Fat people and education

In the middle of an informal gathering, I joined a conversation about the concept of fat tax, junk food tax, or whatever.  The current food demon is sugar, and this particular conversation was about a proposed sugar tax in New Zealand, but I’m pretty sure that wherever you are has had something similar in the not too distant past.

The conversation centered on how taxing any particular food is government over-intervention.  They all agreed the effort was another look for possible ways to get people to eat “healthier”.  I felt an aura of moral obligation by most; it was a well-meaning conversation about improving people’s general eating habits. We all agreed foods have varying levels of usefulness/nutrition/substance to every person.  Food has absolutely no moral value.  It is not good or bad, it is just food.

A repeated suggestion was we need to “educate” people about food, where it comes from and what it’s value.  The implication was that it was poor people in particular that need this education.  That is crap, the wealthy investors want to continue to use any means to increase profits of the genetic foods they produce.  That include slave like labor and abuse.

I believe that all people already understand food.  Let me give you an example.

As I drive each morning to go to work, I pass a Domino's pizza franchise.  The other day I noticed a poster in their window for a meat-lovers pizza. The calorie count was in a font twice the size of the price of the actual pizza. A third of the page was taken up with the calorie count.  It is deemed more important to tell people how many calories are in a pizza than the price of that pizza.  Who actually thinks that anyone who is likely to buy a meat-lover pizza is either ignorant or cares about the calorie count?  Either you’re buying it because it’s dirt-cheap and will fill the bellies of a hungry family, or you just want a greasy pizza and care about calories. You could put the calories in big scary font with flames coming out of it saying that you’ll go to hell for eating it, and people would still buy it, because they want it, or because they have no other option that suits their needs.

I really do have a problem with the concept of educating people about food. Particularly when it’s aimed at poor people, who are statistically the biggest consumers of fast/processed food.  This is because fast/processed food is CHEAP.   The attitude that poor people need to be educated about food is classism.  It almost always comes from the wealthy.

Honestly, I think a poor person knows about food and it’s value, better than any affluent person. As someone who has lived through poverty, I can tell you, we know EVERY single thing about the food we are spending the tiny bit of money we have to fill the stomachs. I would spend so much time looking a price, not nutritional.  I wanted the most filling, calorie loaded food that will last the longest for the least amount of money possible.  Poor people aren’t ignorant, they’re poor. They’re not choosing fast food because they don’t know any better, they’re choosing it because it’s cheap, easy, filling and available.

One person said fat people are ignorant about food, they don’t know which foods are “good” and which are “bad”.  I am a fat man.  I can tell you the approximate calorie count of pretty much any food.  I can probably tell you how many Weight Watchers points it is, whether or not it is allowed on the Atkins diet, what crabs are in it, how many grams of fat, and in most cases, what are the key ingredients.  I have been forcefully “educated” about food since I was about young, and I am now 52.  I have spent decades calculating every little fact about food because I have spent decades dieting and with disordered eating habits.   I bet I am not in the minority of fat people who have been forcefully “educated” about food their whole lives too.  Fat people are the least ignorant people about the nutritional information of food.  Poor people are the least ignorant people about the nutritional information about food. 

I believe if we want to help people eat more nutritious, fresh food we need to make it cheap. First people need a living wage.  If we paid the fast food restaurant worker a living wage, the price may equal that as healthy food.  Imagine if you’ve worked a 16 hour day just to cover your rent and bills, you don’t have time to shop for prepare vegetables. You have kids you have hardly seen, who are hungry, and very little money to feed them, you need something quick, hot and filling available now.  That is probably the high processed and inexpensive food where they just worked the 16 hours day.

Enough ranting.  Seriously it is time for me to be more concerned about being a fat man. My biggest issue is the addictive chemical the low cost food is designed to keep me coming back for more.  Withdrawal symptoms, here we come!

Carry on…

Valentines day 2015

I have never been much of a human who has special day celebrations.  A birthday, holiday or other event has always been just another day.  That is the way I was raised and unfortunately, a trait I carried onward to my son.  There are so many things I learned after the fact, and I wish I would have taught my son to appreciate and cherish special days with more heart.  Just another regret!

This is the first year where I had no choice but to ignore this special day.  I fell ill yesterday with the worse case of the flu / cold I have ever experienced.  Extreme trouble breathing, can't stand without difficulty and if I eat, it flows through the body at rapid speed.  Not a great way to get out of the required/desired Valentines Day activities, but this year, I unintentionally avoided the mad rush to celebrate a special day.

To me, everyday should be Valentines Day.  I think my life would have been so much different had I had the patience and the heart to live each day as a special day and to carry that effort forward to all I meet.  Oh well, just one more regret?

I need to rush to the restroom!  Carry on my friends!

Wheat Belly

In my opinion, Wheat Belly is a fascinating book.  I recently read the book and in the process of reading it a second time.  I was drawn to the book after years of frustration of eating a morsel and gaining a pound.  I also have been looking at the correlation between weight gain toward obesity and depression.

I learned over the years many clinical studies have shown obesity and depression tend to be co-morbid. That means they tend to occur together without necessarily having a cause and effect relationship. When conditions tend to occur together, scientists naturally want to explore exactly how they are connected. Does obesity cause depression? Does depression cause obesity? Could there be a third factor that is driving both conditions? These are important questions, because once we know the answers, we can better direct our research and treatment efforts.

I happen to believe that both obesity and depression are often driven by a third factor—our modern Western diet. It is now clear that excessive fructose, mainly from sugar and high fructose corn syrup, is the driving force behind insulin resistance and central obesity. When you have insulin resistance it takes more insulin to drive glucose into your cells, and high insulin levels tend to trap fat inside of cells where it can’t be used for energy. Recent evidence suggests that excessive fructose can alter your gut bacteria flora, further contributing to metabolic syndrome and obesity.

When you have insulin resistance and consume rapidly absorbed carbohydrates, especially from grains, you end up with unstable glucose levels and magnified glucose spikes. Over time these glucose spikes can cause damage to your nerve cells, because unlike most of the cells in your body, neurons don’t have an insulin gate. That’s why diabetics tend to lose their nerve function and develop neuropathy long before other organs in their body are damaged.

Over time these toxic glucose spikes can trigger a form of diffuse brain dysfunction where your brain no longer functions as intended. The first symptom that you experience when this happens is craving for sweet and starchy food, pushing you to consume more of the very food that is frying your brain. You can also develop mild brain dysfunction symptoms like I have experienced for a few years now.  This being fatigue, anxiety, mood swings and poor sleep. At this stage of brain dysfunction you don’t yet have a disease because the symptoms are mild and variable. 

I have learned there are really two types of obesity. The most common type is associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes. The second type (MINE) of obesity is where a person has excessive body fat without any of these adverse metabolic markers. This type of obesity is seen when a person or lab animal is over-fed healthy food. If you give enough healthy food to any animal, they will eventually develop this type of obesity.

The type of obesity associated with sugar, HFCS and grain-based carbohydrates is not dependent on calories or over-feeding. Although people with this form of obesity, like me, have excessive body fat, especially in the abdominal region.

After reading Wheat Belly, I looked at the correlation between both types of obesity and depression. I wanted to know about the connection between depression and people with “metabolic obesity” and those who were obese but metabolically healthy. As it turns out people with metabolic issues were at an increased risk of later developing depression, whereas those who were obese without metabolic issues were not at an increased risk of developing depression.

How does this information apply to me? I would rather not be obese or depressed. If insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are the gateway to most cases of obesity and many cases of depression, the best strategy would be to prevent metabolic problems or to treat them. The best way to limit my intake of the dietary triggers of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome—sugar, HFCS and high glycemic carbohydrates, especially from grains.

Of course this describes most processed foods that form the core of the modern American diet. I am trying hard to learn to eat real food including meat, fowl, fish, seafood, vegetables and fruit. I’m not a big fan of milk because of its sugar content but a reasonable amount of cheese is acceptable. I also limit intake of legumes because of their anti-nutrient content. Some would recognize this as a Paleo-style diet. I simply call it a healthy diet.

If I learn to eat this way, I should go a long way towards preventing the metabolic problems that seem to lead to my obesity and depression.

I know Wheat is also attributed to ADHD, PTSD, Anxiety disorders, Autism, Fibromyalgia, and Irritable bowel syndrome.  I think that it’s really exciting I believe there is a connection between food and these common disorders. Think about it. What would I rather take handfuls of pills for the rest of my life, living in a daze, or simply change my diet?

This important study clearly shows the relationship between consuming certain foods and depression. In the years ahead I hope that we will see more studies looking at the impact of diet on common chronic diseases. My next read is going to be Gary Taubes, “GoodCalories, Bad Calories” and “Why We Get Fat”.

I really need to get a hold of this life, as the past year has been far from enjoyable.

Carry on my friends!

R.I.P. again

In my last post I spoke of the passing of Steve Wilkinson.  I have had three friends die in the first 34 days of 2015.  Not been a good start to 2015.

Most recently, Aaron Buffington, a fellow in my profession as well as a lover of the long distance runs lost his battle with cancer.  I first met Aaron in work functions.  Then I was shocked to see him at the Superior 100, I think it was 2011.  Through 2011 and 2013, our paths crossed regularly.  It was about the time his child was born we lost touch.  I have not seen him for a few years, but still consider him a friend and was saddened by the news.

I did make the visitation and shared in the funeral for Steve Wilkinson last weekend.  It was a day of tears.  What amazed me most is I met his daughters for the first time.  I was shocked when I said my name and they instantly said "It is nice to meet you, my dad spoke highly of your work ethic and dedication to the task being greater than anyone he knew."  It floored me as I had no clue all my effort was recognized by one of the greatest human I ever met.  Steve was the best at reading people and I think he knew I did not need praise to do my best, I just get it dome.

Hard to believe he is gone.  What really got me was when Neal Hagberg spoke at the funeral.  (Funeral is on YouTube here) His words were simple and very true.  Steve was the eternal optimist.  When I listen to the "Physchology of Winning", I think of his attitude toward life.  I only wish I had not spend so much time on the career and more on a family.  

Even when Steve encountered the world’s biggest jerk, he would smile, find a good thing about them and try to promote to good in everyone.  Here is what Neil read:           

Before Steve

I did not know that an ego could be tamed with one prayer

I did not know that fear could be conquered with a smiley-faced racket

I did not know that winning could mean losing 0-6 0-6

Or losing could mean winning 6-0 6-0

Before Steve

I did not know that simply saying a name could be the key to unlocking someone’s soul

I did not know that “thank you” was as important as “I love you”

I did not know that having a vision meant not everyone would like you

I did not know that silence might be the best advice a person can give

Before Steve

I did not know that driving a ten year old car and living in the same modest house for forty years could make you rich in what matters

I did not know that Rol-Dri-ing a court - properly - could make one old guy so happy

I did not know that “I could” if I thought I could

Before Steve

I did not know that grief could press you down into your mattress for hours

And only love could make you get back up again

And I did not know that lifting one person up could make everyone around you fly.

Including yourself.

Before Steve

I did not know that the face of life and the face of death are the same:

a smile and a high five

What he did not add is after Steve.  That is impossible.  Everyone will move on, but for this overweight, arrogant, and aging friend, I will never forget.

Carry on my friends, Carry on…