The problem with obesity is nothing new, and has been fought for the last couple of centuries. Originally, back before the latest change for fashion, you're weight had been an indicator of your social class. People who had more weight tended to be of a higher social class, because it proved that they had more money to feed themselves. People of poverty level tended to be very skinny, so much so that you could see their bones... wow times have changed a lot since then.
Nevertheless, the government has realized that childhood obesity is a major problem affecting our generation. The fact that 1 of 3 children is obesity and destined to die from it is unacceptable, although there is a battle stopping them every step of the way.The biggest problem that the government is having has to deal with the prices of healthy food, free market system and just the knowledge of nutrition.
The first hurdle that the government has to deal with this the cost of food per school. The government is facing the same kinds of costs that normal families must deal with each day. Going to a grocery store is more pricey than eating from the $1.00 menu at McDonald's. Yes, the grocery store is healthier and better for you, but there are always loop-holes that are in place. Food going into public schools is under very strict rules, and must be inspected to have the highest health quality, but there are always fine lines that can be crossed easily. One example is the "A la carte" menu that many schools have. These don't have to follow the normal inspection that the main courses must go through, and that is where the problem lies. A solution to this problem would be, if possible, simply bring your lunch. That way no matter what is being served, your child has the best food possible from your home. My mom started doing this when in middle school, she was hearing the types of food I was being served and was getting worried with what it would do to my health. Parents must get involved with their schools.
The second hurdle that the government has faced while implementing their new guidelines of healthier lunches is the free market and "freedom of choice" campaigns. I understand that many people don't want to have the government in their lives any more than necessary, but desperate times call for desperate measures. There have been many ideas that have come across the table, such as a tax on soda and junk food, or having these types of foods go through routine inspection. These ideas are all well and good, but are expected to have an uprising from those consumers and companies. Companies' main targets for junk food are kids, and this is why they sell these products at schools. Should schools try to ban these companies from selling, they will of course put up the fact of free market in this country and they have a right to choose their own customers.
The third hurdle is simply nutrition knowledge. Most kids aren't being educated on what a tomato is, even though they know what ketchup looks like. We need to promote nutrition awareness, but not scare people. People don't need to go on "diets" (which often consist of eliminating a whole food group, usually carbohydrates), but they should know what is in the foods that they are consuming. Also, as a rule of thumb, if the food you're eating has more than a handful of ingredients and sounds like a science test, you probably shouldn't be eating it. Michelle Obama has a movement that she is trying to create by reaching out to kids. Her movement, the Get Up and Move program, is great but it shouldn't stop there. We need make sure there are programs in each school that teach kids K-12 about life complications from poor choices in food.
We must stop this bad habit now, before it gets worse. Each generation has a shorter life span then the one previous, and being obese gives you a shorter life expectancy of anywhere between 5 and 20 years. Our children are expected to have an even worse fate than us, so we must kill this now. For ourselves and, more importantly, for the future.
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