For the Love of food
Our country has become one of the most obese countries in the world. When I was in Cambodia during the war in 1997 I found myself undergoing a lot of stress as you can imagine. During this heightened state of stress I began to seek out western food and I was eating a lot of it. I had to stop myself and I also had to force myself to eat the local food which was less fatty and much more healthy yet I had a desire for western food. I was trying not to offend the Khmer family I was staying with but I could not eat the mother's food. I felt bad and I couldn't explain to her or myself for that matter why I wasn't able to eat her food. When I left the country and my stress level went down I was able to return to a more diverse diet. There is no doubt that stress had an affect on my eating habits. Is our country experiencing a form of mass stress that is reflected in our eating habits? What do you think might be contributing to this counties elevated state of obesity?
posted by kpnil at 8:29 AM
1 Comments:
a culture of consumerism.
but in reality, i am sure there are a number of interwoven factors (e.g. cars - we drive everywhere, economics - food is cheap and easily accessible, poor eating habits, etc.)
i am not convinced it is linked to a "mass stress". in old russia, for example, it was considered to be a sign of good health and prosperity to be obese. of course, ignorance was also a factor: people believed that walking was bad for the heart and riding in a carriage was healthier.
but the "fat" people in russia were usually the rich (landed gentry) and were definitely not as 'stressed' as the peasants or serfs, though it also depends on what one means by 'stress'
however, it is a fact that stress can be linked to eating disorders.
4:00 PM
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