| The Bellierub..... .... on political porkbellies On May 3rd of this year, impeached President Bill Clinton announced that he is teaming up with the American Heart Association to fight childhood obesity. It seems that Mr. Clinton is concerned that the next generation of future interns will grow even heavier than the most recent group who left the White House at the end of his term. Somewhere lost in all the hype is his failure to take responsibility for conditioning certain interns on fitting more in their mouth as a result of his presidency. The environment he offered allowed young interns of questionable poundage’s to exercise their oral muscles as he watched recklessly from above. So the question is: Will America’s youth respond to this role model? Childhood obesity is growing at a rate of 20% per year with 1 out of every 6 kids classified as obese. Mr. Clinton was quoted as saying, “I’ve spent most of my life trying to help give children a better future, so I am really excited about this effort to promote healthier lifestyles for children. After my personal exposure to heart disease and surgery, I wanted to find some way to use that experience to help others. With this initiative, we can help turn young people’s lives around and give them hope for a healthier future.” It is quite noble of Mr. Clinton to make these statements and attempt to influence America’s children into eating better. How well will the kids respond to his message? Did he show the same concern for Monica Lewinsky’s future? He wasn’t too concerned about the types of food she was putting in her mouth. Sure, she wasn’t exactly a child, but she was young enough to be influenced by the President of the United States. Of course, Mr. Clinton would claim he did nothing wrong and just allowed her a few “inappropriate” meals. Mr. Clinton’s credibility on the obesity subject is also suspect because of the one term that always concerns dieters: cheating. Does the ex-president really understand what the definition of the word is? Come to think of it, does he understand the definition of the word “is?” Weight loss and weight management is a tough, grueling task for the bulk of the population. Dieters of all ages must be fully aware of what “cheating” means. There are no gray areas here. Grabbing a candy bar instead of a piece of fruit is considered cheating on your diet. Grabbing an intern instead of the First Lady is considered cheating on your wife. How can a guy who doesn’t know the difference be a role model for kids? How can this person persuade easily influenced children to eat healthier and avoid sweet tasting temptations? If he couldn’t do it, how is he expecting America’s youth to follow his lead? It is undeniable that famous people have an influence on our children. However, just because someone is famous, it does not make him or her a good example to follow. Mr. Clinton’s weight fluctuated as often as his political positions did during his career. The result was heart bypass surgery at the early age of 58. He even admits that his eating habits were forged in his youth with lots of sugar, fried foods and gravy. Who is mostly responsible for this? The parent or guardian providing the food. That’s where it starts and ends for our children. Role models come and go, but the adults who kids see everyday will have the most influence on them. It starts at home and at school. Parents and teachers are the ones who will directly affect kids eating habits. These are the people they see every day. Besides, if parents stock their kitchens with healthier foods, their children will have no choice but to eat better. The same goes for the schools. If cafeterias only offer healthy food choices, then that’s what the kids will eat. If you put a piece of chocolate and a piece of fruit in front of a child, the kid would grab the chocolate in a flash. But, if you offer a piece of fruit and another piece of fruit, then guess what? The child will eat the fruit. While I understand the need for impeached ex-president Bill Clinton to remain in the spotlight and attempt to influence America’s youth. I wish he would stay away from the weight loss arena. His credibility on the subject is as suspect as the numerous pardons he granted before leaving office. Just like the recommended “Binge Day” in our book, The New Beerbellie Diet, it was quite a treat for his political buddies when Clinton feasted on presidential pardon power hours before leaving office. Anyway, the point is for all you parents, guardians and school officials out there to set the example. Follow a low calorie diet and expose the children to nutritious foods most of the time. Allow them a few opportunities during the week for “bingeing.” The result will be healthier, lighter, more educated eaters for life. If you set the “appropriate” as opposed to “inappropriate” example, they will have a longer, more productive life then the one being projected by recent studies. Let’s keep the politics out of weight loss and handle this one on our own. That's the Bellierub on… political porkbellies ________________________________________________________________________ |
