Unhealthy Food or Unhealthy Eating -
why does junk food get such a bum rap?

Is it justifiable to single out junk food – is the problem not perhaps more because of the unhealthy eating than the unhealthy food itself? If so, then there is reason to be optimistic.

The topic of what is considered healthy food and healthy eating; and on the other hand what is considered unhealthy, are topics I follow closely and perhaps spend most of my time advising people on. So often I hear the question asked about how to diet.

Why are we always dieting? Aside from not getting enough exercise, I personally think we’ve forgotten how to eat. And we are so bombarded by publicity that we are confused. Either way we often end up ‘emotionally’ eating for all the wrong reasons.

To make matters worse, society has developed a fear of getting fat; so much so that we spend more time and money than ever before battling that very issue instead of maintaining a sensible eating plan for life.

We go from the low carb diet, Atkins diet, best lose weight fast diet to the no-fad diet to the weight gain diet and so on. And here is the paradox that defies all logic and reason – a growing number of people are ‘on a diet’ yet obesity levels and public health spending continues to rise at alarming rates.

MEDIA ONSLAUGHT

I am rather disturbed by the hype which is so commonplace in the food and beverage industries. Long gone are the days when the pizza, burger, fries and coke or a shake were hailed as the idealistic meals which we associated with good times. Today, these and many other food items are collectively viewed as the enemy or, unhealthy food.

Why has the food which was previously so institutionalized become so ostracized?

We once embraced this kind of eating in our society but now we take the manufacturers and distributors of 'unhealthy food' to court and we threaten to boycott their outlets and ban their advertisements. I do not think we should act so swiftly to lay blame like this until we understand that we as consumers or customers are also naive.

I am not referring to ensuring the quality levels of specific ingredients - by all means, let the consumer watch dogs loose so they can monitor the contents of processed foods.

However, many campaigns have caused widespread changes in so-called ‘junk food’ marketing because of claims that kids especially are being targeted. But we as parents need be responsible to better inform ourselves in order to guide our children to make the rights decisions.

There has been a lot emphasis and publicity regarding advertizing during kids’ television programs, and on what school cafeterias are supplying. And while it is good to ensure our children are provided types and portions of food which support healthy growth and provide them with the energy they need to succeed at school, it should not be overdone.

Also, banning advertizing will not make the food go away. Older kids in families will see the ‘forbidden items’ displayed during their TV programs and duly report to their younger shielded siblings – that is if the younger siblings haven’t already seen the same television program as their older brothers or sisters.

Adults can better reason the wish or need to kerb or abstain from certain food. The ‘WHY’ is not so easy for children to mentally process. I believe there is a real danger that some well-intended campaigns could backfire on the children.

GUIDE CHILDREN EARLY ON

Let’s not forget just how impressionable children are. Teenagers - girls especially - are vulnerable during adolescence as they work at establishing their identities and grapple with issues at home, school and within themselves as individuals.

Too much pressure or negative emphasis on food and eating (whether healthy or unhealthy), the types and the portions, and we run the risk them developing ‘issues’ about the right and wrong choices. And worse, the chance that they develop distorted self-images.

Young children and adolescents alike, look strongly to role models as they form their characters and seek social acceptance. They take development cues from idealistic values and commodities in their pop culture that are ‘IN’.

Pressuring children to conform, where food and eating are concerned, can wreak havoc on their emotions, whether this pressure is from peers, parents or from within. This is regardless of which choice is made in the end.

Recent studies in the age-group 8 to 13 years have revealed dramatic increases in eating disorders. And we’re not done yet when we leave school, college or university. Later in life, recalling unpleasant emotions associated with food and eating can also lead to the development of eating disorders in adults.

EASY DOES IT

I would be partial to adjusting advertising campaigns and reviewing what is dished up at school eating halls, but not to such an extent that we go back to the ‘forbidden fruit’ issue and create confusion and questions among the children.

It needs to be a sensible approach and common sense must prevail. We wouldn’t want young kids to develop eating disorders because of knee-jerk reactions by adults to the idea of unhealthy eating. Kids need to ‘enjoy’ their schooling and associate positive feelings with experiences connected to food and eating.

AT HOME, WORK AS A TEAM

It is vital that we are acquainted with what and how we eat on a daily basis. Be informed about your own and your family’s eating – instil good values from the outset (do not overlook physical exercise – it makes the whole food thing more manageable).

Find out where guidance is needed in the home. Become proactive as a family and be disciplined about your eating behavior. If a transitory change is necessary, something I reluctantly call a diet, then be close at hand to help whichever member of the household needs support.

Reassure and actively employ coping strategies to aid the process. But try and get the situation back to a sensible eating plan as soon as possible to avoid the need to yo-yo diet. It’s both unpleasant and unhealthy.

DINE WITH THE ENEMY... and then together develop a long-term healthy relationship.

Here’s how:

• Recognize that unhealthy foods with either unbalanced, little or no nutritional values exist in just about every society in the world. This WILL NOT CHANGE.

• For whatever reason (right or wrong), the omnipresence of this so-called junk food, fast food or trigger food ‘can lead’ to unhealthy eating. Learn to share the same neighborhood and adopt a sensible healthy attitude towards these ‘undesirables’. (Get advice on developing coping strategies and find out about how, correctly employed, trigger foods can also serve you. They in fact have a role in the sensible physical fitness plan and can help contribute to health-related fitness goals.)

• Do not simply label food as junk because it’s convenient and easy to obtain in ready-to-eat form. Not all of what’s considered junk food is low in nutritional value or unhealthy. So many of us begrudge the same food we claim makes us unhealthy, merely because we narrow-mindedly gorge ourselves on it.

• Make it your business to better familiarize yourself about food and healthy eating habits in general. Get involved with your partner, spouse and children to be as informed as possible as a unit.

• Be prepared to get your hands dirty when loved one need help. Be responsible, supportive and present, but don’t be a burden.

You are finding in the supermarket or eating establishments exactly what the vendors KNOW you want to buy - healthy and unhealthy food. They did their homework, now let’s do ours so that the shelves get stocked with healthier products and leave less room for the unwanted naughty-but-nice trigger foods.

Only by becoming aware can we actively voice educated points-of-view which can collectively influence society and the food and beverage industry as a whole.

Remember, we pay good money for the food we eat. Let’s make it better so that we spend less on our health and medical bills, and put more of our well-earned money to better use.

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