Nutrition Education and Obesity

Dara-Lynn Weiss with daughter, Bea (Vogue)

During these rainy spring days, I occasionally enjoy curling up with a Vogue magazine.  However, when reading the April 2012 edition I was disheartened by Dara-Lynn Weiss’ article about putting her seven-year-old daughter Bea on a diet.  Bea’s pediatrician had pronounced her as obese at 4 foot 4 inches and 93 pounds.  Because of this, Bea’s mother (who struggles with her own eating issues) went on a year-long mission to get her daughter to lose weight.  Weiss admits to depriving Bea of her dinner after, “…learning that her observation of French Heritage Day at school involved nearly 800 calories of Brie, filet mignon, baguette, and chocolate.”  She also would no longer allow her daughter to have pizza at school on Fridays after Bea had admitted to adding a corn salad as a side dish one week.    When a Starbucks barista couldn’t verify the calorie content of the kids’ size hot chocolate, she dramatically grabbed the drink out of her daughter’s hands, poured it into the garbage, and stormed out.  Weiss expressed annoyance at her daughter’s persistent cries that she always felt hungry.

Bea eventually lost sixteen pounds and met her mother’s weight loss goal for her Vogue photo shoot.  Bea told the magazine that she’s still herself even though she lost the sixteen pounds.  She expressed, “I’m not a different person just because I lost sixteen pounds.”  Her mother publicly protests that she is different.  She notes, “At this moment that fat girl is a thing of the past.”

When I read this article I was overwhelmed by the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional emptiness Bea must be feeling.  Without a doubt, we are facing an obesity epidemic in this country.  Obesity in children and youth has lifelong health risks including diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.  In Vermont, hunger and obesity exist in the same households.  Families on limited incomes can run out of food or rely on inexpensive, often high fat foods that promote weight gain.  Good nutrition is financially out of reach for many Vermonters.  This was not the case for Bea’s family, but food deprivation and malnutrition are a strain on the body for anyone who is not getting the proper amount of nutrients on a daily basis.

I’m proud that Hunger Free Vermont has continued to offer The Learning Kitchen cooking and nutrition education series which celebrates the preparation and consumption of nutritious food.  Participants learn skills to make nutritious food choices, get hands-on experience in preparing healthful meals, and practice their skills at home with their families.  We’ve seen The Learning Kitchen graduates consume more nutrient rich foods, prepare more meals from scratch, and plan healthier meals.  Ensuring that children and families have access to a consistent supply of healthful food and the knowledge to prepare that food is essential in addressing the epidemic of childhood obesity, especially when children’s minds and bodies are growing.

Solving the obesity epidemic should not be about shame, it should be about power.  The power of nutrition education can help people be informed food consumers and make choices that will benefit them for a lifetime.  I will be thinking about Bea and all children struggling with obesity as we seek to expand our Learning Kitchen programs which spread the joy of cooking and healthful food for a lifetime of good nutrition.

Learning Kitchen Participant

September 2011