The Lethbridge Herald, March 19th, 26 reports, “Council of Women’s Shelters report highlights transportation barriers.” Public transportation is not only the safety issue of the venerable women, but to my opinion it is a public health issue. While ago, I found driving made me fat more effectively than food. I argue that a good public transit system is one of the ways to reduce obesity. Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland have the best public transport system in the world. Japan is another member of the club. China is catching up fast. You rarely see obese persons in those countries. Few people in Canada want to talk such irreverence because our relation with the automobile is sacred and is a love affair.

Every time I come home after visiting Japan, I feel sad. It seems many Canadians are overweight. They say it is worse in the U.S. Consequently the most serious health problems in North America are caused by obesity. In North Americas 45.6% of population is classified as obese. That is the worst in the world. In Korea and Japan obese people are 3.6% of the population. Number of deaths as the result of overweight have recently overtaken cancer and cardiovascular problems. However, most of the advice I found in social media point out the difference in diet between Americans and Asians as the cause. It’s clear to me that their intention is to sell nutrition supplement hiding other factors. They completely ignore the one most important reason. I think what makes us fat is our excess use of cars, preventing us to move our bodies. It’s not so much because of eating too much food or lack of proper nutrition.

Japanese people take public transport often, and walk to bus stops, change connections, and walk up and down the stairs. There is elevator who need them. It’s clear to me driving car makes us fat more than eating too much food. Number of deaths as the result of overweight have overtaken cancer and cardiovascular issues. But we try to avoid talking about it that way because we have to give up our love affair with cars. That’s how we stopped running, walking, and taking public transportation.

Japanese people spend a lot of money and eat an astonishing amount of food. They love food very much. But few of them become overweight. I found it’s the same in France and Switzerland where I lived for a period. In those countries I found foods well prepared and tasty but expensive. Serving is smaller. North American visitors complain about small serving and high cost of food in Europe and Japan. On the other hand, Japanese visitors to Canada complain about quality and big serving they can not finish. The fact is Japanese people live much longer than any other country in the world.

It’s clear we must walk more and drive less: select better quality food but less quantity.