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Eip First Draft
Eip First Draft
Suraj George
English 1104
4 November 2018
As a teenager who has been overweight and later fit, I have personally experienced all
aspects of the food pyramid. From all the greens and bland chicken for “gains”, to all the sweet,
scrumptious desserts that put a few pounds on me, and everything in between. There is no
arguing that food is a necessity; its threads are deeply woven into different cultures and brings
people together. However, food has recently have taken a role of being a leisure activity rather
than being used to fuel and nourish our growing bodies. Mass production of different processed
foods has made food cheap and easy to buy in bulk. Frozen pizza, ready-to-eat burgers, and
many other frozen foods have made dining convenient and time saving. As a result, many
people have taken advantage of this convenience and become slowly became unaware of the
many issues associated with an unhealthy diet. As some schools have failed to provide palatable
food for children, some parents are given the burden to prepare or buy food for their kids. I will
be assessing the potential causes of child obesity in the United States, and some solutions and
preventative measures as a society we can take to help better future generations. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 39.8% of adults aged over 20 are obese and 71.6%
is the total of those who are overweight and obese as of 2015-2016. Adolescents ages between
The food pyramid is one of the most recognizable efforts by the governments to
demonstrate proportion sizes of foods, such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. However, the
pyramids sections were too confusing and misleading. As Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public
Health put it, “The problem with the US government’s original Food Guide Pyramid, released in
1992, was that it conveyed the wrong dietary advice. And MyPyramid, its 2005 replacement, was
vague and confusing.” One issue that is predominant was that the bread section on the pyramid,
“failed to show that whole wheat, brown rice, and other whole grains are healthier than refined
grains”, according to Harvard T.H Chan. This showed that the food pyramid wasn’t reliable in
In 2011, during President Obama’s first term, first lady Michelle Obama had retired the food
pyramid and introduced the new symbol for healthy eating, MyPlate, as part of her campaign
against obesity. The plates proportions are from the nutrition advice contained in the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans. The plate is divided into four sections: fruits, vegetables, grains and
protein. Half the plate is taken up by fruits and vegetables. Outside the plate, the diagram shows
the proportion of dairy. According to TIME magazine who have posted an article introducing
MyPlate, discussed about “health officials (having) high hopes that the simple, clear “visual cue”
will prompt consumers to make healthier eating choices — something that the decades-old food
pyramid largely failed to do.” The introduction of MyPlate shows the government has the
To analyze MyPlate effectiveness, Dr. Angelina Harman, created a 12-week pilot program, in
the fall of 2013, to assess the eating habits of children from kindergarten through sixth grade in
an elementary school in West Virginia. The state has the third highest obesity rates in the nation.
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Dr. Harman is an Assistant professor in the School Nursing. Harman’s research interests are
Childhood Obesity, Nutrition and Wellness in the Youth. During her Doctoral work she worked
with elementary age students on a grant she received from NAPNAP (National Association of
Pediatric Nurse Practitioners) teaching them healthy nutrition and exercise based off MyPlate.
Harman said during a poster presentation at the AANP (American Association of Nurse
Practitioners) 2013 National Conference that, “given the amount of time children spend in
school, a school-based education program may be an ideal venue for curbing the trend to
obesity,” to provide insight on why she decided to run this program in school. The program
included meeting students once a week to discuss health and exercise habits for a total of three
sessions. BMI (Body Mass Index), height, weight, and waist circumference were measured and
eating habits were obtained at baseline and again after week twelve. Overweight children who
than children with normal-range BMI, Harman found. All study participants consumed less soda
and more milk, fruit and vegetables, but particularly overweight children. “Although this was a
small pilot study, these data suggest that implementing a nutritional educational program in the
school system has the potential to improve behavior habits and improve their overall health,”
Harman concluded. This study shows that the new nutritional guidelines, and MyPlate are
Should states invest more money in cafeteria food for better produce?
The U.S Department of Agriculture demonstrates that children in the U.S have been
eating healthier because of the nationwide movement of serving healthier school meals and more
time for physical activity. The USDA (U.S Department of Agriculture) summarized that
investing in better and cleaner food in schools is widely beneficial and has very little downside
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risks. The USDA have surveyed states and schools across the county to see if there was difficulty
in meeting the current meal standards and they have found out that 80 percent of schools, who
reported, are meeting the updated meal standards and with some states reporting 100% of
schools completely transitioned to the new standards. Through another survey they conducted,
the USDA found that only less than 1% of schools have cited difficulty complying with the new
What are some different methods and approaches that the U.S Government can do to
Child Obesity?
example, taxes on sugary drinks such as sodas, and energy drinks can help reduce obesity rates.
In a 2016 CNN article titled “WHO urges taxing sugary drinks, but are such measures
effective?” the journalist, Madison Park explores the debate if taxing sugary drinks are effective
in reducing obesity rates. "If governments tax products like sugary drinks, they can reduce
suffering and save lives," said Dr. Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO's Department for the
Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases in Madison’s article. "They can also cut healthcare
costs and increase revenues to invest in health services." In her article, she introduces the
Berkeley Study; Berkeley became the first US city to pass taxes on sugary drinks in 2014.
Berkeley is a city in Northern California whose population in 2014 was 118,925. According to
the University of California Berkeley, after the tax went into effect, the residents reported a 63%
increase in drinking water and a 21% drop in soda and sugary beverage consumption. Towards
the end of her article, she discusses Hungary’s tax on foods and drinks with high sugar, salt or
caffeine content, called the “public health product tax”. The tax was introduced in 2011, and
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according to her findings in a World Health Organization survey, Hungarians ate less unhealthy
products and about 40% of the food manufacturers either stopped selling the junk food or
changed the ingredients, according to a national survey. Although these results are significant, it
is unlikely that these statistics will compare to the United States if the tax is imposed nationwide.
The United States has a culture of having big proportions and people have become assimilated to
these standards. Changing them could cause oppositions such as the American Beverage
Association, who in 2013, appealed to the ban sugary drinks of more than 16 ounces in
restaurants, movie theaters and food services claiming that it was "arbitrary and capricious" after
Conclusion
In order to reduce child obesity rates, it is important that we as a country stand together
and help the world’s future generation. Nothing drastic needs to take place immediately, but it is
crucial that we understand what can be done to solve this issue. Incorporating better strategies
such as MyPlate can bring awareness to making better food choices and being aware of our
decisions which is all part of the weight loss journey as well as healthy living for I can say from
government steps in and ensures health and safety for its citizens. Funding for healthier and
appetizing school lunches to feed future generations, is necessary for children to learn and grow.
In regard to taxation on junk foods, there is statistical evidence that consumption of junk foods
will reduce, slowly but surely. If all these initiatives are enacted, it will, with determination,
Work Cited
Cho, Stephan. “'Choose My Plate' Effective for Healthy Eating at Schools.” Clinical Advisor,
effective-for-healthy-eating-at-schools/article/300040/.
Novak, Nicole L., and Kelly D. Brownell. “Role of Policy and Government in the Obesity
www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.037929.
Park, Madison. “WHO Urges Taxing Sugary Drinks, but Are Soda Taxes Effective?” WHO
Urges Taxing Sugary Drinks, but Are Such Measures Effective?, Cable News Network, 13
Thornton, J. (2013, September 30). When Schools Improve Meals, Positive Results Follow. U.S
schools-improve-meals-positive-results-follow
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