The Fourth of Seven Sins in Obesity – Changing Family Dynamics

We have now reached the fourth reason that is driving obesity in the western world, which is not entirely due to the individual. I consider that the western culture corporations have designed this pattern, firstly by encouraging everyone to use a car for transportation, instead of their own feet.

Then there has been a discouragement of eating family meals at home to a faster, more convenient method of family eating that is more fun, high in fat and sugar. And finally we are dehydrating ourselves by drinking more sugary drinks, coffee and tea; instead of natural tap water; which provides better for our body than acidic sugary drinks...

These three areas all relate to the success of rich corporations, becoming richer through planned attraction of family financial spending power. The fourth reason is more to do with pressure on the family unit, which has caused family dynamics to change and therefore sustains the family’s needs in the first three planned directives.

Driving anywhere in a car, fast food sites are located everywhere. It is impossible not to see them when you are driving. It means that families are under pressure from children, to visit them for immediate drinks or snacks. This pressure on the fun side of eating; detracts from the education to children about healthy eating and reinforces fast food eating, along with sugary drinks as the norm in healthy sustenance.

Structural changes or breaks in the family, cause pressures to provide more treats to children, which then become a repeated part of a normal lifestyle. The repetition in this style of living will continue to drive the growth in obesity, due to the revolving cyclical pattern generated through driving a car.

It is very difficult to break this pattern, without removing the first reason, which is the use of a car. If the car is removed, then a new direction can be created with a whole new formula for family meals. But these fixed patterns remain secure, when the car continues to be used and visual exposure to fast food outlets is reinforced.

Much of the changes in family dynamics are due to parental pressures of working long hours; along with the added burden of financial pressures to sustain the family lifestyle. The family stress can create fracturing of the family unit that will continue to depend on the first three sins for sustaining the emotional balance of the family unit.

As you can see from the way these sins are laid out, your lifestyle is not easy to change; with corporations making certain that you will visually see what they are offering and therefore will succumb to their continual advertising of special offers.