While the “war on tobacco” started more than 50 years ago it wasn’t until the 1990s that the number of smokers began to significantly decrease. The reason it took so long, in spite of us knowing what smoking did to our bodies, was because culture changes VERY slowly.
For years, culture (and honestly, doctors too) promoted how cool smoking was- via advertisements. “Using imagery of aspirational lifestyles and attitudes (picture young adults, all holding cigarettes, having fun on a beach or “Joe Camel” wearing a leather jacket while sitting on a motorcycle), cigarette marketers effectively convinced Americans to buy tobacco en masse.” And they did. Heck, people still do.
But this hasn’t just happened with cigarettes. These same methods have been used to promote food as well. Sadly, food advertising and marketers have helped to convince FAR TOO MANY Americans that we don’t need or deserve good food and that we need to eat it more often and in larger portion sizes. And it’s literally killing us.
From the article:
“On average, we consume more calories than we did just 30 years ago, without a corresponding biological need for more calories. Between 1971 and 1974, the average American adult consumed almost exactly 2,000 calories per day. Thirty years later, that number increased to more than 2,200 calories. This seemingly small increase of just more than 200 more calories in daily food intake is the driving force behind the obesity problems we see today.”
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In 2016, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Obesity Reviews both found that food advertising does influence individual eating behavior, especially in children, and that leads to weight gain.
How much should we eat?
The average adult should eat around 2,000 calories per day or less. And yet, a quarter pounder meal at McDonald’s will set you back, for one meal, over 1000 calories. We haven’t even talked about the fat and sodium content OR the fact that an “extra value meal” is the garbage food we spoke of earlier.
However, we are constantly bombarded with messages that consciously and unconsciously influence our decision-making- adults and children alike. And the people in the ad seem so happy and content and fulfilled…
Future medical costs
We are quickly headed to a place that is unsustainable in regards to health care costs; in 2015, the U.S. spent about $3.2 trillion and that number is rising. Obesity-related illnesses now make up about 21% of our costs.
Also, as we wrote earlier this year, children today may be the first generation predicted to likely not live longer than their parents. This is largely due to health problems related to obesity.
We can and must learn from the war on tobacco. Now that enough scientific evidence has proven what our food is doing to us it’s first and foremost time to STOP EATING GARBAGE FOOD. For those of us who are educated or particularly interested in the topic, that’s easy. However, for those who don’t know, we need our legislators to make widespread changes to the rules of marketing food. And to all the celebrities promoting soda or fast food- stop. Just stop.
The sooner we change, the better our future. I changed my eating habits years ago and if I can help, please use this community as a resource. You are not alone.
