A man recently suffered what appeared to be a heart attack at the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas. When did it become appropriate to actively contribute to our serious obesity crisis?
By now you've probably read the headline that food journalists had in their back pockets ever since the restaurant opened in October:
"Man suffers heart attack at the Heart Attack Grill"
This sounds like a line from a comedy show, rather than reality. Sadly, this is the reality in which we now live. A reality where if you weigh more than 350 pounds, you eat for free at the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas. In couples therapy, this would be called "enabling."
Thankfully, the man didn't pass away and is reportedly recovering. No official word on if he truly suffered a heart attack or not. And the timing! It's national Heart Health Month. To add insult to injury, the man was eating the "Triple Bypass Burger." Which leads me to ask: Is any 'taste worth dying for?' (The restaurant's slogan.)
In the following video, one of the ABC News anchors remarked: "In this day and age, we know what we're doing to ourselves. The phrase 'you are what you eat' comes to mind."
One thing that I have trouble understanding, even as a former meat eater (I've been vegan for more than a year), is why people are so proud of eating as much meat as they can muster. For example, upon learning that I opt out of bacon, some non-vegans look at me as if I had said, "I'm cutting off both my arms."
When did stuffing one's face with high-calorie, fatty food become a badge of honor? So much so that whole establishments make fun of the fact that we're fat?
It all boils down to this: we know we are what we eat, but we don't change what we eat. Our passion as writers, producers, manufacturers, retailers and formulators in the natural products industry has never been more important than today.
What will it take to turn our country's health around? Tell me in the comments.