Saving the World One French Fry at a Time

by Carina LaRocca 

Sitting in the McDonald's empty parking lot, eating your well deserved Big Mac, enjoying your kids meal Hello Kitty toy, you fantasize about a glorious shamrock shake. Though the food was delicious, and satisfied every craving, you still sat there belittling yourself for the unhealthy food you have just ingested. Your mind wanders to the reused oil used to fry the fries, the preservatives that must be in the burger bun, and the pathetic leaf of lettuce you tried to convince yourself that the meal would be the healthier option with. And now you want a milkshake too? Well that is simply absurd. You’re not as young as you used to be. You can’t eat whatever you want and expect to not receive any repercussions. You bet that even tomorrow you will see the fat building up in your love handles. It’s thoughts like these that have brought me to the conclusion that if I were to change anything in this world, I would change food in the sense that there would be no “good” or “bad” food.

I want a world in which people view food as just food. There would be no junk food, or fast food, or the “healthier option”, the word would simply be “food”. Many love a world in which they can eat whatever they want, whenever they want and never have to gain a pound. No more dieting or juice cleanses. No more counting calories or weekly weigh-ins. We could enjoy life without constantly thinking about the consequences. However, I  want to change the outlook on food, not for the physical reasons, but for the mental aspect of this dilemma. So many develop an unhealthy relationship with food out of fear of becoming fat, or develop eating disorders because they’re afraid to eat too much even though they’re eating too little. Others go about life never not thinking about their craving for a tiny piece of cake to satisfy a craving, but refuse to ingest something so fattening. I would like to change the outlook on food in the world so people have healthier relationships with food, and therefore live happier lives without the insecurities from “bad foods”.