Childhood Obesity Clogged Artires!

Childhood obesity is quickly becoming an epidemic. Thirty years ago, only about 12% of children on continental North America would be considered obese, while in the next 20 years, we can expect to see the childhood obesity rate grow to over 70%.  This means that our children’s life spans will be even less than ours.  Obviously, this statistic is alarming to say the least.  What are the causes of child obesity?

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As a society, we have worked hard to make life more convenient for our busy lifestyles.  Unfortunately, some major side effects of this convenient lifestyle are lack of movement (exercise) and high calorie fat laden convenience foods.  Often, eating on the run means going through a drive through restaurant where the menu choices contain foods that have enough calories and fat in a single serving for a week’s worth of consumption.

Thirty years ago video games were not a huge fad, there were video arcades, but now many homes have a video game console with games that are highly addictive to children.  Many children want to spend countless hours playing these games and this means long periods of inactivity.  Inactivity is one of the leading causes of child obesity.

In addition, shopping at the grocery store these days presents its own special set of problems. Many snack foods are high in calories, sugar and fat.  They are basically empty calories that add thousands of calories to the already poor diets of many children.  Basically, when you shop, if you reach for those foods that are convenient, you are setting your children up for failure.  If you were to avoid buying these types of foods, they would not be available in the home for your children to reach for when they are hungry.

These kinds of empty calorie foods do not provide any nutritional value and are basically a big waste of money.  Yes, they are convenient to feed your children in a pinch, but your children are not getting any food value from these items and these convenience foods are another of the leading causes of child obesity.

It is important to get the whole family involved in activities, such as going to the park for playtime, riding bikes, taking a walk.  Any kind of physical activity as a family teaches your children that it is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle.  The best way to combat obesity is to be active regularly and lead by example.