Let’s Move Turns 3
First Lady Michelle Obama’s revolutionary Let’s Move! campaign just celebrated its third birthday. The program’s stated goal is to solve the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight. It aims to do that by establishing a community-oriented collaborative that addresses the various factors that contribute to childhood obesity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main factors that contribute to childhood obesity are genetics, behavioral factors (such as level of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle) and environmental factors.
How Let’s Move! Works
To combat these things, Let’s Move! aims to focus on healthy eating, with an emphasis on the next generation food pyramid, as well as the Chef’s Move to Schools initiative, which was enacted to enhance school cafeterias’ culinary skills and which extends far beyond the kitchen. Chefs can plant gardens at the schools where they volunteer and use the resulting produce to feed the school. Strong physical education programs are also a valuable part of the campaign.
So what strides has the program made in the few years since its inception? Quite a few. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was signed into law so all kids have healthier food in schools. Three of the largest food service providers have committed to improving the food they distribute to meet recommended levels of fat, sugar and whole grains, with double the fruits and vegetables. Nearly 2,000 chefs have volunteered to help in schools throughout the country. Businesses are lending a hand, too, with companies like All-Clad donating supplies to chefs volunteering at schools.
Read more about Let’s Move at BlackHealthMatters.Com
BET Health News - We go beyond the music and entertainment world to bring you important medical information and health-related tips of special relevance to Blacks in the U.S. and around the world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Get ready for the BET Experience, featuring Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and many more. Go here for more details and info on how to buy tickets.
(Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)