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Subsidizing Healthfood

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Mark Overt Skilbred
Message Mark Overt Skilbred

SUBSIDIZING HEALTHFOOD

I have decided to give myself a present of one "free meal" per month, so I have chosen to go to the men's breakfast at our church, which happens today. I eat as much as I feel like, whatever is on the menu, and I don't ask or keep track of carbs, calories, fat, sodium, etc. Just like Lisa Young, R.D. says about salads, that all salads are "free", so I am declaring that one Saturday per month I have a "free breakfast".

 By the way, in the same way that the government has been subsidizing the staples in our diet, basically helping to keep food costs in-check by underwriting the production costs of farming, (or not farming), certain products such as eggs, milk, cheese, dairy products of all types, certain grains, meats, etc., I propose that salads should be free. I believe that if we reverse the trend of underwriting meat, eggs, dairy and grains and instead underwrite the production of certified organic produce, that we could transform this nation from obesity to a healthy lifestyle in record time, saving our overburdened healthcare system in the process.

I know that this is literally "a mouthful" but I am convinced that reversing course politically, and underwriting organic farmers would encourage people to eat the literally "free salads" that would be made available through this program, thereby reversing the trend toward obesity and literally solving our obesity and other healthcare problems in the process. Why should we continue subsidizing improper nutrition which clearly has led the nation into obesity by keeping high-calorie foods cheap, when underwriting healthy produce would have transformative health benefits with immediate results for our entire society?

 Let's do our part by letting Congress and the Administration know where we stand on this issue. We know that we already have lots of support for fresh, sustainable, homegrown produce in our champion, Michelle Obama, with her White House garden, and with her commendable focus on eliminating childhood obesity among our nation's schoolchildren. Now if we can enlist her husband to throw his support behind a farm-bill legislative package which could do all of these things and more, we will be well-on-our-way to solving our short and long-term nutritional and health challenges.

 For those skeptics who are ever-present in our diverse society, if you do not believe what healthy lifestyle experts are saying about eating as much healthy and organic produce as possible due to its age-prolonging potential and life-extending possibilities, then just do it for YOURSELF and see if YOU do not feel much better! Try it for a month or two and feel the increase in energy and endurance. Then JOIN with us in supporting organic farming by supporting your local farmers market, produce stand, and organic farmers and by buying certified organic produce from your local market. Then HELP us to convince Congress to reverse its present agriculture-support policy to accommodate healthy lifestyles for all of us. Our nation's health and future depends on it!

Similarly, in addition to attending our men's breakfast this morning, we went to Souplantation this afternoon to celebrate our daughter's birthday. This is a family birthday tradition in our family, and so in addition to the "just-feel-like-it" reasons to go to Souplantation, we also have nine more birthday reasons to go to Souplantation, (in some locations called "Sweet Tomatoes"). For those of you who are not familiar yet, Souplantation is America's healthiest restaurant chain, serving the world's freshest and most delicious salads, soups, fruits, breads, etc., and all for an affordable and reasonable price. For this reason and many others, we should include restaurants in the subsidy program. Trust me when I say that there are billions of dollars already being spent by U.S. taxpayers on food subsidies. Redirecting some of these billions without raising additional revenue should be front-and-center on the agenda of our new Health Czar. Through redirecting these dollars into subsidizing organic produce and restaurants that specialize in serving healthy produce to the general population, we can encourage entrepreneurs, both small and large to produce healthier foods and encourage restaurants to serve healthier cuisines.

 Investment follows subsidies, so that companies and individuals who put forth capital and effort in these emerging healthy-produce and cuisine market-areas will reap profitable rewards. Those who are concerned about improving the nation's health, such as HMO's like Kaiser Permanente, whose goal is to lower individual, corporate and ultimately national healthcare costs by increasing patient awareness, healthy habits, and dietary and exercise programs, as well as wholesale and retail food suppliers, would do well to begin now to contact our new Health Czar and his office, besides your individual congressmen, to support legislation which puts this new agenda into effect.

 There are few, if any losers in this process, and there are unlimited winners in this program. We profit as individuals and as a nation when our national health improves. Everyone profits either in individual health or in financial gain when we support the production, distribution land consumption of healthy food. Let's throw our individual and corporate efforts behind a program which is a win-win for all of us!

 

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I am a writer/blogger who is interested in diplomatic solutions more than all other options, but who recognizes that proper governance must enforce the rule-of-law, especially when its neglect will result in civil war and anarchy. That being said, (more...)
 
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