Dr. Leana Wen, impeached ex-president from Planned Parenthood, has no fun promoting Krispy Kreme’s free donuts to customers who have received the covid-19 vaccine, noting that donuts are “goodies” and eating them daily can result in weight gain. Do not play. It’s a good thing that no one will eat Krispy Kreme every day like Wen’s Wall-E flavored dystopia suggests, but why give people a minimum of respect when, instead, you can invent the most gluttonous scenarios imaginable?
Krispy Kreme is giving a free glazed donut for anyone with a valid covid-19 vaccination card at participating locations. The promotion will continue until the end of the year. According to the company Press release, Krispy Kreme will also “support healthcare professionals and volunteers who are helping to administer vaccines, delivering free donuts to selected vaccination centers across the country in the coming weeks.”
There is nothing to call home: a company is encouraging life-saving vaccines, promoting its product, an attempt to show goodwill and, at the same time, getting bodies through its doors. Krispy Kreme is probably betting on customers getting a coffee while they are doing it, or buying a box of a dozen donuts to take home and savoring that free donut on the road.
If the prospect of a free donut from time to time is enough to encourage someone to get vaccinated against a virus that killed almost 550,000 Americans last year, sooner or later, so be it. But Wen, apparently, disagrees.
On Tuesday, Wen, currently a visiting professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, tweeted at Krispy Kreme, praising the company for encouraging vaccination, but criticizing the execution.
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“… donuts are a treat that is not good for your health if eaten every day,” wrote Wen. “If someone actually eats a #KrispyKreme donut with original coverage every day as their offer provides, and does not change any other aspect of their diet / exercise, they will earn approximately £ 15 by the end of 2021. intention . “
“Why not give vaccinated people a box of donuts to give to an organization of their choice?” Wen suggested. “They can take it to the office, donate it to charities, share it with friends or eat it all themselves, if they really want to. Do this as a unique thank you offer. “
She added: “As a public health specialist, I cannot recommend a daily donut diet.”
Why is Wen so convinced that those who take advantage of this promotion will enter Krispy Kreme every day to pick up a topped donut? His assumption is rooted in profound contempt for Americans who eat fast food, not to mention Americans who may, hypothetically, gain 7 pounds more. If that sounds like standard medical fatphobia, it is because it is.
But Wen is not alone. On Monday, Dr. Eugene Gu, a man best known for camping on Donald Trump’s Twitter mentions, also condemned the Krispy Kreme promotion, tweeting: “Krispy Kreme offering free donuts to get vaccinated is like Marlboro offering free cigarettes to take a flu vaccine. “
As more people are vaccinated and covid-19’s safety measures begin to slowly increase, the pressure to report on Americans doing a few extra pounds during the pandemic it is growing. Just last week, NPR discussed how to deal with your infant weight gain pandemic, While New York Times Jane Brody, personal health columnist wrote an article that condemns Americans’ failures to deal with obesity and how we are seeing the consequences of this inaction on 19-year mortality rates. That obesity can lead to covid-19 complications is not a matter of debate, but we must ask ourselves whether Brody’s humble reputation for maintaining healthy portion control and daily exercise during a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic – one that probably caused options for even more scarce healthy foods for Americans on a budget – it is the most effective way to get your point across.
If you have read my column for years, you already know that I am not a food fanatic. I have many containers of ice cream in my freezer; cookies, crackers and even chips in my closet; and I like a hamburger every now and then. But my daily diet is based mainly on vegetables, with fish, beans and skim milk being my main sources of protein. My consumption of snacks and ice cream is controlled by portion and, along with daily exercise, has allowed me to keep my weight steady despite a year’s pandemic stress and occasional despair.
We need to be honest about the fact that being overweight can lead to a litany of health problems, big and small. But there is room to acknowledge this while condemning The medical fatphobia that can actively harm overweight and obese people, as well as the benefits of moderation and the dangers of persistent excessive indulgence without acting like a free Krispy Kreme donut from time to time – or, God forbid, earn 15 pounds – is the end of the world.
So please, be vaccinated and eat a donut to celebrate.