In writing programs, students are taught a Latin phrase: in medias res.
It means into the middle of things. Teachers typically introduce the phrase to teach students to start in the middle of the action, to focus on the conflict, and to advance the story. As short stories don’t offer much in terms of room and time, the writer should start somewhere interesting.
Lately, I’m reminded of the phrase whenever I try to make sense of complex issues. The world of media is a confusing and busy place to explore. When I try to wrap my head around any one topic, I have the overwhelming understanding that I am truly in the middle of things. And people are yelling at me. From every angle. Screaming scary words.
I’m tired of hearing about the obesity epidemic. Now, I know it’s a problem. What bothers me is the complexity of the issue, coupled with the crisis-control stance that the media takes. Because the media lives and dies on the attention span of its audience, it’s become a convention to engage audiences with scare tactics and, frankly, depressing content. As far as news media is concerned, threats of disastrous epidemics and mentions of fearful things make people show up. But it can be overwhelming for the audience. When’s the last time you watched a local news broadcast and wanted to go outside and play?
Accordingly, American obesity has been exposed in a multitude of ways. For example, the military is now starting to consider obesity a potential security risk, as 27% of American males between 17 and 24 are too heavy to meet enlistment standards. Essentially they're calling us too fat to fight. It's clear we need to do something, at least to stop the snarky Brits from making fun of us. We’re so out of shape that our pets are fat.
But, wait. Surely there are ways to battle obesity! Simple, universal methods!
- Hmm, maybe we should work on limiting our calorie intake. If we eat fewer calories than we burn, we’ll lose weight. Seems simple, right? But it’s not that clear cut. A recent study found that a diet high in saturated fat and refined sugar actually causes changes to the brain, making it more difficult to lose weight. Also, some early research in calorie restriction—albeit on depressed-looking rhesus monkeys—hints that quality of diet is as important as calorie restriction. (So diet sodas can’t work miracles after all.)
- Well, what about encouraging people to cook at home? For years, a major argument about American weight gain has stemmed on the increased consumption of packaged and prepared food. Basically, since we’re not eating enough at home, we’re getting fatter. However, evidence hints that more people eat at home than we think. In fact, a recent study reported seventy-eight percent of families cook and eat dinner at home five or more nights a week. Four of the dinners are made from scratch, two are made in part from packaged foods like boxed side dishes, and one is a fast food dinner. Spoiler alert: the lower the family’s income, the more they cook from scratch.
- Okay, let’s try better access to fresh food. This is a noble thought, but access is a matter of scale and logistics. Cities are growing, but we lack understanding of how to source fresh food to urban inhabitants. For example, researchers have found heightened levels of lead in the eggs of chickens kept in New York City. To make it more difficult, low prices for accessible, hyper-flavored food are tough to ignore. I followed a city bus the other day emblazoned with ads for Checker’s burgers priced at a dollar apiece. My drive-time radio stations have been covering Five Guys’ crowning as America’s favorite burger chain. (Note: a standard Five Guys’ burger has 400 calories from fat, 43 grams of total fat, and 19.5 grams of saturated fat.) My news aggregator tells me Nutella is going on a 12-city “breakfast tour” to encourage kids to eat chocolate-hazelnut spread at breakfast, and Taco Bell is on the upswing after the debut of its Doritos Locos tacos. How can traditional, fresh food compete? (In a cosmic irony, it also turns out obese kids are less sensitive to taste than other kids. Sigh...)
Information is power. But the application of information, beyond its mere conveyance, is the key to change. When exposed to a plethora of options and information, one response is paralysis. Think about the toothpaste aisle in a pharmacy. How do you choose a tube of toothpaste? Faced with too many options, choice becomes difficult, and can even come down to whim. (“That one’s forty cents off! I can finally leave this place!”)
Here's my point: We know that obesity is a problem, but what’s the first step to combat it?
It’s a trick question. There is no one step, but rather a matter of building systems that are easy for people to understand and follow. When I was a kid—here’s where I puff a pipe and put my hand in my robe pocket—I didn’t know much about eating. What I did know was the food pyramid, which was stapled to classroom billboards and taught in class. It was simple, straightforward, and memorable. It was packaged so I could act on it. Simply put, if you make it easier for me to understand and apply the information, you’ll have a better chance that I do both.
That is not to say that people aren’t trying. In fact, there have been some interesting strides to simplify the issue and present practical options. Last year, the USDA changed the food pyramid to a plate, so it’s even easier to understand. (I’m hoping they clean up their website, which is busy and confusing.) More recently, Greatist posted this helpful infographic to help people understand calories. A number of sites are offering lists of items to buy at the store. Personally, I’d like to see more priced shopping lists, like this one.
Shouting "epidemic" does little besides make noise. You can't scare people into meaningful action. In the case of obesity, if the media wants any change, it would be better suited to helping their audiences take actionable steps. Cut through the noise, show people a clear path, and hopefully they’ll find their way.
As a healthcare professional, what do you make of the issue? What do you tell your patients? Do you have any ideas how to better combat obesity? Please post your comments below.
Image by Stuart Miles / freedigitalphotos.net
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