RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama recounted how a wake-up call at the pediatrician's office prompted minor changes in her kitchen that added up to super-sized health improvements. Her comments, delivered at the YMCA of Alexandria in Virginia last Thursday, were part of an event unveiling the Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010 report, a plan developed by Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, which stresses personal responsibility to prevent being swallowed up by the obesity epidemic.
THE DETAILS: The First Family walks the walk. "The beauty was that, for me, over the course of a few months, we started making really minor changes. And I share this story because the changes were so minor," Mrs. Obama explained. These changes include things like cutting out TV time during the week to include more active play time, paying attention to portion sizes, limiting sugary drinks and replacing them with water, and eating more colorful veggies at dinner.
By the time of the Obamas' next doctor's visit, the small changes had produced enough results to grab the pediatrician's attention. "He looked over the girls' charts and he said, 'What on earth are you doing?' And I said, 'Really, not much,'" Mrs. Obama recalled, adding that she wants to share that good news with American families. "Small changes can lead to big results," she said.
Read on to find out how to break through common healthy-eating roadblocks.
WHAT IT MEANS: Finding ways to make healthy changes can seem overwhelming to a busy family, as the First Lady acknowledged during her address. "Barack and I were like any working couple. I was a working mom with a husband that was busy, so many times I was the one balancing that load and wrestling with many of those challenges," she said. "And there were plenty of times, I tell you, that you'd come home tired, you don't want to hear the kids fuss, and popping something in the microwave or picking up a burger was just heaven."
But with proper planning, you can actually eat a healthier diet on a busy schedule, and even save money while losing weight. And that's important, because the gist of the Surgeon General's new report revolved around personal responsibility. With about one in three children and two-thirds of adults overweight or obese, Dr. Benjamin is calling for grassroots efforts to combat obesity—not huge government programs—to slim down overweight adults, children, and even toddlers. The concept includes helping communities offer fresh, healthy food options and provide places for children to play, as well as making sure new mothers have easy access to breastfeeding programs—research shows breastfed babies are less likely to be obese children.
Here are the challenges to fighting childhood obesity that Michelle Obama plans to work against…and some tactics that will help your family overcome them and stay healthy.
Access. Lots of parents want to feed their kids healthy foods, Mrs. Obama said, "But if you don't live anywhere near a place that sells fresh produce, it's very hard to accomplish that goal." And for families with working parents on busy schedules—more on that below—it can be hard to make extra trips even to places that are relatively nearby but not conveniently located.
Try this: Team up with neighbors and family, so you can take turns making a trip to buy healthy groceries for everybody. Then practice good food-storage and food-preservation techniques, so you can buy and store lots of food at once (buying in bulk will save you money, too). Check out our tips for avoiding food waste to minimize return trips to the grocery store. And check to see if there's a farmer's market or CSA program near you by checking LocalHarvest.org. You may be surprised to find one that's close enough for you to make at least an occasional Saturday visit, and load up with fresh, healthy food.
Convenience. It's undeniably tempting to rely on drive-through fare, or something packaged and microwavable, at the end of the day. "Our modern-day life makes it very difficult for us to sit down and prepare that meal," Mrs. Obama said. Unfortunately, packaged and restaurant food tends to be high in fat, sugar, salt, and calories. Just as bad, chemicals in processed foods and ones that leach into the food from plastic and metal-can packaging are emerging as real health threats, as well.
Try this: It's easier to break the fast-food habit if you know how to whip up some better-tasting meals on your own. Visit our Rodale Healthy Recipe Finder for thousands of healthy, quick meal ideas. Reconnect with classic cooking techniques—like sautéing, braising, making casseroles, and using a slow cooker—and use them to make double batches so you can freeze some food to heat up on busy weeknights. Get the kids involved in the prep work, if they're old enough; if not, throw a food party so they'll get interested in cooking. When you eat out, ask the server to wrap up some of the meal before you start eating: You'll have leftovers for later, and you won't overload on those ridiculously huge restaurant portion sizes. For those times when you must eat fast food, make healthier choices: Check out 10 Plus Ways to Avoid Calorie-Overloaded Fast-Food Meals.
Next: How to cope with a tight food budget.
Affordability. It's commonly thought that healthy, organic foods are very expensive. But that definitely doesn't have to be the case. By avoiding processed foods as much a possible, you can save money and protect your health at the same time.
Try this. Visit our grain guide to learn how to prepare superhealthy, inexpensive organic whole grains for pennies. Also see our tips on eating healthfully on the cheap and slashing your grocery bills.
Budget cuts. Slashed budgets at schools make the task of providing healthy lunches even more difficult, but there are things you can do to ensure your child is getting the nutrition he or she needs.
Try this. Pack your child a lunch rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and stay away from processed foods, says chef, author, and educator Ann Cooper, founder of Food Family Farming Foundation's Lunchbox Project. She also warns against being tricked into thinking something's healthy when it's not. Classic examples include Fruit Loops, said to be a "Smart Choice," the Cocoa Krispies label that claimed the cereal could help prevent the flu, and the idea that chocolate milk is the only answer to strong bones in kids, she says. "It's all marketing," Cooper warns. "Read the ingredients list." Buy the cereal with the least amount of sugar; if necessary, sweeten it with some fruit.
She says small changes like using 100 percent whole wheat bread or whole grain tortillas for sandwiches, instead of white bread, can really add up.