SCHOOL HEALTH

Let’s answer last week’s Shakespearian question of whether “to eat or not to eat the proverbial cupcake?”  The answer is fairly simple; what is good for the goose is not always good for the gander. 

In reality, it actually depends on the individual and that individual’s current health status.  There are general principles along with individual exceptions.  Generally speaking there are no “bad foods."  Specifically speaking what can be okay for one person, does not automatically make it okay for another person. 

To cite a personal example; I have been a migraine headache sufferer since the age of 12 or 13.  At one point these were severe and could be fairly frequent.  Growing up, I enjoyed eating pork which included bacon, sausage, pepperoni on my pizza, hot dogs, ribs, etc.  This changed for me when I found out that pork was a major and at times an automatic trigger for my migraine headaches. 

I was faced with a choice.  Should I eat a food that I know is going have personal consequences for me?  As in many areas of life, nutrition is about affordability.  People should consistently ask themselves, “Healthwise, what can I truly afford to eat, both in the short term and the long term?”  This will be our topic in our next IN FOCUS which will also lead us back to my original point: the cupcake. 

Ken Brooks Williamson County Schools Health and Wellness Specialist