One of my pet peeves is when people compare the United States, generally unfavorably, with small genetically homogeneous countries. So this post at InsideHook by Tanner Garrity got off on the wrong foot with me. In the article Mr. Garrity writes glowingly of locavorism as a solution to the U. S.’s obesity problem. Here’s the kernel of his post:
The TL;DR version: diets suck. They lead to more abusive eating and make people feel like failures. They’re completely unsustainable, and produce a ping-pong match between days spent with processed crap and days spent with empty stomachs.
There’s exactly one diet that is worth your time and effort, though. While diets typically function as domineering rule books (don’t eat this, don’t eat that much of this, etc.), the “100-mile diet†isn’t in the business of forbidding particular foods. Instead, it encourages consumers to reconsider the sources of those foods, and prioritize ingredients that can be found down the road. The idea is to limit one’s participation in the supersized supply chain, and eat more naturally, similar to communities in famous “Blue Zones†like Sardinia, Ikaria or Okinawa, where families cook the fresh food that’s available to them, live longer, and (surprise, surprise) never seem to experiment with diets.
That’s good enough. Let’s focus on Sardinia.
Sardinia is an island in the Mediterranean, part of Italy, that is roughly the size of Vermont with about three times Vermont’s population. Nowhere in Sardinia is more than about 50km from the sea. About 3% of its population is other than native Sardinian. It is genetically very homogeneous. It has been isolated from the rest of Europe for thousands of years. The median household income is about that of Puerto Rico—lower than in Mississippi. Trying to compare the United States with Sardinia is fatuous.
I think that Mr. Garrity should consider a different explanation for the health of the Sardinians: over time they have adapted to their environment. It’s not the other way around which is what he seems to assume.
Here’s a map showing Chicago and a circle illustrating the 100 mile radius.
I’m quite confident in claiming that what’s grown and caught within 100 miles of Chicago wouldn’t feed the people of Chicago proper let alone all of the people of the area. That’s true of ever major city in the U. S., especially those in the South and West. Consequently, my prediction of what would happen if a 100 mile diet were forced on people would be that
- 90% of the people would starve.
- Those who survived would change the pattern of agriculture as well as their diets.
- They would not be materially healthier than before the Great Diet Change.
What would they be eating? Mostly corn and soybeans as far as I can tell.
Mr. Garrity seems to understand that on a primal level since he launches into a lengthy digression on vertical farming. I think that what he’s proposing is a sort of “underpants gnome” scheme—romantic fantasizing with not practical path to accomplishing his dream.
All of the preceding notwithstanding, we are fatter than we were 50 years ago. You can demonstrate that to yourself by comparing a yearbook picture from 50 years ago and one taken recently. What should be done? If I had a simple, workable answer to that I’d be a gazillionaire. I think we need to
- Change how much we eat.
- Change what we eat.
- Get more exercise.
I think that many of us are not well-adapted not just to the diet that we are eating but to the diet that we can eat. I think there’s a mismatch among genetics, behavior, and life expectancy.
Rule #1- All diet studies are crap.
Rule #2- If a diet study looks good you probably missed something. See Rule #1.
Rule #3- Eventually someone will do a good diet study. It will be hard to tell.
More seriously, processed foods are probably not especially good if you are trying to avoid calories. Restaurants serve portions that are too large. Eat at home and cook it yourself.
Steve
To which I would add that it’s easier for restaurants to get people to pay for too much food than it is to get them to pay for better food. Remember the old Woody Allen joke?
The most effective diet aid and appetite suppressant I have found, unfortunately, is the cigarette.
And also, unfortunately, cigarettes are easier to quit than eating.
Pick your poison.
The 100 mile rule means that for most parts of the world fresh fruits and vegetables are unavailable for months at a time. That is pretty unhealthy.
The long distant supply chains that bring us food (and fuel and medicines and clothing) from all over the world, plus refrigeration, plus water chlorination and filtration are the greatest benefits to human health ever invented, much better than doctors. Doctors only became useful after WW II with the invention of antibiotics.
PS. Our local Kroger let the cat out of the bag, albeit very briefly: Kroger defines local as within 400 miles.
Do these other countries have the equivalent of a Department of Agriculture that publishes supposedly healthy guidelines that end up being implemented in all sorts of ways?
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen evidence of this, but I suspect the so-called “food pyramid” that emphasized lots of carbs an no fats is a non-trivial factor in American obesity.
“I suspect the so-called “food pyramid†that emphasized lots of carbs an no fats is a non-trivial factor in American obesity.â€
In fact, it’s the main culprit. Include on carbs sugar
Don’t forget all the pork!!!
You’re right, PD. Pork would be in there, too. Until fairly recently the northern part of the Chicago area produced a lot of dairy but I’m afraid that has fallen victim to development.
Only the wealthy would be able to afford fruits or vegetables grown within 100 miles of Chicago.
Food pyramid? Yes, it has been wrong a lot but just open your eyes. Every gas station has a convenience section. What do they sell that would go on to a food pyramid? Notice how all of the junk food is supersized. Bad enough getting a Snickers but now it is twice as big. Look at all fo the fast food places. Remember when MacDonalds was new? Hamburger, cheeseburger, one size of fries. Now The burger chains all offer double and triple burgers with lots of bacon and cheese. Fries in three sizes and the drinks! You can put out a small apartment fire with the large sized drinks. Look at the calorie counts on the “salads” at so many of those chain restaurants.
Steve
To steve’s remarks above I would add that I strongly suspect that obesity in childhood or your teens makes it all the more difficult to reach a normal weight as an adult.
The power of advertising and the media push junk food to the max. Photos of happy people eating burgers, chips is so alluring. Also many of the TV models are plus sizes reinforcing the notion that weight is not a big deal anymore.