Now you may say this isn’t happening in Mosman but look again, it’s here. As I wander along the street I see 5 kilos here and 10 kilos there. Australia New Zealand United States Australia
It’s even more scary when we consider that in 2010, the contribution of obesity to ill health is greater than that of tobacco smoking. Obesity is the fundamental driver of some of the most significant health burdens our patients face, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoarthritis and dementia. All these diseases are here, right here in Mosman.
Where are we going wrong? Are we too busy to consider nutrition? As I wander around Mosman there is certainly evidence of this. Military Road is chocked with cars and the parks are empty. Do we have time is sit in a quiet and serene environment to calmly eat our lunch chewing it purposefully or is lunch an, on the run, non event while simultaneously catching up on iphone messages?
What happened to the balanced diet? What is a balanced diet? Is that wheetbix for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and pasta for dinner? Or is this wheat with a bit of flavouring? Do you have protein three times a day or just put a bit in your evening meal? How about vegetables, are they a little soggy pile in the corner or do they form the backbone of your diet? These are questions to ask ourselves.
Can you imagine a new world where food becomes a ritual of health. The Mosman parks are full at lunchtime as people stop to gather and eat a balanced home cooked meal or pick up a nutritious salad from one of the food shops around the area. Can you imagine the roads are empty and Mosman residents are walking to the shops leaving their cars behind? Can Mosman be that village, that village that chooses health as a value that is really important?
Perhaps it is time to stop and choose health, Choose health as being part of our day to day life in Mosman.
