In today’s America, the answer to the question is no. Ever since I’ve been around, the number of neighborhood food stores, restaurants, convenience stores, and vending machines have been on the rise. Wherever we may be highly palatable foods are now available anytime, day or night. This also means that we’re able to eat it easily–in our cars, drive-through, on the go. Every social setting has been contaminated, every social norm compromised. Unilever scientist David Mela commented, “The barriers have been lowered.”
Susan Johnson of the University of Colorado mentioned, “Food availability and the opportunity to consume are ubiquitous, and that has been a huge driver of energy intake for children and adults.” What surprised me on my recent visit to Australia, is that elsewhere in the world, cultural patterns have tended to reduce the risk of hypereating. Take the French for example–a more research-based hypothesis suggest that they are healthier because they not only linger longer over meals, they also eat smaller portions. A newspaper headline in Melbourne caught my attention, as it focused on how parents of young children are now being held accountable if caught aiding their kids to hypereat. This could be a fine to even state intervention!
I guess this thought came to me today, as I went grocery shopping and in the name of love and pampering witnessed the worst examples of helping conditioned hypereating. So shouldn’t we as a society teach our youngsters to control their impulses? Explain the food groups better? or Should we just relinquish such must-do’s in the hope that our kids will just figure it out in the long run? More FOOD for thought.
suedas 
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