Childhood Obesity Reaches New Heights

You might think that taking your kids to McDonald's to save time or to reward them for acing a test is good parenting but its not true. Lets face it, America as a whole is the fattest nation on earth. Adults are overweight and obese at their own will and risk, but children eat what the parents feed them, they are not overweight by their own choice or risk. Parents should stop complaining and be more proactive in making changes in their kids day to day lives. Changing the way your family eats now will ultimately make your children make healthier food decisions as adults.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey childhood obesity has increased from 6.5% to 18.8% For Children ages 6-11 years of age. That is a staggering 12.3% increase in less than two and a half decades. If Childhood obesity is increasing at this rate, I fear the numbers we will see 10 years from now. The nation is showing no sign of improvement as a whole. Although the public school system is making it a point to make school lunches and breakfast healthier. This will work ... to some extent. The only people who have full control over a child's diet and exercise habits are, you guessed it , The Parents!

Packing your child a healthy balanced lunch is crucial. Include them in the preparation process to make it fun and influence them to make better choices on their own. Lets say you want to pack them a sandwich a piece of fruit and a milk box. Instead of white bread or hero bread , Use whole grain bread. For the meat portion instead of Bologna use chicken. Add Romaine lettuce , Tomato , low fat mayo. You have got your sandwich done. You may pack any fruit of their choice. As for the milk pack a Low fat Vanilla Soy Milk , Delicious and Nutritious. They will not feel deprived and probably wont miss the Lunchables or unhealthy meals that were given as their lunch before.

As for Fitness , take your kids to the park to play, or enroll them in a team sport or after school activity. There is no way that your child is going to become healthy sitting in a computer chair all day playing video games, with the only physical activity being the walk to the bathroom or to the kitchen to get some snacks( while the game is paused). If you think it is impossible to make them cut down on the video games, surprise them with a Wii fit. It will get them moving while still maintaining the competitive nature of the Other Video games.