Many years ago I wrote an Op Ed
piece about an article, “Happy Birthday! Have Some Carrots”. It is another
manifestation of the obsession our society has with weight, without being
willing to look at the root cause of the problem. Maybe we should consider
finding the root causes of obesity.
Let’s take a look at funding in
schools for physical education, which has progressively decreased since the
late-1980’s. What about funding for park districts that formerly provided
after-school programs with physical activity and academics? The schools and
park districts in Chicago have experienced more than 85% in budget cuts within
the last 10 years. I attended public high school in Chicago. We had junk food,
pizza parties and cake for birthdays; but we also had gym 5 days a week instead
of 2 like my son does now. We had a Health class that educated us about food
groups, the effects of certain foods on our systems and discussed the benefits
of running and playing. We played running games outside with our friends after
school, instead of lying on the floor playing video games for hours.
As the parent of a teenager, I
believe it is my job to ensure that my son eats a balanced diet, plays outside
on a regular basis, participates in sports, understands the importance of
balanced meals, knows how to select proper foods and portion control. America
is fat beginning with our children, because of our over-indulgence, our “right
now satisfaction” mentality and funding being cut at every level for physical
education.
Can we stop blaming the end
results and start truly breaking down and attacking the root causes of the
obesity levels in the United States? I agree that Type 2 Diabetes in children
is deplorable, particularly at the current levels. However, I believe some
alternate solutions to serving carrots at birthday parties and putting only
healthy snacks in vending machines would include: putting the funding back in
public school physical education and extra-curricular school sponsored/organized
sports activities, after-school fitness activities at park districts and
continue the health education in the school and with parents. Certain types of
education begin at home and healthy eating habits are some of them.
Windy City Diva
