According to the most recent CDC data, America is fatter than ever.

And, according to the CDC and the media and the Trust for America’s Health, things are only getting worse:

And, as I reported in a previous post, by 2048, researchers have projected that ALL Americans will be overweight or obese.

Wow!

This obesity epidemic sounds pretty dire.



So, what are we going to do?

Do we go it alone as individuals or do we come together as a community and try to whip our collective selves into shape?

In previous posts, I have discussed how some progressive public officials have used public funds to equip public parks with outdoor fitness equipment.

And on a personal level, I have also begun discussing my plans for no-cost / low-cost public fitness classes with various levels of government up here in Canada……frustrating, mind-numbing discussions full of political B.S., but what can you do, they’re politicians.



But what about the big boys?

The guys with the connections and the money and the influence. What do those guys think we should do about America’s (the world’s) Obesity Epidemic?





In their annual report (F as in Fat), the Trust for America’s Health has:

A series of recommendations to make preventing and reducing obesity a central objective of health reform, and It also calls for a National Strategy to Combat Obesity.

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1. The Recommendations for Preventing/Reducing Obesity



Alright, sounds great…if you believe in publicly funded health care



2. National Strategy to Combat Obesity





pdf version

Once again, sounds great to all of those people who voted for Pres. Obama.

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So, why do I feel apprehensive about this national strategy to combat obesity?

Does America really need a national strategy to combat obesity?

Does the USDA need expanded powers over national nutrition standards?

Does Medicare require additional funding for obesity-related coverage?

At present, the USDA heavily subsidizes the very foods that have driven the rise in obesity.

Instead of giving them more power, perhaps they could be encouraged to shift their funding away from corn, wheat, rice, soy & sugar and towards fruits, vegetables and animal proteins that provide a better nutrient to calorie ratio.

Instead of classifying obesity as a disease and increasing medicare funding to include more obesity drug prescriptions and surgeries, perhaps the government could shift some money away from obesity treatment and towards obesity prevention.

Those are the types of big government initiatives that I could get behind.

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Thus endeth the rant.



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