Day 71: Are These Just The Lies That Feed Our Nations

About a year or so ago, my partner borrowed a book from the library. It was called Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio. He thought it was something that I would find interesting. Boy was he right! It was so thought-provoking that I had to go out and buy it!

The basic premise of the book is that it "presents a photographic study of families from around the world, revealing what people eat during the course of one week. Each family's profile includes a detailed description of their weekly food purchases; photographs of the family at home, at market, and in their community; and a portrait of the entire family surrounded by a week's worth of groceries."

Just looking at the photos of a couple of typical U.S. families and the amounts of food they buy in a week compared to others around the world was eye-opening. But that wasn't the part that affected me and caused me reassess my food consumption. It was the entry about Okinawa that got me thinking.

The typical life expectancy of a male Okinawan is 77 years. For the average female it's 86 years. However, there are many who live longer than that. In fact, Okinawa ranks number 1 in life expectancy. These facts alone have drawn researchers to study it and figure out why a disproportionately large number of Okinawans live to age 100 or more.

Some scientists say it's because of a unique combination of factors, including healthy eating habits, exercise, and low stress. That may be true as expressed by a phrase used by older Okinawans—Hara hachi bu—"eat only until 80 percent full." Plus, a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood seem to be doing them a world of good.

Unfortunately, the Okinawa Prefecture is noticing a disturbing trend. Okinawans under the age of 50 are starting to have higher rates of obesity, and they're seeing a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and premature death.

What has changed from one generation to the next? The answer to that may lie in the fact that Okinawan cities are now filled with McDonald's, KFC, and A&Ws among other chains. The younger generation are no longer eating the same foods that their parents and grandparents dine on. Instead, they're opting for the quick and cheap Western fast food.

I like the quote from Keiko Matsuda, who was part of the Okinawan family that was interviewed for the book. Keiko has never eaten fast food and she's sure she doesn't want to: "I think it isn't very nutritious," she says. In her opinion, Western food consists of "a lot of bread, I think. We only see bread as a dessert of snack—not a main food."

The invasion of U.S. fast food and quickie meals are quite evident in the pages of Hungry Planet In Australia, Aboriginal children tend to prefer food from Mackas (Aussie slang for McDonalds) than food from their own culture. In China, the biggest Western fast food chain is KFC, which has more than 100 outlet in Beijing alone. (There's even a picture of Colonel Sanders wearing a fancy old-style Chinese soldier uniform.) Some very familiar packaging from U.S. companies can be seen in the homes of families in France, Germany, England, Italy, and Kuwait, just to name a few. I mean, why does a family in Greenland need Ritz crackers, Coco Krispies, and bottled water?

It's kind of sad seeing some of these amazing cultures slowly succumbing to the U.S. influence. It's also a bit infuriating realizing that some of these corporations don't give a whit about anyone's health—it's just all about the bottom line.