Weightwashing and Our Food Industry
2011-01-17
The food industry has worked skilfully to shape the obesity crisis, and have long maintained that our citizens are not active enough. The media and our food industry have created the inactivity model, and many heavily funded programs are shackled to it. The diet and exercise message could use a transfusion, or an influx of a new concept, and it is called environment. Our obesity crisis has long been blamed on the individual for a poor lifestyle and a lack of willed up power. These same junk food producers have been working to create weight loss friendly foods, and our thin loving media culture has been eating up this weight loss magic foods. This brings forth a new term called weightwashing. It refers to a double dipping cycle and serves the food industry very well. Our food environment is packed full of empty calories, and the marketing of junky type foods is relentless. The accepted term, biggest losers, has shaped our culture into believing that this is a neutral response, and helps to provide motivation for change. It has also has spawned a doubling of body image issues in children under twelve. Eating disorders have doubled in children, and some are prepared to die trying to become thin. We need to explore our food environment and dissect the obesity crisis with an open free flowing discussion.
Clearly, obese people are victims of our “fat hating media”. They have long maintained that body size and weight is within the grasp of the individual. Many messages include terms such as, lifestyle, willpower and support the belief that the individual is in complete control. Unfortunately, this is not true, and obesity continues to be a very complex issue for many. Our constant focus on diets and exercise continue to miss the food relationship component, and the notion of body image. Thus, eating disorders continue to rise in our children under twelve, and we continue to watch programs fail to create any real progress, or in roads that addresses the obesity crisis. The time for a community driven plan is at hand, and it can begin with a simple conversation. The billion dollar weight loss industry needs to be addressed, and our efforts must become more global in nature. How does our current food environment support healthy communities and healthy children?
Obesity oppression continue flood the airways by promoting stigma, blame and negativity towards the fatties. Many have stated that obesity bashing is the last accepted discriminatory practice. Biggest losers, is a very accepted, socially acceptable and works to undermine the individual, but is disguised as motivation. Obesity is one of the last frontiers that allows for discrimination. It promotes hatred and works to undermine the self-esteem of many. How can lower the amount of fat hatred? Perhaps it is time to inspire a conversation, and an exploration of our food environment that must include the use of chemicals in our farming techniques. We do not isolate the smoker; instead we have created wonderful initiatives that provide education for the individual and offer support to kick the habit. Many have been calling for a similar action plan to address obesity. Is food our next tobacco? This question has been circling for many years, and it draws a parallel to the tobacco movement and our obesity crisis. Simply stated, the obesity issue is very complex, and hopefully we can include the individual by utilizing a supportive environment that offers education and advocacy.
Integrity, dignity and acceptance are all needed to tackle obesity. When an individual feels better, they may eat better and become a full partner in protecting their own health. This is a key concept for the www.obesitythunderbay.ning.com action plan. The goal is to offer support for anyone that may struggle with food related issues. Together, we can inspire a conversation about obesity. How can we add acceptance to the obesity crisis? Firstly, we can lower the amount of obesity bashing that is so very prevalent within our media. A big fat discussion could be held on the many complexities surrounding the obesity issue. We can host a call in radio program in the hope that the overall message could be related to acceptance. Some have argued that acceptance represents a major mistake, and it has been distorted in many circles to add to the confusion. Food relationships can be discussed and plans can include the shared accountability model. It champions all aspects of our food environment, and hopes to add a level of openness to the overall discussion.
The health and well being of our communities is at stake, and it is time to explore all aspects of our environment. Our thin loving media needs to be able to report on our obesity crisis, and have the will power to get up off of the couch potato myth. Obese people are not big losers, and the term is mean spirited, hurtful and socially unacceptable. It alienates the individual and supports the try harder; you can do it, weight loss message. . It seems rather self serving to sell and market unhealthy, high calorie foods to young children, and lay claim to providing healthy meal plans to address obesity at the same time. The time for real action is upon us, and we could start with a little conversation on obesity. Many of these heavily funded, food industry driven programs are restricted in many ways by the made up inactivity crisis. Often these programs are linked to our giant food industry and many have been demanding a level of transparency for these initiatives. Let’s add integrity, dignity and advocacy, to the healthy community action plan. Why would the food industry want to support a scheme that isolates the individual ands restricts the obesity discussion? After all, obese people are not the enemy. Together, as a community, we can create a model that does not tackle, or attack anyone. The shared accountability model is ready for a test or a trial and the approach is environmental. After all, obese people are not the enemy.
www.obesitythunderbay.ning.com
Tag Line
Obesity ,weight loss, weightwashing, biggest loser, childhood obesity, community health,
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