How can a healthier America be created?

Question

I'm not asking for us all to become health nuts, I just want to see a healthier, more slim America.

Answer 1

actually cook our own food, stop the mcdonalds trend.... watch calories.

Answer 2

I believe it starts with education. Just look at all the questions here on Yahoo! People don't know how to eat, how much to eat, what to eat, when to stop, etc. We allow our children to eat crap because it's "kid food". Then they get physically addicted to it, and thus the seed is planted.

It starts with free and good information out there. Also, healthcare for obesity related diseases needs to include contingencies. If a patient who has obesity induced type diabetes, medication is contingent upon visiting a nutritionist and a commitment to weight reduction. When the time for more medication comes, a fitness test is to be administered and weight measured. If there is some reduction, ANY reduction, help will continue to be given in the form of medication. If not, there will be consequences, i.e. paying more for the medication.

I also believe that food stamps should have contingencies. A certain portion (majority) should be fresh food (fresh dairy, meats, fruits, and veggies) and not from Pure-packaged food loaded with fat and extra sugar (crackers, boxed dinners, cookies, pastries, etc.).

Government are starting to take action by banning trans fats. But it's ultimately up to us to be in charge of our own health. However, I'm not responsible for paying the medical bills for others that choose not to take care of theres.

It's a tough issue that needs to start being addressed in Washington. I'd like to see more discussion around this topic.

Answer 3

Hats of to you Ash52581. You hit it right on the head! When I go to Wal-Mart, I see people with WIC checks and food stamps and their carts are loaded with foods devoid of nutrition (little debbie, sunny delight, etc). A big part of solving the problem is education--some people simply do not know about proper nutrition and portion control, so they pass on their bad habits to their children. I think obesity is as bad, if not worse, of an epidemic than HIV/AIDS. It's costing everyone in this country so much money! I also blame the public school system. Schools are taking PE out of the curriculum and school lunches are always junk food like canned peaches and corn dogs. Healthy food is also more expensive and requires more preparation. I think we could solve the problem with a little bit less laziness and some good education initiatives.

Answer 4

It all started with industrialized agriculture, the advent of the corporate farm and companies like Kraft or Nestle making a large percentage of the foods that are on the American table. Not to mention our goventment's subsidization of corn. Corn is in many goods we eat in the form of high fructose corn syrup. It is a filler in much of what we eat today. If our government would stop subsidizing corn and start educating small children about healthy eating and putting whole foods on the menu in school cafeterias that would be a great start. If advertising and the selling of sweets were banned in schools that would also contribute to a healthier America. If Americans could make more time to feed themselves well instead of snatching the first processed food in a package they find that would also be a step in the right direction. We need to make healthy foods affordable and available to everyone. We need to re-invent the wheel and support our local farms. The grocery store Whole Foods should not have the nickname of "whole paycheck" those goods should not have a mark-up of 2-3 x what the grocer paid for the product. We should have local cooperative groceries to keep the costs of food down and that require volunteerism to give cloistered Americans a sense of community. We are so isolated that we eat for comfort.

I think America needs to recognize how we have let corporations and advertising sidle their way into the core of our lives. We need to no longer give Corporations the same rights as human beings have--they are like an invasive weed that has taken a stranglehold on us.

I think we, the people need to re-engage with our food and to understand where it comes from. If the average person knew what he/she was putting in his mouth he would spit it out. If we had to work harder to put our food on the table we would think twice about eating out of boredom.

America also needs to get off of the couch and we need to get out of our cubicles and cars and walk, walk, walk. We need to maybe do yoga instead of drink---When we feel better we do more, we are more and life is inifinitely better.

Answer 5

Close all fast food joints.

Make fatty food illegal.

Mandate exercise programs for all citizens.

Set up a program where everyone is weighed & tested regularly.

Fine those who do not keep their weight down & exercise.

In otherwords, in a free society, people will make thier own choices, many of them unhealthy.

Answer 6

Me too... less emphasize on fast food commercials and advertisements. More education about nutrition and the risks of obesity. Place more value on a real meal instead of something out of a box...

Answer 7

Maybe its time for fast food and restaurant menus to have nutritional information added to them so people might figure out that sure its ok to pig out but very sparingly. I eat healthy all year but I pig out for Thanksgiving and for Christmas. Since I have been doing that, I actually enjoy those meals even more.

Answer 8

It's not going to happen. Everything is getting more convenient. Fast food, drive through everything, less manual labour. We will keep getting fatter and fatter.

Answer 9

Well. to do that, you have to shut off all the Macdonalds and Wendys!!! KFC also.