America’s health, and especially its children’s well being, became a major issue this past campaign cycle.
Championed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the “Make America Healthy Again,” or “MAHA,” movement garnered and gathered together a diverse coalition of supporters.
One of the major PACs behind the effort stated:
America’s health crisis is undeniable, a troubling trend that statistically seems to be getting worse each year.
Just over 40% of adults in the United States qualify as being obese. In children between the ages of six and 11, it’s nearly 21%, and 22% for adolescents between 12 and 19.
Asked what the President-elect expects him to do in the new administration, Kennedy said, “End the conflicts of interest, return those [health] agencies to their rich tradition of gold standard, empirically based, evidence-based science, evidence-based medicine, and to end the chronic disease epidemic in this country.”
That’s a pretty tall order, but RFK, Jr. is promising to help tackle many of the issues that have frustrated mothers and fathers for years.
“Why do we have Froot Loops in this country that [contain] 18 or 19 ingredients, and you go to Canada and there are three?” he asked. “It’s no coincidence that Americans die earlier than Canadians or Germans or Japanese or Koreans or Australians or most any other comparable country.”
Many parents have asked why numerous ingredients banned in other countries are allowed in food in the United States. These include titanium dioxide, which some studies claim can lead to lung cancer; BHA and BHT, preservatives that have been linked to cancer and artificial food dyes that some link to ADHD, ADD and other problems with children’s behavior.
Food manufacturers include many of these ingredients in order to produces more attractive products, extend their shelf life and obviously improve their financial bottom line.
It’s the responsibility of every parent to feed their children, but over the years, it’s grown increasingly burdensome and expensive to investigate and maintain a firm handle on the many offerings available to us.
Scripture is clear the Lord expects us to take good care of our bodies, and that includes monitoring and being cautious about what we consume.
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” wrote the apostle Paul. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
At the same time, it’s clear from Scripture that God especially cares about our spiritual health, too.
John writes, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 1:2). Even “clean eating” doesn’t guarantee us extra years – but wise choices generally correlate to physical and spiritual well-being.
As Christians, we should be actively involved in the public sphere, advocating for policies that honor the Lord – and that serve our families, even the nitty-gritty ones involving what goes into our food and ultimately, into our bodies.
But whether Fruit Loops have three ingredients or 18, you might want to consider something else for breakfast.
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