Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children
Childhood Obesity: Discussion (Resumed)
10:20 am
Mr. Jorge Arroita:
We were talking about education in the early years. I have two children aged seven and five. My children cook for me on most days. I showed them how. Playing with food is a game as well. One of the things one can do is spend 15 or 20 minutes in the school once a week to show children how to make dinner. When they come home they can cook for the parents. Trust me, it is not hard to do.
Second, sugar-free schools not a solution, but will help. This has been proven in Sweden, Hungary and Russia which have been doing these types of things. It has dramatically reduced obesity in children, the visits to the school nurse were reduced, disciplinary problems were reduced, there was improvement in test scores and lower absenteeism rates. Another thing is eating sandwiches and pizzas all the time. That is all carbohydrates. The more carbohydrates one eats, the more fat one gets. There is no fat in Coca Cola - it is sugar. What will happen if one drinks plenty of Coca Cola? One will obviously get fat. That is a problem for the American people.
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