Child Obesity Prevention
According to a recent news report, 34% of people in the U.S. are overweight, with an additional 33% considered obese! This means that just a third of us are of 'normal' weight. These statistics include people of all ages, including kids. No wonder everyone seems to be on a perpetual diet, with dozens of best selling books on weight loss programs and entire corporations dedicated to weight loss products and programs. It's clear that parents, for the sake of their kid's health, need to formulate a child obesity prevention program, beginning in grade school.
Just a few decades ago, you hardly ever saw a child who looked overweight. In fact, kids were most often considered scrawny, until they were well into their teens and started filling out and gaining weight. Today, children who are scrawny are few and far between. Now, kids still in grade school are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes used to be a condition which didn't develop until at least middle age. Being overweight is a risk factor for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, along with a host of other health conditions, including heart disease.
It's not difficult to figure out why a child obesity prevention program is necessary. What has caused this epidemic of overweight and obese kids? A brief look back in recent history and American eating patterns provides some clear answers.
During the Great Depression, people had a hard time putting sufficient food on the table. As a result, there were very few overweight people. Kids were thin, as a rule and remained so into their adult years. The next generation of kids, while growing taller and generally being better nourished, still did not develop weight problems at an early age. What we now call 'whole' foods, that is, unprocessed foods which did not contain excessive amounts of salt and sugar, hormones, antibiotics and food additives, were the healthy foods served every day.
The term 'couch potato' had not yet been coined and people would have thought you were crazy had you mentioned the need for child obesity prevention. These problems simply did not exist. Kids got daily exercise both in school through P.E. Classes and school yard recess, and begged parents to go ride their bikes or go to the playground. Fast food, processed foods and junk food did not constitute the majority of kid's diets, as is the case today. Soda, candy and chips were considered occasional treats.
Perhaps the most effective child obesity prevention program is to make a return to the general eating and exercise habits of the post World War II era. Sure, you'll have a hard time prying the kids away from several hours of web surfing and television watching and instead insist that they get out to ride bikes, play a game of basketball, soccer, volleyball or baseball for just an hour each day " anything that keeps them active and moving.
No kid wants to be overweight or obese. While you may initially have to force them to comply with your child obesity prevention program, once they break their old habits, they'll feel and see the positive effects. They may even come to enjoy their new habits. One thing is for certain. For the sake of our kid's health, both now and through adulthood, we must address this epidemic of overweight and obese kids now.
Just a few decades ago, you hardly ever saw a child who looked overweight. In fact, kids were most often considered scrawny, until they were well into their teens and started filling out and gaining weight. Today, children who are scrawny are few and far between. Now, kids still in grade school are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes used to be a condition which didn't develop until at least middle age. Being overweight is a risk factor for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, along with a host of other health conditions, including heart disease.
It's not difficult to figure out why a child obesity prevention program is necessary. What has caused this epidemic of overweight and obese kids? A brief look back in recent history and American eating patterns provides some clear answers.
During the Great Depression, people had a hard time putting sufficient food on the table. As a result, there were very few overweight people. Kids were thin, as a rule and remained so into their adult years. The next generation of kids, while growing taller and generally being better nourished, still did not develop weight problems at an early age. What we now call 'whole' foods, that is, unprocessed foods which did not contain excessive amounts of salt and sugar, hormones, antibiotics and food additives, were the healthy foods served every day.
The term 'couch potato' had not yet been coined and people would have thought you were crazy had you mentioned the need for child obesity prevention. These problems simply did not exist. Kids got daily exercise both in school through P.E. Classes and school yard recess, and begged parents to go ride their bikes or go to the playground. Fast food, processed foods and junk food did not constitute the majority of kid's diets, as is the case today. Soda, candy and chips were considered occasional treats.
Perhaps the most effective child obesity prevention program is to make a return to the general eating and exercise habits of the post World War II era. Sure, you'll have a hard time prying the kids away from several hours of web surfing and television watching and instead insist that they get out to ride bikes, play a game of basketball, soccer, volleyball or baseball for just an hour each day " anything that keeps them active and moving.
No kid wants to be overweight or obese. While you may initially have to force them to comply with your child obesity prevention program, once they break their old habits, they'll feel and see the positive effects. They may even come to enjoy their new habits. One thing is for certain. For the sake of our kid's health, both now and through adulthood, we must address this epidemic of overweight and obese kids now.
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