The Lack of Hunger Games

By NATE SMITH

Updated: March 17, 2013, 4:46 PM

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“‘I hope Ice King will sweep me off my feet and take me to the farthest corner of Ooo, where we will do nothing but kiss and eat a whole bunch, until we get fat and die.’ The end.” – The Ice King (Adventure Time)
It’s not uncommon to see the name of our country at the top of any sort of world obesity index. Everybody knows that we Americans are a….hefty lot. That being said, Mondays decision by Justice Milton A. Tingling to overturn the measure to limit sugary drinks in New York City is pitiful. While the issue may seem arbitrary, it not only illustrates our country’s grotesque brand of gluttony, but it also puts the spotlight on our nation’s strange stance when it comes to food.

One 20oz bottle of Coca-Cola has right around 65 grams of sugar, that’s more sugar than the American Heart Association’s recommended serving of 48 grams, in one bottle. In a country where soft drinks like Coke are the most widely consumed liquid (the average American drinks 44.7 gallons of soda a year according to Ad Age’s Leading National Advertisers report), it’s more than fair to say that our country lacks self-control. The fact that people have access to these statistics and are still adamantly against a ban on sugary drinks more than 16oz makes me cringe. I was okay with being part of a country that embraced love handles. I am however, NOT okay with being part of a country that actually fights for the right to consume massive amounts of soda in restaurants. Unrepentant gluttony is something we should be ashamed of, not fight for.

This brings me to an almost silent demographic that’s affected by this attitude towards food and soft drinks: Children. Kids are a product of their upbringing and environment. Assuming that the Center for Disease Control’s 2010 findings are correct, and around 69% of adults are overweight. That being said, it’s safe to assume that these people have kids and that they are in some way shape or form responsible for feeding said children. Connect that with another study from the CDC that shows about a quarter of US children are overweight and obese, and you can see a problem that’s getting out of hand.

This country has such a warped sense of entitlement when it comes to food. It’s like we feel as though our lack of exercise has granted us the right to constantly increase our portion sizes. Never mind the fact that our portions are already double the size of almost the rest of the world. It’s like everybody has given up on the notion that we can actually do better. There’s no inherent feeling of shame when it comes to the fact that we’re constantly feeding ourselves (and our children) crap. I feel like somewhere down the line, our country finally agreed on something: we all agreed on waving a collective white flag when it comes to our health.

It can be noted that Justice Tingling himself is a…fluffy fellow, but he can’t take all of the blame when it comes to the blockage of the law. We’re all part of the problem. We’ve praised people like Paula Dean and Adam Richman as our sausages fingered deities without thinking out the consequences this would have on our eating habits. I feel as though we can make the transition into being a healthy country, just like dieting itself: the hardest part is making the change permanent.

nsmith@lanthorn.com

Published March 17, 2013 Editorial