It is true that having a place in the top quarter of a ranking is a point of pride for many people. However, for the state of Missouri, our ranking is something to be ashamed of and worried about. Missouri is the 12th fattest state in the country.
Many people insult or point fingers at those who-they believe-are responsible for the obesity epidemic in the United States, but if you wish to see the guilty, simply look in the mirror. No one can be more responsible for you than you. The country sees this as an epidemic fueled by the fast food industry; we see the situation as a more individual lack of personal responsibility.
On campus, we have a variety of reasons not to have the obesity problems currently plaguing the nation at large. We have healthy food options, distances to walk in a single day that make the average American adult sweat at the thought, and we are, of course, a university where, presumably, people are educated enough to know what is healthy and what is decidedly unhealthy.
Some argue that placement of healthy grocery stores in areas that have well-heeled customers is forcing those with lower incomes to buy their groceries at gas stations, or forego groceries altogether to simply feast upon the cholesterol-laden fast food that is literally clogging the nation’s arteries. Though some would argue that the placement of grocery stores, specifically organic food vendors such as Whole Foods Market and the trendy Trader Joe’s, is a biased affair that simply sets up lower income people to become obese, there is more than just one cause for this problem.
America is such a large country that distances boggle the mind. In the Midwest, especially, the typical trip from home to the grocery could involve more driving than many Europeans do in an entire week. We do not walk nearly enough. Certainly college students get their fill of walking across large campuses and between distant buildings, but the average American spends their transport time in the relative comfort of their cars, while munching a lunch purchased at the fast-food restaurant with the shortest “drive-thru” line.
For our part, as college students, and as responsible adults, it is time to reinvigorate the idea of being healthy, active people. SLU offers healthy food alternatives such as TerraVe, which shouldn’t be an alternative at all-most food available on campus should have some healthy benefit. As a community, we have access to a wonderful renovated Simon Recreation Center, replete with stationary bikes, stair climbers and even a juice bar for healthy refreshment.
The greater community of St. Louis offers an even greater variety of ways to get fit without really trying, including walking around Forest Park, taking the MetroLink and then walking to your final destination.
There are so many ways to keep Missouri from rising in the ranks of obesity, and the most important way is by holding onto a sense of personal responsibility.
