XTEND-YOUR-LIFE Newsletter
Issue - 23th July 2003
Child Obesity...
Last week I picked up my granddaughter Nicole from school. She is 6 years old. Either my wife or I do this each Tuesday. Normally, I meet her at the gate but last week I was a little early so I went into her school. As a result I got 'forced' to do the usual things such as reviewing the work that she had been doing in the classroom etc. Whilst amongst all these little kids I couldn't help notice how many were significantly overweight.
In addition to the few (to be expected) 'chubby' faces there were a number of bloated faces and quite unhealthy looking kids. As I looked around the school the numbers of overweight children seemed to increase the older they got. I also noticed a lot of children who were sneezing or coughing. Although it is winter here at the moment problems with colds should be pretty well non existent if you are healthy and your immune system is in good shape. This was obviously not the case with a lot of these children.
Anyway as a result of this particular visit to the school I reflected on my childhood school days... I cast my mind back to when I was Nicole's age (50 years ago) and visualized scenes from those days. Lo and behold I couldn't recollect seeing any grossly overweight kids when I went to school at that time even though I can still clearly 'see' in my mind the other children. I wondered if I was imagining this, so I looked up some old school photos and I found I was not. Shortly after I came across an article which indicates that my assessment is not out of the ordinary!
New York Times poll...
The New York Times had polled a number of adults about child obesity and 87% of these adults considered there are more overweight children around now than when they went to school. So, there you are... If you are over 50, or even 40 take a few minutes to reflect on this yourself. The statistics also seem to bear this out as the number of children that are categorized as being obese is rising year by year.
This has serious repercussions for all of us. The increase in cancer, diabetes and heart disease is going to be astronomical over the next couple of decades!
So, what's wrong with the children today? What causes them to become fat? Are they lazy? Whose fault is it? Is it the children themselves at fault? I don't think so! Rather they are the victims!
I have noticed in recent months that suing fast food chains or manufacturers of fatty foods is becoming popular because they are considered by some to be responsible for the high levels of obesity in both adults and children. Are these companies responsible for child obesity then? In part I would say yes and in part I would say no! Yes, in that many companies are quite irresponsible in the way they cleverly get into children's minds and initiate the very powerful 'nag' factor. And no, because the biggest culprits are parents themselves who allow their children to be exposed for hour after hour to television and the commercials targeting children.
The parents are the guilty parties!
What happened to the days gone by when parents would turn off the TV (now it has to include the computer) and shunt the children outside to play in the sun where they could burn off energy, develop their muscles and interact with other children? Unfortunately many young parents have succumbed to the belief that the sun is bad for their children instead of treating it as a great health builder. Side note: Contrary to popular belief the real life threatening type of skin cancer is not caused by exposure to sun! Moderate exposure to sun is an important health therapy which many children and teenagers miss out on these days. Sadly the malls have become more popular for teenagers than the beaches.
In addition, instead of children having to walk everywhere as used to be the case they are collected by their well meaning Mum's and driven everywhere. Many schools have discontinued physical activities and only a small percentage of children actively participate in other strenuous physical activity.
To make matters worse is the fact that many parents do not make the effort to ensure that their children are getting nutritious food for lunch. (Or, they are unaware that they are not) Instead of preparing something which will benefit their children's bodies they pack in potato crisps, snack bars and various other carb laden convenience foods. Add a decent dose of sugary soft drinks and the result is inevitable. Ultimate sickness for the children in later life, constant fluctuations in energy levels and a never ending battle against obesity!
The roots of obesity...
I truly believe that the roots of obesity begin at childhood by well meaning parents. How many times have you watched a young mother literally force feeding her child? There is this mistaken belief that if the child does not eat all their food that they will become ill so it is forced upon them. The children then get brought up in an environment in which it becomes a sin to not eat everything dished out on their plate. If they don't they will sometimes be reminded about the starving millions in Africa!
I recollect a study I once read which showed the problem of overeating doesn't start voluntarily until after a child is three years old. Prior to this age children if given the choice will eat what they need and leave the rest on their plate. As they get conditioned by parents that they must eat everything on their plate this natural self restraint changes and they clean up their plate even if it means 'stuffing' themselves.
These factors combined with the largely discredited food pyramid and lack of real activity are in my humble opinion the main reasons why obesity is the biggest health issue facing the western world today.
I recently wrote a report on the subject of how to lose weight naturally. It's pretty involved and reasonably lengthy. You can access it for free by click here.
Even if you are not overweight you will find a lot of useful information in it that will help your health generally. If your children or grandchildren are a bit on the heavy side try to make the time to read it so you can help them deal with the problem before it becomes an issue later in life.
In good health,
Info about the editor.
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Important notice: All material provided within the newsletter XTEND-YOUR-LIFE is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this publication. Consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and wellbeing or on any opinions expressed within this newsletter. The information provided in this newsletter is believed to be accurate based on the best judgment of the editor but the reader is responsible for consulting with their own health professional on any matters raised within.
