Last week First Lady Michelle Obama announced her Let's Move plan - an effort to end childhood obesity in this country. This is my stream of consciousness discussion/rant on that topic.
Let me begin with noting that I was not a fat kid - I began my seesaw weight in college, really. Up & down, Up & down. Until, and even then, I was fairly active. Dance for 10+ years, 2 years of awful basketball (decent D, decent free throw and no fear at taking a charge, but shooting? HORRENDOUS.), cheerleading, with aerobics, jazzercise & whatnot mixed in. I grew to be fat as an adult - a completely different topic that we occasionally visit here. Back to the today's kids ...
This is a serious issue, people - today's kids will not live as long as I do, their healthcare costs will be astronomical. And, now folks are getting all up in arms that we're calling kids fat and that will lower their already low self-esteem. No one needs to call an individual child fat, or call them out by putting them on a Diet. What we need to rethink is our attitude toward food & movement.
Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver received a TED prize this year. His acceptance speech will make you stop in your tracks right now and wonder about what's being served in lunchrooms across the country and how we make food prep, cooking and real food the center of our diet (little "d" as in what we eat, not weight loss). Here's his acceptance speech (if you have problems w/ the video, click HERE to be taken directly to the speech) :
This speech made me cry. I was lucky. My parents & grandparents taught me about food - fresh food, cooking and food prep that didn't require cooking. Fast food is not the enemy. There is real food in fast food and some of the brands in this industry do well by kids. It's not public assistance programs that are the enemy. Most of what I buy at the store these days is WIC approved. In fact, looking for that sticker at the grocery store can help you make better choices when shopping.
I get it, we're time pressed. But does it take any longer to slice a banana on top of a smear of peanut butter on bread than it does to microwave a pizza? No. We need to rethink convenience. This is NOT an indictment of women - busy moms, whether they work or stay at home, all have time pressures. While Mom makes most of the food-related decisions & purchases in a household, Dad has a real role here. And both parents (or caregivers, or whatever responsible adults are in the lives of children) have a responsibility to set an example. Lord knows, we've got plenty of fat adults out there ... and, believe me, I know it's hard to get weight under control as an adult.
What about the food kids eat at school - sometimes both breakfast and lunch? Institutionalized food is typically higher in fat, sodium & lots of other stuff we need to moderate. Ann Cooper is on a mission to change the food kids eat in school. She's a true renegade and her book Lunch Lessonsis a valuable read for parents, non-parents and anyone interested in food in this country. You can follow her on Twitter as @chefannc.
The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) launched a program called Kids in the Kitchen a few years ago for local Junior Leagues to implement in their communities focusing on the issue of childhood obesity and teaching kids about food. Different Junior Leagues implement the program in different ways, but you can find local programs in your community (hopefully) to find resources to make YOUR kitchen healthier for your kids & get them involved in food. In Oklahoma City, we've had different partners over the years to make the program relevant to local kids in our community projects.
So, food is one piece of the puzzle with activity as the other main piece. I love our neighborhood & I love our street. I love that the parents on our street kick their kids outdoors and I see games like Hide & Seek, War, pretend and so much more when I drive home. There's fun & value in having kids active with technology & gaming, but that can't replace the social negotiations learned from group play.
While it may be surprising to you to know there's scientific research behind the benefits of play, I was a Leisure Services (read: Recreation) major in college. While that garners a good laugh here & there, the reality is I've spent most of my adult working life with people who volunteer in their LEISURE TIME. Play is a leisure time activity - we use our brains differently which can translate, for kids into academic & career success. I get it. Lots of schools no longer do - PE is elective, or doesn't exist at all. Elementary schools cancel recess to gain more instructional time. Most teachers will tell you that kids need recess - not just for the break, but to learn group dynamics, negotiation, competition and life skills (p.s. I am a BIG fan of Cartoon Network's Rescue Recess program and the NFL's Play 60 program, check them out)
I'm a Michelle Obama fan anyway, but really? Who actually thinks her plan is a bad idea? Ending childhood obesity is NOT a political issue. It's a future of our country issue.
