Food for Thought

On a day when much of the focus in Washington was on Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama decided to roll out yet another of his administrative appointees. And when I say “roll out” I mean no disrespect to the visibly portly Dr. Regina Benjamin, Surgeon General designee. After all, I am roughly 50 pounds over what I am told is an acceptable weight for my height. But then again, I have not been nominated by the President of the United States of America to be the public face of American health.

It doesn’t take much research to come to the conclusion that ours is an obese nation, and this appointment shows absolute fidelity to our President’s promise to craft an administration that “looks like America.” Unfortunately, we’ve been told over and over again that America could stand to lose a few pounds and obesity is the gateway to a vast array of debilitating if not downright lethal health conditions. Will an overweight Surgeon General be taken seriously when she addresses the issue of obesity , arguably our most urgent – and curable – health crisis? Moreover, why isn’t diet and nutrition at the forefront of the government’s discussion of health care and general wellness? We have a President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, however we have no President’s Council on Diet and Nutrition. Not only are the terms “diet” and “nutrition” absent from the Council’s name, it would appear they are also absent from its agenda. A recent visit to the Council’s website http://www.fitness.gov revealed little in the way of healthy eating tips other than nutritional issues directly related to exercise. Diet and nutrition are for some unexplained reason the province of the Department of Agriculture – a Cabinet-level body, the director of which actually holds a superior position to that of Surgeon General. However, my research shows that it has been nearly three years since the Secretary of Agriculture has addressed the issue of diet and nutrition in a public broadcast forum. Wouldn’t it make sense to combine the oversight of matters concerning diet and exercise within the same governmental entity? Wouldn’t the USDA be better served by allowing it to concentrate on food production and safety issues, especially in this era of monthly meat recalls, e-coli and salmonella scares? At this moment, the Obama administration is in the process of cleaving a number of consumer protection functions from the Federal Trade Commission and creating a new, more specialized agency. To me, it seems to be just as logical to do the same thing with those departments and sub-departments that address dietary and physical fitness matters. Don’t confuse this notion with my advocacy for big government telling us how to eat and exercise. However, these operations are already in existence and there is no reason to believe that they are in any jeopardy of being eliminated. There may also be some opportunities for expense saves and improved efficiencies though reorganization. Perhaps a more coordinated, comprehensive effort to promote good exercise and eating habits which is subject to singular oversight would help make a dent – any dent – in a number of the symptoms of our national health care crisis.

In the mean time, the proposed face of American health has a double chin. I cannot imagine the scorn that would be heaped upon the Senator who would call her weight into question during the confirmation process. I do believe that it would be appropriate to ask her how she intends to address the issue of diet and exercise as the avenue to improved American wellness. I would love for her response to include a strategy in which she leads by example. Perhaps that’s asking too much of my governmental leaders but I’m still erring on the side of optimism.

Pass the Doritos.