Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

When George Orwell wrote his famous 1984, I doubt even he could have anticipated the current proposal to ban large supersized beverages in New York’s food service restaurants and establishments.

Obesity is certainly a problem for young people, but is it correct to assume that it’s all because of the beverage business? Personally, I enjoy eating only organic foods and I haven’t consumed any large beverages since I was a kid in grade-school. However, must we empower the State to micromanage people’s lives?

A number of studies show that children are not receiving enough gym classes; simply put, physical fitness is not an option for a lot of schools. Too many schools have not been fulfilling the NY State requirement that children receive 120 minutes of exercise a week. Creative solutions are necessary. I think the Mayor Michael Bloomberg is picking on only one industry. What about Starbucks Coffee, which sells a 20 ounce drink that has more than 500 calories? Why should they be exempt from the ban?

After the Mayor Bloomberg gets this ban passed, some say he will target movie theater popcorn, coffee drinks and milkshakes. What about kishka and chulant? Are they next on Blumberg’s list of forbidden foods? What’s to stop a child from having multiple servings of high calorie drinks? Are we going to monitor children with State supervisors?

New York is not the only place that has nutty politicians wasting the public’s money on such well-meaning projects that deal with the symptom of the problem but not its root causes.

Don’t laugh at the following example; it really happened.

Back in February, a North Carolina mom became irate after her four-year-old daughter returned home late last month with an uneaten lunch the mother had packed for the girl earlier that day. But she wasn’t mad because the daughter decided to go on a hunger strike. Instead, the reason the daughter didn‘t eat her lunch is because someone at the school determined the lunch wasn’t healthy enough and sent it back home.

The incident happened in Raeford, N.C. at West Hoke Elementary School. What was wrong with the lunch? That’s still a head-scratcher because it didn’t contain anything egregious: a turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice. But for the inspector on hand that day, it didn’t meet the healthy requirements. What did it lack? It lacked a vegetable. Adding insult to injury, instead of offering the child a salad or something really healthy, the school gave the girl chicken nuggets instead. On top of it, her mother was then sent a bill for the cafeteria food.

I would much rather see the politicians spend their time encouraging schools and communities to devise more public fitness programs. I remember JFK promoting physical fitness and we need more role models to do the same. Offering special incentives or prizes to lose weight is a more practical solution—one that might possibly work as well.

Can we do better? Sure we can, but we don’t need a Nanny State supervisor to violate our personal liberties. Maybe the state ought to give tax refunds for people who lose a certain number of pounds each year.

While child obesity is a real problem, much of the problem is due to genetics, imitative lifestyles that exist in the family. When a child sees an overweight adult supersize their diets and eat multiple helpings of food—children follow their parent’s example. They suffer for the dietary sins of their parents. Such deconstructive behavior this does a lot more damage than what the restaurants do with their supersized drinks.

Simplistic solutions will not work, but imaginative and creative ideas combined with practical incentives might succeed more than the Mayor of New York is willing to admit.

One last note: I don’t mean to be political, but shouldn’t we tell Michelle Obama that Americans would like to see the White House stop publicizing photos depicting the President, Vice President, First Lady or First Family eating unhealthy foods like hot dogs or pepperoni pizza that contain processed meat, or cheeseburgers or hamburgers—all of which contribute toward obesity?

Michelle Obama: Can you preach healthy eating and order a 1,700-calorie lunch at a burger joint? A lot of people are saying ‘no’ because the person in question is the First Lady, a role model, and her primary focus while inhabiting the White House has been to urge the country to eat and live healthier. For the record, she was at the new D.C. location of the popular Shake Shack, and the calories were spent on a hamburger, fries, chocolate shake, and Diet Coke.

This story in the news upset many people. According to one newspaper article (New York, May 11 2012 (ANI)) we find: A group of doctors, researchers and dieticians, led by an Indian origin doctor, is urging President Barack Obama to keep his fast-food indulgence private. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit advocacy group, has asked the White House to stop staging photo opportunities that shows the President consuming burgers, hot dogs and other junk food that the group contends cause cancer, obesity and other ailments. What they eat behind closed doors is their business, but at public events, they should not forget that they are role models.

Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house, Mr. President.