BACK TO SCHOOL: OBESITY PREVENTION SHOULD BE ON YOUR LIST!

Guest Post by: FDL

Back to School: Food and Obesity

Back to school ads are in all the local newspapers.  The grocery store ads have individually wrapped junk food at special prices, and frozen dinners as 2fers.  These are the items that bring shoppers in the doors.   As we head into the season known as ‘back to school’, let’s talk food.

Why are we an obese country?

A Health Economist article’s reasons for obesity:

• Decreased real cost of food-few go without food because of funds.
• Women in the work force leading to fewer meals cooked in the home-fast food here we come.
• Decreased activity-no more playing outside with video games, and a TV in every kid’s room.

The researchers suggested that one way to combat the problem of obesity would be to tax junk food.  But I agree with the author of the article:  who would decide what counted for junk food?  Little Debbie?

FAST FOOD: photo by Chrisian Cable

So we’ve recognized for a number of years that obesity in the developed world, the US in particular, is a major problem.  It is well known that obesity and an increasing body mass index contributes to the risks of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Our Kids and Obesity: What to do?

The Government and private industry preventing obesity proposals:

• Washington is requiring body mass index or BMI included in all patient records by 2014-in other words, they want to know how fat we are
• Let’s not forget the folks who want to take the toy out of McDonald’s Happy Meals.
• Retail grocers have developed a nutritional scoring system that ranks thousands of foods on a scale of 1 to 100.  This number will be placed on the shelf label letting consumers know how their choices rank.
• Some food chains are hiring nutritionists to roam the aisles and for a fee offer personalized recommendations on selecting healthier foods according to this article in the Wall Street Journal.

What are you and I going to do about obesity in our own families?

• Buy fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally, they are usually cheaper, more nutritious and taste better.
• If you must buy foods such as potato chips, at least buy the cheapest per ounce.  Stay away from those little packages of individually wrapped portions, just bag them yourself.
• Say no to chips, etc.  Buy an apple to pack in that lunch box.
• If you are going to buy sugary cereal, at least buy the cheapest and go heavy on the low fat milk in the bowl. Pour it up and insist on an empty bowl afterward, with no milk left behind-we don’t get enough calcium on most days.
• Plan.  Plan.  Then plan some more so you don’t find yourself in the drive thru line at a fa(s)t food joint.  Life can be hectic.  Life with a family-brutally hectic.  You have to decide what that means for you, but it’s worth some thought.  On those horrid mid week nights when you can’t face meal prep, drag out the hotdogs and frozen French fries.  Sure, choose the low fat, low nitrite varieties, but have your version of a throw down meal in your freezer at all times.  Make it a party.  You will have saved money, time and you should even give yourself a pat on the back for staying the course.
• Part of that planning mentioned above also involves knowing what you need from the grocer before you get there.  Make a menu for the week ahead.
• Have your own ‘pantry’ list of things you know your family will eat and never run out of those things.

Use these ideas to make your own WAR on obesity!

Reader Questions:

What are you doing to help your family eat more healthily?

What are the ways you do this and be frugal at the same time?

FDL

FDL blogs about organization and home management-FAST at  Fast Declutter Your Home.

Tags: back to school meals, obesity, obesity and children, obesity and kids, saving money and eating healthy

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 6:24 pm and is filed under Planned spending aka budget, Quality of Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.