Allen Levine: Big game doesn't mean you have to eat big, too

It's time to make healthy food as inexpensive and available as the junk.

By Allen Levine

Last update: May 3, 2007 - 6:04 AM

Some thoughts to ponder as you graze at the Super Bowl party buffet table this afternoon:

• Snack-food advertisers will be spending about $2.6 million per 30-second commercial to sell calories to one of the year's biggest TV audiences.

• Data from the World Health Organization indicate that in 2005 about 1.6 billion adults were overweight, more than 400 million adults were obese and at least 20 million children under the age of 5 were overweight. In Minnesota, 23 percent of adults are obese, according to the Trust for American's Health.

Our obesity epidemic is caused by well-known factors: genetics, ingestion of too many calories and a sedentary lifestyle. There's a lesser known contributor, too: the cost of food. Simone French and her colleagues at the University of Minnesota have demonstrated that people eat more low-calorie and nutrient-rich foods when their cost is lowered. Unfortunately, it costs more to buy and eat low-calorie and nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables than food that's nutrient-poor and high in calories, such as pastries and candies. Those are the foods you'll see advertised this afternoon.

Obesity isn't just an individual problem. We all pay for it through increased health-care costs, not just for obesity itself but for the associated health problems caused by being too fat and from not eating the foods that may protect against chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. We do not know the absolute cost of obesity, but estimates are as high as $40 billion per year in the United States.

How can we level the playing field? First, let's get government on the side of healthy eating. USDA dietary guidelines and the food pyramid already emphasize consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy products, as well as lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts. But current policy doesn't allow producers of these foods the same advantages as those who produce more highly processed foods. Foods that are good for you -- high in nutrients and low in calories -- need government subsidies to promote more consumption and to make it easier for everyone to eat right.

Second, education also must play a role in the battle against obesity. More than 45,000 low-income Minnesotans have been assisted by a collaborative program between Minnesota counties, the USDA Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and the University of Minnesota. Schools throughout Minnesota teach the benefits of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. But those efforts can't compete with slick Super Bowl ads and other corporate food-related advertising. In 2006, $456 million was allocated to education and outreach activities of the Extension System of USDA. Compare that with the $450 million that just two major soda companies spent on advertising in 2001.

Finally, we need a call to action that includes physical activity as part of our daily routine; widespread availability of affordable, low-calorie and nutrient-dense foods, and an understanding of healthy lifestyles. We need adequate funding from government; we need responsible corporations to spend less on promoting unhealthy lifestyles. Perhaps most important, we need Americans to pay attention and change their lifestyles.

So, even if the ads are better than the game, treat yourself right today: Instead of bellying up to the buffet table, stand up and stretch when the game gets dull. Take a walk at halftime. And remember: There's a reason weight-loss companies also are major Super Bowl advertisers.

Allen Levine is dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota. He also directs the Minnesota Obesity Center at the university.

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