Sunday, September 30, 2007

September 2007 Christine's Corner

Recently I viewed the Academy Award nominated documentary,"Super Size Me." This independent film, starring Morgan Spurlock, has initiated quite the controversy on the eating habits of the current American society. For the few of you who haven't yet heard about this film, the film follows Morgan Spurlock through 30 days of eating strictly McDonald's food. At the end of the 30 days, Mr. Spurlock had gained 25 pounds and had developed rather alarming physical effects (that in the many months following the completion of his experiment, he was able to reverse).

Although the film focused almost solely on McDonalds, there are a number of facts that I found alarming. Consider the following facts covered in the movie and subsequently on the Super Size Me website:

  • One in every three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime
  • Left unabated, obesity will surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in America
  • French fries is the most eaten vegetable dish in America
  • Each day, 1 in 4 Americans visits a fast food restaurant
  • Most nutritionists recommend eating fast food no more than once a month, if at all
  • Forty percent of American meals are eaten outside the home

The critics of Morgan Spurlock, the writer-director and star of this film, say that the film is sensationalistic and that Mr. Spurlock behaved irresponsibly by dramatically increasing his caloric intake while drastically reducing his activity. In fact, there is another filmmaker, Soso Whaley, who also ate 30 days at McDonalds and lost weight. In fact, she managed to lose nearly 30 pounds after 90 days of a McDonalds diet. Her position, and the position of those who criticize Mr. Spurlock is that you can eat fast food responsibly and not put your health at risk. Regardless of your opinion on whether you are harmed by fast food or not, I believe there are more issues here than are being discussed.

When I was growing up, our society was markedly different. The days that we didn't eat together as a family were so rare that I have a hard time remembering them. Eating at a McDonalds or other fast food chains was a rare experience. Healthy home cooked meals together at my house created a time for us to bond, to share our days, to reconnect as a family. While I don't remember all of our conversations, what I remember most is that we laughed so much at dinner that our running joke was that we should record our conversations because they were so hilarious. We never did, of course, and I don't think there's one of us now who doesn't wish we really had.

Somehow over the past few decades, the American dinner time has fallen by the wayside with our hectic schedules and multiple demands. Dinner time is a time when the family can come together and spend quality time with one another. The American Psychology Association has even stated that dinner time plays a critical role in the development of well-adjusted children. As a part of the family rituals such as bedtime and chores dinner time is a family ritual that builds communication within the family and establishes positive memories of familial bonding for all family members. Those connections can help children become better adjusted through their teen years.

There was an important study performed by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) that led to the report, The Importance of Family Dinners IV. As listed in their press release on September 20, 2007, "Compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five or more per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (two or fewer) are three and a half times likelier to have used an illegal drug other than marijuana or prescription drugs; three times likelier to have used marijuana; more than two and a half times likelier to have used tobacco; and one and a half times likelier to have drunk alcohol..."

Also listed in the report are these findings (all are direct quotes from the September 20, 2007 press release):

  • 84 percent of teens prefer to have dinner with their families rather than eat alone.
  • Of those teens who have less than three family dinners per week, 62 percent say they would prefer to eat with their families compared to 92 percent of teens who have at least five family dinners per week.
  • Teens who have dinner with their families five or more times a week are likelier to say that they receive mostly A's and B's in school compared to teens who have dinner with their families fewer than three times a week (64 percent vs. 49 percent). Teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week are more than twice as likely to do poorly in school.

So let us return to the facts that began this article. We all know that obesity has been declared an epidemic. Morgan Spurlock has essentially laid the ground work that one of the primary causes for this is the poor nutrition of fast food. While I don't think that all of our societal weight issues are the responsibility of the fast food chains, without a doubt I think we could all agree that overall, fast food is not a cornerstone of good nutrition. We've also seen here that there is an impact on children who have infrequent dinner times with their families. Our children get connected to us through our family rituals, including dinner time. Frequent and routine quality time with one another allows us to be plugged into one another, enables us to share and develop our family histories, and foster an increased environment of family togetherness. How does this all tie together?

Most obese people will tell you that they eat to find comfort. Although there are some cases of obesity that develop as a result of physical abnormality, many obese individuals develop a very strong relationship with food. There is an emotional connection with food that is lacking with other individuals in their lives. Obesity, like any other addiction, creates an unhealthy relationship between the individual and the food they eat. Often, the overeating is a coping mechanism by the individual, a way to release feelings and emotions that the individual is repressing or is unable to resolve. The ability to relate to other individuals in a healthy and balanced way is often a function of the health of the nuclear family. For sure, not having family dinner time is not the core contributing factor of obesity in America, however, I do believe the benefits of eating as family can contribute to not only the health of the family but also the health of the growing children.

Even for those individuals who are not obese, clearly there is evidence that our brains and bodies function at a higher level when consuming more natural products that are less processed and better balanced. Building more opportunities as a family to spend quality time with one another can help the individuals in the family to feel better connected to one another, to feel more empowered as individuals. Unfortunately, over time if we allow those bonding times as a family to take a back seat continually to the demands of our schedules, work, and other commitments, children can begin to internalize those messages as a factor of their own position of importance within the family. Alternatively, as quality family time is increased, our children can become better nourished - emotionally, spiritually and often even physically. They feel more important, feel better connected and can often learn to make better choices for themselves through the nurturance of a healthy family environment.

Our capacity to feel connected to not only others but also to ourselves is directly related to the messages we receive as children. The more connected we feel to ourselves, the more strongly we can connect with our own divine essence, the more likely we are to make decisions in our lives that will nurture us. Those decisions can run the gamut from the partners we choose, to the experiences we create for ourselves, to the extent to which we nurture our own health. Our values as a nation have shifted. Today, we value those things that enable us to make more efficient use of our time, that will enable us to work longer hours and compress our "down-time". By re-incorporating those values that include healthy, home-cooked meals and dedicated family meal times, we may actually increase the long-term health of our families. By making our choices wisely, both with our diets as well as our time, we can promote better health not only for ourselves, but for our children and our nation.

~posted by Christine, 1:37 PM