Companies may offer the healthiest options out there, but it’s up to us to make good decisions
It turns out that this week is a good time to write about obesity issues.
Not that any week is a bad week, but a few interesting stories popped up in cyberspace that are worth noting.
For starters there’s the woman who is trying to reach 1,000 pounds. Yes, that’s correct, New Jersey resident Donna Simpson wants to weigh 1,000 pounds.
According to the HuffingtonPost.com, Simpson currently weighs 600 pounds and, “already holds the Guinness World Record for world’s fattest mother.”
In subsequent reporting on the Simpson story, a Fox News reporter asks in a national news segment if, “being fat is a human right?”
Personally, I don’t know if being fat is a right, but I do know that being obese is a choice. There are other numerous behaviors that people choose as part of their lifestyles—all of which can have negative, positive or neutral effects on themselves and the people around them.
Luckily there were two other news stories that were more encouraging for those of us who are not looking to weigh 1,000 pounds.
The Washington Post reports that First Lady Michelle Obama is encouraging food manufacturers to take the lead in producing healthy products. In comments to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, she encouraged producers to “rethink” the products they offer.
“This isn’t about finding creative ways to market products as healthy,” Obama said, as quoted by the Post. “As you know, it’s about producing products that actually are healthy — products that can help shape the health habits of an entire generation.”
Kudos to Obama for going to the nation’s food producers and telling them what an important role they play in our nation’s food consumption. Companies should take an active role in more thoroughly labeling products so we know exactly what we’re putting in our bodies.
As an aside, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration plans to work with companies to implement front-of-package labels in the future. The USDA offers information on its Web site for consumers to better understand nutrition facts labels.
In other good news, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures, Michale Lynton, is calling for healthier snacks in movie theaters in the United Kingdom and the United States. The TimesOnline reports that Lynton believes bringing healthier options into concession stands will meet “an urgent public health need.”
(And in case you were wondering, Glamour Magazine estimates that a medium-sized bucket of popcorn at the movies treats your body to 951 calories and 58 grams of fat.)
Food producers and movie chains can label and offer healthy products, but like the woman who is making 1,000 pounds her fitness goal, keep in mind that proper nutritional habits are our choice.
Simple economics says companies will offer healthy products if people are willing to buy them. The same goes for movie theaters.
The products and labels may be there but it’s the individual’s choice, not right, that will determine the size of his or her waistline.
Blog entries are part of a graduate course on multi-platform storytelling at Virginia Commonwealth University and are based on guidelines by Dr. Timothy Bajkiewicz. The views expressed are of the author and do not reflect the opinions of the class instructor, the university, current or former employers.
Copyright (C) 2010 by Corey Byers. All rights reserved.
