Why is it that I could care less about something until someone says I can't do it or that it's no longer available. I know basically what trans-fats are, and I know that they are bad. I am somewhat amazed by a society that would take to outlawing them because they are bad for your health. Starbucks has just announced that they will remove all items from the menu which contain trans-fats. Now, in the back of my mind I know this should be OK. I am part of the growing number of Americans that are overweight (I dare not use the term obese as it scares me), and can only benefit from eating healthy. Yet somehow I find it disturbing that some items are being forced off of my menu. Why is that?
Why do we gravitate towards things that are naturally bad for us? I could understand the desire for danger, but if I was wanting to tempt fate, I could find quicker ways then eating unhealthy. "Here, take that Death, I'll show you I'm not scared" while shoving another donut in my pie hole just doesn't show the defiance I was craving.
At least they are not yet illegal here in Seattle. I still think that New York will soon have fat dealers, ready to give you your trans-fat fix for a price, in some side alley of a major borough. Some one opening their coat to a collection of baked goods in little zip-lock baggies. Or maybe not.
Good-bye trans-fats, my mind will miss you, but for the good of the body this has to happen. We are no longer right for each other.
Now if we could just convince someone that cigarettes and alcohol are bad for your health.
Later ...
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I think we gravitate toward things that are bad for us because we're human,and in spite of our best efforts, we convince ourselves that the giant sweet roll covered in two pounds of cream cheese icing tastes better than that tiny tangerine that is sitting on our desk. It's not a chance to poke Death in the eye, but just part of our less than perfect wiring. I also think our food issues in the country are caused because of the way we've been innundated with processed foods, and bad information about how we eat.
Oh, and by the way, you're not obese. I've seen obesity up close (no, I wasn't obese), and you aren't there yet. Hopefully, you'll never be there.
I think the reason that this announcement bothers you is this:
it means having to admit that you aren't really in control of what you are eating. It also means that you don't exactly know what is in what you eat.
I come from a family of people that cook. Because of this, I feel more aware than a lot of my contemporaries of what ingredients go into food preparation. When we eat out, we are essentially at the mercy of whoever is preparing our food. The thing that is really alarming is when I consider how many Americans eat out for almost every meal (I've never seen how they afford that--it costs Gina, Stuart, and me around $30-35 if we want to eat somewhere nice). By doing that, they are sacrificing their ability to control their portions, as well as the ingredients that go into their food.
If we were cooking regularly at home, would we be as tempted to supersize our meals? Would we eat as many processed foods? Would we have that big slice of cheesecake after our meal?
I don't think so.
I know when I'm at home, my portions tend to be smaller. We also have fewer processed foods at our house (mostly because mom and I bake our own stuff). While we have desserts (homemade) at our house, sometimes we pass, or we have a smaller portion of dessert (that excludes rice pudding. I go a little crazy over the rice pudding).
This doesn't mean I don't want to stop eating out. What it does mean is that I need to be more particular about what I eat when I'm out. Instead of eating at McDonald's (just ewwww), I take time and go somewhere that serves healthier food and smaller portions. I eat sushi instead of a fish filet, I have a cup of soup, instead of a platter of fried chicken. This doesn't mean I always choose correctly--I still will take the kids for a Starbucks and cheesecake. I just make sure to share a slice with Gina.
All of this could lead to the rise of the next Al Capone. The only difference is that he'll be a little skinny guy jacked on coffee, which is still legal in all 50 states.
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