Diary of a health nut (Original Post 01/04/2011)

_I recently went camping for 4 days, and in my usual fashion I can't help but observe the eating habits of those around me. This is not unlike my  interest the shopping trolley contents of strangers in supermarkets.

The family next to us had 4 kids with them, three of their own and their son's friend. They were all significantly overweight and the father obese. Over the four days I observed a lot of white bread, tinned spaghetti, takeaway like fish and chips, bacon, cheese and rotisserie chicken. I saw snacks of chips, ice-creams from the shop and soft drink cans in hand.

By the end of the fourth day, it hit me when the young teenage girl at 9.15am, took a swig of soft drink after breakfast, that I had not seen any fruit, any vegetables (not counting potato) and no water. Everyone brings in big containers of water to this camp site and they had none, just soft drink.

With the epidemic that is obesity and type II diabetes, not to mention the rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer. This way of eating and drinking makes me sad and makes me cross. Why is it so? Do people not care, are they just lazy or do they not know better? Surely there is enough good marketing of healthy eating options at schools and in the media to offset the barrage of junk food advertising that still prevails. Sure adults have a choice, but to feed your children and diet that is a recipe for incredibly premature diseases of syndrome X, is just frightening. Is this just me that feels this way?

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