Give Slim Kids Higher Marks, Says French Diet Guru
(Reuters) - Pierre Dukan recommended France to deal with child obesity by granting more exam points for slimness. Dukan, a nutritionist, was the person behind the famous yet contentious Dukan diet.
He has successfully sold 8 million copies of his popular diet book internationally, generated the proposal in book with 250 pages titled "An Open Letter to the Future President," which he passed on to 16 presidential candidates in France on Tuesday.
The proposal suggested that students in high school must be called to undergo a supposed "ideal weight" program during their final annual assessments; the "baccalaureat" will let them gain more points once they maintain a body mass index anywhere between 18 and 25.
Those with excess weight upon enrollment will earn points twice if they can reduce within two years.
Dukan said that this would be an amazing motivator as he spoke to Reuters.
Kids in France are wishing to have to have the baccalaureat. Parents desire their children to earn it. So, Dukan has thought of helping students reach it through keeping a proper nutrition.
Being overweight is becoming a popular condition in France. Specialists claimed that poor nutrition and inactive lifestyles are among the major causes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 50.7% of the entire population in 2010 has excess weight, while 18.2% were regarded obese.
Dukan said that the number of people who are overweight in France has increased from 500,000 during the 1960s to 22 million today.
"When you reach those levels, it's no longer a health problem, it becomes a political problem, and the leaders of the nation need to worry about it," Dukan said.
Dukan's book, which will be distributed on Thursday, has extra 119 suggestions intended for the soon-to-be leader of the country. Suggestions emphasized methods on how to end obesity.
One of the proposed ideas is the building of a fast-food restaurant that serves nutritious versions of the ever-present fries and burgers.