How Do They Fight Obesity in London?

A common stereotype describing Americans as “fat” and Europeans as “skinny” is fading in front of increasing rates of obesity observed currently in most industrialised countries. Apparently, people are getting fatter everywhere - in the US, Canada, England, Germany, France, Italy…

Researchers link this sad fact to the changes brought along by our modern lifestyle: a heavy reliance on convenient, carb-loaded processed foods instead of nourishing home-cooked meals; sedentary “home-car-office-supermarket-couch” lives instead of more active everyday practices; lack of walking and exercise; and other factors.

Just like in the US, people in Britain spend increasingly more hours driving cars, sitting in front of computers, eating calorie-bursting, pre-packaged foods, and watching TV. The result is an astonishing increase in obesity: more than a quarter of adult Brits are currently grossly overweight and it is estimated that, by the year 2050, over a half of the British population, including men, women, and children, will become obese.

In comparison, in the mid-1950s people of Britain were lean and healthy, with just a small fracture of the population suffering from excess weight and related diseases. They ate whole foods, had a physically-active lifestyle, and used motorized vehicles in a significantly lesser degree than now. In 1950s, an average British woman had a 27 inch waist size, while now the size of an average woman’s waist is more than 34 inches! No wonder, since, half a century ago, women still were extremely active by performing tradition female duties of cooking, washing, everyday food shopping, ironing, and cleaning - time-consuming and labour-intensive activities requiring a lot of physical strength and stamina.

Now, the overwhelming majority of people in industrialized countries, including Britain, extensively use modern appliances and other convenient inventions of our technological civilization, from vacuum cleaners to speedy cars. They burn fewer calories but eat heavier and sweeter foods, which makes the population rapidly gain weight. In fact, over the last two decades the number of fat people in Britain has more than tripled!

What does the British government plan to do in order to combat the epidemic of obesity? It is obvious that conventional anti-obesity measures, currently undertaken in the US and other developed countries, such as encouraging the population to exercise more and eat less unhealthy foods, often do not work. Apparently, more drastic measures should be implemented in order to encourage people to stay lean and fit.

However, the recent report of the British government shows that London follows the example of Washington in their policies to promote weight loss, by emphasising an increased participation in physical activities and a reduced intake of food. No measures are planned to be implemented against manufacturers, advertisers, and sellers of junk foods that currently overwhelm formerly healthy British food and restaurant markets.

Starting the summer, 2008, British health officials will spend a big hunk of the budget to promote active lifestyle among their citizens, especially to encourage walking or cycling to work as a way to burn extra calories. Food labelling will be an essential part of the campaign to tackle the epidemic of obesity. In addition, British health official will follow the example set forth by the USDA Food Pyramid Guide by encouraging people to eat at least five portions of vegetables and fruit daily.

If to take into consideration that, since the carbohydrate-loaded, grain-based Food Pyramid was first introduced in the USA, the number of obese people has increased dramatically, the British population should not expect miracles from the new anti-obesity policy of their government.

Kim Suffolk

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