Even in our schools, sodas and candy and foods of little nutritional value are pawned off as “nutrition”, and as a result our children get fatter as well. We also cannot avoid the fact that “physical education” has been cut in many school districts, with schoolchildren spending more time in their seats and less time on their feet.
What Can We Do?
There are a number of actions that we can take to combat the spread of diabetes, obesity and other illnesses related to the excess weight that we are carrying around.
Decrease and improve intake: We can make a concerted effort to decrease our overall caloric intake, as well as the amount of excess sugar that we eat and drink. Cutting back on fast foods and desserts and other sources of “empty calories” is a great place to start. Read the labels on food and avoid high-calorie ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup. We can also increase our intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and other low-calorie nutritious foods.
Increase exercise: Find small and big ways to increase your level of physical activity. Walk or bike to the store. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Print your documents at the printer furthest from your desk. Keep moving!
Advocate: As a citizen, you have the right to advocate on behalf of schoolchildren for increased physical education, more nutritious lunches, and less junk food in schools. You can lobby for bike paths and walking paths in your town, and for sidewalks on roads that are unsafe for pedestrians. You can also speak with local, state and national lawmakers who can improve the labeling of unhealthy foods and improve public health education regarding the risks of diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
The Future is Unwritten
Just because Americans are 20 pounds heavier than they were 20 years ago, that doesn’t mean that they need be 20 pounds heavier still after the next two decades have elapsed. There are many healthy trends underway around the country at this time, and many people are waking up to the fact that things have to change.
Our children are, in many ways, our greatest asset and our greatest barometer, and as they become increasingly prone to illnesses that were mostly adult diseases in the past (obesity, diabetes and heart disease), it should be a wake-up call that it’s time for us to take action, individually and collectively.
Is Our Ideal Weight Getting Fatter, Too? was originally published on blackdoctor.org
