Imagine the following scenario. You walk into a restaurant — it can be Uno’s Bar and Grill or the Cheesecake Factory, your choice. The waiter approaches your table and he automatically responds to your presence by saying, “Oh, well you’ll definitely be happy to know that we have new items on our menu that are now being prepared without trans fats oils.”
“Um,” you think. “Why is he so enthusiastic about oil?”
It’s only then you look down and realize that you’re still in your gym clothes, bearing the resemblance of a health-nut and work-out-a-holic.
This happened to me just recently at the local Uno’s — you know the one — when I was informed that the french fries were specially reformulated and would no longer put me at risk for heart attack.
Now, I’ve always been involved in sports, and I’m a frequenter of FitRec like everyone else, so the waiter was not terribly off in his estimation of me as someone with a little bit of respect for her body.
The problem was not that the waiter assumed that I worked out. The problem was that he assumed I was looking for an easy fix and a brain-free solution to eat whatever I wanted as well — which is, might I add, a bit counterintuitive to the whole point of working out to begin with. Trans fat-free french fries? I’m sure the starch content alone would cancel out any semblance of workout I completed that day.
The reason for his suggestion? Well, simply put, it appears people no longer want to put the effort into being healthy and have begun relying on others – including Mayor Thomas Menino – to regulate their food intake.
Since New York’s ban on trans fats last month, Boston jumped onto the ban-the-fat bandwagon. Two weeks ago, the Boston Public Health Commission issued a statement preparing the city for the newest form of prohibition since the ban of smoking in public places three years ago.
While a spokesman for the BPHC told The Daily Free Press any decision to ban fat in the city would be the result of a “comprehensive and transparent public process,” I think this matter is quickly falling out of the hands of individual decision-makers like tender barbequed ribs off the bone.
Trans fats are clearly unhealthy, yes. Regular consumption of more than 10 percent puts eaters at risk of heart disease, heart attacks, high cholesterol and a slew of other less-than-desirable arterial conditions in addition to rapid weight gain and an unsightly waistline.
But is it really the city’s responsibility to see that we’re eating properly? I agree, bad foods are everywhere, and what’s worse, they generally cost less than healthier foods. If you’ve ever been to McDonald’s, you know that as fact – a double cheeseburger and french-fries cost two dollars (plus tax) and weighs in at 700 calories.
But the reality is we don’t always need to be dining on-the-go, and if we must, there’s no one forcing us to “biggie size” our Deluxe Bacon Cheeseburger combo from Wendy’s. There’s also no one standing guard and not allowing us into the gym.
While the population has seen increasing obesity over the last few years, I must ask again, is it because we cannot handle making good eating choices ourselves? Do we have to wait until the mayor tells us that we’re not allowed to spoil our dinners with Haagen-Dazs before we start to rethink what we’re putting into our bodies?
The plan to actually ban trans fats in Boston’s restaurants is both ludicrous and detrimental to its own cause. Remember Prohibition? You’ve heard of it, you’ve read about it in history books, but – oh yeah – it’s no longer in effect.
Why? For starters, people wanted two things: To be able to get drunk and to be able to make their own decision about it. Prohibition thus led to two things: People smuggling alcohol and the government eventually reinstating the legality of drinking. Look around. As a population, we’re thirstier than ever.
The kicker? Alcohol is still a major health hazard – it dramatically increases the risk of various cancers, kidney failure, anxiety and depression. However, it’s still legal. Those people over the age of 21 are allowed to drink freely amidst plenty of warnings about the dangers of overindulgence.
Shouldn’t it be the same way with unhealthy foods? If they were banned, would we be hiding bags of Cheetos in our basements? Operating trans fats speakeasies?
If people want to damage their bodies by opting for instant pleasure, shouldn’t they be allowed to – in the same way the health-conscious can – choose to work out or order something lean on the menu? We all have been given the exact same information.
Remember, trans fats have been around since the dawn of the snack food, but health officials and doctors have never ceased telling us that, if we must eat them at all, we must do so in moderation.
Regardless of what the city may or may not do, what we eat is our decision, and we must become more conscious of that responsibility before it is taken away from us entirely.
Oh, and I’ll take a salad. To go.
Sarah Chandonnet, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. She can be reached at [email protected].