Childhood Obesity As A National Security Threat
When First Lady Michelle Obama launched her Let’s Move program she described childhood obesity as a national security threat. “A recent study put the health care cost of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion a year,” Mrs. Obama said. “This epidemic also impacts the nation’s security, as obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.”
The statement happened at a ceremony at the White House during the launching of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign which was attended by many officials of the President’s cabinet. And on December 2010, a few days before ushering the New Year, a new nutrition bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama to promote better eating habits among children.
Better Kids Behavior Starts With Healthier Diets
If you want well-behaved kids, get rid off the junk food. While this may sound unbelievable and even quite ridiculous, there’s just enough reason to believe with the outcome. And one school institution to have reaped the glory of feeding its students with nutritious foods is Appleton Central Alternative High School—an alternative school with notoriously delinquent students.
“I found the students to be rude, obnoxious and ill-mannered,” said school counselor Greg Bretthauer when head his first job interview with ACA High School in 1997. The sight of the students’ behavior made him turn down the job offer only to take it several years later after seeing the astounding change that took place in the school’s atmosphere and children’s behavior.
Coke Hired PR Firm to Head Off Negative Publicity from PTA Moms
Following proposals from various sectors to ban sodas and other sugary drinks in schools vending machines and cafeterias, Coca-Cola has hired a PR firm to ward off negative publicity pertaining to its beverage products.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the removal of Coke and other sugary drinks in vending machines on city property as part of the state’s campaign to end childhood obesity. In Philadelphia, its School Reform Commission approved a ban for the sale of all sodas in 2004 in schools for K-12 students. Likewise, New York Mayor Bloomberg says food stamps will no longer be used to buy coke, candy and other sugary beverages.
Soft drinks are considered to majorly impact the soaring rate of childhood obesity in the US; hence, its removal in school vending machines and from within easy access to children is being strictly implemented across states to reduce further increase in obesity cases. Apart from weight gain and obesity, too much consumption of soft drinks is also being linked to other health hazards which included osteoporosis, bone fractures, tooth loss, and diabetes
Fresh Vending Machines Coming to Schools Nationwide
img class=”size-medium wp-image-1534″ src=”http://www.freshhealthyvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/healthy-vending-machine1-148×300.jpg” alt=”" width=”148″ height=”300″ />“Eat ‘Em Like Junk Food.” This is the eye-catching slogan you will on the vending machines installed on September 17 in both Mason High School, in Mason, Ohio and Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Syracuse, New York as part of the healthy public relations campaign of Bolthouse Farms— Bakersfield, California-based grower. Indeed, there is no stopping healthy vending machines in coming to schools nationwide to promote healthy eating habits to children.
Though President Obama has earlier seek the improvement of child nutrition by eliminating junk food options in vending machines and replacing them with healthier options, there have been several moves among business owners targeting healthy changes in vending machines. This comes right in time when childhood obesity in America has gone uncontrollably higher in the recent years.
Yogurt is Good For You and Can Help You Lose Weight
Yogurt has been frequently mentioned in talks concerning obesity, weight loss, and other health and wellness concerns. Does it really help in losing weight? How much of a yogurt does a person need to consume to start losing weight? Is it really a good part of a healthy diet?
According to an April 2004 study in the journal “Obesity Research” by M.B. Zemel of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, greater fat loss has been observed when a diet high in calcium-rich dairy foods was consumed compared to a low-calcium diet or a diet supplemented with calcium in vitamin form. The following year, the “International Journal of Obesity” published a study by Zemel that links similar weight loss results specifically to the consumption of yogurt daily.
Obese Teens Are More Prone To Become Obese Adults
If there is one thing that some overweight adults would have wished if they can turn back the hands of time, it’s that they should have eaten healthier and consumed lesser fats. Unfortunately, as we age there’s no such thing that can make us go back in our teens. But sure enough, there’s still enough time for parents to prevent their kids from suffering the same fate of becoming obese as adults – if only they’ll start serving healthier meals and lunch on a regular basis.
In a recent national study of American youth, researchers found that one in twelve teenagers became severely obese as they entered adulthood. It can be recalled that the US federal government, along with the Department of Agriculture and other concerned sectors are vigorously leading the pack to fight childhood obesity in America. This problem is noted not only to adversely affect country-wide households but even the health care cost of the US – where over US$140 billion went to the national medical expenditures for 2009 alone.
Shopping for Healthy After School Snacks
Compared to adults, children in general have higher energy level and metabolism that make them still hungry despite taking three full meals a day; therefore, giving them after school snacks are just fine as long as they are given in schedule and are packed with nutrients. As a general rule, children must be served with snacks two hours before meals. This way, they are still full with appetite by the time they reach dinner. Likewise, supplementing them with snacks keeps them from gorging heavily during mealtime.
However, as much as parents want to give their kids the best snacks they can afford, it is inevitable to occasionally fall on the difficulty of shopping the “right” after school snacks. What kinds of foods should be served during snack time? How do we vary the choices so our kids don’t get bored seeing and snacking on the same thing? These are just some of the questions that can leave any parent dilly-dallying in the grocery aisles and before they knew it, they usually end up getting more sweets and high sodium content chips.
Soft Drink Health Hazards for Kids
Soft drinks can be very addicting. The sugary taste with combined coolness is tempting enough for a child or an adult to press the vending machine button or run to the nearest convenience store for a bottle of ice-cold Pepsi or Coke. Sadly, the number of health hazard soft drinks poses is often times ignored when in fact should be given utmost attention as it majorly affects the lives of children.
Health experts reveal that too much soft drink consumption leads to many bone problems such as osteoporosis, bone fractures, tooth loss, periodontal disease, and gingivitis. This is because soft drinks are believed to contain large quantities of phosphorus, which when excreted pulls calcium out of the bones. Apparently, the United States ranks first among countries in soft drink consumption, wherein 13.15 billion gallons of carbonated drinks are consumed every year.
Healthy Kids Diets Makes for Better Learning in Schools
Sure it takes some good effort for parents to prepare packed meals for their children, and it even takes a lot more to ensure that kids are eating healthy in school when they miss the time to send nutritious lunches and snacks to their kids. With the frenetic and busy schedules of working families, the kids’ health is at times taking the backseat. And unfortunately, it leads to childhood obesity and poor performance in schools.
So, what options are we looking at for our kids’ healthy diet? How do we make them perform well in school and stay alert all throughout the day?
Kids Need to Walk to Head Off Childhood Obesity
In San Francisco, the Shape Up Coalition has tripled its Safe Routes to School program, and the events included walking school buses converging on the grassy median where Dolores and San Jose Ave meet by 8:20am and walk to Fairmount Elementary, 65 Chenery St., in Noe Valley by 8:30am. The Coalition received a grant amounting to $500,000 from the California Department of Transportation to create a comprehensive Safe Routes to School program for San Francisco elementary schools.
Sadly, amidst the growing childhood obesity in America, we hardly see children kids walking to school, or at the very least, getting involved in activities that would allow them to be in good shape. While eating healthy is highly demanded among children, having an active routine helps in shaking those excess calories that kids get from vending machines.