Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HJR0149 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
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4	4	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 149
5	5	By Lynn
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8	8	HJR0149
9	9	003366
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12	12	A RESOLUTION relative to the metabolic health of Tennesseans.
13	13
14	14	WHEREAS, to Make Tennessee Healthy Again is an admirable goal; and
15	15	WHEREAS, the federal government reports that the metabolic health of our citizens is a
16	16	growing concern: 65 percent are overweight or obese, 43.5 percent report feeling anxious, and
17	17	937,000 adults in Tennessee have a mental health condition according to the National Alliance
18	18	on Mental Illness; and
19	19	WHEREAS, metabolic syndrome is a clustering of at least three of the following five
20	20	medical conditions: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum
21	21	triglycerides, and low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL); and
22	22	WHEREAS, in Tennessee, 761,000 individuals are currently diagnosed with Type 2
23	23	diabetes, with 51,000 new cases diagnosed annually; and
24	24	WHEREAS, ample research exists to help Tennesseans understand how to improve
25	25	physical, emotional, and mental health for a more healthful, peaceful, and contented life; and
26	26	WHEREAS, there is a growing awareness of the benefits of eating minimally processed
27	27	foods, getting regular exercise, getting enough sleep, enjoying outdoor activities, and spending
28	28	social time with friends and family to produce contentment, better health, and improved well-
29	29	being; and
30	30	WHEREAS, there exists in today's modern American diet an unholy trinity of ultra-
31	31	processed foods and food ingredients that produce cheap, prepared foods high in calorie
32	32	content, chemical additives, and sugars; and
33	33	WHEREAS, the federal government has warned for years that a steady diet of such
34	34	processed foods contributes to metabolic syndrome, and as recently hypothesized and
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39	39	demonstrated by Christopher M. Palmer, M.D., in his book Brain Energy, a poor diet may
40	40	contribute to deterioration of the metabolic condition of the brain, all causing long-term damage
41	41	to health and well-being; and
42	42	WHEREAS, this unholy trinity is the simple carbohydrate processed grains, refined
43	43	sugars, and industrial vegetable and seed oils that dominate the ingredients in prepared foods
44	44	and play a role in their preparation; and
45	45	WHEREAS, the first of this unholy trinity is simple carbohydrate grains, which are
46	46	industrially processed grains such as wheat and rice that are stripped of the healthful bran, often
47	47	bleached, and sometimes refined into flour to make breads, pastas, cereals, chips, pretzels,
48	48	crackers, waffles, pancakes, rolls, and pizzas that make up much of our caloric intake; and
49	49	WHEREAS, the human body quickly converts simple carbohydrates to sugar, causing a
50	50	person's body to work hard to process and maintain blood glucose levels; and
51	51	WHEREAS, highly processed grains are cheap and, therefore, consumed in abundance,
52	52	and contribute to metabolic syndrome, weight gain, inflammatory diseases, inflammatory bowel
53	53	disease, and connective tissue disease; and
54	54	WHEREAS, the second in the unholy trinity is sugar, including white sugar, high fructose
55	55	corn syrup, and "sugar free" sweeteners, which are found in abundance in processed prepared
56	56	foods, food additives, and drinks, producing an endless variety of simple carbohydrate foods
57	57	highly attractive to children and adults; and
58	58	WHEREAS, such sugars contribute to weight gain, acne, and Type 2 diabetes, and can
59	59	increase a person's risk of several serious medical conditions such as metabolic syndrome;
60	60	examples of these foods are candy, cakes, cookies, ice cream, fruit juices, sweetened coffee,
61	61	coffee creamers, and soda pop; and
62	62	WHEREAS, the third member of the unholy trinity is industrial seed oils and vegetable
63	63	oils such as corn, safflower, soybean, cotton seed, vegetable, and canola oils, which are
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68	68	ubiquitous on today's supermarket shelves and in today's processed and fast food, making up
69	69	20 percent of the American diet according to the United Nations; and
70	70	WHEREAS, industrial seed oils are produced by a complicated manufacturing process
71	71	to concentrate the oil; the process to produce these oils involves hydrogenation, bromine, and a
72	72	chemical called hexane; and
73	73	WHEREAS, studies show industrial seed oils with their high linoleic acid content have
74	74	increased the level of linoleic acid in our fat cells, and they easily turn rancid, causing an
75	75	oxidation chain reaction and free radical damage in the body along with inflammation in the
76	76	arteries and organs, insulin resistance, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and damage to the gut
77	77	microbiome; and
78	78	WHEREAS, the overabundance of these high omega-6 fatty acids creates an imbalance
79	79	due to the lesser quantity of omega-3 fatty acids we consume and are associated with the great
80	80	increase of cardiovascular disease, which started in the twentieth century about the time of their
81	81	advent as a food ingredient; and
82	82	WHEREAS, the great abundance of these simple carbohydrate grains, sugars, and
83	83	vegetable seed oils have produced cheap, shelf-stable, prepared processed foods, but at what
84	84	cost to the health of Tennesseans; and
85	85	WHEREAS, the sad reality is that, despite the fact that we enjoy one of the highest
86	86	standards of living in the world and that most people are not starving, we have observed a
87	87	continual decline in metabolic health and mental health that has stressed our bodies and slowly
88	88	kills us over decades; and
89	89	WHEREAS, to Make Tennessee Healthy Again is an admirable goal; now, therefore,
90	90	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF TH E ONE HUNDRED
91	91	FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
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96	96	CONCURRING, that the voice of Tennesseans who understand the importance of sharing this
97	97	information with their brethren is heard through this resolution.