Our local paper, The Detroit Free Press, has an article today about how the government is considering various approaches to ending the trend of obesity. This includes school breakfast/lunch program changes, taxes on soft drinks, and requiring posting calories/fat content at fast food outlets (we saw this last one at work in California, and influenced my sons' choices at our very RARE visit to a fast food joint, while on vacation). But I think ultimately it is about personal responsibility!
Those who want to be healthy must make healthy choices. And I am not sure I agree that the government could decide what is a 'healthy' choice with all the food industry lobbyists doing their best to influence decisions. The Free Press article writes of a healthy breakfast at a local school of wheat bagels, juice and milk....all high sugar/starch choices, with NO PROTEIN. A meal like this has a high glycemic impact which means the kids get a sugar buzz first hour of school, sleepy afterwards from the crash. I remember those days in boarding school when had waffles or pancakes. Hyper students first hour from the starches and sugary syrup, napping in second hour class. Breakfast in the Kelly household this morning? 2 scrambled eggs with about 2 cups of veggies each or organic oatmeal with cinnamon and vanilla /no sugar (lower protein in this one, but the boys will follow with a snack of nuts later in the morning).
So perhaps the question is whether government can influence health choices? Perhaps, but ultimately those who want to make poor choices will do so. Those who want to make better choices will go out of the way to do so. Making sure government doesn't interfere with being able to make good choices might also be a part of the challenge. For adults perhaps it will be business requiring fitness for health insurance coverage. In the schools offering ONLY healthier school lunches, removing soft drink machines and the like, and increased gym would go a long way. Ultimately it is about a society creating a culture of fitness one person at a time.
http://www.freep.com/article/20111024/NEWS06/110240375/As-obesity-soars-state-looks-pop-tax-fitness-push-?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
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"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which he have of God, and ye are not your own?" - 1 Corinthians 6:19 "...unfortunately, MY body is a temple of doom" - a comedian in the 1980's referencing the Indiana Jones movie of the same title.
