Using Haines School for a privately funded “Easter” celebration wherein thousands of pieces of candy are distributed to children, is unhealthy, wasteful and inappropriate — but exemplifies our health crisis. 

Instead of maladaptive festivals of refinement and glucose-spiking junk, schools, churches and donors (and community organizations generally) might consider serving and offering heartfelt gratitude and whole, real, and traditional disease-fighting foods.

Human health is way more complex than food alone; reducing daily stressors, getting sufficient sleep and exercise, and healthy relationships are also key to productivity, thriving, creativity, and disease avoidance. 

We now know tons about how to lower risks for vascular disease, type-2 diabetes, kidney problems, cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression, and so forth. What’s the missing super sauce? Simply informed people taking collective care and action, which come free of charge.

A few sobering numbers illustrate the scale of America’s problem. Chronic disease is expected to cost the U.S. an insane $47 trillion over the next 15 years, probably more. Over half U.S. adults live with two or more chronic disease diagnoses. The frequency of type-2 diabetes has tripled the rate of vision-loss due to diabetic retinopathy since 1990, and this year alone about 155,000 U.S. amputations will be performed because of complications of type-2 diabetes. By 2050, the U.S. rate of overweight and obese (now about 40-percent) will hit 60 percent — which will likely include children currently enrolled at Haines School. 

Exactly what are we doing here and why?

Burl Sheldon