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Last Updated:
Nov 14th, 2008 - 23:47:56 |
Suggestions for Reducing Your Child's Risk of Diabetes
By Christine Steendahl
Jul 31, 2008, 20:03
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The rate of childhood obesity is on the rise. Unhealthy habits have led to obese children having obesity-related health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and elevated blood pressure. These diseases were previously found only in adults.
Obesity is a threat to the health of children in many ways. Obesity impacts many systems of the body including:
*Cardiovascular system
*Pulmonary system
*Gastrointestinal system
*Orthopedic system
Over 12 million children in the United States are inflicted with childhood obesity. This is an alarming statistic and a scary one for parents. The prevalence of childhood obesity increased 100 percent in the last ten years.
The reasons for obesity are a societal as well as physical. There are two main issues that have created this phenomenon of obese children in our culture.
The first main forces on the weight of our children is the amount of fast food that is consumed on a regular basis. The fast food industry has transformed the American diet into a junk food melee that lacks good nutrients. Fast food consumption combined with a less active lifestyles of kids who play expensive video games rather than
playing outdoors leads to the high incident of childhood obesity.
These activities lead directly to the causes of obesity in children and to unhealthy parents. Kids need at least 90 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Parents need at least 30-45 minutes of exercise.
Kids need a nutritious diet for adequate growth and development. Unfortunately, fast food doesn' contain the nutrients that children need. Healthy eating is virtually a lost art for the typical family. Take out menus and fast food has become the easy and quick way to get the family fed. These lifestyle options lead to obesity, high blood pressure and a myriad of other health issues for not only adults but for our children.
A summary of the basic problems with the eating habits of a nation
are summed up by Eric Schlosser in his book "Fast Food Nation"
"A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the United States was spent to prepare meals at home. Today half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants -- mainly at fast food restaurants". A hamburger and french fries is the quintessential American meal ... thanks to the promotional efforts of the fast food chains. The typical American now consumes approximately three hamburgers and four orders of french fries every week."
These facts reveal the problem. Some steps to correct this problem are in the hands of adults. Some short-terminterim solutions are offered below:
*Focus the family's diet on nutritious foods.
*Encourage an increase in physical activity.
*Have a wide variety of nutritious snacks on hand for snacking.
*Make a nutritious meal plan for the family.
Parents can take more proactive steps to prevent childhood obesity by cooking and serving nutritious meals at home. Taking the family on a hike or a bike ride after supper is a great option for the whole family. Let children decide on some activities. Children can participate in their own health improvement by making physical activity an after school priority.
The goal is to follow healthy lifestyle suggestions as close as possible. Make baby steps until you can reach the goal of good eating habits for the whole family.
It is hard to change entrenched bad eating habits. The rules will always get broken some of the time - allow for setbacks. The things that keep us from doing all the right things is usually lack of time. No one has enough of it.
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For nutritious recipes for kids log onto http://www.kidapprovedmeals.com
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