The Freedom to Eat What We Choose
Should We Have the Freedom to Choose?
I read an article from this morning’s Philadelphia Inquirer that, in my mind, is really about what government’s role should be in our food choices, although the writer may disagree. In this article, food Columnist Rick Nichols talks about an interesting mailing he received with salt and pepper shakers with the I Love NY logo on them. The package came from a group called the Center for Consumer Freedom. This group is currently opposing the efforts of New York’s health commissioner, Thomas Frieden, to reduce by 50% the amount of salt in restaurant meals. Research by Nichols shows that this group isn’t supported by consumers but by anonymous food industry companies.
I experienced mixed emotions as I thought about this article and read the group’s website. First, I personally welcome the reduction in sodium in restaurant meals. There have been too many mornings after I’ve eaten out that my rings don’t fit my fingers. As much as I love salt, sodium and I don’t get along that well any more. Also, if salt is reduced and the food seems bland, it’s easy enough to pick up a shaker from the table and add more according to our own personal taste. I applaud Commissioner Frieden for his efforts on the previous campaign that requires New York restaurants to publish their nutritional information. I think any effort that provides the consumer with information is a great thing because it helps us make our food choices, whether good or bad.
But after further reflection I realized that this salt attack was crossing the line. Instead of allowing us to make our own food choices, the government is making them for us. I’m perfectly capable when I want to cut back on sodium to choose a restaurant that gives lower sodium choices than Chinese food. And when I really feel like eating Chinese food, I knowingly make this choice, fully expecting the consequences of being unable to wear most of my rings the next day.
Yet, this Center for Consumer Freedom questions the current philosophy regarding a healthful diet. I can’t say I necessarily believe everything they report, and I fully realize they have an agenda. My guess is that their biggest issue relates to the government supported, legal actions taken by consumers who have made unhealthy choices, and aren’t happy with the consequences.
I believe the government’s only role in this healthy food debate should be to provide us consumers with information. I don’t care to pay our government workers to legislate for me what I can eat. I don’t want them legislating what my restaurants can serve. I want the freedom to choose for myself and my family. And if we make an educated, unhealthy choice I’m willing to live with the consequences without asking the government to legislate who should now foot the bill to pay for my mistakes. Because, in the end, freedom of choice is about taking responsibility for our choices.
Sweet Comfort in a Troubling Recession
Many Choose Candy - But I'll Take a Loaf of Bread
The New York Times reported yesterday that candy sales are on the upswing. Despite cutting back on many discretionary expenses, consumers are making room in budgets for candy. There are so many possible reasons for this decision. Many of the candies seeing the uptick in sales are retro candies from our childhoods – we long for those good old days when our parents had worries instead of us. There’s also the sugar boost that, at least temporarily, lifts our spirits. And we can’t overlook the mental boost of indulging in a guilty pleasure that we can still afford. But unlike the preference for gourmet chocolates seen in recent years, people are choosing cheap sweets.
Although I love good, gourmet chocolates, I will choose a loaf of bread and butter or olive oil over cheap candy any day. Good Italian bread gives me the soulful boost I need when times are tough. But I’m happy to know that one sector of our economy is still surviving this recession.
What’s your guilty pleasure during these tough times?
Food and Habits – Good and Bad
Why Don't We Prefer a Crunchy Carrot Stick Over Chips?
I joined a nutrition/diet service on About.com (completely free) called Calorie Count. It’s not that I’m counting calories (I’m too lazy to do that), but the health and nutrition advice they offer is often very interesting. Today there was a blog post called “Why Europe Doesn’t Make You Fat” in which the author talks about actually losing a couple of pounds after a week in Europe. What it really boils down to is a discussion of the change in habits compared with his typical behavior back here in the states. For example, he didn’t watch TV while eating – after being reminded that it was impolite. He didn’t buy sweets from a vending machine because they were nowhere to be found. And instead of a huge main course, there was a smaller portion rounded out by large salads and light soups. These were all healthier ways to approach eating, and it made a difference.
The key message in this post is that it wasn’t a diet that made the author lose weight. He ate what he wanted, and I’m sure enjoyed the pleasures of experiencing food in another country. It was eliminating some of his bad eating habits, to which we all fall prey, that caused the change. So why is it that we have all fallen into the bad habits we have? Why do we feel it’s okay to grab food and eat it while driving? Or get a snack from the vending machine or cabinet and eat mindlessly while working? Or place an order for takeout that won’t be ready for 30 minutes, when we can whip up a healthier meal in our kitchens in the same time? Why is the lure of the television so great that we’d rather rush through or ignore what we’re eating just to tune into the next reality show? Why don’t we pay our food the respect that it deserves? How did our priorities change so drastically during our lifetime?