Good Eating By Linda Stowe
Morgan Spurlock died this past May of complications of cancer. He was 53, a young age considering that white males his age have an average life expectancy of 74.8 years.
Spurlock was a documentary filmmaker who is best known for his 2004 film “Super-Size Me” which raised public awareness about the dangers of poor nutrition. The film chronicled a 30-day period during which Spurlock ate only McDonald’s food, documenting the physical and psychological effects of this diet. As a result of just one month of eating only fast-food, Spurlock gained weight, his cholesterol increased, and he lost his sex drive.
It has been twenty years since “Super-Size Me” came out, yet despite evidence to the contrary the American public continues to favor diets that could be killing them. Research shows that our overall health is governed by four factors: diet, genetics, lifestyle, and environment. It is estimated that 40-50% of overall health outcomes can be attributed to dietary choices. We may not be able to control our genetics and to some extent our environment, but most of what makes and keeps us healthy is under our control.
Some people have taken control of their diets. My vegan friend Bill will not eat anything that had a pulse. Another man I know, Tim, is on a carnivore diet and eats only meat and eggs. Both are rather extreme, but I will note that Bill is 75, trim, and physically active. Tim is 65, overweight, and gets winded easily. It seems that the old saying may be true: We are what we eat.
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Polly here.
This is quite an insightful piece.
I’ll add a part to it, though.
It is easier for the rich to eat healthy. They can afford it. We live in a world where the rich get healthier, and the poor get worse off.
Poor people find that it is more economical to go to the dollar store and buy the gallon bucket of cheese doodles for $1.09 than it is to pay $4.00 for one small head of cauliflower. And on.
I suppose that all could be included in the “environment” segment of this.
And another facet is the food deserts that exist in poorer urban populations. In addition to this are the rural communities.
Here in Preble County, we have a Walmart for groceries. I won’t even count the shoddy Krogers as a viable place to shop. We have been in this predicament for years. A new Kroger is in the making. I hope it will save the day.
Taking control of our diets is difficult enough. But when you start adding in additional factors such as lack of money and resources, it becomes nearly impossible.
Good Eating By Linda Stowe
