Trading Winstons for Whoppers

I remember the days when restaurants were smoked filled.  It was common to see people smoking in grocery stores and when travelling by air.  Television prime time was filled with commercials for cigarettes.  Remember the Tareyton "I'd rather fight than switch" black eye, the Marlboro Man, or the Tiparillo Girl?  During hospital rounds I would call ahead and tell the floor nurses to have my patients extinguish their cigarettes before I arrived, so I wouldn't smell like smoke the rest of the day.  Then culture began to change, and it is hard to imagine the smoker's world we once lived in. No smoking on planes or in restaurants, grocery stores, or hospital rooms now.  No television advertising for cigarettes.  And because of the reduction in smoking these changes have brought about, the lifespan of Americans was increased.

However, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on December 2nd, reveals that health gains derived from reduced smoking have been more than offset by the negative health effects of America's growing waistlines over the last few decades. It seems that all we have done is traded in our Winstons for Whoppers.

Ideally our future world won't have a drive-thru on every corner, people will actually eat meals cooked at home using real food, and cars won't be designed around supersized cup holders.  Maybe someday we will think back and remember school lunch programs dominated by the fast food industry, or TV ads for the Taco Bell fourth meal, and we will shake our heads in disbelief at how foolish we once were.  Possibly.  But I'm not sure I would bet your health or pants size on it happening anytime soon, and in the meantime the world is starting to tip on its axis more than is natural. 

You don't need to wait for culture to change in order to be slimmer, and healthier as a result.  Just start by doing a few simple things.  Use whole wheat bread instead of white; eat 5 servings of your favorite vegetables, 3 to 4 servings of fruit, and a cup of cooked beans every day; take the stairs instead of the elevator or park at the far end of the parking lot instead of near the door. 

Do those things and you may be a real trend setter, decades ahead of the crowd.

The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.