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American Morning

Congress Weighing In on How to Get American Kids to Improve Their Eating Habits

Aired May 27, 2002 - 07:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back in this country, Congress weighing in on how to get American kids to improve their eating habits. With 60 percent of all Americans said to be overweight, hearings last week focused on how to reverse the trend toward obesity.

Dr. Andrew Weil, the co-author of the book, "The Healthy Kitchen," sat down and talked with Paula about the importance of getting kids to eat right.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): And we are joined now by Dr. Andrew Weil -- good to see you again -- welcome.

Hi. Good to see you.

ZAHN: Let's talk about what brings you to our show this morning, and that is the alarming increase in obesity rates. We are going to put some statistics up on the screen now that I hope captures a lot of attention here. Thirteen percent of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years in the United States are overweight. These figures have almost tripled in the past two decades. One of the causes: bad eating habits. What's happened to us?

DR. ANDREW WEIL, CO-AUTHOR, AND "THE HEALTHY KITCHEN": Well, I think we have become more and more dependent on fast food, on processed food, on highly-refined foods, foods made by the food industry, rather than food we prepare ourselves. And those kinds of foods are doing us in.

ZAHN: Congress has actually tried to take up this issue in some legislation that's being debated for obesity prevention and treatment in an attempt to improve the eating habits of this country. Do you see this as a realistic goal?

WEIL: Well, I think it's a help, but I think the only way that it's going to change is a grassroots movement of people, especially parents, who get it and understand that we can't allow vending machines for junk foods in our schools, that we can't have fast food restaurants be the food providers to our kids in school, that we have to give other options to people. I think really education and awareness is what's going to help us. It's not legislation, but I think legislation is part of what's -- part of the process.

ZAHN: I think we can say fairly accurately that most of us care about our children's health.

WEIL: Yes.

ZAHN: So why aren't we more enraged by this?

WEIL: You know, I think our lives have changed in ways that have made it very hard for many people to prepare wholesome food. You know, the statistics also are very depressing about the numbers of Americans that even sit down to one meal together anymore. You know, typically people say they don't have time to cook. It's very different from when I was growing up. I think the key is to provide good role models for kids.

I read that the average Italian man by the age of 18 has a basic repertory of cooking skills and can turn out a basic tomato sauce for example. That's quite different from what I see in our culture.

ZAHN: Can you introduce that guy to all the women in America right now?

WEIL: But I think he...

ZAHN: He would be a very popular man.

WEIL: But he got that way from growing up in a household where the parents cooked, you know, where people appreciated food, where they made food, so kids grow up being involved in the process. So I think that's really the key. I mean, if you have, if your own kitchen is a place where people enjoy the preparation and consuming of food, and kids from a young age are involved in that process -- kids love to cook. You know, they are fascinated by it. If you involve them, they begin to develop those skills, and they, I think, are then immune or somewhat immune to all of the commercial pressures on them to make these unhealthy food choices.

ZAHN: It's a great idea, but it's much easier on my kids when I just slam the chicken nuggets into the oven.

WEIL: Sure. Yes.

ZAHN: Let's talk about some of the reaction of kids to the so- called food police when you are talking about parents encouraging school districts not to sell, you know, fast food at the schools.

WEIL: Yes.

ZAHN: We have a quote from a young California kid, who says: "First, they take away our privacy. Now, they take away our food choice."

WEIL: Well, I guess one of my reactions to that is tough. You know, kids are kids, and they are not necessarily in charge of their own destiny. And I think we have a responsibility as parents to enforce, if necessary, better foods for people, when the costs of what's happening are so great to us.

You know, obesity is the surface of this. We are already starting to see an epidemic of adult onset diabetes in children...

ZAHN: Sure.

WEIL: ... diagnosed as young as seven. We are going to see an epidemic of a disease that most Americans have never heard of called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. This is fatty liver, terrible consequences. We are going to see this.

ZAHN: From what?

WEIL: From eating too much.

ZAHN: Just eating too many pop tarts or too...

WEIL: From eating too much. From eating too much of these bad fats that are in all of these processed foods, from eating too much of the highly-refined carbohydrates. I mean, these are poisoning our next generation of Americans, and the future public health costs of this to us as a society are going to be staggering. So it is in everybody's interest to change it.

ZAHN: Are you encouraged though that you are going to see any red flag...

WEIL: Yes.

ZAHN: I mean, you've got members of Congress now talking about obesity prevention.

WEIL: I think...

ZAHN: But we also know how difficult it is to change...

WEIL: Right.

ZAHN: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at home when in many cases two parents are working. There is not the food preparation hour and the food dining hour.

WEIL: Yes. And we have a huge industry out there saying it's not these products that are the problem. It's that kids are inactive. Yes, absolutely inactivity is contributing to this, and I think television and computers, videogames, all of that are part of it. But these foods are a major part of the problem, and when I hear the industry say that it's just -- it sounds just like the tobacco industry saying, you know, it's not our products. This is a matter of choice.

I am most encouraged. I think the grassroots movement that started in California of getting vending machines for junk food out of schools, that is very encouraging. It's that kind of public awareness and grassroots movement that's going to stimulate a change in behavior. ZAHN: You've got a new book out called, "The Healthy Kitchen," that you put together with Rosie Daley, who some might remember from...

WEIL: Oprah.

ZAHN: ... Oprah days.

WEIL: Right.

ZAHN: She did a lot of appearances there, and of course, was Oprah's personal chef.

WEIL: And this...

ZAHN: Can you actually make every dish out of this book?

WEIL: Absolutely. These were designed to be easy. These are really easy. There are soups in there that take 10 minutes to make. There are kid-friendly recipes like smoothies. You keep some frozen organic fruits in the freezer, throw them in a blender with some juice and some soy milk if you want. I mean, you can make very easy things, and you can involve kids in that process. I think it really can all start in the home.

ZAHN: Well, we have yet another title to add to your name, Dr. Andrew Weil, now cook extraordinaire -- thank you very much for dropping by.

WEIL: Good to talk to you.

ZAHN: Appreciate your alerting all of us to what we need to do better around our homes -- have a good holiday weekend.

WEIL: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Great advice there, especially on the holiday weekend.

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