Fighting Obesity and Hunger at the Same Time

As a nation, we face a two-fold problem of feeding our children: hunger and obesity.  One in five children live below the poverty line, most of whom do not receive nourishing meals throughout the day.  Think about it.  In the most advanced country in the world, we still have kids who go to bed hungry.  On the other hand, one in five children suffer through obesity.  This comes from poor eating habits and too little exercise for our kids.


Hunger/Obesity does not just affect the physical health of the child, but also academic performance in the classroom.  Hungry students struggle to pay attention, just as obese students do.  We have tried many things to help.  Cafeterias provided free/reduced lunches to qualifying students and many schools/school systems have implemented healthy food choices at school.  This becomes an expensive proposition as Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) states in an article promoting The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, but it is necessary.



The breakfast and lunch programs help millions of students prepare for a day of school where they don't have to worry about what they will eat.  Because healthy eating tends to be more expensive, schools require more funding to more to more healthy options for students.  


The Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act is a good start to the problem.  We also need more and better health education.  Most health classes focus on scaring kids about strangers, drugs, and sex.  We must teach our kids about healthy eating.  Bring in a nutritionist to talk to students.  Teach them about carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.  For an easy assignment, have students create a food diary for the week listing everything they ate.  Give them either the internet or diet books so they can add up the number of calories they ate each day.  And for the final twist, show them how many calories they should be eating. Many kids will be shocked and maybe a few will think about what they are eating and do something about it.  We can do the same things in PE classes.  Don't just roll the basketballs out or open up the weight room, but teach the kids about exercise and healthy living.  Some PE teachers do this, but not enough.


Too many kids go to bed hungry each night.  Too many kids wake up overweight each morning.  We should definitely do more to fight these issues.