After sifting through some news articles on nutrition, I
came across one about Michelle Obama’s influence in this field. Most of us are
familiar with her “Let’s Move” campaign, which promotes a healthy diet and
active lifestyle for the younger generations. This article focused specifically
on the state of Mississippi, who has the highest percentage of obesity in the
country. Her goal was aimed toward
requiring healthier school lunches for elementary students. After the act was passed, federal funding
provided $4.5 billion dollars for these meals. That adds up to an extra six
cents per lunch. Although there was some controversy over the standards of the
food, compromises were reached. For example, pizza was deemed fit only if its
crust was whole wheat and it included various healthy toppings. With Michelle’s
help, the trajectory rate for obesity went from an increase of 65 percent to a
13.3 percent drop. Some of the schools honored the changes by replacing fryer
with steamers and serving more vegetables and whole grains.
This article shows the importance of the nutrition field by
demonstrating how slight changes can add up. By simply altering the foods
served for lunch, the entire state showed a decrease in obesity rates. It also
shows the importance of introducing a healthy lifestyle to younger kids. By
teaching them to make healthy choices at such a young age, it helps develop a
consistency that will follow them throughout their adult life. The content also
makes it clear that regardless of political stance, one thing people can agree
on is feeding kids healthy foods.
Sources:
Solis, Rogelio V. Let's Move. Digital image. Http://thegrio.com/2013/02/28/how-michelle-obama-won-over-mississippi-on-school-lunches/. NBC Universal, 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Reid, Joy-Ann. "TheGrio." TheGrio. NBC Universal, 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
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