TB and I aren't the only obese people in the country. There are, according to the article I read, 67 million of us. Another 75 million of us are overweight. Why? Apparently we just keep making the wrong choices. Instead of going for healthy foods and exercising, we're sitting on our couches eating fast food.
Well...I don't think I totally agree with that (I say from the comfort of my typing chair). Healthy food is expensive. That's one of the problems TB and I are facing. We want to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and stay away from the dreaded middle isles of the supermarket. IF the government wants to interfere, why can't they start a program that would make healthy food less expensive?
TB and I have been advised over and over to cut our budget, cut our food budget. To do that, we'd have to buy junk. Junk doesn't cost much.
This is what the American Heart Association would like government to tackle and bring about change to help us all make healthy choices:
* Locations of fast food restaurants.
* Restaurant portion sizes
* Availability of high-fat, low-fiber foods and sweetened drinks.
* Community design and infrastructure, which involves assessing land-use mix and walkability of neighborhoods, including: adequate sidewalks and areas for physical activity; accessibility of jobs, schools and recreation by walking or cycling; availability of public transportation.
Well, these are all very nice. The AHA doesn't say what it would like to do about the location of fast food restaurants but I'm assuming they'd like to hide them. Well, don't they think people are going to be clever enough to find them anyway?
The good food is available...it's expensive.
I really like the last idea a lot. If any of the ideas are worthwhile, I'd say that one is it. One of our biggest problems is that it's just too easy--or necessary--to get into a car and drive where we need to go. In my neck of the woods, if you don't have a car you are screwed. Everything is too far away for a walk, there's no public transportation and for whatever reason, cabs won't come here.
I used to live in Columbia, a preplanned city in Maryland. What a wonderful place that was and how I miss it! James Rouse planned multiple communities in one with miles of parks, walkways and biking trails. Each community had its own little shopping center, place of worship and schools. You could walk to these places ... or bike. You only needed a car for work and even then you could use public transportation. When I lived there, I did a lot of walking with the kids. I really do miss it.
That's what we need here and in most of the country. I bet it won't ever happen though because of the expense involved. Too bad, because the cost of not doing it is more dear.
The whole article is here.
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3 comments:
I know what you mean about not being able to walk. Here (MS Gulf Coast) you have to have a car to get everywhere. There are no side walks, no walking trails and if you try to walk or bike the motorist nearly run you down. Plus during the summer months it is way to hot and humid to try to walk anywhere.
We have our own vegetable garden this year in order to help with the cost of fresh vegetables.
I completely and totally agree with you!!!! The cost of healthy food is unbelievable, and it's something we are struggling with right now too. We made a huge switch to try and get away from most processed food last year, when gas was still *ONLY* $3 a gallon :-( and we were managing ok, but it's getting so much harder now. We are finding we have to make sacrifices in other areas (and we are running out of those, too) to maintain the same quality of eating, and I am still having to 'cheat' and buy slightly less healthy varieties of things to eat in between the healthier ones, and it makes me so sad... I have found though that there are some things I can buy in bulk, and that helps some... And I really miss sidewalks and being able to walk to everything - it was like that where I grew up, too, which actually is not far from where we live now, but it's not quite the same there, either, now... :-(
I thought of this later.
If you want to try to eat more fresh vegetables and fruit without going over your budget; if there are any local farmers markets the vegetables and fruits are generally both cheaper then what you find in supermarkets and of a superior quality.
It is rather a pain to have to go to the farmers market to get fresh produce and then to the supermarket for the other stuff and may not be practical. I am lucky there is a farmers market close to the supermarket in D'Iberville.
I depend on hubby to keep the vegetables and fruits alive. I just pick the results of his labours.
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