Cuckoo's Egg

Obesity is one of the most concerned and talked about issues among today's society and for the past several years as well. A lot of concern pertaining to obesity has to do with where to put the blame and what actions of an individual has led to the dramatic weight gain. There are many in society who point the blame towards fast food restaurants, junk food and so forth. Several individuals also focus on the countless number of health risks that can be caused by obesity. For example a person's potential life span can be shortened, his or her cardiovascular system can be affected negatively, diabetes becomes an issues and there are many other life threatening diseases involved with obesity as well. In the era Americans now live in, the opportunity to gain weight in an expedient matter is not at all difficult. Local ads, television commercials and so forth seem to center more on the latest snack or the new burger that is more tastier and larger than the last. Or if one wants to catch a movie on a Friday night he or she must not forget to have their large bag of buttery popcorn right beside them and a soft drink to wash it down. Therefore the focal point of obesity in today's society leans more towards prevention and treatment if obesity occurs, however the perfect solution has yet to come about.

A lot of experts feel that the key to preventing obesity is to approach it from childhood a stage in life where obesity seems to be taking its toll. "Today many children in the United States suffer from an over consumption of calories, fat, cholesterol, salt and sugar"(Physicians Committee). The start to an unhealthy day for any child usually begins with his or hers' breakfast. Children usually have a bowl of cereal high in sugar for breakfast which is only the start to the other unhealthy foods he or she will consume throughout the day. A lot of children today live amongst a society where they have a great chance of being outlived by their parents do to the rapidly growing threat of childhood obesity. It now seems the best way to go about childhood obesity is by starting where children spend a great percentage of his or her lives and that is in school. Scores of children do not understand the affects the bag of chips they eat everyday for snack can have on his or her health. If a child is not overweight at all he or she might be led to believe that the risk of gaining weight and having health problems does not apply to them. Which makes educating a child within his or her school systems is ever so important because the threat of childhood obesity is now reaching an all time high.

Prevention of obesity is witnessed through the news and media on a daily basis. Most notably seen through the school systems as many school districts try to implement a healthier diet program through their school lunches. Nonetheless deciding whether or not the new healthier diets that have been implemented within school lunches are beneficial to a child's health is a huge debate. A lot of the school districts take a different approaches towards their school diets but for the most part they all emphasize on one thing, that is providing the children with the vitamins and minerals they need to benefit his or her strong body development and limit the chances of obesity. Several schools also want to put into practice vegan diets which are built from grains, vegetables, fruits and beans. Schools in Detroit and Fairfax county are taking part in this diet and several other counties are following lead especially in realizing they benefits soy milk and other calcium rich drinks. "Numerous scientific studies have concluded that vegan diet...offer the most weight-controlling and disease-fighting protection of any dietary pattern"(Physicians Committee).

To ensure that school districts are moving forward with their plans of limiting childhood obesity a lot of states have organized programs to monitor the school district's efforts. Such as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine which uses a "more comprehensive system for rating the districts' school lunch offerings"(Physicians Committee). This committee goes in a little further in governing a child's eating habits by ensuring that health improvised school lunches are indeed actually healthy. A lot of monitoring committees such as the physicians committee want to see a decrease in the level of fat and cholesterol and an increase in the amounts of vitamins, minerals and fiber. More of the committee ratings of lunch programs are now based more on "...information from a nutritional analysis"(Physicians Committee). Another aspect of childhood obesity that can be prevented within the school systems does not just include the school lunches but also snack and drink vending machines. "Healthier vending policies were common this year, with seven of eleven school districts reviewed scoring full points in that area"(Physicians committee). A change is also trying to made in by school districts to improve the quality of snacks available to its students. Many schools now limit foods in vending machines that are high in saturated fats. Such as chips, cookies, candy bars and so forth. Many districts are also eliminating soda machines and replacing them with juice and water vending machines to cut down on the sugars students receive on a daily basis.

A huge effort is being brought about towards the fight of childhood obesity and is not a matter whatsoever overlooked. For example in 2004 congress passed an act to fight childhood obesity which enforces the fruit and vegetable snack program in several states and Indian reservations. It also allows schools to have more non-dairy and calcium drinks provided with their lunches without having to seek permission from doctors. To a lot of individuals likings several school districts are satisfying health monitoring officials by providing their children with nutritional diets that are beneficial to his or her health. Not just in school lunches but also in snack and drink vending machines as well. "In Detroit, the school lunches went from an f in 2002 to an A the following year"(McVey). However there is still room for a lot of improvement as there are still a few school districts that do not meet some of the essential nutritional requirements. The schools that do meet nutritional requirements set aside by the USDA are not severely punished but are told to adjust the selections offered on their menus. There are many experts that disagree with the light measures taken by the USDA when a school does not meet its criteria and experts feel that the USDA downplays the vegan diet which is crucial in decreasing childhood obesity. "School districts are not yet required by the USDA to serve plant-based meals...restrict vending machine sales, or develop nutrition programs to guide children