It takes a Romanian village

Matthew Dalton has an article in the WSJ today about fighting obesity, and why the "village" approach (i.e., government control) is needed. Except the fat women were gathered in a Romanian village. I don't know why they think these Romanian women didn't have "walk to school" days when they were children or that they should stay away from those Big Macs down the street.

"Instead of hoping that individuals can muster the self-discipline on their own to avoid processed foods, fast food and days without physical exercise, the idea is that governments must actively work to change environments and reduce the menu of harmful options available in everyday life.

As a result, hundreds of towns in Europe and elsewhere have adopted a version of this strategy, aimed particularly at preventing children from becoming overweight and obese. They hired dietitians to counsel children and their families in schools, organized walk-to-school days, hired sports educators and built new sporting facilities. The U.S. government, meanwhile, is increasing its funding for cities and towns to pursue so-called community-based obesity prevention, in an effort to gather data about which kinds of tactics work best."

Last night our condo association had its annual potluck. I overate. Now, why would a sensible, healthy eater who goes to exercise class 3 times a week, and eats 3-4 vegetables for lunch do that? Because everything tasted good and the fellowship was great, and it was 2 hours past my regular meal time. The artichoke dip was particularly wonderful both as an appetiser and a dessert. I'm not all that far removed from the village square in Romania.

So what about the government hitching a ride in your grocery cart or camping out in your pantry, telling you what to eat and when? This isn't about safe or nutritious food, you know. We're way past that. This is about control of every little aspect of your life.

I'm not sure if anyone understands the chemistry and biology and culture of obesity. But every time I read Junk Food Science by Sandy, I learn a little more. And she's not writing about food that's junk--it's the science.