't all that hard. Even a ham and cheese sandwich brought from home is better for you than anything out there. Next time you want to reach for a snack wrap, grab a piece of fruit or a veggie or simply just drink some water. Most of the time you think you're hungry, you're actually thirsty.
I'm not by any means telling you to change your lives but considering you can get healthier the moment you quit or change your habits, it's worth thinking about. So please do think about it for the sake of both our and the next generations.
I'd like to see my children grow up, and I'm going to start now. Who's with me?
Have questions, comments or suggestions? Feel free to e-mail us at foodforthoughtfc@gmail.com
Time and time again, I'll walk by (or dine at) a McDonald's and see parents with their young children feeding them all those empty calories and I wonder if it's too late for us. Are we so far gone that we let the fast food industry win? In a war that's been raging since the time of our grandparents, fast food has become, now more than ever, a norm for most of us on an all too regular basis and our waistlines bear the proof. When did it become okay for us to fill all of our daily meals with fast food? I worry not only for all of us but also for my future children. With childhood diabetes and obesity on the rise, the world has become a scary place. After all, what's more important than our health? It's time to take action.
The quarter pounder or classic single you eat today becomes the caloric build up of tomorrow and we're shortening our lives because of it. The first step to overcoming an early funeral in a double-wide grave (once again, I am guilty of this as well) is to take note of the signs that trigger the cravings. Advertisers for these businesses are the best at what they do. Often you'll see pictures of happy families and children running, jumping and generally having a good time while eating that store's product. Do not forget that these photos are staged and I'm sure none of the physically fit and active people regularly dine at McDonald's. Along with making you think that by eating their product on a regular basis you'll be more popular and happier, they display larger than life photos of their food, which are designed to make you all the hungrier.
Enter the food artist.
A food artist is someone who is paid to take a product and build it up to make it look better than it actually is, often by using food colouring and water to show off specific features.
Take a picture of a burger at any of these places for example. Cooked meat in a photo will not do at all; it's grey, drab and doesn't look good on film, so they paint the raw thing to make it look like it's cooked. Remember, meat shrinks a bit when cooked and they would want it to appear as large and succulent as possible. Also, water is added to make it look like it's juicy, right off the grill. Top it off with toothpicks to pop up the rest of the ingredients and you've basically got a painted piece of raw meat splashed with water held together by toothpicks. Hungry yet? There's a reason why it never looks as good as it does in the picture and the reason is simply that you wouldn't buy it if they showed it for what it was: a small, compressed, mass produced thing. (They use coloured LARD to show ice cream in commercials because the real thing would melt under the heat of the lights.)
An example I can give from myself is this now-infamous "Double Down" sandwich from Mr. Sanders. It's everywhere you are! On buses, TV, radio, etc., and as much as I hate to admit it, I broke down and tried one only to have everything I've said so far in this article proven true. So I ordered this thing and expected this grand result after all the hype it's been given. When I got it, it was small – very small. The pieces of chicken they use to make up the top and bottom are just the boneless chicken from their sandwiches. It's nothing special and I laughed at myself for spending roughly $5 for it. It was a mistake I will not make again.
Overcoming the advertising is the hardest obstacle as it's everywhere; television, radio, newspaper, online, etc. Once you get past that, it's all a matter of training yourself to just not do it. Now, I'll be the first to admit that yes, I've eaten when I haven't been hungry out of routine or craving, but we all know that that's no way to be. Many people, students included, cite "It's easier" as their main reason for scooping up some fast food, but have we really become so lazy? In the Culinary program here at Fanshawe, they teach us to use our own hands and create meals and dishes, giving us the knowhow to survive healthily on our own. While I know that not everyone has that same advantage, it isn't all that hard. Even a ham and cheese sandwich brought from home is better for you than anything out there. Next time you want to reach for a snack wrap, grab a piece of fruit or a veggie or simply just drink some water. Most of the time you think you're hungry, you're actually thirsty.
I'm not by any means telling you to change your lives but considering you can get healthier the moment you quit or change your habits, it's worth thinking about. So please do think about it for the sake of both our and the next generations.
I'd like to see my children grow up, and I'm going to start now. Who's with me?
Have questions, comments or suggestions? Feel free to e-mail us at foodforthoughtfc@gmail.com
