Does a Healthier Diet Mean a Hangry President?

Boredom comes easily to Twitter, so now it’s keeping tabs on what our president is eating. And the tweet on the street says that he must be hangry. Bloomberg reports that he’s trading a diet of Big Macs and chocolate shakes for salads and fish. For that matter, they report, the entire west wing is on a healthier food regimen.

Flimsy Reporting of Cause and Effect

Naturally, reporters connected the dots and suggested that the specter of a trade war this week might be the direct result of a president who is hungry and angry.

Could trade war have been caused because Trump is “hangry” ? Two weeks since last hamburger https://t.co/uEIA6UiBLG

— Erik Wasson (@elwasson) March 2, 2018

Detecting wild speculation about what might cause a trade war doesn’t require a PhD in statistics. Our president promised tariffs on steel long before the election. Back then, he was still tweeting about his enjoyment of fast food. If we have a trade war, neither too little nor too much fast food will be the cause.

Feasting on Stereotypes

Reporters are indulging in a smorgasbord of stereotypes. Healthy eating is satisfying and pleasurable. If it leaves you hungry, then it’s not healthy. So equating fewer burgers and healthier eating with more presidential hunger and anger is a bit of a lie.

Anger sometimes comes from hunger, but neither anger nor constant hunger are good for health.

Unhealthy eating habits come in many forms. No single food – such as a burger – is ruinous. Nor can it explain a person’s weight and health. So when reporters link the president’s weight to a Big Mac, they are promoting a stereotype.

Please, can we stop obsessing over every morsel this president eats?

Angry Bear, illustration © Alvaro Tapia / flickr

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March 3, 2018