Home
>
Weight Loss
>
Childhood Obesity Is Everyones Problem

Childhood Obesity Is Everyones Problem

Reducing childhood obesity in the U.S. needs to be a #1 priority. Here are some ways you can help:

Parents: Set a good example. Instead of focusing on a diet for one child in the family, focus on improving the health of all family members by removing junk foods from the home, and preparing or purchasing meals that are low in fat and sugar. Serve lots of different varieties of fruits and vegetables; avoid frying food; purchase whole-grain breads and cereals; use fat-free milk for all family members over the age of 2. Restrict the amounts of meat, fish, chicken, eggs, beans and nuts to the serving sizes recommended by the USDA. The USDA website has information for all age groups and both genders, according to the amount of physical activity engaged in above your normal routine.

Limit TV and computer use to no more than 2 hours per day. Too much TV stifles a child's creativity, and keeps them from getting necessary daily exercise. The new USDA guidelines for exercise say that we need to exercise ? hour a day for good health, 1 hour a day to maintain weight loss, and 1 ? hours a day to lose weight. Since overweight children often avoid playing with other children because of the teasing and tormenting they receive, you may need to exercise with your child. Take nightly family walks or bike rides, shoot hoops, skate, dance, or let them help you wash the car, give the dog a bath; rake or weed the yard. Purchase an inexpensive pedometer for each family member, and have daily challenges to see who can take the most steps.

Schools: Replace junk foods and beverages in vending machines with healthier snacks, bottled water, and fat-free milk or fruit smoothies. Change cafeteria menus to include whole wheat bread, more salads, fresh fruit or fruit smoothies, and veggie pizzas. Limit French fries to one lunch per week. Stop serving sweets at class parties and offer fresh fruit or other healthy choices instead. Ask teachers to stop giving candy as rewards for good behavior or good work, and give stickers or other types of non-food recognition.

Medical Professionals: Counsel parents of overweight children, and give them positive suggestions for healthy weight loss. Find out what the child eats and drinks in a normal day, and suggest healthier alternatives. Recommend limiting TV and computer use to no more than 2 hours per day. Suggest exercise activities for the entire family. If parents are overweight, make sure they understand the health risks for themselves and their children. Don't accept the "we've tried everything to lose weight" excuse, but emphasize making healthy lifestyle changes instead of dieting.

Restaurants: Offer healthy choices, especially on children's menus. Reduce portion sizes for adults, and charge extra for larger portions, or make smaller portions available at reduced prices.

Advertisers: Stop targeting ads for junk foods to children. Advertise healthier choices such as whole-grain cereals, and foods that are low in sugar.

Community Leaders: Work to increase the number of exercise facilities and playgrounds in your community. The more choices available, the more children will be likely to find activities they enjoy. Ask sports professionals, dance instructors or other athletes to volunteer their time to teach children.

Media: Run feature stories about schools with successful changes in food or exercise programs, and families who have lost weight by making better choices of food and exercising together daily. Prove that weight loss need not involve temporary restrictive diets.

Let's work together to reduce childhood obesity and keep health care costs affordable!

Bev Grey is the author of the new book "The Project", and founder and president of Grandma's Healthy Kids Club, an in-home program to help children lose weight safely. Visit the website at http://www.grandmashealthykidsclub.com

monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Childhood Obesity Is Everyones Problem

Weight Loss