Childhood Obesity: A Call to Action

Show your children the value of eating healthy foods 

Our children are at risk. Most parents identify drugs, alcohol, sex and violence as threats to the well-being of their children. In truth, childhood obesity will have a greater negative impact on more children than any of the concerns listed above. The most recent data from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) collected in 2007-2008 shows a marked increase in the prevalence of obesity from 1976-1980 in all age groups.

Prevalence of Obesity in US Children and Adolescents

   Age                    1976-1980                  2007-2008

2-5 years               5.0%                            10.4%

6-11 years             6.5%                            19.6%

12-19 years           5.0%                            18.1%

Nearly one third of children in the US are either overweight or obese and they are at risk for future health problems.

Overweight and obese children are the targets of many health and social problems. They are often exposed to early social discrimination, which can lead to low self-esteem. This in turn can hamper their academic and social functioning into adulthood. They are also at increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and abnormal blood sugar levels. Additional health risks include asthma, fatty degeneration of the liver caused by a high concentration of liver enzymes, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes.

The causes of childhood overweight and obesity are many. Childhood obesity was aptly described by Dr. Hilde Bruch, a pioneer in the field over seventy years ago. She said, "To understand the obese child, one needs to remember that he (she) accumulated his (her) extra weight while living in a family that, wittingly or unwittingly, encouraged overeating and inactivity." The current culture of America encourages overeating and inactivity, and one must swim against the current to avoid these habits.

The solution is straightforward, but difficult to adopt for many families who are stressed for time. Calories must be balanced with eating healthy foods and engaging in daily activities. When looking for solutions to keep your kids healthy, look not further than your pantry and your own backyard.

Encourage Healthy Eating Habits

• Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods.
• Offer protein from beans, lentils, nuts, fish, poultry and lean meats.
• Include some low-fat or non-fat dairy products.
• Offer smaller portion sizes.
• Limit sugar-sweetened beverages. One 12 ounce can of soda contains ten teaspoons of sugar.
• Encourage your family to drink lots of water.
• Limit consumption of sugar and saturated fat.
• Cook healthier meals at home and eat out less.
• Avoid calorie-rich temptations. An occasional treat is acceptable, but it should not be a daily occurrence.

Help Kids Stay Active

• Children should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every day. Examples are taking a brisk walk, playing tag, jumping rope, playing soccer, swimming and dancing.
• Have children join you in your physical activity routine.
• Limit television, video games, and surfing on the web to no more than two hours a day. Children younger than 2 years should not view television at all.
• Do not allow your child to have a television or computer in their bedroom.

With attention, support, and hard work, our children can lose and maintain healthier weights.

Facebook Moratorium

The social network connection

I often wonder why I spend so much time creating my online presence using social media tools such as Facebook. There are a few reasons that I use Facebook professionally. It is a great tool for staying connected with my colleagues and keeping on top of cutting edge news in my field. It also serves as a valuable resource for getting my message out to my clients, although I question if I'm really reaching my ideal client. It's difficult to tell the impact that I'm having without getting feedback in the form of comments. I carefully look for information to post to help others make positive diet and fitness changes and have only once been made aware of the value of this work to my audience. It is important to me to stay connected with my audience but difficult to to so when I wonder if I even have an audience.

Social media is a time sink. Facebook and Twitter eat up time that I should spend doing other things to grow my business. There already is enough to keep us tethered to our computers without the addition of Facebook and Twitter. In the back of my mind I think that I should spend more time in endeavors that will make money rather than posting free information for an invisible audience.

To make matters worse, I have been gaining weight lately despite exercising regularly. I can't help but think that all this sitting behind a computer is a bad thing for humans in general. My recent weight gain has spurred me into action. I have decided to impose a moratorium on Facebook and Twitter for the next week. Every time that I think about checking my social media accounts I will do ten jumping jacks and ten push-ups instead. One of the purposes of my social media existence is to inspire others to improve their lifestyle. I can think of no better place to start doing this than with myself. The calories we burn when we exercise are a small fraction of what we burn in a whole day. Our goal should be to pursue activity all day long. So whenever I have the urge to post an article, picture of food, recipe or any other tidbit that I find interesting, I will be active instead. I wonder how many jumping jacks and push-ups I will complete in a week. I'm sure that I will be doing quite a few of them. Social media has become a big part of my professional life in the past couple of years.

I will return to sharing information on Facebook and Twitter after a week, but I will incorporate my new habit of activity before every interaction. I encourage everyone else to attach some form of physical activity to your more sedentary pursuits.

To Health!

What are some of your impressions about social media?

National Nutrition Month® 2010: Nutrition from the Ground Up

This March celebrates the thirtieth year of National Nutrition Month® whose purpose is to focus attention on healthy eating and physical activity habits to promote health and wellbeing in the American population. It’s difficult to compete in the current food environment with the message of health. You most likely won’t see any TV commercials or advertisements online or in print. But the message for this year resonates; “Nutrition from the Ground Up.”


I asked my family what this meant to them. This year’s theme brings to mind acres of plants growing in the sunshine with various shades of green and gold as far as the eye can see. My six year old daughter thought of butterflies. My mind met hers in a field of strawberry blossoms in May with butterflies fluttering in the air. The thought of foods grown using sustainable practices that are good for the environment and good for us comes to mind. Such practices encourage the butterflies and the bees to pollinate the plants, which then allow the fruits and vegetables to develop. The ground provides the nutrients for growth. So “Nutrition from the Ground Up” means caring for the earth that produces an abundant harvest to nourish us.

Another concept for this theme is the idea of gathering or foraging for food. Mushrooms, nuts, legumes, and wild berries are gathered in forests, groves and meadows and can often be found near the ground (nuts historically were collected on the ground after falling from trees). The nutrients these foods provide are varied with myriad health benefits. Although we are not gathering and foraging for these foods ourselves anymore, we should include them in our diets routinely to reap the health benefits that they provide. A variety of nuts provide heart-healthy fats to prevent heart disease and stroke; they range from omega-three polyunsaturated fats in walnuts to monounsaturated fats in cashews, almonds and peanuts. Legumes (peas, beans, lentils, and soybeans) are a wonderful combination of soluble and insoluble fiber with a good dose of protein; they help to manage blood sugar levels, which can help in the management of diabetes. Foraging for food also includes a level of physical activity. This physical activity used to be our way of life, but is now so greatly lacking on any given day. We should wander the ground again in our pursuit of health and vitality.

Perhaps the deepest issue here deals with something that is hidden under the ground. Like an iceberg, there is so much more to discover underneath. The iceberg analogy is one that I commonly use when describing the science of nutrition: what we currently understand about the interplay of nutrients on our health is only a small part of the story. Most of it is vast and hidden from view, despite all of our science. Dedication and patience is required to learn about the wonders yet undiscovered, just the same as the dedication and patience we must have in the pursuit of our health goals, whether they involve weight loss or disease management. “Nutrition from the Ground Up” speaks of discovery; finding a carrot buried deep within the ground, discovering how nutrients impact our health, and finding that healthier and happier person within ourselves.

Ask what “Nutrition from the Ground Up” means to you and your family.

My Stressed Out Entrance Into the Blogosphere

I consider myself typical; three kids, two cats, two dogs, a husband, a job, and volunteer work. I'm stressed out! Who isn't? I feel pretty equipped to manage my stress most of the time, though sometimes panic rears its ugly head. Stress can have a negative impact on the human body and coping strategies are necessary to maintain a level of productivity and vigor. For me, eating well and physical activity fit the bill. Getting a healthy meal on the table for my family after a day of work or setting aside time for physical activity can seem pretty daunting. Often, I think that we impose restrictions on ourselves to keep us from living a healthier life. We almost expect to fail, so we don't really try. Smoking cessation programs teach us that many people have to quit smoking several times to finally be successful. So, with failure comes success...eventually, if you never give up! Life is worth living fully with good friends, good food, lots of physical activity, and of course some stress. So, this is what my blog is about. Hopefully, I can navigate it like this picture drawn by my six year old daughter; with a smile on my face!