Dear DOCTOR Owen:

A national organization published an article that suggests taxing certain foods to gain revenue to combat the epidemic of obesity, which our country is facing. I thought this was a good idea, but I then read editorial after editorial in the local paper blasting that organization for advocating this.

The food tax must have hit them where it hurts—in the stomach! Isn’t it ironic that these same editors constantly blast companies for profiting at the expense of the consumer’s health (bad tires, factory pollution, etc.)! What about food companies that profit at the expense of the consumer’s health?

Big Brother

Dear “Brother”:

I agree that the government should “butt in” less—not more—into our lives. Even if there were enough support for such a tax, and even if it was as noble as it might sound, the process would degenerate into another bureaucracy that exists for itself. I doubt that it would be any more successful than the government has been in curbing the use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol through taxation.

I am amazed at the anger expressed by the public at the idea of a “sin tax” on certain foods. I guess most people still don’t consider food to be a dangerous substance. The food industries spend more than $1.5 billion annually in the United States alone in TV marketing. Last year, the U.S. Government allocated $6.5 million for public education, via public service messages, on nutrition and fitness. Most of those messages were rigid and boring—not sexy and alluring.

The revelation that struck me most about the “anti-food police” editorials is the contempt toward obesity. Usually liberal and tolerant, editors often make statements that “gluttony” and “sloth” are at the root of our obesity epidemic. But those editors would have been fired if they’d made similar derogatory remarks about race, religion, or gender.

I am certain that these editorials are accurate reflections of the attitudes of our society. I see it all too often in my daily practice. Most obese patients have accepted the “hogwash” heaped upon them—that the cause of their obesity is a lack of fortitude, willpower, character, and so on. Most obese people are so accustomed to being “beaten down” that the very thought of standing up for themselves sounds “crazy.” It is very possible that Black people felt the same in the first half of the 20th century!

Race and gender discrimination has diminished, but obesity discrimination has not yet been recognized. For example, I recently overheard people standing in line at an airline ticket counter, who made very ugly remarks about special seating in airlines that is being developed to accommodate the obese. The people in line just behind the couple making the statements were listening and seemed to accept those comments without any empathy; in fact, they were angry at the very idea of the need for such accommodations for people who are larger than average.

Would they say the same about the paraplegic in the wheelchair? In my observations, if a condition seems like it should be controlled with “will,” acceptance of the condition is poorly tolerated or accepted by the public (e.g., drug abuse, gambling addiction, smoking). Fate or bad luck seems to fare much better in the public’s empathy.

I believe that low-calorie, low-fat foods competing in the marketplace are the most likely answers to obesity education issues. Commercials that promote the benefits of certain fast food restaurants and meal-replacement products are just now taking their place on the “boob tube.” With some creativity and humor, promotions that show health values may eventually take a place in our culture as acceptable! Ad agencies and public relations firms that succeed in creating such advertisements and info-mercials must have imagination and guts. Motivating obese people—while not being insulting—and compelling thin people to understand the complexities of obesity are indeed challenges often best executed with humor.

If the food police were to have their way, I would have to eat in secret at my favorite New Orleans area eateries. As it is, I imagine seeing my current and former patients’ “eagle eyes” reflected on my plate when I go out for an evening of lustful dining. Their looks make me feel guilty, as I know they’re saying, “Ahem! You’ll be worn out after the payback you owe yourself for that meal!” However, it is possible to “have your cake and eat it too.” And it won’t happen via a “food police” action.