Dr. Leana Wen, former ousted president of Planned Parenthood, is not amused by the free promotion of Krispy Kreme donuts for customers who have received the covid-19 vaccine, noting that donuts are “delicacies” and their daily consumption could lead to weight gain. No shit. It’s a good thing that no one is likely to eat Krispy Kreme every day like Wen’s Wall-E aromatic dystopia suggests, but why give people a little respect when you can dream of the noisiest scenarios imaginable?
Krispy Kreme offers a donut with free windows anyone has a valid covid-19 vaccine 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 health workers and volunteers who help administer vaccines, delivering free donuts to select vaccination centers across the country in the coming weeks.
Nothing to mention: a corporation stimulates life-saving vaccinations by pushing their product, an attempt to show goodwill and get bodies through their doors at the same time. Krispy Kreme is probably responsible for customers who have a coffee while they are at it or buy a box with a dozen donuts to take home and enjoy that free covid donut for the trip.
If the prospect of a free donut from time to time is enough to encourage someone to get vaccinated against a virus that has killed nearly 550,000 Americans in the last year sooner rather than later, so be it. But Wen apparently disagrees.
On Tuesday, Wen, currently a visiting professor at the School of Public Health at George Washington University’s Milken Institute, posted on Twitter to Krispy Kreme, praising the company for their vaccination incentives, but criticizing the execution.
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“… donuts are a treatment that is not good for health if consumed every day,” Wen wrote. “If someone really eats an original #KrispyKreme donut glazed every day as your offer offers and doesn’t change other aspects of the diet / exercise, they would gain about 15 pounds by the end of 2021. I’m sure not that it is your intention. ”
“Why don’t you give vaccinated people a box of donuts to give to an organization of their choice?” Wen suggested. “They can bring it to their office, donate it to charity, share it with their friends or eat it themselves, if they really want to. Do it as a unique offer of appreciation. ”
She added: “As a public health expert, I can’t support a daily donut diet.”
Why is Wen so convinced that those who take advantage of this promotion will waltz in Krispy Kreme every day to get a glass donut? Its assumption is rooted in such deep contempt for Americans who eat fast food, not to mention Americans who could hypothetically gain more than 15 pounds. If it sounds like standard medical phobia, that’s what happens.
But Wen is not alone. On Monday, Dr. Eugene Gu, a man best known for camping in Donald Trump’s Twitter mentions, also condemned the Krispy Kreme promotion, tweeting: “Krispy Kreme that offers free vaccines for vaccination is like Marlboro that offers free cigarettes for flu vaccination. ”
As more people get vaccinated and covid-19 security measures begin to slowly rise, the pressure to report on Americans packing a few extra pounds during the pandemic it is built. Only in the last week, NPR has discussed how to address weight gain of the children’s pandemic, while New York Times Personal Health Reporter Jane Brody wrote a play that condemns the failures of Americans to address obesity and how we see the consequences of that inaction in the covid-19 death toll. The fact that obesity can lead to covid-19 complications is not debated, but we must ask ourselves whether Brody’s humble praise of maintaining a healthy portion control and daily exercise during a global, once-in-a-lifetime pandemic – one which has probably made healthy food choices even rarer for low-income Americans – it’s the most effective way to give your point of view.
If you’ve been reading my column for years, you already know I’m not a fanatic when it comes to food. I have many ice cream containers in the freezer; biscuits, biscuits and even chips in my closet; and I enjoy a burger from time to time. But my daily diet is mainly based on vegetables, fish, beans and skim milk, my main sources of protein. My consumption of snacks and ice cream is controlled in portions and, along with daily exercise, has allowed me to stay stable in weight, despite pandemic stress throughout the year and occasional despair.
We need to be honest that being overweight can lead to a number of health problems, both big and small. But there is room to recognize this while condemning medical fatphobia which can bad active Overweight and obese people, as well as the benefits of moderation and the dangers of persistent indulgence without acting like a free Krispy Kreme from time to time – or, God forbid, gaining 15 pounds – is the end of the world.
Please, vaccinated you and eat a fucking donuts to celebrate.