“Fed Up” – Fighting Obesity Together
Posted on June 2, 2014 at 9:05 AM by Iowa Corn
Around 1/3 of the US (according to the CDC) is considered obese. I understand the questions and concerns of the increasing issue of obesity in our country, and there is no (that I’m aware of) end all answer to the questions. I understand the concerns because I’ve struggled with my weight and food for all my life.
Is the food industry to blame for the increasing epidemic of obesity in our society today?
As consumers, we have the right to know the information about our food and how it affects our health. We are lucky to live in a country that supports the freedom of choice within our food industry. Our choices should be protected and celebrated. My families food choices may not be the same choices because of our lifestyle and budget as my neighbors choices, but we should support each other in our right to choose.Maybe it’s an issue of being misguided in our education efforts in healthy diets. Again, I don’t think there is an end all answer here because we are all built differently and require different caloric and nutrient needs daily. However, instead of blaming the food industry for this epidemic, maybe we should do a better job of educating ourselves on proper nutrition. This needs collaboration from everyone involved, from the consumer, food companies, health educators, policy makers and the farmers. Instead of working against each other all the time, why aren’t we working together to help solve the problem?
Whether you choose to be a vegan, eat organic or conventional or buy from the farmers market or super market, we all have the right to know that our food is being raised responsibly and is wholesome for our families. As a farmer, I can assure you that we take great care in producing safe, affordable and healthy food for everyone. Farmers want to do these things because they are feeding their families the same food you’re buying. We only want to feed our family the best, so we’re striving to produce the best.
Farmers work hard to produce safe, wholesome food for you and your family.
Fixing the obesity epidemic isn’t going to be solved over night, and it’s going to take participation from everyone involved. We need insightful leadership from the policy makers, farmers, health educators, and all food companies. Let’s start working together, instead of falling apart.
What are your thoughts on working towards a healthier country?
My name is Nicole Patterson and I am currently a student at Iowa State University pursuing a degree in Agricultural Education with a communications option. I am also a CommonGround volunteer. I grew up on a family farm in northern Iowa where we raised mostly all corn, some soybeans and had two hog production facilities. Over the years, I have found a passion and love for agriculture and have a strong desire to help farmers tell their stories of everyday farm life and the good things they are doing in agriculture today. http://farmgirlfactsoflife.com/ There are no comments yet.