One of the most treacherous features of our world is that it tells us that life is about instant gratification. And if life is about getting what we want as fast as possible, then so is eating. In fact, the nutrition problem we face today can be summed up in a one-liner from a Snickers commercial: "Hungry? Why wait?" Introduced to the market almost 80 years ago, Snickers is now the number-one-selling candy bar in the United States, due to savvy marketing techniques based on giving people what they think they want - fast, convenient, colorfully packaged food.
Advertisers are telling us there is no need to wait until the next meal, no need to cook food or wait for other family members to get home to sit down for a meal. Just grab the nearest tasty thing and pop it in your mouth. Modern marketing and distribution have ensured that when we feel hungry, many products are lining the shelves of the local stores or stacked in the office vending machine. Unfortunately, almost all these foods are loaded with empty calories, fat, refined sugar, processed salt, dairy products and artificial chemicals; making them foods that are not really fit for human consumption. All you have to do is look at the ingredients listed on the Snickers wrapper. Here what you will find: milk chocolate (sugar cocoa butter, chocolate, lactose, skim milk, soy lecithin, artificial flavour), peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, skim milk, butter, milk fat, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt egg whites and artificial flavour. Let me make something absolutely clear, I have nothing against Snickers bars. I have eaten Snickers bars when I was younger, but I am using Snickers as an example of the way people are being seduced into buying foods that, when eaten regularly over time, increase weight and decrease health.
The less healthy a food is, the more money companies spend on its marketing. Advertising is a multibillion-dollar industry charged with stimulating the buying impulses of the biggest consumer society on the face of the planet. We are constantly bombarded with ads encouraging us to eat and drink more. You see evidence of this daily, on billboards, on the side of the bus, from commercials slotted between songs on the radio to the ones that interrupt our favorite television programs. We are inundated by commercial messages everyday.
For children, it is even worse. We know that children love to watch their favorite Saturday cartoons and other shows. They are bombarded with about 200 junk food ads for high-sugar and high-fat foods like Pop-Tarts, cereal bars and many types of processed cookies, cakes and snacks. Ask yourself, is this what you want for your children? Good nutrition is critical in the formative years, but our kids are eating junk, especially in the school system, and it is beginning to takes its toll. We now have an obesity epidemic among children. Scientists predict our children are the first generation in history to live shorter lives than their parents.
It has been observed that the number of 30-second TV commercials seen in a year by an average child is 20,2000, and the number-one ranking advertiser for child-oriented advertising on television is the junk food, fast food industry. Most parents would be shocked to see ads for cigarettes or alcohol during the Saturday morning lineup. Junk-food advertising should equally upset us; especially as childhood obesity rates keep rising.
This may sound like a rant, but I believe fast, convenient food has its place. I think it's a great idea. I yearn for the day when the colorful packages on our grocery store shelves and papery wrappers from fast food restaurants contain good, wholesome, nutritious foods that keep us healthy. It most certainly possible! All we need is enough people to demand it. Then instantly, overnight, the companies whose existence depends on knowing what we want and supplying it will switch to healthy products in order to guarantee their own survival. Let's face it people; it's up to US!
I believe it's important to remember that what we are dealing with in this country today is something totally new. Nothing like this massive-consumer society of ours has ever happened in the history of humanity, and it's very possible nothing like it will ever happening again. What has been said may seem over simplified. Maybe you think you are aware enough to see beyond the glitz and hype? But the ads keep coming, they keep entering your brain, and their influence is powerful and escalating. Can you be vigilant enough in your own life to filter out the useless messages the food industry communicates?
Just look at how its influence affects your own moods and feelings. Compare the way you feel after spending a few hours in the park versus watching a few hours of TV. Or think of the time when you were chasing things outside yourself to fulfill you. Consider your relationship to food after spending the morning at a local farmer's market talking to people who grew the food versus sticking a few quarters into a vending machine to satisfy an afternoon craving. Constantly remind yourself what a difference you are making to your health every time you eat a nutritious meal as opposed to just grabbing an empty calorie replacement.
I am a firm believer in maintaining an active lifestyle. There are no magic bullets to good health. Eating the right foods, getting plenty of exercise and of course spending quality time with loved ones. One of the greatest pleasures for me is getting out in the fresh air and sunshine. Another important part of my life is the community where I live. If you have a strong local community chances are you will grow this into a world community. We all have a stake in bringing the best we have to the entire planet we share.
Thanks for taking the time to read my article. I hope you enjoy this article and got something of value from it. If so please tell others.
You may contact me at gordon.folka@me.com or by phone at 250.216.4595
You may also go to my website for some more information on obtaining better health.
Your Health & Wellness Centre
Gordon Folka
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