On the recordFebruary 23, 2010
I thank Madam Castor for her good leadership. It is our job as adults to help children make the right decisions about everything, particularly about eating healthy and nutritious foods, because what they eat has a powerful impact on how they learn, how they grow, and how they thrive. Children who have nutritious meals at home and in schools are more likely to get the most out of their education and to stay on a path toward a healthy lifestyle. We here in this Congress, we as adults, we as parents and grandparents have a responsibility to support good nutrition for all children, for teenagers, for adults, which is why I am proud to rise today as a cosponsor of H. Res. 274, which expresses strong support for designating March as National Nutrition Month. Today, 23 million children and adolescents are obese or overweight. Obesity rates for children between 6 and 11 years old have more than quadrupled over the last 40 years. Throughout their lives, these children are at a much greater risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and social and psychological problems. Enabling children to make healthy choices is a smart down payment on supporting healthy future generations.
