photo by D. Sharon Pruitt
Article first published on Blogcritics
Should junk foods be priced out of business by “use taxes” with the promise of better health? That’s what is being implemented in a number of countries and being considered in the US. In reality, aren’t we just driving the cost of government and food higher by considering another tax on the individual, rather than helping to solve a difficult health situation?
I like the way Alexandria Sifferlin examined this issue in her article, “Study: A 20% ‘Fat Tax’ Would Improve Public Health.” With rising conditions of obesity, maybe now is the time to reevaluate our options. But I think care should be taken when “another tax” is placed on the public – use taxes have not always been effective.
Ms. Sifferlin brings a balanced view of this subject. She quotes Corinna Hawkes, a food policy and public health specialist at the Centre for Food Policy at City University in London, who states: “There remains a long way to go for food policies to reach their full potential to encourage healthier eating…”
No doubt health concerns surrounding obesity and unhealthy eating need to be addressed. Many articles are suggesting that the efforts be broad based by including penalties for buying junk foods and rewards for eating well. But if the efforts to help Americans eat for better health are to be successful, recognition of spirituality as a driving force in decision-making should be included. I found a helpful quote in “5 Spiritual Concepts Western Medicine Must Embrace,” where the author states that, “Studies have shown that individuals who attend church regularly live as many as 7 years longer than those who do not attend church. Other spiritual practices such as meditation, yoga, prayer, and contemplation have all been associated with a decrease in negative health events and an increase in well-being.”
In fact, I have found spirituality and prayer to be the driving force behind my improved eating habits. As Kristine Holmes in the article “A Spiritual Way of Eating” says, “The state of one’s mind has been proven to create conditions in the body.” Holmes concludes with, “Is it such a big step to realize that when our bodies and minds are functioning well and feeling good, that it will have a naturally positive effect…?”
In the Bible, Jesus advises, “take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink. …Is not the life more than meat…? (Matt. 6:25) A fat tax seems to be emphasizing the wrong part of the health formula.
It’s interesting to note that some scientific research and biblical admonitions advise not to make food the focus in mind-body workings.
I have found a sense of spirituality creates a perspective that’s not easily thrown off balance during day-to-day stressful decision-making situations. In my professional work, I was involved in many situations that were beyond my personal control – such as during desegregation and forced busing. Yet I was able to maintain a balanced personal and professional behavior. My external environmental conditions didn’t negatively affect my internal reactions and my eating habits and weight did not change as a result of these pressures.
Food may not be the culprit that needs addressing – food only has the power over us that we give it. We may find that an understanding of our spirituality can free us from an unnecessary emphasis on food, and give us a basis for self-control.
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Love it! Good take on the problem. Thanks Don!
Thanks Don for the very timely article with a great solution!
Don, your analysis of this obesity problem from a spiritual perspective is indeed the only true “cure,” as any imbalance in activity or eating stems from an imbalance in thinking. But there are reasons why I feel this food tax, if effective, is still a very good idea worth supporting. First off, some people are raised in a culture that doesn’t include a “balanced diet,” meaning no fresh vegetables, highly processed foods, barren of natural nutrients, things that the body is not accustomed to digesting. Much of this food was developed during the industrialization of food manufacturing during and after world war two, when we thought we needed to can everything for preserving. But the food industry has continued in this direction, veering further away from what food was to genetically modified corn designed to kill insects when they eat it, beans designed to have years of shelf life, fruits and vegetables designed to survive shipping rather than have flavor or nutrients, and then all these packaged foods filled with partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup (which means they reprocess corn syrup to be sweeter), and all sorts of chemicals that we can’t even pronounce on the labels. These foods are designed to be cheap and are marketed at the poorest sector of the population, people who often are not educated on the nature of food. Essentially, food manufacturers are preying on these people. Christian Scientists could surely demonstrate over this if we had to, but if it is not balanced, why add a claim that requires demonstrating over? We are omnivores, and surely if we had no options, we could survive on twinkies and fried chicken, but food manufacturers should not be rewarded for flooding the market with cheap products that are not really food. I think taxing them is a just response to an irresponsible and predatory industry.
I really liked this article, Don, especially the example of yourself when confronted with issues over which you had “no personal control”. Yet your eating habits and weight under the stress of circumstances didn’t change. You, as I see it, didn’t “indulge” in the temptations of the physical senses to find comfort in food. You must have preserved a spiritual identity of yourself and that quieted the senses.
Thank you.