New Zealanders told they eat too much

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34128, 14 April 1976, Page 7

New Zealanders told they eat too much

If New Zealanders ate less, there would be fewer people seeking medical help for diseases caused by obesity, and more money available for overseas aid.

That is the opinion of Professor D. W. Beaven, director of medical services, at the Christchurch Medical School. He was speaking as a member of a panel, which included Mr G. Stitchury, a food technologist, Wattie Canneries, Ltd, Dr J. Sumner, senior lecturer in food technology, Lincoln College, Miss P. Matthews, dietician. Department of Health, and Miss P. Grueber, director, Christian World 1 Service, National Council of Churches. The chairman was Dr J. W. B. Walshe. The topic for discussion was “Over consumption in New Zealand,” and was organised by C.0.R.5.0. Professor Beaven said that New Zealanders now had the highest consumption of protein, and total calories, in the world, an average of 108 gm of protein a day, for every man, woman, and child. In many of the Third World countries this figure was around 40 gm. Something like 30 per cent of our population suffered from obesity, and it was increasing in children and teen-age girls, he said. I “Obesity is malnutrition”

said Professor Beaven. "We, have nc teaching anywhere in New Zealand about the proper use of food. By world standards we are primitive. We don’t have a health education council, and primitive countries have these.” Mr Stitchbury said that there was no evidence to support the theory that people were overeating Obesity might simply be lack of exercise. In any case, over consumption was not the problem. The right kind of food was the important thing, he said. The real need was for the consumer to understand his nutritional needs. Mrs Matthews felt that New Zealanders ate too much, to the point that they had calorie intoxication. But knowing about the figures was not enough. Motivation to change was needed. “But where do we find that motivation?” she asked. Food had become an important part of our social and cultural life; it was not just used for nutrition. Mothers even used food to bribe their children said Mrs Matthews. “Learning to eat is an educational process, and children begin to learn this at a very early age. The stomach can be programmed progressively to eat more and more. Malnutrition is not simply insufficient food — it means bad eating,” she

“There should be much more co-operation between people in food technology, and those teaching sport arid physical education.”

Dr Sumner said that food technology had permitted food supply to keep pace with population increase. But time had now run out. One sixth of the total energy used in developed countries was used in food production, and he asked where that sort of energy’ was going to come from in developing countries to increase food production. “Giving relief today just causes problems for tomor-; row,” he said. He raised cries of anguish from the audience when, having established that beef steak was a luxury, said that there was no reason why he should not continue to eat itjust because someone in Pakistan wanted to “bring] about his own doom” by, fathering lots of sons to care for him in his old age. Miss Grueber said that' she believed malnutrition to be a form of violence — something which most New Zealanders did not suffer from. We ate too much because we were bored, she said.

No A', food was being used as a political lever, she said. The United States was saying that people who were prepared to go along with its political views would re"»ive grain. Those who