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Michelle Obama Launches Childhood Obesity Effort
Posted on Tue, February 09, 2010 by Jerusha Klemperer
7 Comments | Categories: Farms and Farming, Food Justice, Labeling, News, Current Events, Policy, School Food, Take Action, Youth Food Movement,
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by intern Julia Landau
Calling the childhood obesity epidemic “eminently solvable,” today the First Lady rolled out her plan to eradicate this serious health threat within one generation. Her take-home message? Let’s move!
Before unveiling the exciting project, Michelle Obama invited Will Allen, farmer and founder of Growing Power in Milwaukee, and Dr. Judith Palfrey, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics to talk about their work. The launch was also preceded this morning by the signing of an executive order creating a childhood obesity task force.
Approaching childhood obesity through four main avenues, the initiative (called “Let’s Move”) will focus on: helping kids and parents make healthy choices, providing healthy food at school, encouraging physical activity, and making healthy food accessible and affordable. Combining personal choice and public access, the initiative seeks to tackle the issue through “waves of efforts” across the country – starting right now. You can learn more at the Administration’s brand-new website, LetsMove.gov.
Speaking of cross-country-school-food-healthy-children efforts, Slow Food USA’s Time for Lunch campaign is doing just that – and giving citizens an opportunity to speak up. In her speech, Michelle Obama called for Congress to swiftly reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act and “get healthier food into our nation’s schools.” As the First Lady said, an investment in child nutrition pays for itself many-fold in the long run. To learn more about Slow Food’s efforts to give kids America’s kids a healthy future, check out the newly updated Time for Lunch Campaign web site.
Interested to hear more but didn’t catch the webcast? You can read the full transcript of the First Lady’s speech and, as always, check out the ObamaFoodorama blog for great updates on White House food initiatives.
Let’s keep moving!
Member Comments
From FoodFitnessFreshAir on Tue, February 09, 2010
An investment in healthy food definitely pays for itself in the long run! I wish schools, businesses, Americans, etc. would see this! We need to start taking preventative measures to sustain health as a whole rather than just shelling out money for aftermath treatments.
From joseph baldwin on Wed, February 10, 2010
My name is joseph baldwin and i just want to say i would like to help in any way on this wellness program, i am a chef /grower and have been amember of slow food for 8 years. Sincerely joe
From joseph baldwin on Sat, February 13, 2010
I do believe whole heartly in this plant stevia if wecan just get educated how to grow it and use it our diet.It grows well here in New York and sure it will grow anywhere in the U. S. Please call me , go on my web page earthtotable.ag
From Theresa Helba on Fri, February 19, 2010
I believe that yoga should be in all school systems. Yoga is for everyone. A person benefits at their level and yoga will give a person tools to use in their daily lives. Yoga will enhance all other activities. The body will become more whole, the mind more clear and their spirit more free. Yoga will teach that we are one and to respect that oneness in all.
From Lynda Mead on Tue, March 02, 2010
I teach Family and Consumer Sciences. Nutrition and healthy school lunches are my top priority and concern. There are so many issues to address concerning the quality of government subsidized foods, the choices school cooks and administrators make to save money rather than quality, the lack of acceptance and compliance by schools to follow the federally mandated wellness programs, the fact that food is the only area where we give bad choices in schools, etc. I would love the support and help of government officials to address some of these issues and would the relish any opportunities to facilitate the needed changes.
From Dr. Temille Porter on Tue, March 02, 2010
Eating well is a process that begins with a decision to make some healthy choices that have nothing to do with food. Nutritional intake is just as important as how we nourish our minds, bodies and souls. What we choose to take in (embody) impacts what we believe about ourselves (affirm), speak about (tell) and ultimately send out to the world (share). It would be my pleasure to support our First Lady Michelle Obama with a “What S/He E.A.T.S. (Embodies, Affirms, Tells and Shares)” workshop offering focused on a brief introduction to Mindfulness Based Approaches, and resources designed to explore thoughts, feelings and actions that can hinder or help the development of a healthy lifestyle. Personally bearing witness to what has been an incredible journey towards wellness that started for me 11 years and 98 pounds ago, it would be an honor share with others on a deeper meaningful level.
One of the best lifestyle interventions is to take control of your kitchen and to cook healthy delicious dishes. Soul food in the African American tradition has historically been high in fat and sugar. In order to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes, dietary modifications are much needed. When my mother had a diabetic related stroke, I began to explore ways to infuse her culinary genius with a more life affirming approach to the art of fine dining. My mother was especially known for her ?vibration? cooking method (i.e. ?seasoning to taste, a pinch of this, a few drops of that?), and was the best gourmet cook in the West. In honor of her tradition and the promotion of healthy eating habits, please consider this ?Neo-Soul food? offering that is substantially satisfying, real food based and nutritionally fulfilling:
West African Black-Eyed Peas
2 cups of dried black eyed peas
6 roma tomatoes
1 red onion
12 pieces of garlic (above 3 cloves or so)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
nutmeg and savory seasonings to taste.
Cook peas until tender, and water cooks down low. Heat olive oil in a separate pot, mix tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender and pour into hot olive oil (be sure to have lid of pot handy to quickly cover and avoid splatters!). Add a few dashes of nutmeg and allow red sauce to simmer until it thickens. Transfer black eye peas to this pot and continue to cook on low for about a half hour or so. Enjoy with a vegetable dish and baked yams!
From Christina Robertson on Tue, March 02, 2010
I hope that part of the effort to end childhood obesity includes addressing some of the commercials on tv that perpetuate unhealthy habits. There are a couple of ads for some canned soup or pasta product that has the adults avoiding saying the word “vegetables” (like it’s a dirty word!). Why are they allowed to perpetuate through ads the myth that kids should automatically dislike vegetables and that they have to be sneaked into foods? So infuriating to see. There’s another new ad where the child is sitting in front of her breakfast which is a pile of pancakes heaped with whipped cream (!!?!!). Michelle Obama’s task force would be well-advised to address advertising messages.
