I have to do it. I have to call bull sh*t. I recently read this article in the March issue of Women’s Health, which I actually quite like, that really annoyed me. The article was called “Unlock Your Weight Loss Power” and was based on a book called “The New American Diet.” Of course the title had me intrigued and I began reading intrested in finding out if it had anything new or interesting to say. It didn’t share any secret to unlocking a slim new me as the title had promised. Instead, it discussed something they called “obesogens” at length.
The entire article became about the obeseogens that are somehow found in everything we eat and are making us fat without us even being aware of it. Bull. Now, I don’t always call bull on these kinds of topics. I believe trans fats are truly bad for you. I use aluminum of bpa-free water bottles and buy tomatoes in glass jars to avoid bisephenol-A leaching into my food and drinks. I’m even careful about buying any meats that may be shot up with excess hormones or anitbiotics that could affect my health negatively. But, this article was going too far. This article had taken the the normal wariness of a health concious person and exaggerated it until it seemed like a conspiracy.
What is an obeseogen? They don’t exactly say. From what I gather, it’s all of the above. BPA, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, etc… are all termed “obesogens” which is a brilliant little marketing ploy. The play on words, suggesting that these thing specifically cause obesity in America (and not our sedentary lifestyles or high fat and calorie diets), grab the readers attention and put them on high alert for somewhere new to place the blame. The point in the article where I knew they were going too far was when they said all water that we consume is an obesogen. WATER. According to the authors, all water is either traveling through pvc pipes or contained in bottles that contain BPA, an obesogen. So, even by drinking water you are getting fat America! Bull. Drinking plenty of water has been linked to weight loss and the promotion of health. Also, all soy products are obesogens (probably due to its naturally occuring estrogen), but plenty of vegetarians stay slim and healthy on a heavily soy-based diet.
So what gives? They’re point by the end of the alarming article is “don’t worry about what you can’t eat, buy our book and we’ll tell you what you can eat.” I’ll save you the trouble of wasteing twenty-six dollars of your hard-earned money. Try to eat as clean as possible. That’s it. Try to eat food that is whole and natural, organic and devoid of hormones and antibiotics when possible. Make it yourself the majority of the time and you’ll know what’s going in it. And, avoid canned tomatoes that leach the most BPA, opting for glass jars instead. They’re you go. Drink water, eat natural and clean, and get some exercise. That’s all you need to know.
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