Eating guidelines should change at federal level

As a health and fitness professional and educator, I question the guidelines of the Iowa food assistance program. I have seen too many people using their food assistance card to purchase soda, chips and candy. Iowa is beginning to work toward healthier food choices in our schools, but what good is that when we are not educating families to make better choices at home?

I contacted the Iowa Department of Human Services to ask what the guidelines are. Their answer was, “Each state manages the program using strict federal guidelines. Iowa does not have the ability to force food assistance recipients to purchase only healthy foods. We must follow the federal guidelines.”

Federal guidelines must be changed to regulate the type of food purchased. Michelle Obama is working toward reducing childhood obesity. Perhaps she and President Obama should look at these “strict federal guidelines.”

According to the Trust for America's Health, 26.7 percent of Iowa adults and 26.5 percent of Iowa children are obese, and more are overweight. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that the medical costs of obesity reached $147 billion in 2008. Food assistance programs should be used to educate families on healthy lifestyles.

Until we begin to address the issue behind obesity, we will be a nation where we will be the first generation of parents to outlive our children ... and our government will encourage it.

Kristy Cameron

Cedar Rapids