Today the basic demand for food has turned into a complex and difficult process, even though in the Western Hemisphere food exists in abundance: tones of it are, in fact, thrown away each year although it is perfectly edible. When choosing what to eat the consumer has to go through a complicated check list. There are a lot of things to consider, not least if the consumer is on a diet but even if that isn’t the case, several issues need to be addressed:
- Which kind of fat does the food contain? Is it saturated or unsaturated fat?
- Are the carbohydrates in the food fast or slow, and how many percent of the food are carbohydrates?
- Are there enough vitamins and minerals in the food?
- How many calories does the food contain?
- How much protein does the food contain?
- Is the food perhaps a so-called "superfood"?
There are several other things to consider as well to make sure the food is what is considered healthy. Consumers are warned of various things concerning food, such as trans fats and substances which may increase chances to fall ill in cancer, for example, which all serve to increase the now-common food anxiety. If the consumer is on a diet, as mentioned, matters are complicated even further.
Are Diets Beneficial?
Nothing can be easier, it seems, than going on a diet as there are several to choose from, all promising a healthier lifestyle and a thinner and/or a more muscled body. Each week various newspapers and magazines write about one of them, or a completely new one, with a heading along the lines of how much weight the consumer will lose if only a certain diet is followed.
The consumer can choose, for example, the Atkins-method or the GI-method, or why not try the LCHF-method? There is also, of course, the classical Weight Watchers as well. Probably more kinds of diets can be found, as well. The bottom line is that they all reach for a common goal: a healthy lifestyle. However, this causes some problems.
Food Anxiety and Guilt of Dieting
Many people experience anxiety in relation to food. For people in the Western Hemisphere the luxuary of regular meals is established, something which seems to be forgotten in the midst of media pushing new information about dangerous foods onto the readers. Common for all diets is of course the often extensive list of what the consumer is not allowed to eat. Even if the consumer is not on a diet, this list will be long: instead of pasta perhaps quinoa is better and, really, the consumer should choose dark bread instead of light and so on.
There are so many guidelines of how to eat that the most important part of eating is over-ridden by guilt if even one of these is neglected. The consumer needs to keep it all in his or her head, a feat so exhausting that the simple taste experience and the enjoyment of eating is completely forgotten. Dinner is no longer about a quiet window during the day together with the family where you all enjoy a delicious meal. Instead it is about maximising obligations regarding nutrition. If these are not fulfilled the consumer will in most cases feel guilty and anxious for failing to eat correctly.
Are the Diets Correct?
Considering all the food products which the consumer should refrain from eating or else risk serious health problems, it is a wonder that humanity has survived to this day. Of course some things are rather self-explanatory such as the fact that processed hamburgers or pizza everyday is not to prefer, but more and more products seem to be added to the list of what not to eat. And at the same time as the awareness of what is healthy and what is not healthy food supposedly increases, so does obesity and severe health issues caused by food. This equation seems impossible, although perhaps the increased stress and anxiety around food is also somewhere to blame for this, rather than just the food itself. Dieting and excessive control of one's food consummation may not be the answer. Perhaps a loving relationship to food is a quicker way to a healthy life-style.
Solution to Unhealthy Eating and Living
The solution to one of humanity's greatest issues today; obesity, is very simple but is forgotten: to lose weight one has to consume less than the energy one expends during a day, preferably through excercise. If this is kept up then weight loss will occur without the help of a complicated diet and long checklist of restraints. People seem very stressed about their eating habits as they pay attention to such a vast deal of things with regards to it. In the Western Hemisphere where food is fairly abundant it should not be a cause of grief but of enjoyment. Something else seemingly forgotten is that of home-cooked food made from scratch is healthy and nutritiousby default and much cheaper than all the ready-made meals and take-aways.
See also The Benefits of Home-Cooked Food
Amanda Lindberg - Amanda Lindberg is a young woman with a broad spectrum of interests. She has studied Creative Writing and Literature for two years at the ...
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