Christoph Klotter thinks little of, to demonize fat and sugar. As such enemy contribute images to the division of society and why people become extinct without the sugar and fat would have explained the diet a psychologist in an interview with FOCUS Online.
Sweet, sticky, energy-rich sugar is demonized for several years as a nutritional sin. Wrongly, Christoph Klotter. The health and nutrition psychologist researches and teaches at the University of Fulda. Of an “enemy image sugar” keeps it a little, just a little from the already longer existing “enemy fat”. Fat and sugar are according to the nutritional psychologists in anything other than “evil food” – even if they are often depicted as such.
Fat and sugar are crucial to the survival of humanity
“Without sugar, humanity would not have survived at all,” said Klotter in an interview with FOCUS Online. As fat and sweet as a energetic: they Would not have fed the people millions of years ago according to this motto, but after the diets, as you recommend, about the German nutrition society (DGE), “then the people would be extinct,” said Klotter.
How could the “enemy image sugar” yet? For this reason Christoph Klotter has an explanation. In 2011, did not invoke the DGE to the research, what sugar do sick. In 2017, have been found to consume the society, however, the recommendations of the world health organization: less sugar.
The scientific basis for the recommendations is missing
A scientifically verifiable basis for the recommendations it give says the food psychologist. For decades fat was the enemy, says Klotter. Three years ago, then studies would show that more fat health-promoting: “fat as a mortal enemy, was to fall. You had to come up with a new enemy.“
So the sugar had to be used. “But this demonization takes place, without that reality is taken into account,” said Klotter. He is not referring only to the lack of empirical coverage for the assumption that sugar can be harmful. It will also forget that the life expectancy of people is rising steadily and have increased although at the same time, the availability and thus the consumption of fat and sugar constantly. “Since about 200 years we are living here in the land of milk and honey,” says the scientist.
Christoph Klotter: "We live in a Überflussgesellschaft"
Man, so Klotter, was genetically programmed to eat as much as possible. “We live today in an affluent society, in which everything is always immediately available, energy-dense foods that contain a lot of sugar and fat.”
At the same time our society is dominated by an ideal of Slimness, the radical more and more. And who does not correspond to this Ideal, search for the fault somewhere else. “We are always looking for an Evil, we are responsible for our Actions can make. This is very relieving and incredibly convenient“, says Klotter, such as fat and sugar could be to nutrition of the enemy.
The theory of the diet psychologist is deeper
But Klotters theory to sugar and fat as unjustified enemy attacks deeper. She goes to his assumption that diet must today serve as a replacement for religion – and that the debate on the “right” diet is a “secret classes and battle of the sexes”.
To explain this, you must go to the psychologist a little further. Our civilization is founded on a Value system, in the two virtues which played a Central role: reason and moderation or discipline. “Therefore, the mortal enemy of our civilization obesity,” said Klotter.
Obesity embody the violation of a Central virtue: discipline. Obese, so severely obese people are prejudiced, you will parts quickly, according to the Motto: “Who’s obese, can’t overcome his inner pig dog,” said Klotter. “The main enemy is obesity. And what leads to obesity?” he asks, and gives the usual answer for yourself: “fat and sugar. The image of the enemy is thus perfected.“
Obese are discriminated against by society
As a result, according to Klotter, that Obese individuals are not excluded from the Rest of society only. “You think that you are rightly discriminated against”, says the psychologist.
And again he refers to the state of the science: That obese people have a lower life expectancy than normal-weight people, don’t be empirically proven.
The bad reputation of sugar and fat counteract, advises Christoph Klotter to be more relaxed – and more courage to sin: “It helps to accept the sin. Everything that is rigid when you eat, turns into its opposite and leads to impulsive breakthroughs.“
The "richtige" Diet there is not
The “right Ernährung" it does not give anyway. Rather, an important part of the meal, the threat of being lost, “if we pay attention only to calories”: the enjoyment. Who does not enjoy, tend to eat more. A warning to the diet of a psychologist in this context: “to eat is by the way of poison!”, Klotter says. “If I were in front of the TV Chips to eat, I’m not mentally tired and I need a second bag.” Quite different from see it, if you will, together, saturated with friends or family eat – and physically as well as mentally.
The sometimes divisive debate on the “right” or “wrong” diet observed Christoph Klotter with concern: “This polarisation is very alarming. It not only affects the discussion about food.“ Our society as a whole is threatening to fall apart due to increasing polarization. Klotters plea is: “We should strive for more mutual understanding.”
Sugar – and meat – to explain the concept of the enemy, not help. On the contrary: “Who is better placed, in our society, thinking now that he had organic milk to buy, and he had the meat-eating Chav despise”, is Klotter convinced. The majority of those about the diet of a vegetarian or vegan, is “young, female and educated”. As a result, a power struggle " emerging;between young women and old Prolls" or "between the Educated and the Hartz-IV-Empfängern". The consumption of meat and Sweet is in the eyes of the socially better-off is a feature of the social worse-off: “Sweet is hell, and anyone who eats today, candy, is located in our society at the very bottom.”
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How food became so important
That food could ever be such a Central theme in our society, says food psychologist, again with the value structure of our civilization: This virtue fabric of the sensible, disciplined citizens will receive for more than 2000 years, says Klotter “for centuries by the churches, but the can today”.