Taking the fight to the Senate floor

Listening to the talk in recent years on the obesity epidemic, I figured it was only a matter of time before the government would address this epidemic the same way they addressed the smoking epidemic. But it could be a problem to make criminals out of obese people instead of , pardon the pun, addressing the problem on the large scale that would be needed, considering the millions of people suffering from this condition.

I realize the vast majority of obesity is the result of poor eating habits, and lack of exercise. But it would be more helpful if community and/or government efforts went into addressing the conditions that contribute to obesity than exclusively condemning those who are obese. Quality foods are abundant where I am, but I know if I were to live in the inner city, MacDonalds or the local corner convenience store would be my only source of food. I make a decent living, have a plot of land to grow vegetables, have the luxury of health insurance, have a safe place to go outside for cheap exercise (walking, running, playing ball games), and a lifetime of family knowledge about cooking, nutrition and exercise. If this epidemic were to be handled like the smoking policies, would obese people be penalized with increased prices for medical insurance and treatment? This would be catastrophic for millions of people. Smoking was, and is, a huge health hazzard, but complications from obesity, from heart disease to diabetes to high cholesterol, dwarf all other health concerns, hands down. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but the emotional climate of this discussion reminds me too much of the smoking issues when they were seriously addressed in the past few decades. Maybe it won't be handled the same way. Then again, we are talking about the US government...

Personal responsibility for one's health is key to reversing this trend. But making criminals out of people before enough education and "healthy infrastructure" is in place to make the changes possible would doom the effort from the start. We've got at least 20 years and billions of dollars worth of advertising and brainwashing towards the average American citizen for junk food and large portions in a culture more committed to convenience than to health. If everyone wants to really make this work, they'd better be sure to put the horse before the cart.

The government isn't telling us how much we can weigh.

However, unnecessary unhealthy habits actually cost our government a ton of money. I wonder how many people are on social security disability in part caused by obesity, unhealthy diets, and related chronic illnesses. And how much healthier the senior population on Medicare would be if people weren't obese during their lifetime.

Government programs can probably promote healthy lunch programs as well as practical health education in schools. A large part of the population spends from age 5 to 22 in public education institutions. Seriously, bring back home economics and shop classes and I bet obesity in children and young adults will go down within a decade.

We train people to be medical doctors but for some reason nutrition science is considered to be some lowly junk science that is not worthy of a spot in medical universities nor any of the top universities. We teach plant biology without students ever seeing a plant. No wonder food to people means buying pizza and trays of soda from Costco.

Government programs can also promote healthier built environments where people can walk to most daily activities, with parks, gardens, and community areas that draw people outside away from their TVs, Internet, and video games.

Personal responsibility and community support are major factors in the pursuit of achiving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It has taken me years to learn what I needed to know to take over this most necessary pursuit of my own personal health, including movement toward and the maintenance of a healthly balance.

We often cry out for a program to help fix that which appears to be broken. And I would agree, the data presented appears to bear significant indication that we have cause for serious concern and cause to push for solution. However, often the solution becomes a one size fits all approach or common measure. Smoking is bad, people should quit smoking. One should never start smoking. But in the case of obesity, the root cause may be of so many different factors and the resolution for each individual may be different.

My root cause was lack of proper nutrition and exercise. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. Gym class did not teach life long exercise, it taught basketball, square dancing, swimming. But not as life skills to be utilized daily. Nutrition class? Home economics did not teach me about a balanced meal. In fact, looking back on what we learned in that class, the foods were high fat and high carbohydrate with simple sugars. Brownies with enriched white flour.

I would encourage a two prong approach:

First, nutrition guidance from qualified personnel. Promote and encourage engagement of board certified medical doctors with nutritional expertise. These qualified experts would help people define proper nutritional targets for themselves and their children, based upon the specific needs of individuals. Our U.S. Government Food Pyramid is for the average American, however, no one is the average American. We each need to understand how to adjust that average to best serve our body's needs. This includes adjustments for allergies (e.g. gluten), special conditions (e.g. diabetes), and most importantly how the individual's body processes the food as fuel. This is preventative medicine.

Second, lifestyle exercise guidance and training. Revise the physical education requirement in schools to promote development and encourage pursuit of life long exercise habits. Open school pools and gymnasiums to the community to utilize evenings and weekends, allow the school playground to be used when classes are not in session, pave bike lanes on the roads, double the width of sidewalks, create a safe place to play outside.