My son told me recently he’d watched “Super Size Me,” in his middle-school health class.
It’s a 2004 documentary by Morgan Spurlock detailing his quest to eat at a certain golden-arched restaurant three times a day for a month to determine the impact on his body. Spurlock gained 24 pounds; saw his cholesterol spike; and increased his body mass index by 13 percent. It’s fascinating and a little sickening to watch at the same time.
Though the film is now 11 years old, its point is still valid: In America, when it comes to our diet, we’ve been doing it wrong.
We had dinner at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants and continued the conversation about the movie. We talked about how most Asian-style food is simple, yet tastes good and is good for you. “That’s why,” my son said, “you don’t see very many overweight people in Japan or China.”
Indeed, you don’t. The obesity rate among adults in Japan is 5 percent. China? Just under 6 percent. In the US, it’s 33 percent. A sobering statistic.
There’s good news on the horizon, though. Movies such as Spurlock’s; increased awareness of the secondary impacts of obesity; and media investigations of our food chain are just some initiatives spurring us to pay more attention to what we put in our bodies. Food producers and restaurants are responding by altering products, changing menus and giving us healthier options.
Sure, I’m a sucker for a good cheeseburger and, with most food, moderation is key. However, it’s critical that we foster in our kids, and ourselves, a healthy relationship with food and remember that food, quite literally, is fuel.
I’m Wester Wuori, and that’s my bite-sized Perspective.
