Presidential history was made on February 9, 2010 by First Lady Michelle Obama, who launched her signature Let’s Move initiative that day.

  The program was designed to unite the country around changing the obesity epidemic, especially in children. The result was a mix of healthy eating programs, from Chefs Move to Schools to MyPlate, athletic sponsorships, like New York Junior Tennis and Learning, and partnerships with stores, including Walmart.

  Throughout the country, sweeping changes were put into place, most visibly for us at Susquehannock in the cafeteria. Rules now make sure that students have access to fresh and healthy foods every school day. These changes have been taking effect gradually. What most people see, however, is that cafeteria workers can’t put dressing on wraps, and buns are now made of whole grains.

  But is this such a bad solution?

  In America today, almost one in three children is obese or overweight. Extra weight during childhood leads in many cases to heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, and cancer. Let’s Move is trying to get schools to help with these issues. With more access to processed and fast foods, students get less healthy, beneficial meals. The only good food options available to many students are here at school.
It is the job of schools not just to educate, but to keep children safe. This includes helping kids to stay healthy. A few people in just this school district can get their only meal a day at school, so that meal needs to be healthy and balanced.

  Childhood obesity is usually not caused by an overabundance of food. Rather, the epidemic of obesity is the result of only being able to access unhealthy processed foods.

  This problem extends far beyond the walls of the high school, though. About 2.3 million Americans live in food deserts, areas without access to affordable, healthy food options within a convenient distance. Food deserts can be rural or urban and can be detrimental to the health of children. The closest one to us is in York.

  In food deserts, families usually can only afford fast food and can’t make the trip to a grocery store, making bodegas and fast food the only options. Unhealthy foods make children obese, and families simply can’t afford to change that.

  With food stamp funds being cut again, families are trapped in their tiny budgets, hurting their meals even more. It’s impossible to just stop being poor.

  This sad situation means that Let’s Move is the only thing helping millions of children and their families.

  Some people believe that Michelle Obama doesn’t have the authority to put these measures in place. However, there is a strong precedent of First Ladies taking up causes. Arguably the most famous campaign is Nancy Reagan’s Just Say No. The program helped student drug and alcohol addiction drop to one-fourth from one-third in the 1980s.

  In Washington, First Ladies are expected to adopt causes, and Michelle Obama’s is an important one. She is possibly the only person who can make change happen and reverse the problems that obesity, lack of exercise, and food deserts bring.

  Let’s Move is a step in the right direction among ineffective legislature. We might have to put our own dressing on our wraps here at lunch, sure, but this campaign is making a difference for children around the country. Changes to the way we eat and exercise are visibly making a difference. If childhood obesity in America can be conquered by Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, we should be able to deal with the changes to our cafeteria.