America’s Kids are NOT at Fault for Being Overweight!
It’s a downward spiral. Childhood obesity is fast becoming a nationwide epidemic, and the physical and psychological effects of being overweight can last a lifetime. While the issue of weight problems in children has become a “hot-button” topic throughout the news media, far too many families don’t have adequate information or resources when it comes to teaching their kids healthy eating and fitness habits.
It’s certainly not easy being a kid in today’s complex culture where children have it tougher than their parents did, health-wise. Not only do they have to negotiate any number of social landmines at school, but overweight and obese children also have challenges, social and otherwise, far beyond those for typical adolescents. Today’s overweight kids, of which there are many, more frequently have to deal with the discrimination of their peers and scrutiny from adults.
What we all must understand is that placing – and displacing – blame doesn’t lessen a child’s suffering, nor does it make a child any healthier. And, we must not simply resign ourselves to believing that genetics are accountable for a child’s weight problem and, therefore, do nothing. Rather, we must teach America’s kids to navigate through society’s overabundance of and easy access to junk foods and fast foods, and to make sound choices regarding their nutrition and fitness. Parents lobbying for more physical education courses at school is a good start, but is simply not enough.
As with adults, there is no quick, easy weight loss fix for children. In order to solve a child’s weight problem, parents need to help the child help him or her self, by modifying and managing dietary intake, physical activity and lifestyle behaviors. They must also seek out resources that can help their child start making small lifestyle changes RIGHT NOW that, combined, will lead to big results. Solutions do not need to be the result of clinical trials or doctorate level dissertations. There are many new products on the marketplace today that have come about at the grassroots level by Americans who are not only concerned about the state of kids’ health throughout America, but have decided to take action:
These are just a few of the many examples of sound and relatively inexpensive products that can help families get on track in short order. Parents and children, themselves, need to act now, as America’s kids are at risk for the many complications of overweight and obesity. This is no small problem, as obesity is known to contribute to devastating diseases and emotional depression. For the health of our nation and all of our futures, we must provide our children with the basics: the knowledge of how to live a healthy lifestyle and both the desire – and the tools – to do just that.