This Month’s Focus – Nutrition and Obesity

There are two interconnected themes that are the focus of this month: National Nutrition Month and World Obesity Day. National Nutrition Month is an annual campaign of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and their theme this year is "Food Connects Us," emphasizing the role of food in bringing people together socially, economically, and culturally. World Obesity Day, March 4th, is organized by the World Obesity Federation, which collaborates with the World Health Organization and other global partners. Their theme is "Changing Systems, Healthier Lives," which emphasizes the need to focus on the systems that contribute to obesity, such as health systems, government policies, food systems, and the environments we live and work in. I thought these two annual campaigns offer a unique opportunity to talk about what we eat, why the world is becoming more obese, and how these two campaigns may be connected.

Let’s start with National Nutrition Month.

I saw a somewhat funny saying that read, “If you are what you eat, then I must be fast, cheap, or easy.” I say somewhat funny because if the food we eat doesn’t cost much and is easy and fast to prepare or obtain, it usually isn’t very good for us. It is a fact that food has always been an important thing in our lives, and as we get busier, we’ve paid less attention to what we eat and more attention to saving time. As I mentioned above, the theme for National Nutrition Month is “Food Connects Us,” and it is almost always a big part of our social life, as – let’s do lunch or, bring the family over for dinner, or I know you’re down, let me fix you some comfort food. There’s nothing wrong with any of this, what is important is our understanding of how important nutrition is to our health and how to include that in to our food connection. One thing to remember is many older Americans don’t have the food they need each day or are driven to purchase less nutritious food to save money. Nutritious food has a huge impact on the health of seniors and may be the single biggest way to improve their health.

When food connects us with our family, make sure to take the time to talk about nutrition and find out how your older family members are doing. Talk about the source of the food they eat: is it overly processed, is it fresh, is it balanced? My son has become a very healthy eater. His favorite saying is, “If some of the ingredients on the food you buy are words you can’t pronounce, let alone know what they are, don’t eat them!” He can be a little annoying, but he has helped his parents eat better and lose weight.

I do want to put a plug-in for the passage of the Older Americans Act. This legislation has a huge impact on the nutrition of seniors. Through programs like Meals on Wheels and congregate meals it helps provide nutritious meals for seniors. The bill has passed the Senate but is bogged down in the House. It was supposed to be renewed in 2024. We need to tell our lawmakers to get busy and renew this life-affirming program.

It’s no secret that eating nutritious food has an impact on obesity. In the past, World Obesity Day has concentrated on providing information and changing individual habits. The theme this year is more external, focusing on the systems that influence and sometimes control not only the ingredients in our food but the healthcare we receive as it relates to obesity. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or planned that this worldwide campaign reflects some of the goals of our newest Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He talked about getting us healthier by having us eat better and focus more on preventative care. There’s no doubt that one of the big things that make Americans less healthy than other affluent nations is caused by what we eat and how much we weigh. Our country has less restrictions on food and additives than many European countries. We just banned red dye number 3, which has been banned in Europe for 30 years. While I’m not a fan of government interference I do recognize there is a time and place for intervention. I do recognize that information is key. If we read and pay attention to the ingredients of the things we eat, we could, as consumers, influence what manufacturers put in our food.

Another important external element that we need to change is the thought that obesity is a result of a lack of personal willpower. Obesity is caused by a combination of things, including biology, mental health, genetic risk, environment, healthcare access, and access to ultra-processed food. Our physical and social environments impact our ability to live healthy lives and expose us to unhealthy foods that are engineered to make us eat more. We need to recognize these facts.

Our healthcare system needs to focus more on prevention to help us avoid becoming obese rather than treating the disease after the fact. I’m a fan of my Medicare Advantage program with its free access to health clubs, swimming pools and Silver Sneaker programs. Regular Medicare would be better served by offering more preventative benefits to its basic coverage.

I know that obesity has been in the news lately. The standard Body Mass Index’s accuracy is being questioned. The use of the new obesity drugs and their long-term safety and efficiency are discussed daily. We need to consult with our doctors and become informed about how we can obtain and maintain a healthy weight.

Nutrition and obesity both have an impact on our health. With the new focus on prevention, we should have more information and tools to enable us to eat better and to obtain and maintain a healthy weight.

Best, Thair