Easy availability of fast food spurs unhealthy lifestyles

http://gulfnews.com

Populations in many countries around the globe are getting dangerously overweight and obese and doctors complain that it's because of fast foods which are cheaper and convenient. With a diet rich in saturated fats, salt and high caloric content, comes heart disease, the number one cause of death in many countries, including the UAE. Heart disease was earlier said to be a rich man's disease because of the rich foods and unhealthy diet of the glitterati, but now, even the poor have access to a hamburger or roasted chicken (with skin) and fries, which cost much less than good, wholesome food. With our fast-paced life of today, while we know the right thing to do, if there is no time to prepare a hot, nutritious breakfast for our school-going children, we opt for convenience foods and snacks such as chips, muffins or other unhealthy choices. But is fast food or convenience food alone to blame for the epidemic of diabetes, obesity and a host of non-communicable diseases, the diseases that are not contagious, but that are due to some extent because of our bad choice of foods? And if so what is a good and nutritious diet? "I know several people who have made a lot of money writing books about this but they end up confusing the public," says Dr George A. Mensah, Vice-President, nutrition, global research and development, PepsiCo. He is in Dubai for the World Congress on Cardiology and speak on early heart attacks among American women. "Eat what you enjoy. What is delicious and what is culturally relevant and important to you and that which allows you the social community with friends and family," he says. Dr Mensah said what science suggests is very simple. "The best diet is one rich in fruit and vegetables, rich in whole grains, low in saturated fats and low in calories. But even that, if you don't couple with moderate levels of physical activity, it cannot be the best thing for you." Sad story He said there is really nothing from science that says one food is a bad food and another is a good food. "It's really moderation, a balanced diet with appropriate fibre, protein, carbohydrates and good fats." He said it was a sad story, but not too long ago the world wasn't this fat. He was responding to a comment from Gulf News that America is now rated the fattest nation in the world today. "Dubai is getting there too... and so is Mexico," he said. The doctor recalled his growing up days in Africa. He said he was lucky as his village had a school, but he still walked six miles every day. Obesity "We ate all the wrong things. You must have heard of Cassava [a shrubby plant grown for its starch-filled roots], it has a highest concentration of calories, easily about 600 calories." He said but with all that walking there was no way anyone could get fat. "I have pictures and you could never find an overweight person [in it]," he said. With the obesity epidemic steadily moving across the globe and changing the physique of the younger generation, some western governments have asked food manufacturers to join in the fight against fat and provide nutritious food to the public. In Europe, the food and drink industry is working to reformulate foods and drinks to reduce salt, fat, sugar and other nutrients of concern. Britain, for instance, has asked for reduced salts because of the growing dangers of hypertension, the killer disease of high blood pressure. Researchers, the private sector representatives, policy-makers have been meeting to discuss the challenges of removing or replacing ingredients in a wide range of food products. But a researcher said the challenge with reformulation was that there was no ‘one size fits all' for food producers. But it is working to some extent and reformulation is responsible for two thirds of the positive change in salt reduction in the UK. Wider options Dr Mensah said PepsiCo through its Quaker brand is committed to increasing wholegrain, dairy, fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds in its functional foods. He said more such foods will come into the market that will give consumers wider options for healthier diets. But he hinted that there is still no huge demand from people for healthier foods. "Health communities, where ever they may be, have a responsibility to make people aware of healthier foods and provide them access to these foods," he said. The nutrition expert also noted that very little money was going into research on diet and the food systems. "There's more to health than just treatment and drugs," he said and quoted Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."