The Magic Word is FREE!

My friends and I were out studying the other night, when we realized that it was nearing dinner time. We were all hungry and needed to grab something quick to eat so that we could get back to studying as soon as possible. One of my friends suggested that we go to Harvey’s for dinner because they were apparently having some sort of promotion. I was a little curious, so I decided to go to their main website to search up exactly what this promotion was. It turns out that Harvey’s was having a promotional deal where one could purchase an Angus Burger and receive another Angus Burger of equal or lesser value for free. Personally, I did not see what the big deal was. I purchase a burger and I get another one for free, but why would I need to consume two burgers in one night? I would much rather eat a salad or something healthier, just so I do not feel nearly as guilty for having just consumed a countless amount of calories and salt in one meal. My friends however, did not seem to understand my reasoning, as they quickly stressed the word FREE to me.

One of the main responsibilities of a community dietitian is to promote the development and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle by helping community members make more nutritious eating choices on a daily basis. Whenever I see promotional deals, such as the ones displayed by Harvey’s however, I begin to question how it will ever be possible for health promoters and community dietitians to change the current consumption patterns of our communities; especially since such promotions are consistently and regularly being created. For instance, I am almost 100% certain that my friends have been told an innumerable amount of times that eating fast-food can be detrimental to one’s health. Yet as soon as they hear the word free, they do not really seem to care much about the health indicators that accompany eating such food items. It almost appears as if it does not matter how effectively health promoters and dietitians attempt to promote healthier eating choices, because the fast-food industry will always create something else that works against what has previously been promoted. I actually had a friend that once worked at a Harvey’s, and she told me that whenever deals like these are launched, the lines become so long that they go around the entire store. This then makes me wonder, what is so captivating about these fast-food restaurants that prompt so many of us to line up for hours, just for a free burger? What do such promotions say about the future of our communities and their health?

Perhaps communities are so drawn to these fast food restaurants because they have become so readily available. For example, one can acquire a McDonald’s or Harvey’s value meal effortlessly, seeing as there is likely an abundance of McDonald’s and Harvey’s located around the community. This relates to the topic of building healthier communities that we discussed several weeks ago in lectures. In order to change the eating patterns of our communities, we first need to build healthy communities that promote a healthy lifestyle. For instance, by offering healthier food choices within the communities more frequently, perhaps an overall healthier community can be created. I hence recommend that one way of combating such promotions in fast-food restaurants, is to offer healthier food options for communities to choose from at an equivalent or lower price. This is evidently just my opinion on the matter, so what do you think? Are there other ways of motivating communities towards eating healthier? Have you ever been tempted by the promotions offered by fast-food restaurants?