A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video on my Instagram Stories showcasing a line-up that stretched nearly 3 blocks long of people waiting to place their orders at the new and incredibly popular fast food joint – Jollibee. Now for those of you who don’t know, Jollibee is a Filipino multinational chain of fast food restaurants owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation. As of today, JFC has roughly 1500 Jolibee outlets worldwide. And here in Vancouver, British Columbia, the renowned Filipino fast-food chain opened its first outlet on Friday, February 25th on Granville Street Downtown.

After 4 weeks, Jollibee has now settled into its’ new home in the Downtown Core. The restaurant that is famous for its’ fried chicken, greasy burgers, and fatty wieners in spaghetti, continues to remain a hot spot in the city. People continue to come from all over our Province for a taste of the finger licking/heart attack in a box Filipino dishes. The food is cheap. The service is fast. And as long as you’re wearing your mask in that line-up, you’re safe from COVID……(Enter Motherfucking Eye Roll Here)

Is The Irony Lost On Certain People?

Look, I’ve said it from Day 1 – I am and always will take COVID-19 seriously. I supported mask usage when first recommend by our Doctors and Scientists. I was a huge advocate for vaccines when they became widely available to the public. And I continuously promoted extreme cleanliness and social distancing when and where necessary. I had empathy towards those that were elderly and immunocompromised and therefore took extra caution as to not accidentally transmit the virus to them. I showed respect to those that thought differently than I, but at the same time, never shied away from sharing my own thoughts and opinions on this Global Pandemic.

But seriously? Wearing a mask in a FAST FOOD line-up that serves greasy, fried and fattening food because you’re concerned about contracting COVID? Is it just me or is this not complete idiocracy at its’ very best?

According to the Global Burden Disease study tracking trends in consumption of 15 dietary factors from 1990 to 2020 in 195 countries, one in five deaths globally – equivalent to 11 million deaths – are associated with poor diet and chronic diseases caused by poor dietary habits in people around the world.

Now even if we were to ignore this study and all the other hundreds of thousands of studies and statistics that show living a sedentary lifestyle combined with a poor diet leads to numerous health issues and even potential risk of an early death, we can’t ignore the fact that both of these factors have heavily influenced the total Global COVID-19 death toll in the past two years.

With that said, I guess my question to those people waiting in a line for their spaghetti and hotdogs is – Are you really more fearful of COVID-19 than you are of obesity, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers, heart disease and stroke? All of which can be caused by following a poor nutritional plan.

Or perhaps you are fearful of contracting COVID-19 because your Health Care Practitioner has already warned you that you are currently at risk for developing some or all of the health conditions listed above.

Either way, if you are concerned about contracting COVID-19, shouldn’t you be doing everything in your power to remain healthy and fit? I mean we already know that a strong immune system can definitely help defend you (not prevent you) from contracting and fighting off COVID without ending up in the ICU. Your chances are ofcourse even better if you are double vaccinated. So why not aim for optimal health if you are still physically and mentally capable to do so?

Relax & Enjoy Your Life

The reality is that a little bit of junk food every so often will most likely not cause any permanent health issues for us down the road. In fact, I always recommend to my own clients to have at least one cheat meal a week that they can go out and enjoy with friends and family. Ofcourse I also strongly advise people NOT to waste their cheat meals on crappy, processed fast foods made with cheap and disturbing ingredients that I can’t even pronounce. But the choice is ultimately up to each individual to make.

As a Trainer/Coach/Health Care Professional, all I can do is continue to try my best to inform and educate others on how they too can greatly improve their own quality of life by following a clean diet and exercising regularly. There is no reason to shame or pass judgement upon others who choose to live their lives differently than You or I. I just have personally always found it interesting when I hear people complaining that they are either constantly tired, sore, sick, rundown, out of shape, and/or have no energy. I guess I’m just lucky as I have never experienced any of these feelings.

Perhaps I should try something from Jollibee and see if that changes……

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance