In February of 2009 First Lady Michelle Obama launched a campaign called Let’s Move, in an attempt to make America's youth healthier. Over the past thirty years childhood obesity rates in the U.S have tripled. If we continue on the same track nearly one third of children born after 2000 will suffer from diabetes. A combination of factors has contributed to the decline of America’s health.
As a result of education cuts gym class and some after school sports are rare. Also video games, the internet, and TV are children’s alternative to playing outside. Another factor, American parents are busier than ever making it much more convenient to pick up fast food on the way home. To make matters worse portion sizes in the restaurant industry have increased over the last three decades. The average American now ingests 31% more calories and 15 pounds more sugar than in 1970.
Let’s Move is a great plan to create awareness around this important issue. The initiative has created many tools to help parents in getting their children to eat healthy. The USDA created My Plate, which reminds parents and kids that a healthy meal includes half a plate of fruit or vegetables. The USDA is also in the process of making nutritional facts easier to see when purchasing food at the grocery store.
Another great change Lets Move has sparked is in the restaurant industry. The movement is influencing restaurants to make their kids menus healthier. As a restaurant manager it is frustrating at times to have to adapt to changes in society. However, this is one change I am 100% behind. What is frustrating, is most corporate restaurants would rather make more money by increasing portion sizes to increase their prices than have a healthy youth. I am proud to say that I work for a corporate restaurant that cares about the consumers that keep us in business. Outback Steakhouse is launching a new kids menu that offers healthier alternatives. Kids who eat at Outback can choose from apple juice and orange juice opposed to sodas. They can also choose a healthier side, a fruit cup or steamed broccoli with no butter. A choice they will not make, all proteins offered on the new menu will be prepared using no butter. I hope other restaurants will take our lead and modify their menus to help kids grow up healthy.
I do feel that our current government could do more to end obesity. I feel that cutting education funds that have caused schools to cut gym class and recess is a huge contributing factor to this growing problem. Until the government makes this change it is our responsibility to help end this problem. Lets all do our part for Lets Move!
The importance of eating healthy and working out is something that is clearly lost in our education system. The Get Fit initiative is something I hope Michelle Obama has great success with. I completely agree our nations youth needs all the help they can get in understanding the importance of their diet and activity level. Understand this at such a young age will make eating healthy a habit, thus affecting them in a positive way for the rest of their lives. My wife is a special education teacher and she is tasked with help children with special needs understand how a healthy diet affects them and why it’s important. She has been following the Get Fit initiative very closely and has encouraged a lot of the advice to her children. She makes sure in her class the children have an ample amount of time to move around. Since teaching she has learned the importance of installing these ideals in not only the children but trying to get their parents to get involved as well. The Get Fit movement is something that she is able to pass on to the parents and it’s a simple and unimposing way to send the message. The Obama administration has been met with a lot of resistance in all of its ideas but I feel the Get Fit Initiative is something we can all get behind regardless of political identification.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign is a great initiative for this country and I completely agree with everything that has been said here. So many of the children in the United States are largely overweight and the number of children with Type 2 Diabetes has increased as a result. Through a low funding program like this one, we can educate our nation's children about being healthy.
ReplyDeleteThere are many scientific studies that confirm the United States' food portion sizes to obesity, which should be quite obvious. Only eight states require students to take physical education classes each year from first grade to twelfth grade. An unbelievable twenty-two states allow students to obtain credit for physical education courses through online classes.
Something needs to be done about the portion sizes and health education in this country. Our children's futures depend on this.