Fat Kids

So if anyone dares to suggest that our nation is not in the grips of an obesity epidemic please suggest that they do the following: 

Hunt down their elementary school class picture and compare it to the class picture of a current day elementary school. The number of children may be the same, but the amount of weight that those children will carry now vs. 20 years ago has changed dramatically.

I observed music classes at a middle school today and behavior issues aside, the thing that struck me the most is how fat the kids were! Not plump, or just growing out of childhood, but FAT. Now I know that there are certain medical conditions that contribute to excessive weight gain--I'm not trying to discriminate against those who really have a problem beyond their control. But I'd be willing to bet the majority of the girls I saw today are weighed down by fast food, processed and pre-packaged, sugar laden garbage. One girl was so huge that she scared me--seriously scared me. The "don't F*** with me," look on her face didn't help. She would have won in a fight. I would have been taken down by a 5'9, 180 pound 12 year old. This is not normal and it's not what I want for these children or for future generations of children--these obese kids will grow into obese adults who have  medical issues that health insurers will have to cover because no one ever told those kids to put down the donut and pick up a carrot! Man it makes me nuts!

I urge you to read Michael Pollan's book, "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto." Think about what you're eating and why you're eating it. And then share it with someone you love--maybe even a kid.