March 5, 2008

Me Man. Me No Eat Fiber

If you were visiting Earth from another planet and relied on media and advertising to fill you in on the intricacies of the human species, you would probably think masculinity is defined, among other things, by taking pride in eating unhealthy foods.

In 2006, Burger King's Texas Double Whopper television ad had men admitting to "being fed quiche" and rebelling against "chick food".

Now, the folks at Hormel offer another slice of ubermasculinity in this ad for Dinty beef stew (which I scanned from my latest copy of Entertainment Weekly; be sure to scroll all the way down at the link to read the text at the bottom of the ad).

While not high in calories (a 7.5 ounce can of Dinty beef stew registers at a mere 190 calories), it's the exorbitant amount of sodium (900 milligrams; almost half a day's worth) and lack of fiber (a paltry two grams) that taint the nutrition profile of this "manly" product.

Especially ironic considering that one of the biggest risk factors for developing prostate cancer -- a condition so many men fear yet develop at high rates -- is a low-fiber diet.

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