Oh brother, am I the only one who is getting fed up hearing the same lard dribble out of media networks around Australia and the world trying to shock us with yet another (but the same) we’re getting fatter story?
Today, all media networks were on the same message about a study showing how 25% of children and 43% adults in Australia are overweight – crikey! I thought it was actually worse than that… When I walk around my local shopping mall it seems like about 80% of all people are overweight.
Most media reports I saw or heard blamed the government and the lack of good healthy food choices. Really? Australia lacks the choice to eat healthy? Are you kidding me?! We have one of the biggest and best fresh food industries in the world!
Cue the single struggling mother on one of tonight’s national current affair shows who whinges about the lack of affordable healthy food snacks she can give her kids. Are we supposed to feel sorry for her and nod in agreement as we scorn our elected local member for not providing more healthy snacks for all our children?
I think not, personal fitness and health (including waist size) is an individual’s responsibility. We as a society spend too much time shirking responsibility for our actions, accommodating people who don’t manage their own health, and blaming institutions for not being proactive enough.
What more can governments do besides give national health warnings about the dangers of becoming too fat? They can’t make people eat healthy – the same left wing media who says the government is not doing enough would be outraged at the invasion of privacy and nanny statism.
Australia has plenty of green space and places to play sport, run, or be active in our community. There are many busy people who are very fit finding time to exercise nearly every day and still peform well at work.
No, being unfit, unhealthy, and fat is not a victim of circumstances it’s a choice. The argument that healthy food is too expensive might hold some weight but take-away food is also very costly – look, in my opinion ALL food is too expensive! Again, it’s not about the cost of food it’s about the choice.
At the end of the day, food costs can be mitigated by seeking retailers like farmers markets who generally sell healthy produce cheaper. Even better, people like our “poor” home-mum who wants more healthy food choices for her kids, could actually start growing some of her own wonderful fresh home grown food and at the same time start teaching her children to like raw fresh wholesome food instead of junk.
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Mark Valencia – Editor SSM
Look, and see the Earth through her eyes…
