As I travel trough the US I see that it is likely that childhood obesity
will become more of a health care problem before it gets better.The reality is
that the distribution of fast, unhealthy foods are growing at alarming rates,
foods that are served in our children’s school cafeterias and vending machines
located on school campuses. While there is nothing that forces children to
consume these foods, they don’t have much of a choice, and let’s face it,
Cheetos and sodas are more fun to eat than whole grain bread and vegetables. Our
fast passed, stressed culture subordinates to these pleasure based, addictive
foods. It is unlikely that broccoli and cauliflower will compete with fries and
burgers and hotdogs and shakes in the near future. Children of all ages are
stressed by the social morays placed upon them: do well in school and pass the
mandated tests required by the government and school districts, be popular, be
skinny, be athletic, be pretty/handsome, why did my parents divorce, why is
there no food in the fridge, are we going to have to move? So with this
understanding I believe the obesity epidemic will continue to disasters
proportions, so what is the solution? Lower the stress rate levels that all
people experience; educate A children about healthy living; bring P.E. back into
our schools; not put so much emphasis on unrealistic expectations; teach
Americans that healthy eating and living is more pleasurable than a calorie
laden fix. Show our children now so that they can show their children, and their
children’s children how to manage their stress before they are devoured by this
fast food epidemic.
This blog post was written by Gary Solomon, PhD, author of the book, Why Is Brian So Fat?
