While in Florida, it was very obvious that the weather stayed nice year round. First sign...the squirrels were skinny. Noticeably skinny. In January, here in Nebraska....the squirrels look more like this..
Yup....they have put on their winter weight to try to survive the harsh winter here in the Heartland. Not in Florida. I also noticed something else striking regarding weight. Americans are fat.
Disney World attracts people from all around the globe. Our resort had a particularly large population from Brasil. It was incredible. It was glaringly obvious. We are a nation of gluttony. So, I did a little research.
The Center for Disease Control reports that one-third of American Adults are considered obese and that 17% of kids age 2-19 are considered obese.
| 2010 State Obesity Rates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | % | State | % | State | % | State | % |
| Alabama | 32.2 | Illinois | 28.2 | Montana | 23.0 | Rhode Island | 25.5 |
| Alaska | 24.5 | Indiana | 29.6 | Nebraska | 26.9 | South Carolina | 31.5 |
| Arizona | 24.3 | Iowa | 28.4 | Nevada | 22.4 | South Dakota | 27.3 |
| Arkansas | 30.1 | Kansas | 29.4 | New Hampshire | 25.0 | Tennessee | 30.8 |
| California | 24.0 | Kentucky | 31.3 | New Jersey | 23.8 | Texas | 31.0 |
| Colorado | 21.0 | Louisiana | 31.0 | New Mexico | 25.1 | Utah | 22.5 |
| Connecticut | 22.5 | Maine | 26.8 | New York | 23.9 | Vermont | 23.2 |
| Delaware | 28.0 | Maryland | 27.1 | North Carolina | 27.8 | Virginia | 26.0 |
| District of Columbia | 22.2 | Massachusetts | 23.0 | North Dakota | 27.2 | Washington | 25.5 |
| Florida | 26.6 | Michigan | 30.9 | Ohio | 29.2 | West Virginia | 32.5 |
| Georgia | 29.6 | Minnesota | 24.8 | Oklahoma | 30.4 | Wisconsin | 26.3 |
| Hawaii | 22.7 | Mississippi | 34.0 | Oregon | 26.8 | Wyoming | 25.1 |
| Idaho | 26.5 | Missouri | 30.5 | Pennsylvania | 28.6 | ||
The CDC wrote... " The public is already flooded with nutrition and diet information from multiple sources. As a result, they are sometimes confused about what, how much, or even how often they should eat."
I Call Bullshit.
Is it really confusing that eating an apple is a better diet choice than a snickers bar. Is it really confusing that eating a turkey sandwich is better for you than a 10oz Porter House steak. Is it really that hard to understand that eating a plate full of Pasta with Alfredo and dunking a butter covered bread stick in it just might be overkill??
Why are kids fat? I have never seen a 7 year old sitting behind the wheel at a McDonalds drive thru. I have never seen a 5 year old pull out their debit card to pay for a large soda and cotton candy at a baseball game.
Come on!
It's not confusing. It's about choices. We are choosing to be fat. We are choosing to be unhealthy.
Why??
Because it is easier. It is easier to stop at a drive thru than it is to cook a meal. It is easier to buy a cotton candy that it is to tell our kids "no".
Alright America...it is time to MAN UP!
We don't want the world to think of us as fat, lazy Americans. Not cool!
We don't want to be a generation of people that make our own children sick.
We don't want to be a generation of people that spends more time in the hospital than with family.
It's time. Take charge of your own life, your own health, and think about our kids needs....not their wants.
"I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead, others come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me." - Dr. Seuss
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