As a chiropractor I work with patients, young and old, who have weight problems and concerns. Unfortunately, most of the “concerns” for my overweight patients is their personal appearance rather than health issues. Obesity and excess weight in general create huge health problems. In addition to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, excess weight causes stress on the entire musculoskeletal system. All of these “potential” health issues, or existing health conditions, should be the reason why a person is motivated to lose extra weight or not gain it in the first place. That’s why I was thrilled to read that First lady Michelle Obama indicated that she tries to talk about health, rather than weight, with her daughters.
As anyone who is news-aware knows, not too long ago Mrs. Obama launched a public awareness campaign against childhood obesity, and what an important launch is was. As a healthcare provider I could not have been happier. But, just like with every good idea, there were detractors to this one, criticizing what they characterized as a campaign that focused on “body size” and, therefore, had the potential to make overweight and obese children “feel bad about themselves.”
Of course, that was neither Mrs. Obama’s intention nor target. Body size was never the issue. The focus was on changing the diet of children from their eating too much fats and sugars to a more nutritious, healthy diet. Of course, such a change would decrease the body size of overweight and obese children in our country. But, it would do much, much more than that! A healthy diet gives children more energy, stimulates their brain, and wards off many childhood diseases. In addition, a healthy diet in childhood is an excellent foundation for good health as an individual ages.
Mrs. Obama has said that she believes too much talk about weight and body size can lead to eating disorders. I could not agree more. The conversation should be about children eating right and why that’s important.