Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" Obesity Plan: 5 Key Points

on February 11, 2010 at 11:40 AM

Michelle Obama officially unveiled her "end childhood obesity" campaign, Let's Move, at a press conference Tuesday. It's an ambitious and costly plan that aims to end the obesity epidemic over the course of our current generation of kids' lifetime.

These 5 points highlight how she thinks we can do it and what it will mean to you and your kids:

1. Better labels at the grocery store. The government will get food manufacturers to include information about ingredients and nutrition on the front of food packages so moms can easily pick out the healthiest foods for their children.

2. Routine Body Mass Index (BMI) checks. During annual check-ups, doctors and nurses will measure BMIs and spend more time counseling parents and kids on healthy eating early on, and even write prescriptions laying outsimple things parents can do to increase healthy eating and active play.

3. Healthier school lunches. Many kids eat half their day's calories at school. So the government, working with public schools and the private sector, will double the number of schools that meet the Healthier US Schools Challenge, an award given to schools that provide exceptionally healthy eating programs. The program will add 1,000 schools per year for two years after that.

In addition, the administration will update the Child Nutrition Act by funding $1 billion per year for the next 10 years to improve the quality of school meals, increase the number of kids participating, and provide resources. An additional one million students will be added to the School Lunch Program, offering reduced- or no-cost lunches to kids of low-income families, over the next five years.

4. Awards for exercising. The President's Physical Fitness Council will double the number of children who earn a “Presidential Active Lifestyle Award” by engaging in regular physical activity, and it will modernize the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge (currently boring gym stuff like sit-ups and push-ups) so it’s not just about how athletic children are but how active they are each day.

5. More grocery stores and farmer's markets. We'll spend $400 million a year to bring grocery stores to poor areas and help places such as convenience stores and bodegas carry healthier food options. Grants will also help bring farmers markets and fresh foods into underserved communities.

Is the First Lady's plan too ambitious or costly? Will it work?

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About the author Cynthia Dermody

is The Stir's Managing Editor who has trophies in her home for her skills at the Irish Jig. She makes cupcakes with as many fattening ingredients as possible, doesn't comb her hair for months at a time, and was probably a faerie in a former life.

Filed Under: activities, education, food, health, in the news

Comments (3)

justanotherjen

on Feb 11, 2010 at 4:37 PM

The only thing I see making an impact is the school lunches and the exercise...for those that can afford to buy them. Better labels won't do anything. People will still buy junk food. Convienence foods are almost a must for busy parents, healthy options cost too much for most working families. BMI is flawed to begin with. It doesn't take into account body types and muscle mass and, in my opinion, creates eating issues with kids who are worried about staying in a certain range or whatever. The exercise thing will only work if schools even have gym. Many of our schools are cutting gym and recess either because they don't have the money or they need to spend more time teaching kids how to take standardized tests. And the grocery stores...again, only work if people can afford the stuff in the stores. From my experience small stores/markets have much more expensive food then Wal-mart or the big chain places.

What they need to do is get kids back outside playing and running around. My kids actually lose about 5lbs every summer because they spend all day outside riding bikes and playing with their friends. They need to make gym more often in school and allow kids to run around during recess.

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mamalmf

on Feb 24, 2010 at 11:27 AM

When my girls were in elementary school, I remember the school running out of food. What's with that. Not only is it unhealthy food, but then to run out? I like the idea that some schools have picked up on, which is having recess before eating. So many of them rush through 1/2 of their lunches if they have one so they can play.

I am an Herbalife Independent Distributor. My girls are teens and have learned the importance of having a healthy breakfast. They drink a yummy protein shake with fruit and drink green tea with aloe. They find they can concentrate better and don't fall asleep at school. This is a simple, nutritional breakfast and I recommend it to everyone. We even carry a nutritional shake for children to have for snacks!

Nonmember comment from Kevin

on May 14, 2010 at 11:27 PM

I think Mrs. Obama should get here own house in order (her husband is still addicted to cigarettes) before she starts telling us all what we can and can't put in our bodies. Just a thought.