Sunday, March 6, 2011

What We Lobbied About

When we got to Springfield we were given the issues about which the Illinois Dietetic Association wanted us to lobby. Although there are about 10 pages of nutrition related bills in the works these were the topics that stood out.

First, regarding HB 137, HB1239, and HB 1600. These are all about trying to eliminate trans fats in our foods. I could write a whole other post about the evils of trans fats. From my research they are truly terrible for our bodies. I was entirely on board with this and believe that they should be limited as much as possible.

Second was HB 1267. This was regarding IV nutrition for very sick patients. What we want is for our law makers to force the insurance companies to pay for this medical treatment. During my internship I saw first hand the medical damage and undue hardship that is caused when an insurance company does not have to cover this treatment. Once again I had very strong informed opinions.

On HB 1566 I was not so sure. This one was about giving school  lunch programs the option of allowing schools to provide flavored milk, like chocolate and strawberry, to kids. Part of me thinks this is a good idea because it gets milk into the bodies of growing kids. They need that milk to lay down strong healthy bones. However it also teaches them to drink only sweet things. I guess it's the better of two evils.

The last topic was a request for more funding for home delivered meals for seniors. In this day of budget cuts it may seem like this is a lot to ask of the cash strapped state. However, according to my notes from the meeting, if a senior doesn't get proper nutrition they are much more likely to end up in a nursing home. If they do it costs the state $200 per day instead of $8 per day. The home delivered meals could actually save the state money.

If you feel strongly about any of this please contact your representative.
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On a different note I've decided to start doing regular updates on Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings. Stay tuned and happy eating!

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