Solving America’s Health Problems With The Next Generation

A Special Guest Post By: Chris Steurer

As America continues to stay on top as one of the unhealthiest countries in the world, we are seeing a tremendous growth of obesity and weight issues among our adult population and children as well. INC.com has noted that “according to the Center for Disease Control, approximately 17% of all children in the U.S. are obese.” They are the future of our country, and they are looking bigger than ever before.

I don’t believe that short term solutions work very well for truly solving any problem, therefore, we must look to longer-term solutions that are responsible and sustainable now and into the future. The current children of America are the future of this country, and it is up to them to decide what will happen down the road. So why do we do such a poor job at teaching them healthy habits and such a good job at raising them to make bigger health mistakes than ourselves?

I’ve talked with my younger cousins, my friend’s kids, and other children and they excitedly tell me how much they love eating fast food and playing video games all day. It’s quite alarming if you think about it, our next generation seems likely to be worse off than we already are.

So, how can we fix the problem? It is known that prisons often serve better food than our public schools do. Children are eating at least one meal- five days out of the week- that is high in calories and low in essential nutrients that the body needs to stay fit and healthy. I am almost certain that many of them consume many more meals throughout the week that consist of fast food or other unhealthy meals. We teach children how to read, write, and do arithmetic in school, why can’t we teach them to eat healthier and stay more active as well?

At least one company has set out to do something about this problem. Revolution Foods is helping to bring access to nutrient rich meals that taste good to low-income schools. They have realized that by targeting schools with healthy food alternatives, they can help make the world a better and healthier place to live!

What other ideas do you have that could offer a long-term solution to getting America’s health back on track?