Don’t be bullied by food.
I’m about to tell it like it is and I know not all of you will like it, I won't rant, I'll just be really honest. If I didn’t share what I know as a Life Coach I’d never help anyone.
I recently saw an ad for a TV programme called “The men who made us fat.” The title alone annoyed me so I found it difficult to watch. We all know that certain fast food chains pump millions of pounds into clever marketing campaigns, which are often aimed at kids. And we also know kids are easily persuaded which probably makes that kind of advertising morally wrong. But this is where we as parents and conscious living beings come into it. We need to be the ones to say NO!
Likewise when it comes to our own bodies, health and weight, we need to take responsibility for our actions and ultimately what we place in our mouth. It would be great to shift the blame over to the billion pound corporations but at the end of the day we are the ones who ate the food. We are also the ones who bought the convenience foods, sweets and fast food that has caused our children to become obese. It might be easier to just give in to the children’s cries and moaning but we really are not doing them any favours. Nor are we doing ourselves any favours.
How can we say someone else made us fat? We can’t because they didn’t. They didn’t hold us down while we ate greasy fries, stodgy burgers or sugar laced fizzy drinks. It’s time to stop shifting the blame. Start taking full responsibility for your actions, choices and decisions and you wouldn’t need to look for someone to blame.
These advertising campaigns don’t tell us how much fat or sugar is in their products but if you are really focused on your health and wellbeing you will find that out for yourself. I’m not saying you can’t ever have treats, I’m just saying be mindful of what you eat. If I advertised toxic chemicals in the right way I could probably convince a few people that they were good for you but I would soon be found out. We may have been in the dark a few years ago about fast food, fizzy drinks and chemical-packed sweets but we now know what they can do to our health. Is that not reason enough to stop eating them?
All it takes is a little bit of awareness and informed decision making. It’s really uncomfortable to think we caused our own weight gain but it’s a nasty fact that we have to live with. We’d love to blame food companies or supermarkets but, if you are really honest with yourself you will realise that they are not the culprits, we are.
I agree to some extent about what you say but in this western society, food suppliers have a lot to answer for in terms of what is on offer. If we look back on what supermarkets sell, the range is vast compared with 20 years ago. If any of us take a trip abroad, we will see much less choice but better ingredients and fresh food. Yes we need to be responsible for what we eat, but also what we buy. Supermarkets say that they only supply what people want - less please!
Comment by DIMBLE115 -
What can I say that hasnt already been said. We are totally responsible for what goes in. We have a very busy schedule and although for the most part I try to cook from scratch some days a spaghetti or curry sauce mix, fish fingers wins! Unfortunately, I am shamefully witnessing my daughter pick up on my secret biscuit and cake scoffing habits and she is 5yrs, she currently has a beautiful slim figure but carry on like mum and it wont last which is why im here. This has to stop!
Comment by DEBBIEREDDING -
how true what you say is true. we might be unhappy with our selves or partners or our lives but it really is noone else fault only our own for our weight
Comment by HURLINGGIRL -
I watched two of the programmes and it was an eye-opener when it came to the advertising techniques used. I do agree though that it is down to the individual what they eat - except for children. I cook from scratch and never have ready meals but I've piled on pounds over the last few years. With me it is portion size plus treats. You don't have to binge to gain weight or to eat fast junk food.
Comment by ALLIEMACB -
The chap presenting it had FIVE LITRES of fat round his internal organs and he did not look overweight (by modern standards). The reality is people get addicted to this stuff and the marketing saps their will. It's pretty simple. Ban fast food joints. Easy.
Comment by RUPERTHCWATSON -
Wow what an inspiring read, it's so true it's us who choose the food we eat, it's us who puts the food in our mouth and therefore it's us who needs to take responsibility. Yes, it's really easy to pass the blame and it shifts the feeling of guilt in doing so, but what do we actually learn from doing so...NOTHING!!! Julie as I sit here this morning about to embark on a new plan, you have really opened my mind and made me start thinking. Thanks.
Comment by NIAMH1978 -
I agree that ultimately it is an individual choice about what we eat. However,for me it is not the greasy fries, burgers, cakes and biscuits etc, which are obviously not good I have never eaten them and never will. It is the hidden things in apparently healthy foods made to help us make healthy choices, yogurts are a prime example, loading fat free with sugar! It is as if they assume because we are on 'diets' we have a sweet tooth.
Comment by DOORMOUSE28 -
I do agree that we are responsible for what we put in our mouths, BUT it was the food that contained the sugar that we didn't know about which was what the programme spoke about, foods that were supposed to be low fat, for instance. That I find most worrying. As a family we've never really eaten too many ready meals and processed foods, I tend to cook things from scratch, but we do all have a very sweet tooth which we are struggling to combat.
Comment by STR0MB0LI -
I absolutely agree with this. While I was never looking to blame anyone else for my weight particularly, it has still come as a revelation to me that only I have control over what I eat - therefore I have complete control over eating better and making better choices - it's all down to the individual!
Comment by STEPHIEBROWN -
I totally agree, we have eyes and we should use them to read clearly displayed labels showing fat and sugar levels. And especially the list of ingredients, which I always check when buying for my family, as I do not want my kids eating foods full of preservatives, additives, hydrogenated fats, sweeteners, modified maize etc - on daily basis. My parents educated me and now I am teaching my kids.
Comment by MIRKAJ2012 -
I totally agree with this point of view. If you did it - own it!
Comment by CDUV2107 -
Julie, I will be the first to admit that I am a casulty of the way these foods were sold to us, and it wasn't the way my parents ate, although they did in later life. I think the main word is convenience, the thought process has now been taken out of choosing the right foods. It was an easy slope to go down... By gum it's a hard climb back up.
Comment by MARTINS713 -
I didn't see the programme but you are right Julie we are all responsible for our own health and well being.
Comment by CONSTANTDIETER -