Doh Nuts

‘IT’S none too surprising that, as the Guardian writes, Britain is ‘close behind US’ on obesity rates. After all, how fast can those Americans run?

‘Atkins! Shmatkins!’

But the news that 40% of men and women in the UK are heading towards the fat farm is no laughing matter. Just ask Homer Simpson.

Scientists have discovered that Homer Simpson, the atypical American from the television cartoon series The Simpsons, consumes 130 grams of fat a day.

While we can only guess at the calorific content of Roger Ramjet’s proton pills, how many units of fat make up one Scooby Snack and whether Desperate Dan uses lo-fat spread in his cow pies, facts about Homer’s diet are on the record.

For this cutting-edge study, the Times asks us to aim our thanks towards the Institute of Physics and, in particular, Michelle Caine, who watched lots of Simpsons videos by way of research.

But to the data. The recommended daily fat intake for a grown man is 83g, which means that Homer is heading for that big fat camp in the cardiac ward.

He consumes 3,100 kilocalories, three portions of fruit and vegetables and two units of alcohol each day.

Better news is that Bart is healthier, because he, as Deborah Allen of the British Heart Foundation tells us, spends lots of time skateboarding and playing with his friends.

Researchers also point out that he is a fictional cartoon character of just two dimensions and that the camera adds 10lbs of bulk.’

Posted: 11th, November 2003 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink