Wednesday, November 4, 2009

We're Just Dying to Know

I recently read an article in Wired magazine that cited a study done at Duke University's Faqua School of Business. The study crunched numbers from the Centers for Disease Control to assess how many deaths in the US are due to personal choices - things like eating habits, smoking and other such human activities. The study concluded (drum roll) that a whopping 55% of deaths at the beginning of the 21st century, as compared to 5% in 1900 for people ages 15 to 64, are due to stupidity. The article went on to soften this statement by renaming the cause of these deaths, "ignorance". How were people to know that ingesting huge amounts of junk food or spending hours of free time vegging out in front of the TV or computer screen could really be bad for health?

OK, I abhor sarcasm as much as the next person, but I'm voting for ignorance. Not that we don't know the difference between healthy and unhealthy choices, but I believe that the healthy choice information is too often drowned out by the voices hawking sugar-coated, deep-fried and cholesterol packed goodies. Sometimes these voices get so loud that it's hard to hear the voices from the "Eat Fresh" contingent. In order to take a stand with the "Eat Fresh" group I'm going to post some of my favorite recipes in the Good Care section of this blog. These are recipes that lean heavily on fruits and veggies. Oftentimes they're recipes that can be made in large batches and frozen in smaller quantities for future use. And healthy choices give me a better chance to enjoy a future!



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  1. UnknownNovember 10, 2009 at 7:43 AM

    As a grossly large senior Sellon, (not as senior as Pat's dad!), in the UK I have somewhat mixed feelings about the issues raised by Pat.
    Is she is right in saying that much of today's obesity problem is due ignorance? I think not. Certainly since the days the I was young it has been well understood putting more fuel into the bodily system than it burn up in exercise has but one result - weight gain.
    Personally I believe that the problem is a lack of understanding by the majority of people that the facts and problems apply equally to them as to the others, there is no easy way out.
    It is a question of attitude, and attitudes take a long time to change, decades rather than years.Think how attitudes to smoking have changed over the past fifty years. At the time I started to smoke, (I was a late starter, in my early 20s), very few people would have believed that smoking tobacco could be the killer that it has has been proven to be. Twenty five years ago it was considered odd that some people requested that you did not smoke in their house, now my few friends who still smoke insist in going into the garden for a smoke, however inclement the weather, even though I (now an abstaining smoker of some years) tell them to smoke indoors.
    The attitudes to drink / driving have also changed radically over the past thirty five or so years. Customs that were then publicly acceptable are now no longer so. An irresponsible drink / driver is today regarded as a public pariah.
    A problem with the eating / health field is how over time perceived medical wisdom as to what is and what is not good practise has swung back and forth like a pendulum. Pat's dad will no doubt remember how full cream dairy milk was a must, preferably from a Channel Island breed which produce milk with a very high fat content. It was thought good to pour salt over your porridge and other foods, and no one had heard of a fatty acid. It has to be said that in general people then walked further and work was probably much more energetic.
    When the first mutterings were heard about the necessity of changing to a 'healthy diet and life style' it was said that family traits had nothing to do with it - the discoveries of Mendel and Darwin had nothing to do with it. What are we now told? - Genetics have an important part to play in the problem.
    Attitudes will be changed by peer pressure; this will take a long time to develop. When nine to twelve year olds begin questioning their family elders about their lifestyle choices it can be said that attitudes are moving in the 'right' direction.

    Aye, Andrew Sellon

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  2. Second Childhood CreationsNovember 22, 2009 at 7:35 PM

    Hey, Andrew -

    Some really good points. I'm still concerned that there's a large industry that relies on it's financial survival by convincing people to consume junk food. Also, according to Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food, junk food is formulated to cause people to crave more even after they've eaten more than enough.
    I really cringe on mornings when I go to our local grocery store and see youngsters stopping on their way to school to pick up Mountain Dew and donuts for breakfast. Are they really going to want to give up what they crave and confront their elders? One can only hope.
    I think you hit it on the head that there is lack of understanding and no easy way out.
    Finally, my mother was always curious about good nutrition and an avid reader on the subject before it was trendy, sharing her findings with anyone who would listen. I'm fortunate to have that in my past but still find it difficult to walk the straight and narrow all the time.
    Thanks again for your thoughtful comments.

    Pat Sellon

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