The War on Obesity

While doing research for Body Belief  I ran across an alarming statistic. 

Almost half of American children between 1st - 3rd grade want to be thinner and half of 9-10 year old girls are dieting. 

That was shocking to me.  Being that I am the grandmother to two girls in that age range it really made me grateful that mine are part of the other half!  But, what an alarming statistic.  How many of their classmates are dieting and worried about being thinner.  What is going to happen with a generation of girls already fixated on their body image and weight issues.  You would think that we would have learned more by now, that things would be different.  

But, how could it be different.  We are a body image and weight obsessed culture.  The diet industry earns multi billions every year and like any industry it needs to keep the engine running.   The focus on obesity with adults and children is on the news every day.  Even the First Lady has taken it on has her cause.  In the same article I read the first statistic, they also reported that childhood obesity has tripled since the 80's when America first called out its "War Against Obesity".  Did we not learn anything from the "War on Drugs" campaign started by Nancy Reagan?

My fear is the "War Against Obesity" will end the same way - more obese people than every!  And more and more people pre-occupied with their body, weight and food.  It has been my experience that the more I dieted the fatter I got!.  With our country’s focus on the two extremes of this issue (unrealistic thinness and obesity) we are bound to lose our young girls to eating disorders and life long struggles with body image.  That has got to change!!

It reminds me of the Mother Teresa quote from the Vietnam era. When she was asked to march against the war Teresa replied:  “If you have a march against the war, sorry.  But, if you have a march for peace, I will lead.”   We have our focus on the wrong thing.  We don't need to be fighting obesity with diets and bariatric surgery.  We need to look at food manufactures that fill our foods with addictive additives to keep us buying their products.  We need to look a the "diet industry" and uncover the scam they have inflicted on this country for the last 50 years! We need to raise the self esteem of our children and teach them that their inner strength is what makes them who they are.  We need to teach them how to listen to their bodies, and connect with the innate wisdom that we were all born with.  It is time to stop the war!  We have to do it for all the little girls (and boys) out there who are learning to only define themselves by their body image and what that creates in their lives.  This is a serious and complex problem.

Okay, I am getting off my soapbox.  I realize that the only person I can really change is me and that is where I am starting.  I must be the change I want to see.  And, that's enough for today.