Cutting The Cheese

Have you seen them? The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has decided to enlightened us on the high fat content of cheese by posting two billboards in the capital district. Yes, that’s right cheese. NY State is one of the largest producing states of dairy products in the country. PCRM, headed by Dr Neal Barnard, has also written to the Albany School District about using too much cheese in the school lunches. Obviously not from the area, he doesn't realize that the Albany School District has bigger problems than cutting out cheese.

According to the billboards, we are lead to believe that cheese is our biggest culprit in the war against obesity. Not soda, not potato chips, Doritos, Oreos, ice cream, processed foods, and Kool Aid to name a few, but cheese! Okay I totally agree if you are talking about Cheez Wiz, Cheese Doodles and other junk food, but regular farm fresh cheese has some benefit if eaten in moderation such as calcium, Vit D and protein. “The obesity epidemic is not caused by inactivity, bread, rice, gluttony, weak will, or a bad childhood. It is caused by a tsunami of unhealthful foods, and one of the worst, perhaps surprisingly, is cheese” according to Dr Bernard in his Blog “Cheese and Obesity”.   Once again, I am befuddled that cheese is the object of his scorn.  What about Twinkies, alcohol, candy bars, and sugary cereals?  I'm perplexed.  Tom MacGregor, manager of the specialty foods department at Honest Weight Food Co-Op in Albany called the campaign "insane" and was quoted as saying in the Times Union newspaper "I think there are much bigger things to worry about than people eating cheese."  I couldn't agree more.

Dr Bernard goes on to say, “Certainly, there is no value in blaming overweight people for a condition that results from a mixture of industry marketing, government promotions, addictive qualities of foods, genetic vulnerabilities, medication effects on appetite, and, in the end, overeating. Instead, it is essential to zero in on the problem foods, expose them, and do what we can to get them off our collective plates. The PCRM billboards are a mirror, showing obesity as it really is, linking it appropriately to cheese, and making it clear that there is a problem here.” That leads to my second complaint.  While he feels there is no value in blame,   apparently there is value in degrading people with a serious health issue. 

In my journey to get to a healthy weight, I am looking at the food choices I make and trying to cut out the unhealthy ones.  I have eaten one cookie in two weeks.  I stopped eating ice cream cold turkey, candy a thing of the past, fancy high fat coffees gone, cakes and pastries also gone,  but an occasional piece of cheese......staying.  If Dr Bernard wants to go after cheese, let him.  But before he starts, maybe he needs to realize that ridiculing overweight people in his attempt to help them, doesn't work.  Viva la cheese!!!