Eat a Twinkie, Go to Jail

For some reason, I often think of obesity as an American thing.  After all, the expression is “mom and apple pie,” not “mom and spinach.”  But in this article that popped up on our blog recently, a World Health Organization (WHO) researcher says aside from sub-Saharan Africa, nearly every country has suffered a dramatic rise in the number of obese people in the past 30 years — the number has likely been a tripling in many industrialized nations.  About 400 million around the world are obese, 20 million of them children under the age of five. 

The WHO researcher recommends that it is time for the government to step in and use anti-smoking laws as a model.  Government could restrict how companies market junk food to kids and requirements for schools to serve healthy meals, he says.  A quick tangent, do remember those meals you got as a kid at the school lunch room?  I think the pizza had the same nutrition value as the cardboard box and plastic wrap it came in.  At least the cardboard had fiber, but I digress. 

So what do you think?  Time for government to step in?  I can picture the episodes of Cops.  “We’re taking this guy downtown, we can’t find the stuff, but he had empty candybar wrappers hidden underneath the maps in his glove box, and he scored a 8.6 on the new ‘trans-fat breathalizer’ test.”  Until every state caught up, Californians would have to drive to Nevada (or Texas) to find a Krispy Kreme. 

Check out this smoking ban map from the fountain of all knowledge, Wikipedia.  In short, if you are in a white state, you are breathing clearly.  If you are in a black state, assume your lungs are the same color (black).  Red, blue, green, or yellow and you are somewhere in the middle.  I’m proud that the two states I’ve spent the most time in are both white on this map.  One got there ten years ago, though, and the other just this year. 

50 years ago, no one would have imagined warnings on cigarette packs like “Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, and Low Birth Weight” (United States), or the more direct, “Smoking Kills” (France).  It is not too hard to see the future:  “These Fritos are Hazardous to Your Health” or just simply ”Apple Fritters Kill.”  No junk food in public buildings.  The “No junk food section” at restaurants.  No eating junk food in airplane lavatories.  No junk food within 20 feet of doorways and building entrances.  Second hand junk food. 

Yes, you could delay and ultimately find yourself legs splayed, up against a squad car with handcuffs behind your back, OR you could join us now – and start living a healthier life.    Your choice…..For now.   — Jim Ballard

McDonald’s Golden Arches

On the drive to pre-school the other day, my three year old son said, “Daddy, what is the big yellow M?” 

“What are you talking about, sweetie?” 

“All those people are going into the place with the big yellow M.”

His pointed finger led just off the freeway to, of course, McDonald’s.  My mind drifted to a room full of advertisement execs in a glass conference room figuring out just the right shape and size of the big yellow M to attract the attention of a 3 year old.  “We get em at 3,” they must have said, “we got em for life” followed by victorious wicked cackling ahh haaa haaa haaaaaa hahaaaaaa!!!

So a news story that popped up on our blog recently was about McDonald’s fries switch to trans-fat free oil in the US and Canada.  They have reduced the trans-fats in Europe, Latin America, and some of Asia.  However, the original artery clogging formula is still in place in Columbia, Japan, Ukraine, and Venezuela.  Americans are booking their summer vacations to those four new tourist destinations as we speak.

McDonald’s slowness to make this move, says the article, because they (Ronald?) was worried it would affect the taste.  Ronald is no fool.  I remember as a kid, we’d stop at Burger King and pick up cheeseburgers and then stop at McDonald’s to pick up french fries before heading home to feast.  So is this new move by the guys at the big yellow M going to improve your health?

First of all, we hope, like us, you don’t really care if they cook their fries in trans-fat free oil or bacon grease or boiling lard or the sweat of a Ukrainian wild boar, because you’re not eating them anyway!  But if you do, keep this in mind, according to Nutrition Data, the supersized fries have over 600 calories.  That is more than a King Size (twice the normal size) Snickers bar. 

The place with the big yellow M, son?  Let’s just keep driving.   — Jim Ballard