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Tue, 30 May 2006

Well-Intentioned Food Police May Create Havoc With Children's Diets

Great essay on the unintended consequences of "fighting fat" the government way.

Earlier this year, our small Midwestern school district joined the food wars, proposing a new policy that would discourage all food in classrooms, ban nuts and sugary foods and do away with vending machines.

So much for peanut butter sandwiches, snacks for kindergartners and birthday cupcakes.

(link) [New York Times]

via MyAppleMenu:Reader

/Agriculture | 3 writebacks | permanent link

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On 5/30/2006 21:42:38
Stephen Williamson wrote

The whole "no nuts" thing bothers me. Some tiny percentage of the population is allergic to something, so NOBODY can have it? In Edmonton, they're actually making football games no-nut zones. Unbelievable. As someone who is going from being quite obese (300lbs at 6'2") to a healthier shape, I've gotta say the obsession with food is horse crap. The key is physical activity, not self-denial. I swear, it's the same kind of people working for these kinds of food restrictions that obsessed over repressing sexuality in the Victorian era.

On 5/30/2006 22:35:44
Dave H wrote

Right on!

It is the physical activity that controls your physique - you can diet from now until doomsday and still pack on the pounds if your idea of exercise is twisting a game controller and watching the tube. But, of course, we discourage physical activity on a societal level: we built our new residential neighborhoods with no commercial establishments so folks can no longer walk to the corner grocery: they have to drive to the supermarket. We sue the daylights out of folks for "endangering" our children by providing such dangerous equipment as merry-go-rounds and swings. Forget the monkey bars - somebody could get hurt on those things! I actually heard somewhere that the Broward County, Florida school corporation has banned running on playgrounds as "too dangerous". Yet we continue to obsess with how many grams of fat in an Oreo. No wonder we have an "obesity crisis". Thanks for the comment and Be well, Dave H.

On 5/31/2006 05:17:38
Bjorngrimnir wrote

Missing the point

I think you both are right - a lot of people are missing the point, and the point is that if you don't get up and move around, you aren't going to be healthy. Corner groceries are still found here in Germany, thankfully - I walk for about fifteen minutes to get to our store, and drag a trolley-load back with enough food to last a half week (including sodas and such). Our other nearest grocery, thankfully, is fifteen minutes in the other direction. Something else the Germans do - it took me some getting used to, but now I think it's a great idea - is basically a standing restaurant. No chairs, no benches. You eat on your feet, and then move on. Personally, I think it's better for the digestion...and I think it's pretty healthy that you basically start walking again right after a meal, rather than sit around in a gluttenous euphoria.

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