Oh! Oh! I feel a rant coming on!
After analyses based primarily upon safety and the prevention/management of diabetes and heart disease, the AMA listed 2019’s top diets. Mediterranean, DASH, flextarian, Weight Watchers and MIND. Each of these eating lifestyles focuses on the use of minimally processed foods and the reduction of sugar and salt consumed.
Uxbridge is a town of 21,176. At my personal count (there are probably more) we have 5 food serving coffee shops, 7 pizza outlets and 12 fast food chains.....so far! All appear to be thriving. With a population of just over 21,000, how is that possible?
I understand that fast food is quick and easy, effortless, generally cheaper and offers instant hunger satisfaction. As an occasional taste treat, I have no issues, but as a lifestyle, fast food consumption can lead to diabetes, obesity, premature cardiac issues, anxiety and depression. Now I’m not just talking Uxbridge. According to health officials in both Canada and the U.S., the fast food diet has become a North American epidemic.
Perhaps because Jim and I grew up in homes where eating dinner together around the table was borderline sacrosanct, we have carried that practice forward. So much family communication took place during those intimate evening meals. No matter how crazy busy, the thought of replacing a home cooked meal with a quick run through a drive-through never occurred to me, probably because it never occurred to my mother. I love discovering new cooking methods and styles, shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables, learning from our local butchers and visiting seasonal farmers’ markets. Best of all, I am able to choose healthier ingredients and control portions.
I worry about any generation raised on a diet of fast food. What have they learned about nutrition? Will they ever be able to cook for themselves or their families? What will the impact on their future health be? What about the burden on our health care system? So many questions, certainly food for thought. All of which reminds me that it is time to prep our dinner. Rant over!
We share your thoughts. Our town has the same population and about the same number of successful fast food outlets. In addition, I look at the recently renovated Metro supermarket and the amount of floor space they have designated for prepared foods and a Starbucks.Also, the rapidly growing on-line home delivery services such as HelloFresh and GoodFood. This is more than just a trend. It is a wholesale adjustment of our lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteHowever, for us, food is not just fuel. As lovers of good food, this mandatory daily ritual (eating at least 2-3 times a day) offers a time to fill the room with wonderful cooking aromas, talk about your day, make plans for tomorrow and enjoy some wonderful tastes afforded to us by the available produce from around the world. We also like dining out and being served occasionally. This however, is where the health part comes in. When dining out, you abdicate your control over ingredients such as salt, fat, sugar, preservatives, pesticides, etc. While I am not insinuating any clear and present danger to doing so, it is a personal choice which one must consider. Cooking and eating a meal and sharing it with friends and relatives is one of our favourite forms of entertainment. Bon apetit