What I'm "F'd Up!" about Today!: Freedom to be Fat?

I was walking the kid this morning and saw this article in the daily Metro New York: "Hands off my Big Mac, NYC". NYC council woman Christine Quinn is proposing a ban on fast food restaurants being built in areas where obesity is on the rise. No coincidence, these areas are also really poor parts of town. The article states that these fast food restaurants provide important jobs for these neighborhoods because many people don't have a proper education to get higher paying jobs.

There are so many things wrong with this situation!
1.) Fast food is a daily part of lower income families diets because of price.
2.) People in lower income neighborhoods aren't being educated to get out of the neighborhood and get better paying jobs.
3.) The city shouldn't have to ban restaurants to help people lose weight and get healthy.

I feel the first line of defense is the fast food chains themselves offering this type of fare. FOR EXAMPLE, have you heard about this new sandwich that KFC is launching? Take a look at this beauty, the new Double Down sandwich which is described like this on the website:

"The new KFC Double Down sandwich is real and it's coming April 12th! This one-of-a-kind sandwich features two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!"

REALLY? THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE. But no, it's no joke. It says it's real so it must be. Apparently KFC hasn't gotten the fast food kills people memo. And if you are that stupid to eat this, well. . .wow. You probably aren't reading my blog. :)

If fast food restaurants weren't trying so hard to develop heart clogging menu items, people could keep their jobs. If we could educate our communities on the benefits of healthy eating, we could be the first line of defense in obesity. Convenience really is the enemy here. And education is the solution.

We can keep adding beverage taxes and trying to ban fast food, but the truth is we live in a country where you have the freedom to be fat and make stupid choices (I used to own a crimper and I used it with careless abandon). I don't feel it's right for people to lose jobs because we want them to be healthy. There has to be other measures in place!

And remember, the more you tell people NO, the more they want it. Telling people they can't eat fast food will make them walk a little further to the next burger joint. But, hey. At least they'll be walking. Right?