I believe the government should pass the Child Nutrition Bill. The $4.5 billion Senate bill, which passed with unanimous consent in August, would expand eligibility for school lunch programs, establish nutrition standards for all school meals, and encourage schools to use locally sourced food. It would also raise the reimbursement rate to 6 cents per meal, marking the first time in over 30 years that Congress has increased funding for school lunch programs. The House of Representatives has delayed their vote on the subject.
I support Obama’s crusade on nutrition. Yes, it may seem expensive at first but it will save out country billions in the long run. I grew up in a middle class home but nutrition was not a priority. Not because my parents hate me. Physical exercise was a daily part of my life. But, I also drank sodas and ate ice cream every night as well. I was skinny so everybody looked at me like I was healthy. Unfortunately, these bad habits stay with you throughout life unless you change them. It is a lot harder to break bad habits and form good habits. This is not entirely my parents fault. They were not educated on nutrition and didn’t understand the importance on health. I was literally addicted to sweets.
However, my boyfriend was raised up not eating sweets and drinking sodas. He also learned the value of nutrition. He has taught me a lot and I now lead a healthier lifestyle. But, it is a constant struggle. One good side effect, I don’t get migraines anymore. I save over $200/month by not having to buy medication for migraines. It really took me being educated on nutrition (at the University of Texas
What I am getting at is a healthy life starts when you are young. This is when it is a lot easier to establish and maintain healthier eating habits. The problem is that most of the parents don’t know what is really healthy. Most labels say the healthy but they are full of preservatives, sodium, and artificial sweeteners. You could solve this by having at least one meal that is healthy at school. This will cut down on health problems and create a healthier future of Americans. It is time for the government to step in and take control of our nation’s obesity problem. This is one way for them to do it. The quicker this is passed the better for everyone.
I agree with you because is very sad to know that in 2007 and 2008 11.9% of children between ages 6 and 9 were obese and 16.9% were overweight.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying in this article. I myself have a problem with eating junk food and drinking sodas. I can count on one hand how much water i drink in a week. If my mother would have instilled eating healthy to me a long time ago I wouldn't have a tough time trying to start now. Ive had this recent pain that is connected to drinking a lot of caffeine and now that I'm forced to stop it hard for me to do. So the government should take control and help people move in the right direction to get their kids healthy. If it was forced more people would do it. You wonder why we have so many obese kids in the world and its because the parents don't take the time to make sure their child has nutrition in their dinner. School districts now are having healthier chooses in the school lunches. That is a start to our kids having healthier lives.
ReplyDeleteIn Danielle's article, "Should the US Government take control of our children's nutrition? YES YES YES!!!" , she discusses the Child Nutrition Bill and how it should definitely be passed. I absolutely agree with my fellow colleague and feel as though we have needed something like this for quite some time! America isn't at the TOP of the 10 fattest countries in the world, but we are close enough. The United States is number 3 with 66.7% of our population being overweight. I'm not implying that we should all look like the stick-figures on the cover of magazines, but being overweight is simply unhealthy. If children don't learn to be conscious of what they eat now and how to properly take care of their bodies, it will be much more difficult as they get older. As Danielle said, "it is a lot harder to break bad habits and form good ones." I remember in middle school our options for lunch usually consisted of fried chicken fingers and french fries but on Monday's we had Taco Bell tacos, Wednesday was Pizza Hut day, and Friday's we got Chick-fil-a sandwiches. As you can see, healthy options weren't even available to us at school. Of course bringing your own lunch was always an option but we had to leave at 6:30am to make it to school every morning, it was far easier for my mom to hand us $5 and on our way then worrying about making lunches before she had to make it to work herself. I think passing a bill to ensure healthier choices at school and simply making children aware will improve our countries health overall. Who knows, maybe sooner than later we won't be dubbed the FATTEST country (even though we are number 3)!
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