Even small children know that they need to eat their vegetables, yet most North Americans still do not get the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables every day. As a society this is hurting us because there is more demands on our health care system and less productivity in our workplaces. What can be done, and should something be done to "force" people to eat more vegetables and fruits and less processed foods? Listen to the following podcast to hear some expert opinions on this topic.
http://www-s1.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130432584
11 comments:
The opinions of how to get Americans to eat their fruits and vegetables were quite interesting in the podcast. The idea of a "carrot vending machine" was thought of so people had a more convenient way to get nutrition when on the go. This is actually a very good idea in my opinion. Vending machines are generally a quick and easy way for people to get food when there is no other option around. By having machines filled with carrots and other fruits and vegetables would ultimately force people to eat healthy snacks if there is no other option. I also agree with the statement made about the advertising of junk food. The advertising children see in a year was said to be mostly for junk food products so if there were more promoting healthier choices, hopefully that would influence their food choices. Although these are ways of promoting healthy eating amoung American citizens, I do not believe it can be forced upon people to not eat processed foods. One cannot say who is and isn't allowed to produce and eat foods that may not be of the highest nutritional value. It still comes down to personal choice.
taxing "fatty foods, is this the beginning of the answer to unhealthy eating? It does seem reasonable, since those that eat poorly spend more tax dollars accessing our health care system, but I am doubtful that it will change eating habits. The government has taxed cigarettes and alcohol, and yet people still continue to abuse it. I think that education is the key, but I might be biased since I am an educator.
check out this article on the "fat tax"
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/whos-ready-for-a-fat-tax/?scp=4&sq=taxing%20junk%20food&st=Search
Another interesting article about a study looking at junk food taxes versus healthy food subsidies.
http://www.grist.org/article/study-suggests-junk-food-taxes-may-beat-healthy-food-subsidies/
The vending machines would be a great idea in my opinion. They have one at the trail hospital with fruits, healthy snakes and sandwiches. We promote healthy food at our school which is great, but what do American schools have? I also agree with Katie that a lot of the advertising we see are food that aren't healthy for us. I believe that parents are part of the blame of there children being unhealthy and/or overweight. Some family's with low income will aim for food that is cheap so they can save money. Most of the time the foods that inexpensive are junk and have minimal nutrition. I think that people would still continue to buy junk food if a tax was added because it would still be less expensive then organic. Also the people consuming a large amount of junk food will be addicted. That being said it may not be everyone! Some may make the decision of eating healthy.
I tend to agree with Ms. Waage on the fact that if taxes were imposed to citizens that were overweight, it wouldn't necessarily make that much of a difference. It has been known that by human nature, as soon as one has had something taken away or made harder to obtain, it becomes the thing that they desire most. So ultimately by increasing the tax on junk food, it may be the effect that people strive harder to get it. The article below compares some ideas of how effective these taxes are on products like alcohol, cigarettes and sugary drinks. It tends to say that it is more likely that money will be made on these taxes for use by the American government rather that decrease human consumption.
http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba663
To food plans in many large school in North America are unhealthy and lack vegetables and fruit. Parents need to show their kids better eating habits, and when they are babies, get them accustomed to fruits and vegetables. Many americans eat fast food at least 5 times a week, and these places have barely any vegetables. CHildren need to find a fruit or vegetable they like, or combine things like in smoothies. They school boards should incorporate healthy foods into the schools, and also add exercise programs.If a school had enough money to give students fruits and vegetables every day in class,it would be a huge success.
I 100% agree with you Neil, it should be up to the parents to educate their children and to start feeding them fruits and vegetables at the earliest possible age so that these kids grow up accustomed to these foods. For the most part, adults tend to enjoy eating the same types of foods they were raised on. If we started a movement to only feed our children healthy foods including lots of fruits and vegetables I think we could end childhood obesity. But it HAS to start with the parents. By the time the kids get to kindergarten, they have already established their eating habits. True they may not like all fruits and vegetables initially but even if they just tolerate a couple to begin with, perhaps as they age they would grow to enjoy a more vast array of produce.
I totally agree Neil, smoothies are such a great way to get more of your fruits and vegetables with it still tasting sweet. School boards really do need to get on board with the idea that if you get students to eat healthier when they're young, they're most likely going to eat healthier throughout their life. If someone is eating a McD's cheeseburger every day of every week, whatever vegetables on it are probably filled with chemicals as well (off topic). But the school boards really do have to think about it, banning at least junk food in schools and replacing it with a healthier lunch menu could help substantially! Of course you can't stop the entire junk food economy, but by banning it in just schools is a great way to start.
I agree that adding extra taxes to the more unhealthy food would make a whole lot of difference in the purchasing of these foods, unless of course in certain situations like families with very low budget diets. Advertising has a lot to do with the everyday lives of North American citizens. As said in the podcast, out of the thousands of advertisements that are taken in by society, not one of them is promoting fruits or vegetables. I think part of the problem is that fast food and unhealthy foods such as microwave dinners, and everyday fast foods have become (or at least to many people) more convenient for a society that is busy to get everything done in a day, and that is becoming considerably more lazy.
Education IS key for people, and their children. This can be done through advertising etc.
I think taxing unhealthy foods would definitely decrease the amount of fatty foods in peoples diets. I agree with Julia on the fact that poorer families usually can only afford unhealthy, cheap foods, this makes it a very difficult decision on whether or not the government should tax these foods.
A vending machine for healthy food, in my mind, is a wonderful idea! Here's a great idea for schools and even work spaces. Some people can't afford to bring a well made lunch every day to school/work and this could be a huge convenience to some. http://www.revivevending.co.uk/hot-food-vending-machines.php
Such an interesting idea!
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