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Let’s Move Turns 3

FLOTUS’s childhood obesity campaign, "Let's Move," celebrates another birthday.

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

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(Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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