Bailee Fulton
Johnathan Stout
February 23, 2014
Rhetoric 1040
Improving Wellness Over the last six years nutrition in schools all over the United States has remained the forefront argument in contributing to obesity. Taking “junk food” out of the student’s daily diet at school has proven to be a challenge with some parents. The statewide wellness policy requires students to obtain two well balanced meals when school is in session. Parents continue to bring sugary treats for birthdays and other celebrations. Should parents and teachers follow the wellness initiative Michelle Obama has put in place? Should parents and teachers be able to bring treats to the classroom for special occasions that do not meet the schools criteria? Should teachers shy away from any sugary treats as a reward for good behavior? Exploring what contributes to our society’s poor diet and lack of nutritional values will allow teachers, and school personnel to see that the state nutritional policy is a necessity. Obama’s new campaign called “Let’s Move” is an epidemic to create this generation and further generations of kids to become more healthy, and fit. Michelle Obama started this epidemic because our society has major economic issue such as obesity health of young children over the years. Michelle states “Thirty years ago most people led lives that kept them at a healthy weight. Kids walked to and from school every day, ran around at recess, participated in gym class, and played for hours after school before dinner. Meals were home-cooked with reasonable portion sizes and there was always a vegetable on the plate. Eating fast food was rare and snacking between meals was an occasional treat. Today, children experience a very different lifestyle. Walks to and from school have been replaced by car and bus rides. Gym class and after-school sports have been cut; afternoons are now spent with TV, video games, and the internet. Parents are busier than ever and families eat fewer home-cooked meals. Snacking between meals is now commonplace. Thirty years ago kids would eat one snack a day whereas now kids may have up to two or more snacks a day adding on an additional 200 calories”. This brings be back to when I was a young child. I used to walk to and from school every morning and afternoon, attended afterschool extracurricular activities, and I occasionally had one snack in between meals. As I have slowly became older I noticed younger generations lacking activities and having multiple snacks throughout the day including more than three meals. Michelle Obama states in her “let’s move” campaign that portion sizes are now two to five times bigger than they were in years past. Beverage portions have grown as well- in the mid-1970s, the average sugar-sweetened beverage was 13.6 ounces compared to today, and kids think nothing of drinking 20 ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages at a time (Lets Move). According to Michelle Obama we are eating 31 percent more calories than we were forty years ago and 56 percent more fats and oils and 14 percent more sugars and sweeteners. The average American now eats fifteen more pounds of sugar a year than in 1970 (Lets Move). I personally can relate to eating more fats, oils, sugars and sweeteners. Multiple times a week I would stop by a fast food restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat and a large drink. This is off the charts of healthy food and certainly the meal sizes have become larger outside and in schools. Michelle Obama’s campaign has aimed to providing healthier food in our schools, helping kids be more physically active, and changing companies into making food healthier. She has changed meal portion sizes, school restrictions to what may be brought in for treats, straying away from sugary items, and even school meals as a whole. Obama indicates that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Since Obama has expanded the schools breakfast program, nearly nine million kids in 22,000 schools are able to