Our loss of control

Today our daily lives are indirectly influenced by the different external cues that we encounter. Through the impressive work of marketing and advertisement companies, our society has lost control over their eating habits. We no longer listen to internal hunger signals, instead our food choices are persuaded by external cues from our environment. This phenomenon is what Wansink refers to as “mindless eating.” Not only do we eat when we aren’t hungry, we also eat food that isn’t appealing to us solely because it is around us. But has this always been the case in the United States? I believe that there has been a dramatic increase in mindless eating, evident through our current obesity epidemic. Why are people continuing to gain weight, when they are aware of the health conditions associated with obesity? Maybe it is because they have lost control over their eating habits, or maybe it is our environment’s fault. If you compare the size options at McDonald’s today to 50 years ago, there is a significant increase. But whose responsibility is to change this? Business is driven by consumer demand. If consumers want more food, the companies are willing to give it to them. Now the question for the future health of our country is, do we focus on controlling external cues or help the public regain their power to use their minds when eating?