Adam Richman is an affable man, the kind of guy most people would like to have a beer with, or some food, maybe lots of food. We are talking about the host of the popular television program “Man vs. Food,” which airs on the Travel Channel several times a week.
In this “food reality show,” as it is called by its creators, the host travels across the country to explore “big food,” which means extremely large quantities of food, like sandwiches, burgers or pizzas with massive amounts of toppings and side orders. Each episode culminates in Mr. Richman taking on the challenge of consuming more food than seems humanly possible within a limited amount of time. Afterwards, he presides over a fake press conference as if he had just returned – victorious or defeated – from some sporting event. The fans cheer like crazy either way.
Now in its third year, the program has gained enormous popularity. There are numerous fan clubs on the Internet where followers can share their enthusiasm and exchange tips about the best eateries and the largest servings anywhere in the country. One dedicated fan writes: “I love the weekends, especially when they involve eating your way through the city. A few friends and I got together yesterday with one single goal: to seek and destroy some delicious … food.” Then she goes on: “I first learned about [the name of the restaurant] on Man vs. Food when Adam Richman went… to tackle their Big Foot Burger – a seven pound mammoth hamburger the size of a small child.”
Clearly, Mr. Richman enjoys a growing following (probably in more ways than one).
The fascination with big food is not limited to TV shows and their devoted audiences. Burger King now offers in some selected outlets what they call the “Pizza Burger,” a monster dish worth more than 2,500 calories, 144g of fat (59g of which is saturated) and 3,780mg of sodium (salt), which tops the daily limit for adults. The classic whoppers of yesteryear are nothing compared to these new mega-sized attractions.
Not to be outdone by the competition, KFC has dramatically expanded the size of some of its sandwiches. The “Double Down Chicken Sandwich” consists of 2 large fried chicken fillets, bacon, cheese and sauce, making it a serving of 540 calories and 32g of fat.
These are just two random examples. The idea of extreme over-sizing has spread like wildfire among fast food chains and specialty restaurants. This is a serious step up from the times when Morgan Spurlock made waves with his documentary, “Supersize Me,” a few years ago.
The industries that think up these concepts of extreme over-sizing are obviously not at all concerned with our national obesity epidemic and the public health crisis that follows in its wake. As one commentator wrote, “fast food menus are [apparently] created in board rooms filled with college students and copious amounts of pot.”
Advertising big food through reality shows and YouTube clips alone does probably not make people want to eat themselves sick. But it makes excessive food consumption plausible and eventually acceptable. “Pigging out” is not only popular with the college crowd looking for bragging rights, but also with adults for whom devouring enormous meals is a regular weekend thrill.
Living large, overindulging indiscriminately, pushing the limits no matter the consequences is as American as ice cream and apple pie (no pun intended). This is part of what we have been accustomed to for a very long time. It is impossible to discard all that without making some profound cultural changes first.
When the Obama administration started its anti-obesity campaign by promoting healthier eating habits, especially for young children, it assumed too quickly that the problem was self-evident and needed no education of the public. Resistance came as a surprise. Proposals to impose higher taxes on unhealthy foods and drinks – i.e. the “soda tax” –were greeted with stiff resistance, not only from the respective industries and interest groups but also from consumers. Opponents pushed back against what they perceived as the “nanny state,” insisting that people are perfectly capable of making their own diet choices.
Of course, attempts by the government to influence the public’s eating habits are nothing new. Food rationing programs during World War II, which were imposed to feed the troops overseas, required the population at home to cooperate in the effort. After the war, when rationing was discontinued, the government nevertheless kept issuing nutrition guidelines, which are still periodically reviewed and updated today by the United States Agriculture Department and the Department for Health and Human Services. However, the public nowadays seems more confused than enlightened by the often inconsistent messages the agencies are releasing.
Meanwhile, the right to consume as much as we wish and are able to afford continues to be the dominant attitude. Before this cultural background changes, behavior modification on a large scale will not take place. As long as our belief that “more” is always “better” remains unquestioned, we will stay on the path we are on.
The obesity epidemic did not happen to us for no reason. We did this and keep doing this to ourselves – often willingly and without regard for the consequences. Hopefully, we will be able to look back some day and see that cutting back to reasonable sizes can be our greatest gain.
Timi Gustafson R.D. is a clinical dietitian and author of the book “The Healthy Diner – How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun.”
