Author Topic: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA  (Read 509 times)

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Offline mystery-ak

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The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« on: May 29, 2014, 01:10:47 pm »
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/opinion/michelle-obama-on-attempts-to-roll-back-healthy-reforms.html?_r=0

The Campaign for Junk Food
Michelle Obama on Attempts to Roll Back Healthy Reforms

By MICHELLE OBAMAMAY 28, 2014

WHEN we began our Let’s Move! initiative four years ago, we set one simple but ambitious goal: to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation so that kids born today will grow up healthy.

To achieve this goal, we have adhered to one clear standard: what works. The initiatives we undertake are evidence-based, and we rely on the most current science. Research indicated that kids needed less sugar, salt and fat in their diets, so we revamped school lunch menus accordingly. When data showed that the lack of nearby grocery stores negatively affected people’s eating habits, we worked to get more fresh-food retailers into underserved areas. Studies on habit formation in young children drove our efforts to get healthier food and more physical activity into child care centers.

Today, we are seeing glimmers of progress. Tens of millions of kids are getting better nutrition in school; families are thinking more carefully about food they eat, cook and buy; companies are rushing to create healthier products to meet the growing demand; and the obesity rate is finally beginning to fall from its peak among our youngest children.

So we know that when we rely on sound science, we can actually begin to turn the tide on childhood obesity.

But unfortunately, we’re now seeing attempts in Congress to undo so much of what we’ve accomplished on behalf of our children. Take, for example, what’s going on now with the Women, Infants and Children program, known as WIC. This is a federal program designed to provide supplemental nutrition to low-income women and their babies and toddlers. The idea is to fill in the gaps in their diets — to help them buy items like fresh produce that they can’t afford on their own — and give them the nutrition they’re missing.

Right now, the House of Representatives is considering a bill to override science by mandating that white potatoes be included on the list of foods that women can purchase using WIC dollars. Now, there is nothing wrong with potatoes. The problem is that many women and children already consume enough potatoes and not enough of the nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables they need. That’s why the Institute of Medicine — the nonpartisan, scientific body that advises on the standards for WIC — has said that potatoes should not be part of the WIC program.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated occurrence. We’re seeing the same kind of scenario unfold with our school lunch program. Back in 2010, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which set higher nutritional standards for school lunches, also based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. Today, 90 percent of schools report that they are meeting these new standards. As a result, kids are now getting more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other foods they need to be healthy.

This is a big win for parents who are working hard to serve their kids balanced meals at home and don’t want their efforts undermined during the day at school. And it’s a big win for all of us since we spend more than $10 billion a year on school lunches and should not be spending those hard-earned taxpayer dollars on junk food for our children.

Yet some members of the House of Representatives are now threatening to roll back these new standards and lower the quality of food our kids get in school. They want to make it optional, not mandatory, for schools to serve fruits and vegetables to our kids. They also want to allow more sodium and fewer whole grains than recommended into school lunches. These issues will be considered when the House Appropriations Committee takes up the annual spending bill for the Agriculture Department on Thursday.

Remember a few years ago when Congress declared that the sauce on a slice of pizza should count as a vegetable in school lunches? You don’t have to be a nutritionist to know that this doesn’t make much sense. Yet we’re seeing the same thing happening again with these new efforts to lower nutrition standards in our schools.

Our children deserve so much better than this. Even with the progress we have made, one in three children in this country is still overweight or obese. One in three is expected to develop diabetes in his or her lifetime. And this isn’t just about our children’s health; it’s about the health of our economy as well. We already spend an estimated $190 billion a year treating obesity-related conditions. Just think about what those numbers will look like in a decade or two if we don’t start solving this problem now.

The bottom line is very simple: As parents, we always put our children’s interests first. We wake up every morning and go to bed every night worrying about their well-being and their futures. And when we make decisions about our kids’ health, we rely on doctors and experts who can give us accurate information based on sound science. Our leaders in Washington should do the same.
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Offline Rivergirl

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2014, 01:12:32 pm »
Oh my goodness, who knew potatoes were EVIL. 8888crybaby

Offline massadvj

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2014, 01:37:14 pm »
The bottom line is very simple: As parents, we always put our children’s interests first.

If this is true, then why do we need the federal government dictating what we can and cannot do for them?

Offline mountaineer

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2014, 01:56:50 pm »
Quote
When data showed that the lack of nearby grocery stores negatively affected people’s eating habits, we worked to get more fresh-food retailers into underserved areas.
Baloney. Whether it's low-fat, low-salt baloney, I don't care - it's still BS "data." Even folks in da ghetto are closer to a fresh-food retailer than I am.
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Oceander

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2014, 10:23:01 pm »
/snicker

Moochelle Obama wrote something?  The wonder isn't what she wrote, but that she could write at all - tho' more likely this is all the product of some poor ghostwriter.

Offline speekinout

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2014, 12:01:29 am »
White potatoes aren't a problem until you turn them into French Fries. But now so many people think white potatoes are a problem that many menus have things like sweet potato fries or french fried onions or even beans or squash. Those are healthy, right?  :laugh:

Offline Right_in_Virginia

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2014, 01:56:14 am »
Wonder if her girls are bulimic yet.   :whistle:

Offline Chieftain

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #7 on: May 30, 2014, 02:02:52 am »
White potatoes aren't a problem until you turn them into French Fries. But now so many people think white potatoes are a problem that many menus have things like sweet potato fries or french fried onions or even beans or squash. Those are healthy, right?  :laugh:

Moose is blowing Dhimmie dog whistles...of course "white potatoes" are a problem....white anything is a problem to Moose and her Minions....

 :smokin:

Offline speekinout

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2014, 02:20:33 am »
Moose is blowing Dhimmie dog whistles...of course "white potatoes" are a problem....white anything is a problem to Moose and her Minions....

 :smokin:

How could I have missed that? Must be because I'm a racist and haven't checked my privilege lately.  :whistle:

Offline flowers

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Re: The Campaign for Junk Food By MICHELLE OBAMA
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2014, 02:51:49 pm »
In her article.....who is the "we" she is talking about?  Did not know she was elected as prez too.  wonder how many times a week she eats these evil potatoes?
« Last Edit: May 31, 2014, 02:55:17 pm by flowers »