Obesity in America

Nutrition is a tricky topic in America. We live in a culture where we are bombarded with food as entertainment. On one channel you can watch a supermodel eat a cheeseburger on the hood of a car only to be followed by any number of talk show hosts singing the praises of a gluten-free existence. It's overwhelming. And what about exercise? With school ending in a few weeks, many children will be unsupervised for a large portion (no pun intended) of the day.

The percentage of overweight children in the United States is growing at an alarming rate, with 1 out of 3 kids now considered overweight or obese. Many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of small, portable devices. Sports are still an important part of our identity, but sometimes it seems like baseball, soccer, and football have been replaced by Minecraft, Pintrest, and Instagram.

In today's economy, it is not too uncommon for both parents to work, so as a result busy families have fewer free moments to prepare nutritious, home-cooked meals. When time becomes a factor, culinary convenience is expedited at the expense of healthy choices. Dinner is nuked in the microwave, or picked up from a fast food joint, or thawed and preheated. From fast food to electronics, quick and easy is the reality for many people.

And I get it. In a perfect world we could all spend time preparing dinner in the kitchen as a family. Mom would shuck corn and dad would peel potatoes while Tommy sets the table and Ginny churns butter. Reality does not work this way, though (unless your least name is Wilder), and we often have to do the best we can on limited budgets and even more limited time. Changing the culture of unhealthy eating and obesity takes work, and it is especially difficult for the homeless, whether they are living in shelters or in camps or outside during the summer. Children seem to suffer more because they are often powerless in the whole eating process.

The next few blogs will offer some (hopefully) helpful tips and information to help combat the epidemic of obesity that is advancing slowly and steadily. This is not just an issue for the homeless, although trying to maintain a healthy diet without permanent housing is incredibly difficult. If we truly believe in the importance of our children's future, then we must take the necessary steps to educate ourselves in what it means to help them reach adulthood.