And just like diet, kids' surroundings dictate how much they move. Promoted physical activity: The other major contributor to childhood obesity is lack of physical activity. Redesigned school lunch programs: Did you see what kids were eating in cafeterias before Michelle Obama reached the White House in 2008? French fries, potato chips, soda? Ketchup as a vegetable? The FLOTUS was appalled and championed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, as the USDA indicates the first major changes in school meals in 15 years, to prompt schools to serve healthier foods and reduce the costs of lunches for low-income children, and Chefs Move to School to have chefs teach healthier cooking and eating to cafeteria staff and kids.ĥ. Improved food labeling: Don't you want to know what's in your food? The FLOTUS helped usher in the first major changes in the Nutrition Facts in over 20 years, such as finally including "added sugars" on the label, and worked with the American Beverage Association to make calorie labels clearer on drinks.Ĥ. PHA, along with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, got 16 of the largest food manufacturers to cut 1.5 trillion calories from their food products by 2015, a goal that they achieved three years ahead of schedule.ģ. Therefore, the FLOTUS, PHA and Let's Move ! worked with companies to improve access to healthier foods such as with Walmart to lower the price of fruits and vegetables and improve the nutritional content of their food Darden (which owns Olive Garden and Red Lobster) to make kids' menus healthier and Walmart and Walgreens to expand into food deserts (neighborhoods that lack healthy food sources). When you can't afford to buy healthier foods, you will buy unhealthy foods. If you are surrounded by sauces, you will be saucy. When you are surrounded by candy, soda and processed foods, guess what.that is what you will eat.
Increased access to healthier foods: Eating healthier and trying to maintain a healthy weight is a lot easier if you live in the produce aisle of a supermarket and can afford to buy what's around you. As they say, the first (and often biggest) step in dealing with a problem is recognizing it, and the FLOTUS helped America take that step.Ģ. These initiatives have brought together major players from the private and public sectors, academia, medicine and other areas to work together to address childhood obesity. However, Michelle Obama brought a lot more attention to the epidemic and got the ball rolling with a number of important initiatives such as starting Let's Move! in 2010 and serving as the honorary chair for the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). Brought needed attention to the childhood obesity epidemic: Yes, childhood obesity is a worldwide problem that has been growing since the 1980s and won't be solved by one person and in just two Presidential terms.
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