A Healthier Diet For A Stronger New York

by Assemblyman Rory I. Lancman

New York State, like the rest of the nation, is facing a nutrition crisis. At a time when obesity rates have become an issue of national and statewide concern, shrinking family budgets make a nutritious diet that much more difficult for many New Yorkers.

Last year, as a result of an increase in demand for emergency food, 69% of emergency food agencies reported not having enough food to meet demand, according to the New York City Coalition Against Hunger’s Annual Hunger Survey. Even before the troubles on Wall Street, many households were having trouble putting food on the table. In 2007, an average of 1.3 million New York City residents, including more than 400,000 children, lived in households facing food insecurity.

In light of the long-term effects of poor nutrition these figures are particularly troubling. Diet is especially important to children and adolescents whose bodies and minds are still growing. Study after study has demonstrated that diet makes an important difference when it comes to academic performance and mental and physical development.

Unsurprisingly, diet has large impact on personal health. As individuals and families try to stretch each dollar further they might turn towards less expensive and less healthy alternatives. For instance, soda might take the place of milk and white bread might replace whole wheat, creating a diet that is less nutritious and more likely to result in obesity.

Childhood obesity is especially serious since people who are overweight in childhood and adolescence are more likely to be overweight as adults and suffer from more severe weight problems than their peers. Childhood obesity causes serious health problems including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. These conditions put overweight children at greater risks for having heart attacks, suffering strokes, and losing limbs.

In addition to ruining the health of the affected individuals, obesity also has serious economic consequences. New York is second only to California in the amount it spends on obesity related illnesses. Obesity costs New York taxpayers $6.1 billion each year or nearly one thousand dollars a year for every household in New York State. This is only a fraction of the full monetary cost of obesity. The Center for Disease Control estimates that obesity related illnesses cost private insurance companies and the federal Medicare program billions more, a burden that ultimately falls on consumers and taxpayers. Encouraging healthy diets is in the long term interests of New York State since it will ultimately improves the public's health and reduces the burden of taxes and insurance on individuals and businesses.

Fortunately, New York State is already leading the way in improving nutrition. One simple change is to modify existing food programs. For instance, in January New York became the first state in the nation to create a WIC food package that offers a more balanced set of foods aimed at reducing fat and sweetened beverages and increasing fruits and vegetables and fiber.

On top of these existing initiatives, New York State can promote healthy eating through education. Making consumers better informed about the foods they buy is an inexpensive and highly effective way of improving diets. New York City's mandated calorie counts for chain restaurants has already yielded impressive results. One survey of consumers found that 86 percent of New York City diners were surprised by the calorie counts listed on menus or menu boards, with 90 percent of them reporting that the calorie count was higher than expected. The same survey reported that 82 percent said that calorie disclosure affects what they order and 60 percent said it affects the establishments they visit.

The federal government already requires that food sold in stores list the amount of transfats on the package. While this allows shoppers to make intelligent choices when buying for themselves, those eating away from home do not necessarily enjoy such a protection. The state government should follow New York City's lead and institute a ban on transfats in all restaurants.

This three-pronged approach of improving existing food programs, providing consumers with more nutritional information and taking preventative public health measures to protect the public will help New Yorkers eat better and fight obesity.