I really enjoyed the presentation today on Diet, Health, Body, and especially the segment on how so much money was spent on junk food advertising. When I thought about this more, I realized just how much it was true. Without being in front of the television right now, all I can think about is car and junk food commercials that I regularly see. The first thing I thought of being the Simpsons buff that I am was the episode where junk food took over their school and, in turn, turned Bart into an obese Bart. This was all done with advertising that any kid, except Lisa, would "eat up" in a second.
I fear the episode I am talking about isn't too far off from the actual truth in schools. I know that when I was in high school there were vending machines with all sorts of terrible things that any kid had easy access to whenever they felt like it. I remember also that there were discussions of how to change this when I was in school so I am not sure if anything has changed. One thing that I really thought was effective was how they made the more healthy choices in the vending machines cheaper than the typical junk foods. In turn, more kids would think twice about the more healthy options because of the cost. I still see this being done around campus as well where, if you look, the healthy choices are marked with little stickers inside the actual vending machines. So, I was wondering, can you think of more effective ways to limit how much junk food a kid eats? Of course, there is no possibly of completely wiping out the market, so what are some other good options?
Junk Food - The Booming Market
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One way to get kids (or anyone for that matter) off of junk food and into a healthier state-of-mind/body is to endow them with a sense of personal responsibility. You, me, everyone we know can go around all day pointing fingers at the fast food corporations, their advertising, the fat gene or whatever they like for the reason they're overweight when, low and behold, the sole reason is staring right back at them when they look in the mirror.
This argument is not based on ignorance--I realize some people may be in dire straits, and can't afford healthy foods due to their low(er) socioeconomic class. But, I ask you, how far does one get in life playing the "blame game"? Sooner or later, despite whatever obstacles a person is facing, s/he is going to have to accept the fact that the only thing s/he has complete control over is him/herself and make it work. No excuses, no complaining about how it's everyone's fault but yours--but taking responsibility for the fact that, at the end of the day, it's ultimately your decision what you choose to put in your mouth.
Case in point:
http://rosstraining.com/blog/2010/09/27/an-inspiring-weight-loss-journey/