Weight of the Nation Update - Strategies to Beat Obesity

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts)
Aug 3rd 2009 9:00AM

This little girl makes healthy eating look easy. Now, if only everyone else would follow her lead! Photo: Savannah Grandfather, Flickr

Last week's Weight of the Nation conference brought together the country's leaders in an effort to reverse the climbing obesity rates in the U.S. With higher obesity rates come higher health care costs, making this epidemic an issue for everyone, regardless of how fit and healthy one might be.

So, what did this meeting of the minds accomplish? Well, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, there's good and there's bad. Right now, things are rough. One in five kids and two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, which is why obesity-related medical spending is exceeding spending on cancer by $50 billion.

But, there are a number of things that we as individuals can do, and even more our communities at large can do to combat these disturbing trends. Of course, each of us can make the choice to walk more and eat fewer fatty, sugary, processed foods. But it's not a level playing field, which is why community involvement is so important.

Some of the Center for Disease Control's 24 recommended strategies include making transportation by bike a safer, easier option and offering more safety in areas where people are likely to be physically active. Additionally, making healthy foods more available to underserved areas by bringing in grocery stores could make a drastic difference.

And, of course, much of it comes down to the schools. Offering (and encouraging) salad bars and fresh foods rather than processed meals and snacks in the school cafeteria is one step, but schools also need to promote physical activity (rather than cutting it back, as has been the case as of late).

Will we see a dramatic drop in obesity rates immediately? Of course not -- we are talking about a government program, here.

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Comments (4)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

SheilaHen 8-03-2009 @ 10:53AM

I've been trying to lose 40 lbs for over a year. I lose 2 and then gain 2. I seesaw back and forth but never getting to the desired weight. It would be so much easier (i want to believe), if everywhere i turned, I had healthy choices. A recent picnic i attended had more salads and bbq items to feed a small nation. There was a separate table for the desserts alone. It's so hard to commit to a healthy eating lifestyle when there are many more unhealthy choices. Does anyone have a reasonable answer? Is the answer: to be thin or to be healthy?

Dr. David Robinson 8-03-2009 @ 12:58PM

The bottom line is that everything is a CHOICE. Dining out frequency is a choice. how much of t he high fat food at family gatherings you eat is a choice. Unfortunately, health organizations have been "offering and endouraging" healthy options for over two decades now and it has fallen on deaf ears!...“Obesity and with it diabetes are the only major health problems that are getting worse...and they’re getting worse rapidly.” Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC Director. This, in combination with an entitlement attitude toward health care and insurance?! The message unfortunately NEEDS to be, "Take a path of Self-Responsibility with healthy lifestyle choices, or, pay more for care of lifestyle-related illness and health insurance." http://www.DrDavidRobinson4Health.com

James Hahn II 8-03-2009 @ 10:42PM

Americans today are consuming hundreds more calories per day than they ever have. Where are those calories coming from? Largely from soda and sugar drenched processed foods. If you want to lose weight, kick sugar in all its forms immediately. I did and lost 87 lbs. and then helped my brother lose 126 lbs. in 8 months. No silly snake oil magic potion and no calorie counting "nutritionism." It's really simple. To quote Michael Pollan, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." If you do that and exercise, then there's no way you won't lose weight.
http://slave2freedom.com

Shawna 8-04-2009 @ 10:26AM

The other problem we have is that to eat healthy it costs a fortune. Literally. I have two children and I myself have been on a diet. To feed just the three of us (including my husband makes a small army) costs us more than $200 per two weeks..that's outrageous. I've had to cut costs in this area and reduce the amount of food put on the table. Why is it so expensive for fruits and vegetables that are supposed to be our way out of obesity? Why isn't there help in this area somewhere? What happened to all of our little venders on the side of the road that sold the fruits and vegetables for a decent price. I remember when corn was sold ten ears for a buck and now it's three ears for a buck. Unbelieveable. Things like this would help lower the obesity and feed our families more healthily.