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Childhood Obesity on the Rise despite Efforts of the First Lady

It is common knowledge that poor urban areas tend to have a higher rate of childhood obesity. Since her husband took the presidential office more than three years ago, First Lady Michelle Obama has campaigned vigorously to encourage physical activity and sensible eating among America’s youth.

While studies have showed that there are more fast food diners and convenience stores in poor neighborhoods, there were also more grocery stores, which made fruits and vegetables far more accessible. Recent studies have also showed that there is no noticeable correlation between obesity and number of fast food diners within a city.

This raises questions whether increasing access to healthy foods is really the answer as the First Lady has been advocating for. According to federal data, childhood obesity rates remain relatively the same in spite of efforts and programs to get Americans to exercise and eat healthier foods.

Michelle Obama’s crusade for a healthier and leaner nation has also included a call for schools to serve more nutritious meals. Her campaign has been praised by liberals while criticized by some conservatives, claiming that it is a move towards a nanny state.

Helen Lee, a member of the Public Policy Institute of California, conducted a study of 8,000 children in urban areas. The results indicated that poor neighborhoods did indeed have about twice as many fast food joints compared to more affluent neighborhoods. However, they also had just about as many super markets and grocery stores.

Childhood obesity is without a question a growing epidemic. However, the notion that children in poor neighborhoods are at a disadvantage due to a lack of access to healthy foods is just an excuse. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that their kids get daily exercise and eat a proper diet. If given a choice between a hamburger and a plate of vegetables, children are obviously going to go for the burger because it tastes better. This is where parents need to be the role model and help them make the right decisions. Government intervention is not the answer.

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Michelle Obama on Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is the eco-friendly choice because formula takes energy to transport, produce, and plus it wastes space in landfills. Recently, Michelle Obama promoted breastfeeding as a means against down-the-line childhood obesity.

Michelle ObamaPlus, recently, the IRS announced tax breaks for breastfeeding moms. A Forbes article reported that the American Academy of Pediatrics advocated for the change in a letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman. They announced “that expenses paid for breast pumps and supplies that assist lactation are deductible medical expenses.”

According to the New York Times and Civil Eats, this is exactly what Michelle Obama had in mind with her recent plugging of breastfeeding as a part of her Let’s Move Campaign.

Mrs. Obama said she would be thrilled to promote breast-feeding, especially among black women, as part of her campaign to prevent childhood obesity. The Internal Revenue Service then announced breast pumps – which can cost several hundred dollars – will be eligible for tax breaks.

Breastfeeding is also good for the baby. You see, breastfed babies are less likely to be plagued with gas, ear infections, constipation, asthma, allergies, obesity, and high blood pressure later in life; and for some, this is simply not an option, though, for those that can, breast is best for a reason.

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Food Industry to Change Fast With New Health America

fast foodOne aspect of the health care bill taking immediate effect is that chain restaurants will now be required to display nutrition information. What we are witnessing could well make a seismic shift in the changing of the food landscape of America.

The Associated Press Reports:

More than 200,000 fast food and other chain restaurants will have to include calorie counts on menus, menu boards and even drive-throughs.

The new law, which applies to any restaurant with 20 or more locations, directs the Food and Drug Administration to create a new national standard for menu labeling, superseding a growing number of state and city laws. President Barack Obama signed the health care legislation Tuesday.

The idea is to make sure that customers process the calorie information as they are ordering. Many restaurants currently post nutritional information in a hallway, on a hamburger wrapper or on their Web site. The new law will make calories immediately available for most items.

This rule will also apply to vending machines carrying convenience foods.

So how will this change be manifested to the American food system?

Americans’ appetite for cheap and processed foods and factory-farmed meat impacts everything from carbon emissions to water quality to pesticide and farms’ use of antibiotics.

The Oscar-nominated documentary “Food, Inc.” had a huge effect on informing people about the problems in the industrial food system. Oprah brought author and food expert Michael Pollan on her show to discuss the documentary, which she called “thought-provoking” and “eye-opening”. Michael Pollan also made appearances on The Daily Show and told Jon Stewart in January that he thought the passage of health care reform would have a large impact on changing the way people eat, because health insurers would have a financial motive to keep people away from eating unhealthy foods that will cause long-term health problems.

Michelle Obama has also become a public spokeswoman of increasing access to real food, gardening and fighting childhood obesity with her Let’s Move campaign. Last week she spoke to the Grocery Manufacturers Association about completely reassessing the ‘junk’ food which they sell:

“We need you not to just tweak around the edges but entirely rethink the products you are offering, the information that you provide about these products, and how you market those products to our children.”

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Down Economy Raises Back to Nature Movement

Obama's Garden PlanningThe down economy seems to be pushing us to a simpler and back to basics state of mind, which may turn out to be a good (dare I say it – great) thing. As more people are looking for ways to cut back on those expenses the coming warm season is going to see a surge in home grown produce. This trend was discussed here:

“We’re seeing a lot of new faces, a lot of questions that beginning gardeners have,” said Kathie Simmons, co-owner of G&M Pet and Garden Center. “I’ve had people say I spent so much on green beans last year, they realized they can grow them for quite a bit less.”

The Obama’s gardening plan is also a big push to the growing (excuse the pun) trend:

Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of the South Lawn on Friday to plant a vegetable garden, the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets — the president does not like them — but arugula will make the cut.

The effort will be significant and as a commitment will surpass the Clinton’s rooftop plants to something a little more significant:

The Obamas will feed their love of Mexican food with cilantro, tomatillos and hot peppers. Lettuces will include red romaine, green oak leaf, butterhead, red leaf and galactic. There will be spinach, chard, collards and black kale. For desserts, there will be a patch of berries. And herbs will include some more unusual varieties, like anise hyssop and Thai basil. A White House carpenter, Charlie Brandts, who is a beekeeper, will tend two hives for honey.