With every diet imaginable out now, there is still no better solution to a healthy lifestyle than healthy eating. Even with the Atkins diet and Tae Bo classes, Americans are still getting fatter. New York City has come out with a new plan to help lower the calorie count of the everyday New Yorker.
The city has passed a law forbidding restaurants to use trans-fats to fry their food. The reach of the New York ban goes far beyond the city and will spread nation wide.
“It makes little sense for chains to juggle several types of cooking oil,” observed a recent Chicago Tribune article. It adds that restaurant chains like Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Culver’s have already announced they are switching to trans-fat free oils in all locations.
Sue Hensley, a spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association, said that it has serious legal concerns about a municipal health agency banning a product or ingredient that the Food and Drug Administration has already approved.
Another plan that has taken effect in New York, and has been proposed in Chicago, is to post calorie information on menu boards. That idea doesn’t take any choices away from the consumer; it just puts right in front of them the cold hard facts of what they are eating. It provides for a more educated consumer that still has a choice.
According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, there is a link between children growing up in poor families and childhood obesity. Overweight kids are also more likely to become overweight adults.
The report states that many poor families eat few fruits and vegetables because they can’t afford fresh produce. Also, they lack easy access to supermarkets. Moreover, it is difficult to go outside and exercise if the neighborhoods aren’t safe.
In an American society where rights are being taken away in the name of security, now along comes a government agency that is out to take away the right to eat unhealthy foods. The banning of such oils is just a band-aid on a severe head wound.
Instead of protecting Americans from another terrorist attack, it seems as if the government is more concerned about protecting New Yorkers from themselves. The solution in many cases to remedy unhealthy eating comes in the form of lower crime rates, safer neighborhoods, and an availability of fresh produce for poorer families. Now under attack are a person’s inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of a heart attack.