“..Are School Lunches Setting Kids Up for Obesity and Poor Nutrition?..”
“.. The Obamas are taking on childhood obesity by tackling problems with the National School Lunch Program.
But will their fixes be enough?
Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move” campaign to fight obesity with a flood of media attention and a Presidential Memorandum, signed by her husband, establishing a new Task Force on Childhood Obesity.
But how does the rhetoric of the Let’s Move campaign stack up against what President Obama’s administration is actually doing to address childhood obesity?
While many of the president’s priorities have lost steam in Congress, tackling childhood obesity is thankfully not one of them.
But are the administration’s efforts on the right track?
While the First Lady has been a champion for healthy, sustainable food since the creation of her historic garden in her first days in the White House ..
.. the title of her campaign, Let’s Move, rings of food industry influence.
After all, junk food manufacturers have long advocated that Americans can eat whatever they want, so long as they work out afterward.
(The industry-favored term for this is “energy balance.”)
Such an outlook carelessly ignores nutrients that contribute to good health, putting 100 calories of French fries on par with 100 calories of fruit.
It also ignores the simple fact that, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers, Americans today eat more than they did in the past —
– over 500 calories more per day, if you compare 1970 with 2006.
So, just moving is not going to solve our obesity epidemic, especially in kids.
While there are many factors that contribute to children being overweight ..
.. the big kahuna of the child obesity debate is our National School Lunch Program..”
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