Junk Food Junkies

A survey came out this week that showed the number one snack choice among Canadians is fruit. What a load of hooey.

There is absolutely no way that most Canadians are reaching for an apple or a banana when they get peckish. We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic. There are more fat people than malnourished people in the world now and Canada is among those countries leading the charge. I do not believe that grapefruit and cantaloupes are causing the problem known in medical lingo by its Latin term, gargantuous blimpolius.

People lie in surveys. Who’s going to admit to a stranger that they reach for a huge sack of potato chips and dip when they can make themselves sound better by saying fruit? Nutritionists have it wrong. We don’t have to educate people about eating properly. Everybody knows an apple is better for you than a Twix bar but eating fresh food takes effort and planning and some people just aren’t very organized. Until we can find a way to keep the good stuff handy in a vending machine, junk food is always going to win the battle.

Which brings me to another question. Every nutritionist I have ever met, with the exception of a couple of who have become media darlings, and one excellent and fit naturopathic nutritionist, has been morbidly obese. I’m talking huge. Big. Large. Not svelte. I have sympathy for people who cannot lose weight but I also cannot believe that there are so many out there with thyroid problems. Sometimes it’s a Supersizing problem.

I took an elderly relative to a nutritionist in a hospital and she was so massive and unhealthy that we could hardly understand her advice through her laboured breathing. What is up with that? Why wouldn’t a hospital administration insist that a person who’s giving guidance on proper weight and nutrition actually practise what they preach? It’s just not credible. Would you go to a hairdresser who’s wearing a mullet? I do hope the answer to that, is no.