We are in the midst of a unit on food and food systems ecology in my  high school biology class, so I couldn’t think of a better time for the HBO series Weight of the Nation to air.  Even better is the fact that HBO is generously sharing this show with everyone, even if you aren’t a subscriber.

I found this portion of the show especially compelling – it focuses on our  nation’s children and the obesity crisis we are currently in.  Things definitely  need to change around here.  Maybe one day, we will look at highly processed foods the way that we now see cigarettes – an out-of-fashion concept that was once popular but is now considered a very dangerous idea.

Upon watching this segment of the movie, one student offered this thoughtful response.

“Being fat can hold you back.”

This quote stood out to me because it showed me that a lot of young adults who are obese tend to be a lot less confident about themselves and the talents they posses.  It is almost as if it’s impossible to achieve their goals and do what they want to, but physically can’t. KW