The President's Message
09/10/09
Did you watch President Obama last night? It was quite the speech. In fact, it almost felt like a lecture from a parent to his bickering legislative branch. While I agree that the big insurance companies in this country need to be held accountable and that all Americans deserve access to quality healthcare, I firmly believe that we are missing the point.
Most diseases that we are dealing with as a modern advanced society are diet related diseases. According to the CDC, chronic diseases (like type 2 diabetes) account for 70% of the deaths in the United States. Michal Pollan sums it up very well in this article in the New York Times online.
Ultimately, taking on the food industry is a much more daunting task than that of the insurance industry. Not only would we be fighting huge titans of the GNP with the power of profits and investors behind them, but also the overwhelming attitudes of the American public that they have the entitlement to eat as they wish.
When I first met my husband, he held the belief that, unless there was some form of meat in his meal he had not really eaten a meal, but only a snack. Thankfully, his attitudes have slowly evolved over the years. Recently, his doctor put him on cholesterol medication, and now he is taking his diet far more seriously.
Why does the realization that our diet is killing us have to wait until we have a personal health crises? Real health education should begin in kindergarden. If we have a responsibility to our citizens to provide quality health care then that responsibility should also extend to prevention of disease. Sodas, junk food, and fast food should be levied a "sin" tax just like cigarettes. If you choose not to take personal responsibility for your health, then your health care should cost more.
In order to truely change the face of healthcare in this country, we would have to admit we were wrong. The SAD which is being copied by emerging nations across the glode must be changed. The China Study, the most comprehensive study linking diet to the risk of developing disease, shows the connection between the standard western diet of processed and meat focused meals and the development of diseases prevalent in our society.
Many things in the President's speech rang very true for me. We need to approach this problem with a solutions driven mentality. As Americans we can use our culture of individualism to take accountability for ourselves. We can choose not to be victims of an over processed food culture. We can choose to educate ourselves and make better choices that fuel our bodies rather than poisen them. As each individual makes a personal change, the economic pressure will build on those titans of the food industry and force them to change as well.
It is a matter of character for our nation as the leader of the free world to also be the leader in the education and health of its citizens. Emerging countries emulate our culture and in the process take on our diseases as well. If we truely want to show character as a nation, we would face the real issue of our health care.
Living a life of personal balance, moderation, education, and connection.
Most diseases that we are dealing with as a modern advanced society are diet related diseases. According to the CDC, chronic diseases (like type 2 diabetes) account for 70% of the deaths in the United States. Michal Pollan sums it up very well in this article in the New York Times online.
Ultimately, taking on the food industry is a much more daunting task than that of the insurance industry. Not only would we be fighting huge titans of the GNP with the power of profits and investors behind them, but also the overwhelming attitudes of the American public that they have the entitlement to eat as they wish.
When I first met my husband, he held the belief that, unless there was some form of meat in his meal he had not really eaten a meal, but only a snack. Thankfully, his attitudes have slowly evolved over the years. Recently, his doctor put him on cholesterol medication, and now he is taking his diet far more seriously.
Why does the realization that our diet is killing us have to wait until we have a personal health crises? Real health education should begin in kindergarden. If we have a responsibility to our citizens to provide quality health care then that responsibility should also extend to prevention of disease. Sodas, junk food, and fast food should be levied a "sin" tax just like cigarettes. If you choose not to take personal responsibility for your health, then your health care should cost more.
In order to truely change the face of healthcare in this country, we would have to admit we were wrong. The SAD which is being copied by emerging nations across the glode must be changed. The China Study, the most comprehensive study linking diet to the risk of developing disease, shows the connection between the standard western diet of processed and meat focused meals and the development of diseases prevalent in our society.
Many things in the President's speech rang very true for me. We need to approach this problem with a solutions driven mentality. As Americans we can use our culture of individualism to take accountability for ourselves. We can choose not to be victims of an over processed food culture. We can choose to educate ourselves and make better choices that fuel our bodies rather than poisen them. As each individual makes a personal change, the economic pressure will build on those titans of the food industry and force them to change as well.
It is a matter of character for our nation as the leader of the free world to also be the leader in the education and health of its citizens. Emerging countries emulate our culture and in the process take on our diseases as well. If we truely want to show character as a nation, we would face the real issue of our health care.
Living a life of personal balance, moderation, education, and connection.
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