George Turbyfill
Special to The Sun
| The Gainesville Sun
Obesity impacts millions of lives and kills an estimated 300,000 individuals annually in the U.S. Despite efforts such as former First Lady Michelle Obama’s agenda to encourage a healthy lifestyle in children, child obesity still sits at 20 percent.
How does the U.S. obesity rate compare to other countries, specifically France? In 2015, the U.S. obesity rate was about 38 percent while 15 percent of French people were considered obese. French culture and cuisine offer a possible solution to our obesity epidemic.
Items that would be labeled as “unhealthy” by American health advocates — such as wine, cheese, chocolate and pastries — are staples in the French diet. The ability of the French to relish in such delights and still remain slim and healthy is known as the “French paradox.” The French show that a balanced diet can include fat-rich foods that are not far removed from nature.
The highly processed, fast-food culture that plagues America is one of the biggest influences on the obesity epidemic. Processing plants use soybeans and corn to synthesize virtually anything the American consumer can dream of. Corn can be found in nearly 25 percent of all food available in the American supermarket, according to Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”
Since high fructose corn syrup was created in the 1970s, it has been used in virtually every product that is artificially sweetened such as soft drinks with free refills at fast-food restaurants. Fast food is abundant, and is responsible for providing an estimated 10 percent of Americans’ total energy intake. Ten percent might seem low, but the prevalence of trans fatty acids and calorically dense items in fast food makes this consumption rate critical when evaluating the causes of obesity.
Ingesting calorically dense food with high concentrations of trans fatty acids significantly increases the risk of obesity. High consumption of trans fatty acids can also cause heart disease. The French have a low intake of trans fatty acids and corresponding low heart disease diagnoses, another factor to consider when dissecting the “French paradox.”
French schoolchildren enjoy elaborate three-course meals with twice as much time to eat and enjoy their food. Contrast this with the U.S. cafeteria, where fried and heavily processed meals are daily staples, and there is a single course and perhaps 30 minutes allotted to eat.
The U.S. does not have a culturally rich food identity. Our nation has historically focused more on economic prosperity with respect to agricultural production. Unlike America, the French have historic food traditions to follow and trust. They are more likely to consult their century-old, unwritten cookbooks and prepare home-cooked meals than be influenced by profit-driven food marketers that disguise processed food as “healthy.”
But it is still unclear how the French are statistically less obese and healthier, while they continue to consume traditional meals high in saturated fats, sodium and sugar. The explanation to the “French paradox” is a combination of lifestyle choices. The French are strong proponents of moderation and eating a diversity of food.
My personal experiences can attest to this: Portions are significantly smaller in France, compared to the U.S. Refills for coffee, soda and even alcohol are rare if not nonexistent. I have never experienced as many diversified and unique meals as I did in Paris and Strasbourg, France.
The key distinction between France’s cultural food and the fast, processed food common in the U.S. is that much of French food is not far removed from nature. They prefer wholesome, cooked vegetables, salads, and soups, and smaller meat portions from localized sources without surpluses of fertilizer and pesticides for crops and hormones for livestock.
The French recognize and respect the connection between land and food. Their traditions, beliefs and values surrounding food grant them the knowledge to reject the lifestyle choices that contribute to obesity.
To help address America’s obesity problems, I propose to target the up-and-coming generation, specifically the youth in middle and high school. Just as physical education is prevalent in primary school, so should food education. An after-school program that entails producing various fruits and vegetables with sustainable practices should be offered. The fresh produce should then be utilized in a home-cooking after-school course, where students learn how to cook for themselves.
This program emphasizes the importance of locally sourced ingredients and how to prepare a home-cooked meal. This will instill a preference for more holistic and natural food, and hopefully decrease reliance on largely synthetic options offered at fast-food restaurants.
George Turbyfill is a geology major at the University of Florida.