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"Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear,
but forgetting where you heard it."
-Laurence J. Peter
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"Read not to contradict and confute,
nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider."
-Francis Bacon
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When our family started considering taking a dog - something I had wanted for a long time - we bought some books about
how to take care of the family pet. My parents had dogs, so I was familiar with the concept of taking care of a canine
companion, but we wanted to be sure we knew all that was involved. And sure enough, there was a lot of information there
that I either never knew before, or had forgotten since my childhood.
One of the subjects we came across, was food. Youīre not supposed to feed your dog food for humans. I know theyīd like
that. Because, actually, part of that tv commercial for Kibbles īn Bits is true: What your dog would really like, is
what youīre eating! (I love that commercial, by the way, when that dog pulls up a chair and sits at the table with
the rest of the family. Cute and funny!)
Take chocolate, for instance. Thatīs like poison for a dog. Not good for him
at all. And dogs are not supposed to get starch - you know, the stuff potatoes and pasta are made up of - because thatīs
bad for them too. I read on - there was more good counsel about a dogīs nutrition. And as I read those books, it
began to dawn on me that many of the suggestions in the book were just general health and nutrition tips,
most of them not for dogs especially - they would look good in any diet book for humans too.
That was three years ago. We now have a dog, Ashley, and we try to treat her sensibly, living by most of the wise words
we read in those books. We even follow the instruction to watch her weight. When in the winter she cannot swim
(we have a river nearby, and she loves to swim, but of course we donīt allow that when itīs too cold), she tends
to get a bit heavier. We then promptly adjust her diet, giving her less food.
After we had done that the first time,
I thought: Strange - we take excellent care of the dogīs diet and health, but neglect our own! We donīt feed the dog
potatoes or pasta, because it makes her fat. We, on the other hand, eat all the potatoes and pasta
meals we like, and think itīs normal when we gain weight. Thatīs ridiculous! Itīs exactly the wrong way around!
Shouldnīt we watch our own weight and health more carefully? Of course we should!
We should be more responsible in our choice of food and other things that determine our health.
And thatīs exactly the problem I have with that man who took, I think, McDonalds and Burger King to court. He sued
them because they hadnīt informed him that their junk food was bad for him. Partly I agree with him. Yes, the stuff
they have been serving there hasnīt always been very healthy.
And yes, they should have made it clear exactly whatīs in
their food, and how that affects your health. (I never knew, for instance, that sugar was one of the main ingredients
of the buns McDonalds used. That definitely would have made me eat less cheeseburgers!) But - it does not
relieve anyone from the responsibility to watch out for his own health, to check what heīs eating and make
any diet adjustments necessary for his physical well-being. I mean, even if you donīt know the exact ingredients of
the meals they serve at fast food outlets, you can pretty much guess that it might not be wise to say "yes" when asked
if they should supersize your meal for you, right? Although I must admit that film-maker Morgan Spurlock's experiment to
live on McDonalds food for a month and always say 'yes' when asked if he wanted to supersize his meal, was a very
interesting one. His doctor was not quite so amused, and he did put on 25 pounds in a month, so I suppose heīs proven
his point: fast food (or too much fast food) is very bad for your health. I mean, even McDonalds say
its food should [only] be eaten as "part of a balanced diet" (see the adverts they put in British papers after Spurlock's film,
Super Size Me, came out in the UK).
Since the court case I mentioned, fast food chains have been trying to create a healthier image for themselves and
their menus. And they have made some good adjustments, I have to admit. There is a wider selection in salads,
you can buy bags of fruit, thereīs yoghurt here and there, you can get all kinds of low-carb menus. In short,
thereīs a lot you can do to prevent your visit to a fast food outlet from being an unhealthy one. (Probably the best way
to do that, is skip that visit altogether, but I donīt suppose the masses would want to go so far as to abstain altogether...)
But thereīs one thing you should remember. You can still buy junk food there. You can still get fat by making the wrong
choices. You can still ruin your health. And itīs not McDonalds, or Arbyīs, or Arctic Circle, or Pizza Hut, or Burger
King, or Wendyīs, thatīs supersizing people. Itīs the people themselves. Itīs you and I who make that
choice.
So letīs stop treating ourselves like dogs, and letīs start feeding ourselves healthily, like we feed our dogs -
like the dogs in those books I bought.
And letīs start being sensible! I know my body would appreciate it, and Iīm sure yours would too...
Other column subjects: Click here!
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Disclaimer
This column is only for the purpose of entertaining, educating or
giving food for thought. Any persons, characters, countries, institutions or groups
mentioned are - as a matter of principle - fictional: any resemblance to existing ones is
purely by chance. ;-)
If the content of this column offends anyone, please accept the
columnist's apologies: no offense was intended.
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column noun
1a: a vertical arrangement of items on a page
b: a vertical section of a printed page
c: an accumulation arranged vertically
d: a department or feature (as of humor, sports,
literary reviewing, or gossip) in a newspaper or periodical, under a permanent
title and generally reflecting the writer's individual tastes and point of view.
2: a supporting pillar
3: a form, structure, or formation shaped like a column
(Webster's Dictionary.)
Relevant reads:
Better Food for Dogs: A Complete Cookbook and Nutrition Guide
Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
The Get With The Program! Guide to Fast Food and Family Restaurants
Low-Fat Fast Food Guide
Life is Hard, Food is Easy: The 5-Step Plan to Overcoom Emotional Eating and Loose Weight on Any Diet
I Weight No More: Your Weight Is Over
Any Diet Diary: Count Your Way to Success
Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life
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