Today I watched the movie Super Size Me. In general, within the several years, I had already come to the realization that most of the points discussed in this film were in fact the case… without having ever watched the film. HOWEVER, I was quite generally appalled by several facts, which I realize while not as bad in Canada, are the case in the United States, and are nearing this severity in our lovely country. In fact I read the Canadian statistics on the other day from a CBC news article… and was just as frustrated! Why is it that so few of our schools have physical education programs? Why do so many of our schools have 'single source beverage agreements' with such companies as Pepsi-Cola or Coca-Cola? Why is it that all of a sudden in the past couple years, I've become not a medium but a small or an extra-small when it comes to shirt sizes? (and I certainly haven't shrunk as far as I can tell)
This movie has a point. You know, I never realized the severity of the obesity epidemic in North America until I'd been there a few times more recently. And in the past year, I did this. And frankly, I couldn't stomach some of the food they eat, at least not in the quantities that it is eaten, at least not for as long. Not that it isn't tasty, or that Americans are in anyway different than we are, realistically, its just that they still have a higher obesity problem than we do (although we're catching up in the race). Generally, I could SEE the difference in the population, something I never even IMAGINED I could be able to do. Afterall, I'm not someone who doesn't come from a family with overweight people in it. That is the case, and I see this every single day. But there's something remarkably different about the American diet that I've noticed in my few trips to the United States. I could never put my finger on it (I still can't really), but when I got home from my longest trip (10 days last summer… this summer it'll be even longer) I was CRAVING Canadian food. Not that it's any different really, but it took me about a week of eating my own shoddy cooking to get back to feeling right about things in that regard.
Then again, I may just be the exception to the rule. I don't diet. I refuse to do rediculous things like count calories (or rather KILOcalories which is actually what one is counting when one counts calories, or when Cal is listed on a cereal box… the one big qualm I had with the film was that this wasn't explained quite right). I eat what I want, when I want. I refuse to skip breakfast (case in point, I would rather have fast food for breakfast than none at all… like at last year's ICON in Indy, where I HAD to eat something and thus had Steak 'n Shake… or on my way to Indy last time (late April) when since my mom picked me up before I had eaten we stopped off at McDonalds so that I could get a bite to eat before catching my plane (they certainly don't serve much for meals on airplanes anymore, and airport food is rediculously overpriced)). I tend to crave healthy food rather than junk most often… which I guess is a little odd for most people my age. I don't buy pop (partly 'cause I don't like the fizz overly much, partly 'cause I'm cheap, but also 'cause I really don't think that it's necessary). I don't tend to buy much junk food either (most of it I get through gifts or free at work, it tends to be a waste of money often times). I do eat whatever's in front of me often. I do tend to over eat (I still think that my stomach is the bottomless pit that it once was… it's not. I have to realize this sometime).
I also walk most places, especially in the summer. I'm too lazy to figure out bus schedules for connecting busses oftentimes, and so I walk places instead a lot of the time. Which is pretty cool. I may not like playing some sports, but I'll do so anyway if with my friends. I sometimes (gosh it's been a long long time) ballroom dance for fun. I tend to stretch at work, and follow ergonomical guidelines in the workplace (no WAY am I getting injured like so many of my co-workers). I try to stretch on occasion at home, occasionally do crunches and pushups, play with my handweights (they're good toys) [I wonder what I did with my stretch cords?].
*sighs*. That movie only confirmed for me the beliefs I had with reference to certain things. Some things, I'm not so sure about… but then I had other stats to coroborate with the claims previous to this point. Or I just plain knew otherwise. I work at a grocery store: what do we hype? Healthy living. What do we sell? A lot of junk food… but more and more customers are making the more healthy balanced purchases. What is on sale? The quick fix, junk usually… but more and more often the healthy stuff is indeed being sold as well, or advertized, or hyped just the same. The demand is increasing. But are we changing enough?
I somehow doubt it.
Just the same, it makes me happy to know that I still do eat WAY more healthily now that I don't live at home anymore. These past 4 years have been great for my healthy eating. Less junk… more really good balanced meals. And I honestly didn't put any effort into it. I just ate what I wanted, really. And if what I want is good for me, so be it.
It's not as if I'm going to shun fast food forever (or anything rediculous like that)… I never really do. But if I only go to McDonalds 3 or 4 times a year (which currently is the case)… and frequent other fast food places maybe as often (depending)… so be it. I'm all about moderation really. A little bit of everything is great! I'd rather spend my money on a really good meal than squander it on something I'm not going to really enjoy anyway.