Man vs. Over-Consumerism

As a vegan and a critic of our nation's penchant for hyper-consumerism, one of my favorite shows would naturally be the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food. In my paradoxical mind, watching the charmingly goofy host Adam Richman down small mammal sized meals in exchange for a picture on a diner's wall is absolutely irresistible. While Man vs. Food will always hold a special place in my Netflix queue, it reinforces the great American vice- overconsumption.

With obesity and diet-related illness on the rise, it's hard to ignore the problem posed by a show that celebrates the source of these issues by glorifying artery clogging foods and pushing the stomach to its limits. Awareness of the benefits of balanced animal-free/plant-based diets is becoming more prevalent, but almost deliberately anti-health foods still reign supreme. While that's not unique to Man vs. Food, showcasing things like bacon bedazzled donuts and five pound burritos only fortifies America's love affair with meat and gut-busting meals. A question that often comes to my mind is why? Why does eating meat have such an enthusiastic cult following and why has food become a hobby? This show is but one example of our culture's indoctrination of dietary norms.

Although hearty, animal-based meals are a long standing tradition, billboards, commercials, and menus nationwide have perpetuated and deepened our nation's obsessive consumption of animal products, junk foods, and super-sized portions. People are taught from a young age that meat and milk are essential to a healthy lifestyle; advertisements put diet-derailing foods on a pedestal; milk-mustached celebrities encourage the public to achieve greatness one glass at a time; cheap, meaty mega-meals from corporate chains offer the most convenient, budget-concious choices. Man vs. Food is a product of a culture that exalts hyper-consumption and an industry that has sacrificed wellbeing for profit.