Feeling Guilty For Cheating On Your Diet Makes Matters Worse

“The door to good health is always wide open- it is only our perspective that creates the illusion that it is closed.”

So you blew it. You went off your diet completely and ate something that you shouldn’t have. What should be your next course of action? Should it be an extra hour of cardio to burn off the offending calories? A resolution to eat less tomorrow to make up for today’s overindulgences? Or should you just sit and contemplate how much of a miserable failure you must be for not having the willpower to stay on your diet? The correct answer to this oft-asked question is none of the above! Crime and punishment, guilt and penance may have some bearing in other parts of your life but it has no bearing whatsoever as far as food is concerned. In fact the more you beat yourself up over eating the wrong foods- the more likely you are to keep on eating it!

Guilt \ˈgilt\: noun
1 : the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty; broadly : guilty conduct
2 a : the state of one who has committed an offense especially consciously b : feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses, sin or from a sense of inadequacy : self-reproach
3 : a feeling of culpability for offenses

.

In many ways, food has become the new sin. Once upon a time we ate with little thought to waistlines and Body Mass Index but today the act of eating is often thought of as an immoral action. One that so many use to justify self flagellation and lower self esteem. Like so many iniquities, it always seems to start innocently enough with the best of intentions but you slip anyway. Be it the extra slice of chocolate cake, the glass of wine at the company party, the apple-pie at the family holiday dinner or the bag of chips while you’re watching television at home unwinding after a long day. Yet, as much as you hate yourself in the moment, like most transgressions there’s no mistake that you do enjoy it. Whether we like it or not, rich, fatty, salty and sugary food appeal to us on a biological level and they indeed feel sinful for lack of a better word. Nevertheless, after blowing your diet, you feel absolutely guilt ridden afterwards.  For many, this feeling of guilt can be overwhelming. But as legitimate as this guilt may feel, is it really helpful? -or does it do more harm than good? Thankfully the answer is resoundingly negative. In fact, from what we know of behavioral psychology, the more you beat yourself up about eating something the more likely you are to keep eating it. It’s a vicious circle and one that traps many in a pattern of indulgence followed by self loathing.

Why Do We Feel Guilty After Eating The Wrong Foods

The first step to understanding the harm that guilt inflicts upon us when we associate it with food is to objectively understand our behavior with regard to food consumption. It is said that if you know your enemy and know yourself, in a thousand battles you will never be in peril. These words written by a Chinese sage thousands of years ago apply to the strategies of war just as well as it does to the inner battles we fight to eat better. Behavior modification can only happen if we have an intimate and nonjudgmental understanding of ourselves and what we are up against. Most simply make the resolution to eat healthy with little thought to the subconscious mechanisms that keep us from achieving our goals. As valiant as it may seem to draw a line in the sand one day and declare that you’re not going to eat junk food anymore, this approach is almost always unsuccessful in the long term. If it were that easy, then weight management wouldn’t be an issue and we all know that this most certainly isn’t the case.

Punishing Yourself After Cheating On Your Diet Only Makes Things Worse.

To change the way we eat requires far more than a resolution. There must be instead an unrelenting commitment to a very real change in lifestyle- one that includes the possibility that we will from time to time slip and fall while on the path. To change the way we eat we have to first divorce ourselves from the destructive perspective that we must in some way atone for any failures on the path of change. It is human nature to believe that when a ‘wrong’ is committed that some form of guilt is required. In most cases, we feel that this guilt needs to be paired with some form of penance to make things better. As natural as this may seem to us in a predominantly Judeo-Christian society, it doesn’t make things any better with regards to our eating habits. The association of  ‘wrongdoing’ with our foods has no positive outcomes. It can be the starting point for lifelong eating disorders because one of our most fundamental acts as human beings is defiled by what we perceive as a lack of willpower. Over the course of my career as a personal trainer, I‘ve seen so many men and women suffer needlessly and tremendously from this way of thinking. Sadly, our society as a whole plays a large role in reinforcing feelings of guilt and failure in those who struggle to control their weight. We commonly associate not being able to control your weight with some sense of moral failure. When people yield to the temptation of eating the wrong foods, they tend to fall into a downward spiral of self hatred and disgust. This self inflicted form of  flagellation is followed by a resolve to either exercise more, diet harder or employ some extreme method to compensate for the ‘damage’ done by their indulgence. Sadly, this is an all too familiar refrain for most people today.

A Healthy Mind and a Healthy Body Has No Place For Food Related Guilt

Physiologically speaking, there isn’t anything you can do to make up for a slip in your diet. No amount of cardio or starving yourself after the fact can change the reality of what has already been done. Any thoughts to the contrary fall neatly into the realms of magical thinking as the universe doesn’t have a rewind button. What is done is done so you just have to move on. And so we must simply move on. Wallowing in guilt and trying to make up for our bad choices with hours of exercise doesn’t bring you any closer to the body of your dreams. If anything, it only pushes you further away from your intended goal of a healthier lifestyle. Instead, we must learn to see our slips for what they are: learning experiences that teach us more about ourselves. Every slip holds the information we  need to help us avoid a re-occurrence. Far from being a time to reflect on how much of a loser you are, it’s an opportunity to see what triggers make you stray from your intended path. Is it people? Is it places? Or is it a reaction to stress? Each time brings the opportunity to figure out just what you need to look out for in the future.

Guilt Makes You More Likely To Keep Eating The Wrong Foods

It’s a bit of a Catch 22 situation when you resolve to no longer eat unhealthy foods. While you might believe that this affirmation will change your behavior, on a subconscious level it can actually work against you to reinforce your original habits of eating unhealthy foods. It sounds counterintuitive but behavioral psychology confirms what many of us learn the hard way: that the very habits that we seek to change resurface because our trying hard to forget them keeps them from being  forgotten. When we want to change a behavior, both the new and old ways of thinking will co-exist within us as opposing impulses. Impulses that will always be in competition unless we understand what is going on and take active steps to disarm our undesirable attitudes. Consequently, the more you beat yourself over the head for eating that piece of cheesecake, the more you are helping yourself recall the image of you eating the cheesecake. Which then makes it much harder to forget about eating cheesecake… which ultimately is what you need to do.

So, how do you forget the wonderfully decadent foods that you shouldn’t eat? As impossible as it may sound, it can be done and be reassured by the fact that people do it all the time. But it doesn’t happen overnight and it does require some patience on your part. What needs to happen is a gradual shift in your eating patterns over time where new healthy foods replace the old unhealthy ones foods. As time goes by, the  new healthy foods will stay at our primary level of consciousness and the once almost uncontrollable  desires for the old unhealthy ones simply fade away. It’s a very subtle shift- one that often goes unnoticed until one day you realize that you just don’t feel like eating junk food anymore. You can’t get this from fad diets, pills and powders as it is a very private process that you have to personally work towards. It’s a journey that leads to a true definition of health; one where you really want to eat the foods that are good for you as opposed to avoiding the bad foods because you know you shouldn’t eat them. Such a state requires fundamental change in perspective, as it is only when you are able to enjoy the foods that are good for you that you will be able to break the cycle. In the meantime, do your best not to eat the wrong foods, but if you do -just keep going. Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up if you slip here and there.

For more useful tips on how to stay on track with your diet check out these articles:

Food & Self Control- How We Stop Cravings?

Changing Your Diet Forever- Why Is It So Hard?

What Is It Like To Not Cheat On Your Diet?

Why We Regain Weight- The Leptin Connection

Weight Loss Isn’t Always Logical

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York City area and need help losing weight or getting into shape give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420. Check out Kevin’s personal training services here.

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Multi-vitamins And Vitamin Supplements Can Do More Harm Than Good

“Except for persons with special medical needs, there is no scientific basis for recommending the routine use of dietary supplements”- Food & Drug Administration

In a rather ironic twist, sales of vitamin supplements have surged as the economy has slowed. Once the mainstay of the health and fitness minded, vitamins are now seen by the general public as a quick, inexpensive and convenient way to improve their health and reduce their chances of getting sick. Thanks to savvy marketing on the part of the supplement industry vitamins now serve as an unofficial insurance policy for those who don’t have medical benefits and can’t afford to see a doctor. There is also the ever-growing number of people  who for one reason or another prefer to avoid Western medicine as much as possible. Vitamins are also popular among those who believe that taking a multivitamin will not only improve their health, give them more energy but also compensate for their poor dietary habits.[1] With over 15,000 dietary supplements on the market racking in over 17 billion dollars in sales each year[2] estimates are that anywhere from 25% to 50% of American adults have taken some form of vitamin supplement over the past year.[1,3] However as ubiquitous as these supplements have become there is still little credible and unbiased research to show that vitamin supplements have any effect in improving our health. On the contrary, many studies raise the issue that most supplemented vitamins are not  just ineffective but may be bad for your health.

Multi-vitamins & Vitamin Supplements Don’t Improve Your Health

“If a product says on the bottle that it isn’t meant to treat, diagnose or cure disease, what is it supposed to do?”

In 2009 researchers from the Women’s Health Institute concluded a 15 year study of methods to prevent heart disease and cancers in post menopausal women. The study was monumental in its scope, observing a total of 161,808 women using vitamin supplements for eight years and then checking in on them for several years afterwards. The conclusions were not very positive as researchers noted that there was ‘convincing evidence that multivitamin use has little or no influence on the risk of common cancers, CVD or total mortality.’[4] Another recent meta analysis of over 27 studies encompassing a total of 355,080 women had a similar finding- namely that multivitamin use had no effect on decreasing the risk of breast cancer.[5] A study on the intake of vitamins E and C by 15,000 male physicians over the course of ten years found absolutely no health benefits as well.[9] These results don’t come from small scale, industry-sponsored, single nutrient research but from credible and peer reviewed scientific study. Nevertheless these findings do little to dissuade the public from using them as the cacophony of self promoting misinformation disseminated by the supplement industry effectively drowns out any negative findings, regardless of how conclusive it may be. What is more cause for concern  are other studies have shown that vitamin supplements may actually increase your risk of certain diseases.

Using  Multi-vitamins & Vitamin Supplements May Increase Your Risk Of Disease

One of the initial warnings for not using vitamin supplements came in 2005 with a study finding that a high percentage of men who were white, well educated, and who had active and healthy lifestyles with prostate cancer had one thing in common. They regularly took vitamin supplements.[6] Following up on this was a trial of 295,344 men enrolled in the National Institutes of Health Diet & Health Study. The trial found that while vitamin supplements didn’t seem to increase the risk of localized prostate cancer, those who took them frequently had in some cases twice the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer. Frequent users were also were more likely to die from prostate cancer than those who never took vitamin supplements at all [7]- a sobering conclusion to say the least.  Positive cancer associations with excessive multivitamin use were strongest in men with a family history of prostate cancer or among those who took individual micronutrient supplements.  Including selenium, beta-carotene and zinc.

The use of individual vitamins as antioxidants has also raised concerns in the medical community after one of the most comprehensive reviews of randomized trials of 232,606 adults using beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E and selenium. Researchers found that not only did participants not receive any health benefits from using vitamin supplements, but that supplemented intake of beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may actually increase mortality.[8] More studies were recommended to research the possible effects of vitamin C and selenium on mortality but in 2008 a study on the ability of vitamin E and selenium to lower the risk of prostate cancer was halted amidst fear of potential harm to participants. The study was stopped after it was found that supplemental vitamin C may do more harm than good as it may serve to protect cancer cells.[9]

It gets worse. A recent control study in the United Kingdom found that high circulating blood levels of Vitamin B(12) and (in cohort studies) folate were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer [10] casting severe doubts on the use of vitamin B12 supplements and folic acid in men. Another study found that long term use of zinc from multivitamins or single nutrient  supplements was associated with a doubling in the risk of prostate cancer. Adding to the growing evidence for an unfavorable effect of zinc on prostate cancer carcinogenesis.[11]

It doesn’t end there; a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that, ‘in patients with vascular disease or diabetes, long-term supplementation with 400 IU/day of vitamin E may increase the risk for heart failure.’[12] It isn’t all bad feedback on vitamins as there is compelling cause and effect data linking the use of folic acid with consistent and significant reductions in adverse pregnancy outcomes in women. But on the other side there are also studies demonstrating no beneficial effects of calcium and vitamin D supplements in improving bone strength and reducing fractures.[9] It’s a complex issue but not one where the use of supplemented vitamins seem to make sense, especially given the alternatives.

Vitamins and Anti-Oxidants May Inhibit The Benefits of Exercise

It should be noted that ‘effective’ doses of many vitamins and minerals can be toxic and that high levels of any single nutrient being ingested into our bodies is an unnatural occurrence. In nature it isn’t possible to consume just one nutrient as they always coexist with a host of other valuable compounds. Not surprisingly studies have found that high levels of single nutrients can interfere with the functions of other nutrients and the way our body works. Of concern to anyone engaged in an exercise program is the study which found that large amounts of antioxidants can actually reduce the benefits of exercise. A study published in 2009 evaluated the effects of a combination of vitamin C (1000 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU/day) on insulin sensitivity in exercising men and the results were eye opening to say the least. They found that supplementation with antioxidants inhibit the beneficial reduction in insulin sensitivity usually produced by exercise[13] and the conclusion was that anti-oxidants may preclude the health-promoting effects of exercise in humans.

Exercise appears to cause some degree of damage to cells in addition to increasing oxidative stress. While not conclusive, some studies have reported that supplementation with vitamin C and E, other antioxidants, or antioxidant mixtures can reduce symptoms or indicators of oxidative stress while having no beneficial effect on performance.[15] This reduction inhibits the otherwise positive benefits of exercise and researchers advise that until studies fully substantiate the long term safety and effects of antioxidants physically active individuals should avoid them and instead ingest a diet of foods rich in antioxidants.[14, 15.16]

Vitamins Can’t Make You Healthy- Eating Well & Exercising Makes You Healthy

Studies questioning the safety and effectiveness of vitamins are numerous- and yet there are hundreds if not thousands of studies that confirm that regular exercise can decrease your risk of everything from depression to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin supplements however don’t have very convincing records. What has also been proven time and time again is that diets high in natural foods which contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are associated with lower incidences of chronic disease. Taking vitamins in pill form doesn’t yield similar advantages. It sounds like a broken record but whenever we try to duplicate the health benefits of natural foods with an artificial substitutes it usually doesn’t work and or produces negative outcomes. The use of omega-3 fortified foods and the many dietary supplements on the market are glowing examples of how the supplement industry promotes the use of synthetically produced ‘nutraceuticals’- all of which have questionable effects on public health. While vitamin supplements have seemed to show some benefit among individuals with severe deficiencies, in the United States it is almost impossible to find such a case- even among poorer populations as improvements in food supply and varieties in diet eradicated such deficiencies earlier in the 20th Century.

Dispelling The Myths: Vitamins Replace Micronutrients Not Found in Modern Diets

“Deficiency symptoms have been induced only under experimental conditions and there is no convincing evidence that the ordinary diet requires supplementation with these nutrients.” Food & Drug Administration

While there is no arguing that the average American diet is one in need of improvement, even with a food intake high in sugars, refined foods, salt and fats micronutrient deficiency to the point of severity is almost non-existent. Our problems stem from the overabundance of food which can lead to obesity and the syndrome of metabolic related diseases but deficiencies are the least of our problems today in spite of what you may hear in the media and from studies funded by the special interest groups who want you to buy their products. A good example is a recent study that made headlines reporting that 90% of Americans are nutrient deficient. The ‘research’ found that nine out of ten Americans are deficient in 11 key nutrients including calcium, vitamin D and potassium. It sounds alarming but before you run to buy some vitamins you might want to consider two important facts;

1. The study wasn’t reviewed or recognized by any scientific authorities on nutrition and
2. The fact that the study was done by the Milk Processor Education Dairy Research Program and that the study came with a recommendation that drinking more milk would alleviate these deficiencies.

It’s a typical industry-centered public relations campaign which is designed to looks like a scientific study, but is really just another way to make you buy more products. (Read more on industry marketing practices in The Economics of Obesity)
Throughout history we humans have been able to meet our vitamin and mineral needs by consuming available plant and animal foods. With the exception of human breast milk no one food is better than another or absolutely necessary for optimal health, and by mixing and matching our foods we are naturally able to create healthy diets that not only meet our nutrient needs but also suit our tastes, cultural, religious and ethnic preferences.

Dispelling The Myths: Foods Grown Today Have Less Vitamins and Minerals Than Several Years Ago So You Need Vitamin Supplements To Replace Them

“Vitamins and minerals are supplied in abundant amounts by the foods we eat. The Food & Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommends that dietary needs be satisfied by foods.” – Food & Drug Administration

The depleted soil theory has been a popular selling point for manufacturers in the vitamin industry for years. The theory holds that soils today have been depleted due to intensive agriculture practices so fruits and vegetables today contain less nutrients than they did 50 years ago. Following that logic you need a vitamin supplement to get the missing nutrients. Sounds good but again it isn’t exactly true. Studies have found some reduction in nutrient content in vegetables grown today as opposed to 50 years ago, but his has nothing to do with soil quality which has remained the same. So what is the real story? Well, the marked increase in American food production over the past several decades occurred as farmers developed crops that grew faster and thus produced the greatest yields. The consequence of a faster growing plant is that it can’t acquire the same amount of nutrients from the soil or from synthesis as much as their slower growing counterparts. The differences vary between varieties of plants with declines found in six macronutrients and micronutrients- protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C. The reductions ranged from 6 % for protein, 20 % for vitamin C, 15 % for iron, and 38% for riboflavin.[17]

That being said the study’s author, Donald Davis a biochemist at the University of Texas, affirmed that it was wrong to stop eating vegetables on the grounds they lack nutrients or that vitamin supplementation is in any way necessary. What he did say, was that fruits and vegetables are still extremely high in vitamins, minerals and beneficial phytochemicals and remain our best sources of these nutrients. Valuable nutrients that are not present in vitamin supplements. His study also concluded that while there was a decline in the amount of certain nutrients it must be remembered that this came with the benefit of more available fruits and vegetables available for consumption which have gone a long way towards eliminating severe deficiencies.

More Vitamin Myths Dispelled

There are other arguments put forward by vitamin distributors, all answered by very basic science.

Does cooking reduce the amount of nutrients in our foods?

Absolutely, but not very much and most certainly not to the point where we develop vitamin deficiencies. If this were the case given the laws of natural selection humans would have either died out several hundred thousand years ago when we began using fire to cook out foods or stopped cooking. Either way cooking foods isn’t a valid reason for supplementation. Furthermore- if cooking does reduce vitamin content slightly, what do you think happens when those vitamins are processed and refined by machines and stamped into pill or powder form?

People feel better when they take vitamins.

This argument is equally flawed. Most of the ‘benefits’ of supplements can be explained by the placebo effect and the often ignored ability of the human body to heal itself. Studies showing that people taking vitamins are in better health also conveniently forget to say that statistics show that these people tend to be better educated and have higher incomes. Thus putting them in a subgroup of society that is healthier whether or not they take vitamin supplements.

Unfortunately selling vitamins is often a major source of income for many in the health and fitness fields and few are willing to jeopardize losing their commissions by speaking out against them. Vitamin distributors spend a lot of time convincing professionals in the field to sell their products- I get at least two or three requests a week. All from companies with vitamins purportedly made with ingredients that are more natural and of better quality of what you find on the market. They can be quite persuasive and the compensation is often substantial so it creates a legion of professionals who consumers really trust pushing the use of vitamins. A brilliant marketing ploy, but one that puts profits before public health. The magic pill ideology also takes away from the important and proven effective message of eating more fruits, vegetables and natural foods while incorporating exercise into your life. Taking a pill here and there isn’t going to make you any healthier and in many cases may do more harm than good.

If you enjoyed this article be sure to click here to download a copy of Kevin’s free weight loss ebook

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City, an award winning health and fitness writer and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York City area and need help losing weight or getting into shape give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420. Check out Kevin personal training services here.

References :
1. Blendon RJ, DesRoches CM, Benson JM, et al. Americans’ views on the use and regulation of dietary supplements. Archives of Internal Medicine 2001
2. The Nutrition Business Journal, 2001
3. Dietary supplement survey 2004- Insitute of Medicine
4. Neuhouser ML, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Thomson C, Aragaki A, Anderson GL, Manson JE, Patterson RE, Rohan TE, van Horn L, Shikany JM, Thomas A, LaCroix A, Prentice RL.Multivitamin use and risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in the Women’s  Health Initiative cohorts. Arch Intern Med. 2009
5.Chan AL, Leung HW, Wang SF.Multivitamin supplement use and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis.Ann Pharmacother. 2011
6. Wiygul JB, Evans BR, Peterson BL, Polascik TJ, Walther PJ, Robertson CN, Albala DM, Demark-Wahnefried W.Supplement use among men with prostate cancer.Urology 2005
7. Lawson KA, Wright ME, Subar A, Mouw T, Hollenbeck A, Schatzkin A, Leitzmann MF.Multivitamin use and risk of prostate cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007
8. Bjelakovic G, Nikolova D, Gluud LL, Simonetti RG, Gluud C.Mortality in randomized trials of antioxidant supplements for primary and secondary prevention: systematic review and meta-analysis.JAMA. 2007
9.Soni MG, Thurmond TS, Miller ER 3rd, Spriggs T, Bendich A, Omaye ST.Safety of vitamins and minerals: controversies and perspective.Toxicol Sci. 2010
10. Collin SM, Metcalfe C, Refsum H, Lewis SJ, Zuccolo L, Smith GD, Chen L, Harris R, Davis M, Marsden G, Johnston C, Lane JA, Ebbing M, Bønaa KH, Nygård O, Ueland PM, Grau MV, Baron JA, Donovan JL, Neal DE, Hamdy FC, Smith AD, Martin RM. Circulating folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, vitamin B12 transport proteins, and risk of prostate cancer: a case-control study, systematic review, and meta-analysis.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010
11. Zhang Y, Coogan P, Palmer JR, Strom BL, Rosenberg L.Vitamin and mineral use and risk of prostate cancer: the case-control surveillance study.Cancer Causes Control. 2009
12. Lonn E, et al. Effects of long-term vitamin E supplementation on cardiovascular events and cancer: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2005;293:1338-1347.
13. Ristow M, Zarse K, Oberbach A, Klöting N, Birringer M, Kiehntopf M, Stumvoll M, Kahn CR, Blüher M. Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009
14.Clarkson PM, Thompson HS.Antioxidants: what role do they play in physical activity and health? Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Aug;72(2 Suppl):637S-46S.
15. Evans WJ. Vitamin E, vitamin C, and exercise. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000
16. Sacheck JM, Blumberg JB. Role of vitamin E and oxidative stress in exercise. Nutrition. 2001
17. Davis DR, Epp MD, Riordan HD.Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. J Am Coll Nutr.

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The Economics Of Obesity- How The Food Industry Makes Us Eat More- Part 2 of 2

This is part two of two articles on the economics of obesity. If you haven’t already you can read part one here:  Why The Food Industry Needs Us To Overeat- The Economics Of Obesity Part One

The Effects of Food Industry Advertising on Public Eating Habits

The influence of the American food industry doesn’t stop with convincing Washington to promote their interests, but reaches deep into our very hearts and minds through omnipresent advertising. Cut throat public relations campaigns are essential in an environment where there is such an overabundance of product. Our enormously high food production rates here in the United States brings about fierce competition among brands. So much so that it creates giant conglomerates as companies merge as a way to reduce competition and increase overall influence. Small companies simply can’t compete against monster corporations with billions in revenue and they are inevitably bought out and assimilated into the larger conglomerates. It’s a perfectly legal activity but it does lead to some degree of deception on the consumer end as buying out the competition creates the illusion that consumers have more choices than they really do. Only three companies, Philip Morris (you might know them better as Kraft Foods and Miller Brewing), ConAgra and RJR-Nabisco accounted for 20% of the market in 1997.[1] With the growing popularity of organic foods, the corporate Goliaths were quick to step in and buy out almost all of the small scale organic farms and companies who made products that they public loved to support. You never get the memo announcing the sale, nor is there much of anything in the news as they do their best to keep any such acquisitions as quiet as possible. You’ll just see your favorite local brands in more supermarkets than before in larger quantities with a significant increase in the amount of advertising for it. All geared towards making you eat more.

Why Making Junk Food Is An Important Part Of Keeping Profits High

In 2002, we had 320,000 different food items for sale here in the U.S. with one small problem- supermarket shelves only have room for 50,000 products.[2] Given such an outlandish surplus, foods today have to appeal to consumers while not costing too much as the American public as a whole is not willing to spend very much on what they eat. Americans spend less than 10% of their income on food- which might seem like a lot to those of us who live here, but it is far less than what is spent in other developed countries. Europeans spend 15-17% of their income in food, the Japanese spend 20% and people in poorer countries spend half to as much as 70% of their income on food.  American consumers however will not tolerate such high food costs, and so to keep prices low, food producers cut corners whenever they can. This means using farming models that aren’t always best practices for the environment or the animals involved, but ones that yield the most profit from lower overhead costs. Food producers also increase their profits by making more processed products. For example, by turning corn (which is dirt cheap and doesn’t bring much in terms of mark up profit) into corn snacks (which are relatively expensive), they increase the value of a basic foods. That these foods are for the most part nutritionally worthless isn’t the point- people will buy it, it doesn’t cost much to make and the profit margins make it worthwhile. Thus cheap rice is made into expensive organic rice crackers and inexpensive potatoes become pricey chips and French fries.

It isn’t possible to mark up the value of fresh fruit and vegetables very much other than giving it an organic label- but there are limits to how much consumers will pay for fruits and vegetables and they don’t sell as well as processed foods. To make matters worse, vegetable growers get as little as 5% of the market value when you purchase produce in a store while poultry and meat producers get anywhere from 50 to 60% of the final retail costs. Again, the economics are stacked against healthy foods. So calls to action by eating more fruits and vegetables won’t do much if food growers make such relatively little profits. Almost 70% of the 33 billion dollars spent on food advertising goes towards persuading the public to eat more candy, snacks, soft drinks, desserts and alcoholic beverages. The fruit, vegetable and grain sectors make up only 2.2%[3] of those advertising dollars while the USDA spends less than 300 million dollars a year on education on healthy eating. This number isn’t completely an accurate figure as most of those funds go towards agricultural research projects so the total amount dedicated to promoting better food choices is far less. To say the odds are against the messages of not overeating and avoiding junk foods would be an understatement of the highest degree.

The Ideal Consumer Is A Confused Consumer

One of the most harmful aspects of the food industry lobby is the exploitation of single nutrient studies. Food companies help fund research centered on the potential health benefits of single nutrients and then use the results of these studies to justify ridiculous health claims on their labels. There is considerable confusion created by the mixed messages and constantly changing ‘nutritional news’ when one study reportedly finds a food product to be healthy one day and another study finds it to be harmful the next. Such confusion works to the advantage of food producers as confused consumers are more likely to believe the questionable health claims on their products. The influence of the food conglomerates is frightening and far more insidious than we like to think. The heart healthy check mark of the American Heart Association is one of the most recognized consumer health symbols in America- yet it has been brazenly displayed on the sides of boxes of Lucky Charms, Trix, and Cocoa Puff cereals, in addition to Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drinks, Healthy Choice’s Caramel Swirl Ice Cream and Mazola Corn oil. None of these products are remotely healthy by any stretch of the imagination, yet somehow they were able to secure backing from one of the most prominent and trusted health authorities in the country. I will leave you to your own conclusions as to how that happens.

How The Food Industry Makes You Eat More

One of the easiest ways to make consumers eat more is to make the larger sizes cheaper.

The other way food companies increase their profits is by making you eat more. While no one likes to admit to being manipulated, the rising levels of obese and overweight men, women and children here in the U. S. show that the food companies have been enormously successful at manipulating us to eat more. With a limited number of calories that can possibly be consumed by the adult population, promotion to children to get them to eat more as well has become a standard part of the food industry’s advertising push over the past several decades. Interestingly enough, this increase in advertising focus coincides directly with the term Adult Onset Diabetes being officially changed to Type II diabetes given the alarmingly high number of children that are developing it today. It’s hardly a coincidence.  In the years 1976-1980 the rate of obesity among preschoolers aged 2-5 was only 5.0%. A rate that doubled to 10.4% in the years 2007-2008. The figures get worse as the children get older as obesity rates among those aged 6-11 jumped from 6.5% to 19.6% during the same periods and increased from 5.0 % to 181% among adolescents aged 12-19.[4] Focusing on getting kids to eat more isn’t the only way food companies increase consumer eating habits- adults are equally targeted by shrewd policies that go unnoticed by most of us.

One of the easiest ways companies get you to eat more is by increasing serving sizes. By making the bigger serving portions cheaper than the smaller ones consumers inevitably go for the better deal and end up eating more in the process. It’s a masterful strategy as you have to pay more to eat less. Now it might seem that the food industry loses money by giving you bigger portions in restaurants and packaged products, but it’s sound economics in terms of their profits. The cost of food production is quite low relative to labor and the aforementioned factors used to increase the retail price of the original food. So, by encouraging larger portions and increasing the cost of smaller ones- you make people buy more and eat more. It’s a relatively easy way to increasing profits without increasing production, but it creates unhealthy serving sizes and a population that doesn’t think twice about eating more to get the most ‘bang for their buck.’ Take a look at the oversized popcorn and soda choices at movie theaters that cost only a fraction more than the smaller options. Look at the ‘bargain’ supersized portions sold at fast food restaurants and the better value bigger packages in supermarkets and you’ll see it for yourself. No other country that I’ve been to has servings quite as larger as the ones offered here in America and it’s all part of a carefully thought out strategy to make you buy more and eat more. The constant influx of new products also plays a major role in getting people to eat more. New food products labeled as ‘organic’ or containing ‘organic ingredients’ have joined the roster of ‘low fat’, ‘all natural’, ‘fat free’, ‘no cholesterol’, ‘high fiber’, and vitamin enriched foods. None of these labels have any bearing on whether a food is inherently healthy or not, but it gives the public a feeling of comfort when they buy them. A sense of comfort that also encourages us to over consume foods that we shouldn’t be eating in the first place. If high fructose corn syrup is bad today, replacing it with ‘organic sugar’ in a product still makes it a junk food, but the illusion of it being healthier persuades consumers to eat it with a guilt free conscience. Feeling guilt free about what you eat won’t stop you from gaining weight by eating too many empty calories but it is good for business.

How To Protect Yourself From Marketing Messages To Eat More

We gain nothing by saying that we are immune to the effects of food advertising as such ways of thinking only leads to a false sense of security. Most advertising operates far below our consciousness and it influences even the most health conscious of us all. Today there is little that isn’t manipulated to make you buy more and eat more; religion, your concerns about the environment, animal rights and your own health concerns are all used to influence your buying and eating decisions with products designed to align with your way of thinking. Whether we like it or not, research consistently shows that by increasing the intensity, repetition and visibility of food related advertising messages we buy more and eat more.[5] Our 24/7 hour connections to the Internet, television and other media makes it almost impossible to avoid ads and secluding yourself in the mountains isn’t a practical answer to not being influenced by them.  However if you understand how the food industry works, you’ll be far less likely to fall for the ploys designed to make you eat more of the wrong foods.

Eating healthy isn’t confusing- it’s just not titillating or slick by any stretch of the imagination, and in a room with so many other voices shouting louder it isn’t often heard. The new and entertainment industry wouldn’t see much of an increase in their audience if every diet related segment said that you should avoid refined and processed foods, don’t overeat and use only fruits and vegetables as your snacks. Not only is it somewhat tedious, but it would alienates the very food companies whose refined products provide the lion share of advertising profits. It might not be a popular message backed by billions, but it is one that won’t ever change and one that you should heed if you are serious about being in shape.

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training. You can download his free weight loss  ebook here. If you live in the New York City area and need help losing weight or getting into shape give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420. Check out Kevin personal training services here.

Recommended Reading: Food Politics. How the food industry influences nutrition and health by Marion Nestle. University of California Press

References:

1. Nestle M. Food Politics. How the food industry influences nutrition and health. University of California Press

2. Harris JM et al. The Food Marketing System. 2002 Agricultural Economics Report

3.Gallo AE. Food Advertising in the United States. America’s Eating Habits- Changes and Consequences- USDA

4.Ogden C, Carroll M. Prevalence of Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, Trends 1963-1965 Through 2007-2008. CDC

5. Enyinda CI, Ogbeuechi AO. An empirical analysis of retail pricing and multimedia effects on sales performance. J Food Products Marketing.

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Nominate Kevin Richardson for a social media award in the Shorty Awards

The Economics Of Obesity- Why The Food Industry Needs Us To Overeat

In 2007-2008, the prevalence of obesity in the American population was a staggering 32.2% among adult men and even higher at 35.5% among adult women.[1] It isn’t a secret that the overabundance of food and the propensity towards overeating are key contributing factors to the lofty numbers of obese and overweight men, women and children here in the United States. But few understand the economics of what brought us to this unfortunate juncture in our health history. Weight problems and the collection of metabolic related diseases that accompany them stem mainly from eating more calories than we need. It might seem a simple cause and effect relationship but is personal weakness really the issue behind our tendency to overeat, or are there significant external factors? A studious look at the economics of food production provides considerable insight into the fact that overeating and excessive consumption of processed foods aren’t simply a matter of personal failing- but are requirements for the continued success of the U.S. food industry in its current form.

As disquieting as it may be, almost everything we hear or see relating to how and what we should eat is influenced in one way or another by major food conglomerates. From the seemingly obvious advertising via the direct media, to not-so-obvious processed food product friendly studies and government issued dietary guidelines. The fact that we are mostly unaware of the effectiveness of advertising and public relations by the food industry in making us eat more of the foods than we should is in itself a testament to its success. Food companies spend upwards of 33 billion dollars a year promoting their wares to the public- a figure that’s hard for most of us to really comprehend. Seventy percent of those funds are used to promote processed convenience foods, candy, snacks, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and desserts compared to the meager 2.2% which goes towards the encouraging consumption of fruit, vegetables, grains or beans.[2] The state of confusion experienced by most members of the public with regards to all matters related to diet and what is or isn’t healthy, is a deliberately planned result of these advertising dollars. Consequently, more people believe they are eating healthy while overeating and consuming the very processed foods and beverages that lead to weight gain.

Understanding The Impact of The Food Industry On Our Eating Habits

People often ask why would the food industry go to such ends to undermine public health and why does our government allow such things to happen? Most dismiss the question with the overly simplistic refrain that food corporations are inherently evil. As tempting as such explanations may be, the question remains unanswered. We are then left unaware of the inner workings of a system that can often mislead us if we don’t fully understand it.

“Know your enemy and know yourself and in a thousand battles you will always be victorious” –Sun Tsu

When I started personal training twenty years ago in Trinidad, there was never any mystery as to why some of the people who worked with me were overweight. They understood very clearly that their weight gain was caused by eating too much of the wrong foods. They could readily identify what those foods were. They also knew that remedying their situation meant regular exercise and eating a diet of natural foods, fruits and vegetables while avoiding processed food products. Now let’s fast forward to my practice today in New York City, where over the last ten years most of the overweight individuals who start our training program don’t understand how and why they put on weight. Many firmly believed that they followed a healthy diet and were baffled by their weight gain. But those diets always included processed food products. These products, marketed under the healthy food banner and or ‘organic foods’, do little but add an abundance of empty calories and are easily overeaten. Given such deceit, it’s hard not to see food corporations as evil troll-like entities bent on destroying our health. But the explanation is far more complex than we tend to think.

Why companies work so diligently to sabotage our health with messages of overconsumption of unhealthy foods? It has to do with economics and with the limitations of our profit driven society. Corporations are just that: corporations. They don’t have conflicts of conscience or moral dilemmas as they aren’t human beings capable of such abstractions. A corporation is an entity whose survival relies completely on its ability to amass growing profits for its shareholders. The ethics of any system usually revolve around what’s required to sustain the life of said system and food corporations are no exception to this rule. Without profit, corporations eventually cease to exist and so, in the name of generating revenue, everything becomes fair game. With regards to food production here in the United States, there are two inter-related economic factors that most of us don’t think about very often. They are that:

1. Food production in the United States is so efficient that it produces a food supply far greater than the caloric needs of the population
2. In spite of profits that seem to be astronomical, the annual growth rate of the food industry has always been very low

The Overabundance of Food and Its Effects on How the Food Industry Operates

The development of agricultural technologies have allowed American farmers (if you can still call them that) to become more efficient and productive while using less labor. Therefore, the American food supply is now large enough to feed everyone in the country twice- even after exports.[3] As encouraging as this may sound, it does impose some very finite limits- namely that there is more food being produced than people in this country can eat. Even the most voracious can only eat but so much, so in order to be successful, food companies not only have to aggressively promote their products as being superior but also must convince consumers to eat more of it. Much more. Economically speaking, overeating is a required condition for the survival of American food corporations because it is the only way they can turn large enough profits to satisfy their shareholders.

Tying in with the quandary of an overabundant food supply is the problem of limited market growth. With so many different products on the market, the annual growth rate of the food industry is only one or two percentage points. Thus, companies do their utmost to ensure that nothing interferes with this growth as it isn’t very much to begin with. Hence, they spend billions not only in advertising but in influencing government officials, nutritional authorities and the media to either say that their products are healthy or say nothing that could be construed as negative about their products. Lobbyists from the industry pressure Congress to see that no restrictions are placed on the consumption of their foods. The government has little choice but to be swayed by such lobbies as food sales in the U.S. account for 8% of the gross national product which works out to more than a trillion dollars in sales.[3] Equally persuasive is the fact that the food industry employs 12% of the American labor force. So, Washington has no alternative but to look out for their interests – given the enormous impact food production has on the stability of our economy. We tend to see our government as a system designed to protect the interests of its citizens and forget that for our current society to continue, they must also consider the well-being of corporations within its borders.

The Political Consequences Of Food Overproduction

The US need to protect the prosperity of the food conglomerates politicizes all nutritional guidelines. Therefore, policies as words like ‘eat less’, ‘don’t eat’ and ‘bad foods’ are vehemently opposed by lobby groups and seldom find their way into any public statements. Bear in mind that the government also supports financially the food industry to make sure that their profits remain high so it would be ludicrous to think that they would do anything to jeopardize an industry that they help sustain. Our tax dollars subsidize everything from price supports to marketing and food promotion programs. So, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to learn that the government actively works to promote higher consumption levels of foods that may not necessarily be good for us. The recent revelation that the US Department of Agriculture had been working with fast food restaurants to increase the amount of cheese that people eat in pizzas while the administration talks a fighting a war against obesity is a classic example. There is often much going on under the surface. The average citizen isn’t necessarily aware that the government’s public message isn’t always congruent with what goes on behind closed doors.

Read Part 2 of of the Economics Of Obesity- How The Food Industry Makes Us Eat More Than We Should here.

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training. Download a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York City area and need help losing weight or getting into shape give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420. Check out Kevin personal training services here.

References & Sources

1. Flegal KM, Carroll M.D, Ogden CL, Curtin LR- Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, JAMA
2. Gallo AE. Food advertising in the United States. America’s Eating Habits: Changes & Consequences. USDA

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Author, Kevin Richardson

The only way to truly understand a path is to follow it yourself. To me the principles of healthy eating that are the cornerstone of my personal training program Naturally Intense isn’t mere rhetoric but a way of life that I do my best to follow. Throughout my career as a personal trainer, bodybuilder and martial arts teacher, I have done my utmost to adhere to the same basic eating and training rules that I advocate. Interestingly enough, I receive a number of emails and questions about how I maintain such a low body fat percentage all year round. Many ask what the secret is- is it genetics or some special supplement while the truth of the matter is far less complex and has nothing to do with my parents, pills or my age. It’s just a matter of consistency.

I find it somewhat disheartening to see that so few have faith in their own ability to get into great shape and stay that way. The idea that you need something in a bottle or package to realize your fitness goals is worrisome at best as it takes away the focus from what can be done with good old fashioned hard work and dedication. Nelson Mandela captured it best in his inaugural speech as president of the newly liberated republic of South Africa when he said that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure. This applies not only to our potential in the field of academic, financial and social success, but equally towards our ability to transform our bodies and our lives if we sincerely put our minds to it and never give up. We are so distracted by pressures put upon us to become consumers, always in need of help from the outside to do things we can easily do on our own, that we forget our inherent potential.

The Secret To Being In Shape Is That There Aren’t Any Secrets

So how exactly do I stay in such great shape and am able to look better today at 36 (if we don’t take the hair loss into consideration) than I did when I was competing regularly as a drug free bodybuilder in my twenties? As I said before the answer is consistency- I never go off of my diet. Ever. Not for Thanksgiving, not for Christmas, not for Valentines’s Day, not for New Years’, not for my birthday, my kids’ birthdays not for World Earth Day or any other time of celebration. To me festivity isn’t about inflicting harm on my body, but quite the opposite- experiencing the joy of being alive in the company of friends and family. Don’t get me wrong, as my the journey to where I am today was incredibly arduous and there were many times when I thought that I would never reach a place where I could shed the burden of wanting to eat junk foods. As a teenager growing up in Trinidad, where partying is pretty much a way of life, I had to learn how to go to a party with my friends, but not drink what they did, not indulge in foods that I shouldn’t and still find a way to have a good time. Did my friends always support my choices? Of course not and I wouldn’t have expected them to do so. This was and always will be my choice and it would be unfair for me to expect others to change their lives just to suit me. Mine is just a different path. One where you really learn to enjoy every moment in life simply by virtue of being. In my eyes it isn’t a bad place to be.

To some, my eating habits may seem somewhat Draconian. I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t drink juices or anything else except for water, but far from feeling in any way that I am missing out, instead I am quite content with things being as they are. I may have some tea from time to time, but that is more of an exception rather than the rule. I don’t eat refined foods or anything that exists only thanks to the machines in a factory, and that includes everything from protein shakes to refined flour products, breads and everything in between. The more manmade it is the further away from my mouth it stays. A simple rule, really, but it does make me something of an anomaly as it excludes the majority of foods that people eat today. It’s ironic in the sense that eating the way humans have been eating for thousands of years is now looked upon as odd, but that’s just how things are. Growing up in the West Indies did have its benefits as most of the innumerable junk foods that are available here in the United States were unknown to us back home. By the time I migrated some sixteen years ago, I was already accustomed to a lifestyle of avoiding processed foods as much as possible and so there are a lot of foods that I never tasted before and I’ve had no inclination to ever try.

You Won’t Die If You Never Had A Snickers Bar

I have never had a Snickers bar, don’t know what an ice-cream cake tastes like, never had lasagna, and I couldn’t tell you what the difference is between a green M&M and a red one. I never ate at a Burger King, nor do I know who or what General Tso’s is or was and what is so special about his chicken. I don’t know what Parmesan cheese on pasta tastes like and I have a hard time keeping up with conversations about things like cheese fries. Some foods I ate so long ago that I can’t remember what they taste like. The taste of Coca Cola is fading from my memory although I loved it when I was a kid and had it just about twice a year. I think I preferred at one point Pepsi but I can’t really be sure as my last soda was over a decade and a half ago. Don’t think for a moment that I am somehow different or special in any way as I spent years working on improving my own eating habits to be where I am today. I started martial arts when I was 9 and bodybuilding when I was 14 and for all that time I have been doing my best to eat better. It didn’t happen overnight and like everyone else, I have had my share of slips. During my bodybuilding days, protein shakes and bars were the norm. As were donuts, pound cake, pizza and KFC- especially after contests- the very thought of it makes me a bit nauseous now but I couldn’t conceive of never eating those foods ever again back then. Many West Indian dishes were hard to give up as well, but over time the desire to eat things that really weren’t that great for me became less and less, until about 8 years ago or so I just stopped.

Willpower Has Little To Do With Eating Well, When the Body Is Healthy It Will Want Healthy Foods

There were no proclamations, trumpet blowing or anything of the sort, I just stopped eating processed foods because my body didn’t want it anymore. I don’t get cravings for any foods that would not be beneficial to my body as a whole as over time my system evolved in such a way that I like what I eat. Some just can’t seem to accept this and if I had a quarter for every time someone said, “You don’t know what you are missing” I would be on a beach in Tahiti right now trying to figure out which island I should buy next! The irony is that I do know what I am missing- the headaches, the stomach aches, the indigestion, the fatigue, the bloating, the blood sugar swings, the mood swings, not being able to concentrate, the joint aches, being out of breath, having a hard time waking up in the morning- I know all of it and I know it well. I simply choose to follow another path. Some studies estimate that by 2015 the number of overweight or obese American adults will go from its current rate of about 33% to 75%. That said, being in the minority and not following the crowd doesn’t appeal to me as the crowd seems to be heading along a path that I don’t wish to travel. More importantly, reducing my risk of succumbing to the slew of diet related disease brought on by eating the very foods that some might say I am missing out on makes it even harder to understand exactly where I am missing out. You might think that having a six pack is the be all and end all, but to be honest I don’t really spend that much time with my shirt off to think about it very much. I don’t have a full length mirror at home and the only time I get to see what I really look like is when I am at the gym. (Where my training partner will attest that I do my best to make up for lost time!) A neighbor of mine happened to be in the audience of a bodybuilding show where I was guest posing and he was shocked. He never had a clue that I looked the way that I do even though he knew me for the better part of 15 years. I have heard the same from co-workers who worked alongside me for years and that’s actually the way I like things to be. Outside of my business as a personal trainer I usually dress to downplay my physique. I don’t and never did define myself by the way I look and I don’t think it is ever healthy to do so in the first place. It’s nice when people recognize me in the street from my videos or from the Internet, but that’s just how I look. It isn’t who I am. A time will come when I won’t look the way I do now, but it won’t change much of anything. I will still eat the way, exercise as much as I do, but most importantly, I won’t miss a thing!

NYC Personal Trainer Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City, a lifetime drug free bodybuilding champion and the founder of the Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss e-book here! If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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