America, America this is You

I posted this on facebook in response to a discussion a friend and I were having. So I am going to post it here for the benefit of all:

Well John, since you asked how I REALLY feel about Americans and what they eat, here you go...

I have mixed feelings about the American lifestyle. On one hand the majority of Americans are lazy, overweight and out of shape. They choose to eat crap and are always looking for the easy way out. They make excuses about not having enough time to exercise or eat right but really it is laziness and an unwillingness to even try. They drive around in gas guzzling cars all day, don't give a crap about their impact on the environment and are pretty selfish overall.

On the other hand, it is incredibly tough to make good choices about food when everywhere you look there are companies advertising delicious looking products that wreak havoc on your health. It is such a social norm to overindulge that it’s impossible to get away from. A subconscious peer pressure plays no small role when you’re out with friends eating chips, going out for ice cream, or ordering in pizza. What, are you supposed to do? Starve yourself while everyone around you chows down on burgers and fries? It’s not realistic by any stretch of the imagination to assume that.

On the other hand why is it such a social norm to eat unhealthy foods? What if you and your friends stayed home and cooked instead of going out to eat? What if people brought carrots, broccoli, cheese squares and orange slices to the Super Bowl Party instead of chips, soda’s, cookies, pretzels and chex mix? (All chock full of carbohydrates.) What if Americans practiced moderation in their eating habits and got up an hour early to get a workout in? It’s infuriating but it’s a tough problem. It really is ridiculously hard to live a healthy lifestyle if you want to have any sort of social life at all. I find that to be the biggest stumbling block for me. Left on my own I am disciplined but when I’m out with friends or at someone’s house eating dinner one thing leads to another and soon I’ve had way more food, sugar and carbs than I ever intended.

Most Americans will never change. They don’t want to change. But what if I could make a small difference? What if I brought a big bag of baby carrots to the party instead of fresh made brownies? What if I could set an example that made someone buy a bag of salad when at the grocery store? Or set down that box of Cheez-Itz and grab some fig newtons instead? (Cheez-Itz are like one of my favorite snack crackers of all time by the way, that and Nilla wafers.) What if they saw me fitting in 4-5 hours of training a day while going to school and working part-time and figure, “hey, I can’t do that but at least I can go jump on the elliptical for 30 minutes.”

Can I make a difference? Can I influence people? Even if it’s in just a small, almost insignificant manner. Sure they can make fun of me, prod me to eat the crap their eating. And I stumble, I give in sometimes. I have setbacks, but then next time they’re not so quick to jump on my case. Next time they respect my decision and ask if they can try a few mixed nuts. If I can even help people to start THINKING about what their eating that’s a step in the right direction. I can’t change the world. But if I can help a few people live a little better, with a little more joy than I’ll be satisfied.