Is it possible to solve the obesity epidemic?

TO TRULY PREVENT/CONTROL OBESITY AND WEIGHT GAIN, WE NEED LARGE-SCALE, MULTI-FACETED TEAM EFFORT! A POSITIVE CHANGE MUST COME FROM ALL PARTS OF SOCIETY: government, schools and the department of education, individuals and families, health care practitioners, academe and food scientists, non-profit organizations, junk and fast food companies, media, neighborhoods and communities. Together, we can bring about change if everyone will work for the common good …

Schools and the Department of Education – Education is the new medicine! Our school system plays a crucial role in our fight to prevent and control the obesity epidemic. The school food environment has a large impact on children’s and adolescents’ diets, because they consume a substantial proportion of their meals in school. No other institution has as much continuous and intensive contact and influence on children during their first two decades of life. The school system’s primary role is to educate students, in academic subjects, civic values and social responsibilities. They prepare children to reach their full potential. Health and education success are intertwined: schools cannot achieve their primary mission of education if students are not healthy and fit. Schools have an unparalleled opportunity to promote children’s health by creating an environment in which children eat healthy foods, engage in regular physical activity, and learn lifelong skills for healthy eating and active living. Let us turn the tide against childhood obesity by transforming schools and after-school centers into health-promoting environments. The CORE elements for pre-school, middle school and high schools are . . .

• Basic dietary guidelines, proper nutrition and healthier food choices. Nutrition education is an important component of a coordinated school health approach. Eating patterns are more likely to improve when changes in the school environment are integrated with classroom nutrition education.
• Physical education, physical activity, and sports in schools all are associated with students’ better physical fitness.
• Bringing back home economics to all schools: basic food preparation using non-synthetic ingredients.
• Creation of school-garden programs as outdoor “learning laboratories.” These programs offer multiple opportunities for students to gain knowledge and skills regarding food systems, emphasize the connections between food and the environment, promote healthy eating especially of fruits and vegetables, and serve as a setting for positive youth development. School garden programs provide an opportunity for youth to plant, harvest, and prepare simple but nutritious meals.
• School canteen concessioners must be regulated. No MSG, GMO, artificial ingredients, high-sugar drinks and food additives in the food they are selling school children.
• No junk and fast food ads in all school campuses

To prevent and control obesity, team efforts need to begin early and focus on children, families and the environments in which they live such as home, schools, and communities. The rise in obesity over the past few decades has been accompanied by an increase in the number of food options available in schools and communities. In this instance, ignorance is not bliss! Schools and after-school settings play a critical role in creating environments that help students adopt a healthy lifestyle. While schools alone cannot solve the childhood obesity epidemic, it also is unlikely that childhood obesity rates can be reversed without strong, school-based policies and programs to support healthy eating and physical activity. Children spend more time in schools than in any other environment away from home.

Important concerns that must be considered and addressed are financial support for schools and costs involved in training and salary of staff. The processed, junk and fast food companies should participate as part of their social responsibilities.

Remember what led me to this crusade- the seven year old boy, only child, almost 100-lbs with blood chemistry results of high cholesterol, high blood sugar, fatty liver and high uric acid. Once being overweight is established during adolescence, it is likely to remain into adulthood. We have to arm our school children with the right knowledge about food and health. Not only are schools and after-school programs ideal for teaching children how to make healthy choices, they are in many ways the front line in the fight against childhood obesity.

Meanwhile, here is the green secret’s healthy green juice to fight obesity. It is loaded with powerful nutrients. (Make sure to scrub and wash well all vegetables and fruits before juicing). It is a MUST to use organic vegetables only.

• 1/3 pineapple
• 1 medium cucumber
• 2 calamansi
• 1 handful spinach, bok choy or malunggay leaves

Juice all ingredients with your masticating juicer. Stir and serve at room temperature or chilled, as desired.

The Philippines in general and families in particular will benefit if our schools push aggressively in the direction of health and wellbeing for our children. After all, they are the future! For more information or questions, email me at [email protected]

Christine E.V. Gonzalez is a doctor of naturopathic medicine and holds PhDs
in holistic nutrition and natural medicine. LLM (MS Environmental Laws & Labor)
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