A few summers ago, my husband was invited to give a talk in Paris, France and I, being the supportive wife, accompanied him there (I hope you realize my attendance on that trip had nothing to do with support but everything to do with the French fashion and cultural scene). So, during the day while he was away spending time in some drab lecture hall, I was gallivanting around the city shopping, eating at local bistros and reading leisurely in the park. Therefore, after this recent terrorist attack on Paris, I felt a kindred connection to the people there because that could have easily been us seated in one of those cafes.
Not only did the attacks remind me of my time in Paris, but it also reminded me of the shock that I experienced when I witnessed how much larger Americans were as compared to Europeans. My husband and I would walk around picking out the people who were obviously from the states. Even the clothes in their local shops seemed to be tailored to fit a more narrow frame. I recall an instance where my husband was discouraged from even entering a certain store because the employee looked him up and down and then just shook his head no. There was definitely no political correctness in Paris and I am sure by the responses from the local businesses that they were also not concerned with “fat shaming.”
So what makes us so different from other countries like France and Sweden? It is not like those countries do not eat their fair share of sweets such as chocolate and drink modest amounts of wine. I witnessed it firsthand. I was astonished at the amount of croissants and cheese eaten at breakfast on a daily basis.
On the other hand, one of the key differences I noticed during my stay overseas was the amount of daily movement most Parisians had. They walked everywhere: to the local market, to work, and to their various entertainment activities. I also noticed a lot of bike riders.
Now compare that culture to ours. We barely will walk around the block. We try to find the closest parking space to the door. Instead of taking our children to the park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, we prop them in front of the TV so they can play on the latest electronic gadget they got for Christmas. Instead of encouraging the bike riders in our city, we complain they took driving lanes away to accommodate the bikers.
We have also created communities that make it more difficult to walk to our local restaurants and grocery stores. We are a culture of convenience and our waistlines are greatly expanding because of it.
Change is not happenstance. It is deliberate and intentional. If we do not want to see a generation with worse health outcomes than its predecessor, we must alter the course now.
Your Health Matters is committed to helping our community make healthier choices. We encourage you to join us in this mission!
Yours in Service,
Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D.
Assistant Professor
SLUCare Family Medicine
yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com
