Well it is called fight against the flab...
So, obesity is back in the news again with the latest statistics showing that 40% of Britain's adults will be obese by the year 2030. This has sparked several reactions ranging from a 'fat' tax to obese people paying for NHS treatments. But what is the right reaction?
My view is this, the fat tax is maybe a good thing, it possibly could reduce the amount of people eating high sugar foods. People argue that the cheapest foods are the unhealthiest, a view I don't agree with, but if this is the case then making the cheapest foods the healthiest would appear to be the right reaction (although lowering the price of healthier foods would probably be the better way of going about it).
Clinically obese people paying for there own treatments, or being refused treatments? This is already happening, I know of several NHS trusts that refuse certain operations to people with a high BMI, in fact I was working with a lady 2 years ago who was refused a hip replacement until she reduced her BMI to below 31! So, it may not be wide spread or well known about but PCT's are already playing god with who can and cant be treated.
If Britain does continue to increase in size the projected figures for the NHS are not good. In fact if it continues with the added strain of Diabetes and Diabetes related diseases, heart conditions, and other weight related issues then the NHS will simply go bankrupt in a very short space of time.
So what can we do about it? This really is simple, a multi faceted approach needs to be taken. Start with the basics, bring cooking back into schools with teaching children to cook healthy basic foods, along side this you teach nutrition, not complicated, but basic nutrition, what food groups do to your body, how eating high salt high sugar and high starch foods makes your body react. Along side this, maybe we do introduce a 'fat tax' on unhealthy foods (I am not convinced) but we also encourage people to be more active. Make PE compulsory in schools and allow our children to go out and play. I was horrified 2 years ago when at several industry shows the main sellers was Wii fit and dance mat type games to schools for PE as we had sold off the school fields to developers! I remember running cross country and playing rugby in the rain and snow, why should this be stopped? There is no need to spend money on exercise 'games' for the children so they can take part in PE.
The easiest thing in the world to do is to reduce our portion sizes. These have grown massively over the years with our perceived idea of what good value for money is. Bigger portions, BOGOF, super size meals etc. Bring it back to basics. Teach and show people what a portion of food should be, I used portion control when I lost weight and I actively encourage people to do the same. Eat what you want, but in the right portions.
So basically what I am saying is this, empower people to make the right choices, and yes help them along the way. I spoke to Julia Hartley-Brewer of LBC about this on Friday. What we can not afford to keep on doing is stigmatising fat people. At the moment it is aginst the law to be racist, ageist, sexist etc, but it is fine to be sizest, and what worries me is that the way this is being portraid and spoken about, then sizest is exactly what the government and the media are encouraging.
I will carry on talking about this at a later time, right now I am off to the gym with Kerry so we are not ostracized by society...
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