Our health is our wealth so lets start acting like it
THERE is a sugar meteorite heading to Ireland with the capacity to cripple the population and bankrupt the country. A recent prediction by the World Health Organisation that Ireland will have an obesity epidemic on its hands within 15 years was a shocking and disturbing read.
The report puts Ireland on course to become the fattest country in Europe in just over a decade. On current trends, the report suggests that almost 90 percent of Irish adults will be overweight or obese by 2030, a considerable rise from 74 percent in 2010.
Further still, the Irish Medical Organisation President Dr Ray Walley says that this is “the starkest health warning of an impending health crisis for Ireland that (“I have”?) seen in 30 years of medicine.”
The good news is that there is time to do something about it. Obesity is not something we are born with. It’s not a condition inflicted on mankind for which is there is no known cure; the route out of obesity is within our own control.
But it involves making the right choices for our bodies and ignoring the easy options when it comes to food and drink.
Choices with consequences
Being overweight is a lifestyle choice. I’m fed up to the back teeth listening to people play the victim card when it comes to issues of diet and weight. Obesity is not a glandular problem. Nobody with big bones comes laden with excessive fat to prop them up.
Weight does not pile on the human frame of its own accord. We all make choices in the food we consume. If we make good, healthy choices, we won’t get fat. If we make bad decisions, chances are we will become overweight.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet doesn’t lead to obesity. Stuffing your face with processed, fatty foods does. It’s that simple. Really, it is.
I have been cribbing about this issue for a long time but these latest findings are proof enough that obesity is now a huge problem for Ireland. The consequences of doing nothing are set out in this report and the very notion that Ireland could have an adult population where 90 percent are overweight is beyond contemplation.
The consequences of such are almost unthinkable. Certainly the health repercussions would be catastrophic and it is difficult to imagine how the health services could cope. We all know that being overweight increases the chances of heart disease, cancer and all sorts of other problems.
If the entire country was walking around out of breath, red faced and struggling under their weight, it’s safe to assume that our already overburdened hospitals would be incapable of coping. Health insurance premiums would go through the roof and Ireland would drown in a sea of blubber.
Pretty picture, don’t you think? Well the good news is that there are solutions out there and there are people willing to help.
Making the right decisions
The biggest misconception about healthy eating is that it costs a lot of money. I’ve heard all the arguments about the convenience of fast food and the cheap alternatives to healthy choices that are meant to save money.
Rubbish. Eating healthily does not cost a lot of money. But it does require educating one’s self about the choices and options that are out there. It also involves taking the time to prepare and cook food properly and resisting the urge to pick up the phone and ring the local take away for dinner.
I understand that Ireland has changed from when I was growing up. I am aware of the time constraints on families where both parents are working full-time jobs. But if I told you that your children’s long term health is suffering because of it, wouldn’t you want to do something about it? Wouldn’t you put measures in place to slow the descent into obesity?
Just like a muscle needs to grow and develop, so too the human taste bud needs stimulation to help it prosper. Sugar, salt and artificial e-numbers are dominating most of our diets, but the damage we are doing to our bodies as a result is frightening.
Cooking nutritious meals takes effort, but if people were willing to put a bit of time and effort into planning their week in a food diary, the benefits would be enormous and a whole lot more satisfying.
Eating a balanced diet makes you feel better. Cramming the body full of processed junk slows it down. Why not pick up a copy of our very own Derval O’Rourke’s cook book and give it a try? It is full of good advice for eating well and every recipe is delicious and nutritious.
Equally, the Happy Pear cook book offers some wonderful vegetarian options that are easy to make and with very affordable ingredients. Their website: thehappypear.ie is also extremely helpful for anyone looking to make a change to their diet.
Ireland’s relationship with bad food is spiralling out of control, but the problem is fixable. It takes effort and a bit of planning, but the benefits of changing our thinking about food far outweigh the problems that are waiting for us if we don’t.
Your health is your wealth, right? Let’s start acting like it. In a few years, it might already be too late.
