As I was scrolling through (and largely ignoring) the articles on the Daily Mail Online app this morning, this one particularly caught my eye. Of course, this is by no means the first product to be launched as a 'zero calorie' alternative, but the fact that this isn't even food seems to take things one step further.
Diet foods vs zero calorie 'foods'
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the ever-evolving array of 'diet foods', which are now available in most supermarkets. These ranges, such as Morrisons' 'NuMe' and Sainsburys' 'Be good to yourself', offer people the chance to make healthy choices, whilst still enjoying good quality food. However, by removing all nutritional value from a product, just because it tastes nice and contains 'too much' fat or 'too many' calories, surely turns the whole idea of a healthy relationship with food on its head? Food is our fuel. Imagine pitching 'zero calorie noodles' to a group of starving farmers in Mali; the concept would be simply bewildering. We eat to give us energy and encouraging people to forget this is not going to solve any problems.
The problem of obesity
As we all know, some of our diets do contain a higher number of calories than necessary. However, in my opinion, trying to tackle this problem by giving people what they want, only without the calories, is only going to cause more issues. Having these calorie-free options available seems to simply enforce the idea that we can't learn to control ourselves around food. Are we really so desperate for chocolate that we need to stick a 'listerine strip-type product' in our mouths to get some satisfaction? Surely if it's just the taste we crave, then eating just one square of actual chocolate would do the trick and wouldn't result in dramatic weight gain. This would also encourage a healthy relationship with food, something that seems to be somewhat compromised by a calorie-free option...
Eating disorders
Unfortunately, as the levels of obesity continue to rise, it's unlikely that these products will be removed from the market any time soon. But hopefully, people will start to realise that the suggestion that calorie-free 'food' offers a healthy alternative, is a complete contradiction and simply makes 'zero' sense.
Harriet x
