's MOTD Wed 6/7/2006

[Guest guest]

's Daily MessageWednesdayJune 07, 2006

RESTAURANTS ARE NOT TO BLAME!

My phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from reporters and newscasters wanting to know my take on the new report just published by the Food and Drug Administration. Have you heard about it? Well, let me summarize the report for you.

The report states that today, 64% of Americans are overweight, and that includes the 30% that are obese. It says that the annual medical cost of the problem is at nearly 94 billion dollars. In an indirect way, the FDA is sort of blaming restaurants for adding poundage on the very hungry American consumer. The report encourages restaurants to shift the emphasis of their marketing to lower calorie choices and to include more healthy options on their menus. In addition, they are asking restaurants to cut the portions of the food they are serving. They also want some cooking ingredients changed. They further suggest that these restaurants list how many calories and ingredients are in the dishes they serve.

Well, to me there is just something wrong about this whole thing! Recently I`ve been talking about President Clinton`s plan to take colas and such sweet drinks out of the school vending machines and lunch programs in 2008. I said it was a band-aid to the problem. Long before children taste a coke or 7-Up in the schoolyard, they`ve tasted it at home. It`s not fair to blame the school, now, is it? If a kid wants a coke, he has money in his pocket to buy one.

Now we are blaming this problem of obesity on the restaurants in our country, and I don`t think they are to blame, do you? I think people are to blame! There are certain restaurants in the United States that serve fattening food in enormous portions. If you don`t want to eat that kind of food, well, don`t go there! Just putting tofu stir-fry and fat free lasagna on the menus isn`t going to stop those who want fried chicken.

Can you imagine this scenario? President Bush is in Texas having dinner with his family at his favorite steak restaurant. The President orders a 9-ounce Porterhouse steak, and the waiter tells him he can only serve the President a 6-ounce steak with bok choy and edamame bean mousse. Hey, you know how to eat healthy. Now just do it!

Love,

[Guest guest]

ABSOFREAKINGLUTELY TRUE RICHARD !!!!!!!!! :)Sue in NJ <susang3@...> wrote: 's Daily MessageWednesdayJune 07, 2006 RESTAURANTS ARE NOT TO BLAME! My phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from reporters and newscasters wanting to know my take on the new report just published by the Food and Drug Administration. Have you heard about it? Well, let me

summarize the report for you. The report states that today, 64% of Americans are overweight, and that includes the 30% that are obese. It says that the annual medical cost of the problem is at nearly 94 billion dollars. In an indirect way, the FDA is sort of blaming restaurants for adding poundage on the very hungry American consumer. The report encourages restaurants to shift the emphasis of their marketing to lower calorie choices and to include more healthy options on their menus. In addition, they are asking restaurants to cut the portions of the food they are serving. They also want some cooking ingredients changed. They further suggest that these restaurants list how many calories and ingredients are in the dishes they serve. Well, to me there is just something wrong about this whole thing! Recently

I`ve been talking about President Clinton`s plan to take colas and such sweet drinks out of the school vending machines and lunch programs in 2008. I said it was a band-aid to the problem. Long before children taste a coke or 7-Up in the schoolyard, they`ve tasted it at home. It`s not fair to blame the school, now, is it? If a kid wants a coke, he has money in his pocket to buy one. Now we are blaming this problem of obesity on the restaurants in our country, and I don`t think they are to blame, do you? I think people are to blame! There are certain restaurants in the United States that serve fattening food in enormous portions. If you don`t want to eat that kind of food, well, don`t go there! Just putting tofu stir-fry and fat free lasagna on the menus isn`t going to stop those who want fried chicken. Can

you imagine this scenario? President Bush is in Texas having dinner with his family at his favorite steak restaurant. The President orders a 9-ounce Porterhouse steak, and the waiter tells him he can only serve the President a 6-ounce steak with bok choy and edamame bean mousse. Hey, you know how to eat healthy. Now just do it! Love, -Sapphyre Feel Free to Visit: www.geocities.com/asmallersapphyre www.livejournal.com/users/changescomin www.geocities.com/mothernatureschyld __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

What did you all think of this? I find this subject to be really

interesting...partially because now I'm trying to raise two small

children to be healthy eaters in a world full of fast food and boxed

junk food. So here are my thoughts and I'm interested in hearing

other people's thoughts, too.

> The report states that today, 64% of Americans are overweight, and

that includes the 30% that are obese. It says that the annual medical

cost of the problem is at nearly 94 billion dollars. In an indirect

way, the FDA is sort of blaming restaurants for adding poundage on the

very hungry American consumer. The report encourages restaurants to

shift the emphasis of their marketing to lower calorie choices and to

include more healthy options on their menus. In addition, they are

asking restaurants to cut the portions of the food they are serving.

They also want some cooking ingredients changed. They further suggest

that these restaurants list how many calories and ingredients are in

the dishes they serve.<

I'm torn on this. First, as for the cooking ingredients changed, I

would LOVE to see trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup be illegal

to use in *any* food product, anywhere. Those are bad news. I'm not

sure that the labeling is going to make a big difference, though. I

mean, before I started counting up my calories, I didn't think

anything of a 900-calorie meal. *shrugs* Might be helpful for

someone like me who is counting calories, but not the general public.

> Well, to me there is just something wrong about this whole thing!

Recently I`ve been talking about President Clinton`s plan to take

colas and such sweet drinks out of the school vending machines and

lunch programs in 2008. I said it was a band-aid to the problem. Long

before children taste a coke or 7-Up in the schoolyard, they`ve tasted

it at home. It`s not fair to blame the school, now, is it? If a kid

wants a coke, he has money in his pocket to buy one.<

I disagree with this. First, what if I send my child to school with

lunch money (NOT soda-money) and he chooses to buy the cokes instead?

I know that it's my responsibility to teach them good choices, but

that only goes so far with peer pressures and such. I love that they

are removing that stuff from the schools. My kids haven't had soda

(okay, 7-up once a year if/when they get the stomach flu...even then,

though, watered down), but trust me...in 5 years if their friends are

buying them at lunch time, mine will want them, too. Nature of the beast.

> Now we are blaming this problem of obesity on the restaurants in our

country, and I don`t think they are to blame, do you? I think people

are to blame! There are certain restaurants in the United States that

serve fattening food in enormous portions. If you don`t want to eat

that kind of food, well, don`t go there! Just putting tofu stir-fry

and fat free lasagna on the menus isn`t going to stop those who want

fried chicken.<

I absolutely agree with this. The restaurants are not to blame. We,

as a nation, make terrible choices for food. But other nations do,

too. Now that Europe is experiencing the " McD's on every corner "

phenomenon, guess what? Studies are showing a drastic increase in

obesity--especially Great Britian.

It's such a complex problem--and it's not just one thing. It's not

JUST the restaurants, it's not JUST the terrible ingredients in the

foods, it's not JUST the soda machines at school, it's not JUST that

we've taken physical education out of the curriculum...it's *all* of

those things. One thing, on its own, isn't a terrible thing. But you

add them all together, and I think it spells disaster. If I can do

just one thing for my kids, I want to teach them to make good food

choices. I really don't want them to have the same struggles dh and I

have had (and both sides of both families!). I don't know, I read

that post this morning and I haven't been able to get it out of my

mind all day. Hope y'all don't mind the long post

And I think that places like McD's, 's, and BK offering better

foods for the kids is awesome. Every once in a while, when we do go

to McD's, they can have the cheeseburger, but they get plain white

milk and apple dippers (without the caramel sauce, except once in a

great while) to go with it. And I either get a salad or a grilled

chicken sandwich (hold the mayo) and either water or a diet coke to

drink. *shrugs* At least we have the option of something healthier

than fries in the Happy Meals now.

Just my thoughts.

-Bonnie