Health, nutrition and education
I have always thought that people do not pay enough attention to their nutrition. Although people are better equipped these days with the knowledge and resources to make informed food choices, we do not see obesity, heart disease, diabetes or cancer rates decreasing. As such, it is imperative that one eats properly to prevent the onset of serious illnesses later on in life. Education is key, and awareness is improving. More people are excercising and trying to eat healthier foods, but more people are getting ill at the same time. Why is this the case? Either people are not listening, or they do not have access to such education, or they just can’t get the message in perhaps?
But we can safely say that people in more developed countries do have access to such resources. Hence if people are not heeding the advice they ought to follow, why? Temptation? Blame this on fast food restaurants, potato chips, cakes, and continual new forms of processed foods. From chilli sauce, barbeque sauces, seasoning etc, such foods contain harmful additives that could be detrimental to your health in the long run. My wish is for these companies to produce healthier forms of their products. Can we do away with potato chips? Probably not in the short run. But we can decrease their salt content, sugar content, fry in oil that hasn’t been reused for days, etc. Then again, this would not be sustainable for the companies’ profits in the long run. Few businesses would be willing to sacrifice their profits for the greater good of mankind. With globalisation and innovation, we can only expect new food novelties to keep entering the market. How feasible would it be to do away with chemically processed foods? Understanding that chemical preservation and genetic engineering methods are needed for constant supply of food, some amount of additives would still be required, but excessive salt, sugar or fats should be highly discouraged. Of course, nutritionists can advice. The FDA or other organizations can include a label on packaged foods to indicate healthier choices, but it all depends on the company's own decision ultimately to produce the type of food they want.
If change has to come from within, then the only thing we can do at the moment would be to make informed food choices and be responsible for our own health. Another reason why we tend to flippantly make do with convenient fast-food meals, would probably be due to the hassle in selecting and cooking food. Nutrition websites do not seem to make this any easier. First, they tell you what type of foods are rich in calcium, proteins, fibre, etc. Next, they tell you how many grams of those consituents are found in each serving of food. But servings vary according to countries isn’t it? And matters are further complicated when individuals have to take into account the amount of calories needed in a day, as well your weight, height, and activity level. I mean, we already have enough mathematics to worry about dealing with our finances, must we go through so much hassle for a simple meal? Hence, most people probably end up eating first to fill the stomach, then worry later. The point of education, should be able to educate the man on the street without going into too many technical details. It would be much better, if nutritionists could provide simple meals and food choices instead to show how to take care of your health easily without compromising on time. There’s still a long way more to go in terms of effective education in this aspect.