How the government could help stop the overweight problem in this country

Hi, I think it depends of the discipline/responsibility of the parents to raise their children to be healthy. We can't put all the blame to the government all the time, and they can't just stop those companies who manufacture those kind of food when it contributes to the income of the country. Healthy lifestyle is a choice so it's up to the people. Just my point of view.

I have seen this often myself people using food stamps to buy junk food. I am on food stamps myself and it is hard for me try to stay on budget. I am lucky if I can afford to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. I do not mind if food stamps allow us buy meats. I am trying so hard to buy better food and staying healthy, but it is hard because food prices keep on going up, but the food stamp amount is not.

HI Bobmnu, I think the key is to not give them so many foodstamps that they can even afford to blow them on things like that. There are people that are legitimatly on food stamps that for the most part do budget them and buy healthy foods and occasionally will throw in a snack or two. I am actually ok with that. If they can afford to buy all that junk then they are probably lying about their circumstances in order to get them to begin with. I think a little more screening would help lower the amount of money we give to these people. I work in a store and I see it all the time and it just burns me. Some of these young people don't have kids and are living at home...why in the world are they getting food stamps? Not too long ago I had 3 of my girls still at home. I was a single mom and I worked and I didn't qualify at all for them. Now I have one living at home with me. Last year they called me up and told me I qualify for assistane. I would have qualified for 14.00 worth of them

In the WIC program, all juices etc have to be 100 percent and healthy. I think if they were to do this in the food stamp program it would help. Now I work for a grocery store and we do see some food stamps but not very many. Those we do, it seems they do pick out the junk because well partially the junk is less expensive then the healthy stuff. They don't have to pay food tax if they use a food stamp card but I say maybe another deduction should be made for them. I say if they were to buy $100.00 worth at one time, there should be an extra $2.00 off for them via the food stamp program. It's not much, so it won't effect much but it might encourage healthier eating habits. Now those who do not use food stamps, they seem to buy the healthier choices. Honest Kids is an alternative to Capri Sun that my store carries. We carry many organic foods catered to the kids, as young as infancy.

I don't think that there are many things that the government can do to stop people from being obese anymore. The only thing that should work is educating people about the types of foods that they should be eating but, unfortunately, this does not seem to be helping because there is now enough education out there to stop people from overeating but people just don't pay any attention to this education and choose to continue eating the wrong foods anyway. Of course this is entirely up to them if this is what they want to do, but I wish people knew just how much strain they were putting on their own bodies!

First, I think that food stamps are a state benefit not a federal benefit, so the President does not have control over the matter. Second, I believe that there are some limitations put on food stamps (at least in some states), but there are still a lot of "unhealthy" things that can be purchased with them. I guess that if someone is getting benefits from the state, then the state has a right to limit what he or she can buy with the money. However, I do not think that the government should have that much control on our lives. Of course I think that people should try to eat healthier, but I do not think that having a few chips or candy once in a while is going to harm anyone, either - the key is moderation. I know that the example you gave is not moderation, but I do not think that everyone should be punished just because some people make unhealthy choices. In addition, sometimes the only way to feed an entire family on a limited budget is to eat "unhealthy", because the fruits, vegetables and better meats are too expensive.

I think that fresh fruits and vegetables should be subsidized, not all the junk. I too have seen a cart full of junk only to be paid for with food stamps.

I think there'd be absolute mutiny if something like this were to be brought in, that said, I agree with it. Obesity is becoming a huge problem in a lot of developed countries and radical changes need to be made. The worst of it is that parents are not only obese themselves, but are inflicting this onto their children as well. If you want to eat crap, then fair enough, but don't slowly kill your children with it as well...