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The medical journal Lancet recently released a study that predicts that by 2050, 2 in 3 adults, 1 in 3 teens and 1 in 5 children in the U.S. will be obese. Ask any family physician: most of our work is obesity-caused illness. This is a horrendous public health crisis that is being ignored. There is lots of blame to go around, but the biggest blame goes to those of us who don’t teach our children how to eat well.
What do kids learn in Hawaii schools at lunchtime? “Meatless Mondays” are saturated-fat-laden macaroni and cheese. Then there are shoyu hot dogs — hot dogs, a class-one carcinogen (like cigarettes), soaked in salt and sugar. Beef brisket (60% saturated fat) is served as “farm-to-school” food. Vegetables are celery and cucumber sticks. Our schools can help solve this crisis simply by serving healthy food.
Gordon LaBedz
Kekaha, Kauai
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