Burger King has unveiled the new Quad Stacker hamburger that comes with four meat patties, four slices of cheese, eight pieces of bacon, 68 grams of fat, 1,000 calories and a trip to the cardiologist by the age of 30.
Meanwhile, a new law proposed by the New York City Department of Health would ban all trans fats from local restaurants, because they have been associated with high cholesterol and heart disease.
Eating establishments have a dilemma. They can sell the high-calorie, gooey fatness for which some customers clamor, or they can offer healthier options. Laura Narowetz, assistant health educator for student health services at The University of Memphis, believes they are in a transition process.
"I think that restaurants are now just realizing that people are wanting healthier options and they are slowly adjusting to this demand from their consumers," she said.
The news snippets demonstrate the extremes of the war against obesity, but most Americans fall somewhere in between. They know something must be done; what that something is becomes the challenge.
When, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, 64 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, it is hard not to admit that there is a problem. Yet, many do not see the harm in one night of overindulgence. Then, after that night becomes a year of bad habits and the pounds rack up, they are frustrated that the pounds come off equally as slow if not slower than they were put on.
For college students to avoid that dangerous dietary cycle, Narowetz offered some advice.
"They need to set a schedule and make sure that they stick with that schedule especially when it comes to eating, exercising, studying, attending classes and sleeping habits," she said. "One major problem with college students is that they do not eat breakfast and breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day."
The U of M health center offers numerous sheets and booklets that detail ways to live healthier. One entitled "Beating the Freshman 15" says to "eat only when you're truly hungry" and that "alcohol has calories." Those may not be pearls of life-altering wisdom, but simple suggestions like this can make all the difference.
Drastic changes are not necessary to improve diet. Removing the boredom induced munchies and the tenth and eleventh beers from your diet are often sufficient.
Narowetz understands the added difficulties being a student can have on diet choices.
"The average student's diet and lifestyle differs from the high school students and a regular working adult because many college students have irregular schedules," she said. "Cost of food is also another major issue with many college students."
Knowing that students are generally short on cash and will accept free food whenever offered, the Student Health Fair held Wednesday on campus did just that. The lady giving out the food to students seemed almost embarrassed when she said, "Thanks for coming to the health fair, would you like a slice of Domino's pizza?"
If at a health fair the food choice is pizza because it is cheap, it is not hard to understand the obesity epidemic in this country. Cheaper and easier overtakes healthier.
Sounds like Quad Stacker time, for only $3.99.
