No, Really - You Are What You Eat

I remember, when I was very young, an ageing relative slicing a big fatty hunk off the Sunday roast beef and with a conspiratorial grin, whispering to me "this is the very best part" before popping it into his mouth and chomping it down. Back then and in the centuries prior, that would have been the most commonly-held attitude - nothing better for one than a big hunk of fatty red meat.

Fast-forward to the current day. Anyone paying attention to modern nutrion facts knows that big fatty hunk off the Sunday roast beef is near #1 on the scale of 'food that'll kill ya'. Funny, too, how over the years a certain fast-food standard is described coloquially as 'heart-attack-in-a-box'. Of course fast-foods are everywhere - some are designed & constructed with low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar objectives, while many pile in the tempting (addicting?) ingredients with the predictable destruction-of-your-health result. And its not only fast foods, is it? Most folks know what's bad for them, but sometimes the urge for fats & salts & sugars is overwhelming, we cave in and feel the guilt after the fact, the damage done.

Food designers employed by mass-market food companies with profit objectives repeatedly push our culinary hot buttons with the same combinations - fat, sugar, salt - it's ingrained in us to crave these things. To be sure, in the distant past those built-in cravings were probably a good thing, providing incentive to hunt & gather more effectively and satisfy the cravings. The meager amounts of fats, salt & sugars ingested were probably exactly right, taking into account the remainder of the nuts & berries diet and rigorous lifestyle.

Modern healthcare struggles to combat many after-the-fact diseases in the population. Some - like obesity leading to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, colon cancer - are practically epidemic and contribute to huge morbidity and mortality numbers. The drain on every part of society is gigantic, not forgetting the sorrow and heartache in families where health problems take centre stage.


When George H. Bush (the first one, remember him?) said on network TV that he hated broccoli and would never eat it, by far preferring to crunch away on a bag of deep-fried pork rinds, I thought his comment sealed the fate of thousands of future-but-unnecessary sufferers of colon cancer across America. Jeez, talk about blowing a leadership opportunity!

In my opinion, pro-active measures need to be taken on every front to slow the growth of, indeed, to roll back the tide of an unhealthy population at large. Of course there are some things that have been recommended since the beginning of time (well, since Health class in Grade One at an rate) like the Canada Food Guide's dietary recommendations - well nigh impossible for a kid to comply with. Fitness levels too. One problem with best-practices is diet & exercise regimens still don't reach a substantial portion of the population - a majority even, I am guessing, and nothing changes those predictabe morbidity / mortality results.

What do we need? Like with most things, intervention is required to effect real change. Yes - I'm talking government here, the approach we love to hate. Here's how it goes, with a sliding scale of either taxes levied or credited based on what the food business at all levels contributes positively or negatively, to the relative healthfulness (is that a word?) of the food products that reach the consuming public.

Products that would attract more taxes would be any 'serving' of food that includes statistically disproportionate amounts of daily fat, salt or sugar intake as part of a typical daily menu. Like when one hamburger patty makes for 44% of daily fat intake. Or when a kid's boxed drink has 35% of daily sugar intake. Or when a restaurant menu is regularly inordinately heavily-salted to induce purchase of more beverages. Businesses selling the product would be required to collect & remit a health incentive tax on each qualifying product.

Products that would attract tax credits could include increased undetectable fibre in 'white bread' burger buns, reduced sugars & salts in sauces, grilling or broiling instead of frying, moving to 'no-salt' alternatives or promoting healthy fresh foods as part of a fast-food meal. Imagine receiving a shiny crisp MacIntosh apple or a ripe juicy Niagara peach or pear with every drive-thru meal? And there's no one better at handling & distribution of such foods than the fast-food folks. Sure would put a smile on the Ontario fruit-growers' faces. And with lower costs via tax credits, I have no doubt the consuming public would respond positively to such initiatives.

Our governments tax liquor, tobacco and a host of other 'bad' stuff. It's time to tax bad food stuff - and to offer tax credits for 'good' food stuff. Call it the healthcare surtax and send the revenues directly to the publicly-funded healthcare providers and researchers. Let's make it easy for the public-at-large to make good nutrition decisions at all levels and as a society we can reap the rewards that accompany a healthier population. A healthy win-win for all.

Season's Greetings - eat your vegetables!