Flamin' Hot Obesity

There is a popular commercial on television these days from a fast food restaurant that makes me sick each time I see it. The restaurant is promoting their newest creation--Beefy Crunch Burrito. What makes the burrito crunchy is a generous heap of Flamin’ Hot Fritos. What?!! All I can think of when I see the commercial is how poison is nonchalantly promoted in our media. How disgusting! It seems there is no conscience or want to promote healthy foods. You look anywhere in our media and it is obvious that toxic foods are the most popular and consumed in mass quantities.  

One of the media hooks promoting this junk says you are “getting the best value for your dollar.”  Heck when you can get something so tasty for $0.99 then why would you consider the damage it does to your body? <<Sarcasm>>  Forget about the high fat, the high calories, and the fact that it is practically void of nutrition! Food manufacturers make these fake foods very affordable, easy to get, and good tasting.

Chain restaurants and unethical food manufacturers take advantage of unsuspecting consumers by promoting foods that perpetuate obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc., and they encourage “super sizing.” They prey upon the lack of will power, people's food addictions, and also their lack of knowledge about nutrition. And it seems that most consumers don’t know what good nutrition really is--or they just don't care. 


If the American consumers did care we wouldn’t have these type of commercials resonating through our air waves. Nor would the diseases associated with this type of non-nutrition be as prevalent in our society and literally killing us.

- CONTROL WHAT YOU EAT AND YOU CONTROL YOUR HEALTH -

If everyone truly believed this statement maybe there would be a different consumer marketing plan promoting food. Maybe the food manufacturers would spend billions of dollars promoting creative and tasty healthy foods. Maybe they would appeal to the masses showing the benefits of eating such foods and eating wisely. Maybe there would be a $0.99 value menu that was truly a great value both for one's wallet and body. 

- To eat healthfully in America takes commitment.
If you are not committed, you will not succeed -

By the way, there is nothing easy about maintaining a healthy weight. If it were easy, two-thirds of American adults wouldn’t be overweight and afflicted with the chronic diseases associated with obesity. 


On another note, the other day at the grocery store I noticed a popular men's health magazine with the following headline: Belly Off in 14 Days!  These magazine articles over-simplify the underlining problem. Most people forget that it took them most of their life to get that belly. You see, obesity is an strong outward visual indicator of underlying health problems and what is going on inside the body. Please keep in mind that when you see someone who looks fit, know that he or she works at it! Very few are born lucky when it comes to body weight.  Eating a low-fat, plant-based diet helps you to maintain a healthy weight. It also keeps diseases at bay. 

A pattern of eating whole minimally-processed plant foods including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes (beans) is not only healthy, but also economical. You see an order of fries (which come from a plant but are anything but a whole plant food) will set you back about 500 calories and 25 grams of fat. But can you picture 500 calories of apples, oatmeal or bean soup? I guarantee the later will fill you up before you can consume the 500 calories with a minimal amount of natural fats.These are the types of foods that the American public should focus on. These are the type of foods that will fend off the belly and the Flamin' Hot Obesity!