I was lucky enough to visit the US again last month, I really love the States and I am always inspired by this amazing country. One thing I’m not so inspired about, are some bad American habits! Take for example the drive through craze. I visited the beautiful city of Oklahoma, but was stunned to see so many drive-through facilities like drive through pharmacies/drug-stores and drive through banks. Seriously – a drive through pharmacy! You don’t even have to get out of your car to pick up your medicine, that’s insane. Are we really incapable of walking a few metres or are we just lazy? What’s your opinion? I’m sure you would agree that being stuck in a house and going nowhere, is such a bore. So why leave the house, only to stay in a car??? Whatever happened to getting out and walking to the pharmacy, or at the very least, getting out of your car to walk in to a pharmacy, or a bank or any shop for that matter? The term, getting out, means exactly that – “getting out”.

I wonder if Americans are simply victims of their own technology. We’ve developed so many ways to make our life easier, to which we are in fact making our lives worse off. Obesity is a serious health issue in the US and Australia is following very closely in our neighbours footsteps. I truly hope these are habits we don’t take up down under. I want to see my children grow up with a good future, not a lazy one. Australia and America are very close culturally so I want the dieters of down under to lend a hand to our American pals – if we can change some of America’s bad habits we can make Australia a healthier place too. Please join me in supporting a healthy future. Let’s draw the line between convenience and being healthy. Do you agree with me, do you agree that drive through everything is going too far? I’d love to hear your thoughts!!

A quick question; have you seen Jamie Oliver’s television show about trying to change America’s eating habits, starting in Huntington West Virginia?

On Friday the 16th of July 2010, Jamie’s show (Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution) premiered in Australia and I must say, it really touched my heart in many ways. His cause is absolutely amazing. Huntington is classed as the biggest town in the highest obese nation in the world, The United States of America. Jamie visited one of the local schools to see what meals are served to the children. One of the most unbelievable things seen, was that all of the food that the children eat, is processed food such as pizza, chicken nuggets and preserved condiments just to name a few. Some natural foods such as apples were served, but the children don’t eat them and they are thrown in the bin. Sorry, I forgot to mention, the pizza that the children eat, is for breakfast. Can you believe that???

Jamie’s point is that we shouldn’t be feeding our children, processed foods. We should be feeding our children lots of natural nutrients such as vegetables and fruits and healthy cooked meals. When he asked some of the children what the name of the red item was that he held in his hand, one child said that it was a potato. The child didn’t even know that Jamie was holding up a tomato. I truly believe in Jamie Oliver’s cause. It is exactly what I am about and what my mission is. To teach people the right foods to eat, to get in some form of exercise and have fun doing it. If parents are willing to make the required changes and start to make a difference, it will rub off on our children too. I want to be the voice of an obese child, an obese teenager and an obese adult because I was once in their shoes. I know exactly what it is like to be obese and it is definitely not a good thing. Let’s make a change in our lives, not only for ourselves, but for the future of our countries and the future of our countries, are our children.

I commend Jamie and I would give anything to have at least one opportunity one day, to stand beside him united in the same cause. Jamie could be the voice and I could be the example!!!  

This video provides a basic run down of who Karen Gatt is and what she does. It also provides valuable information related to statistics of obesity in the U.S.A.