7 Steps to Help Fight Childhood Obesity

The obesity epidemic is a huge problem, literally.

Two out of three Americans are either obese or overweight. More than 100,000 people die each year due to obesity related diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Obesity induced conditions cost the U.S. some $150 billion in health care expenses annually and these costs are bound to increase. An obese adult represents $1,400 more in annual additional health care expenses compared with healthier peers.

It’s not just adults who are suffering. Alarmingly, one-third of all American children between the ages of two and 19 are now either obese or overweight. This puts them at a higher risk of serious diseases that can impair their way of life or worse, cut their lives short.

Dr. Joseph Mercola believes that the very future of the developing world is at stake as a result of the exploding problem of obesity. He’s so concerned about this development that he co-wrote a book with Dr. Ben Lerner called Generation XL: Raising Healthy, Intelligent Kids in a High-Tech, Junk-Food World.

If the obesity epidemic is not reversed, we may see children living shorter lives than their parents, Dr. Mercola warns. He is determined to help turn this deadly trend around and shares seven steps you can take to help your child beat obesity:

1. Drink pure water instead of sugary juices and soft drinks.
   Kids can easily reduce the amount of sugar they consume if you don’t give them soda and juice due to the high amount of high fructose corn syrup in these drinks.. This step alone can have a dramatic effect on your child’s health and weight, since each can or bottle of soda or sugar-sweetened beverage consumed increases  obesity risk by 60 percent.
2. Learn your child’s Nutritional Type to plan meals accordingly.
   Encourage children to eat healthy, nutritious foods. Focus on fresh whole foods, preferably organic whenever possible, and avoid processed foods.
   Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates or sugars results in a rapid spike in your child’s blood glucose level. To compensate for this spike, the pancreas secretes insulin into their bloodstream, which lowers your child’s sugar level.
   Insulin is responsible for an overweight child’s bulging tummy and fat rolls. High insulin levels also suppress glucagons and growth hormones, which burn fat and sugar and promote muscle development.
3. Limit or eliminate TV time.
   A surprising 90 percent of American children under age 2 and almost 40 percent of babies under 3 months old watch TV regularly. This is because more than half of children have a television in their bedroom. Each week, a typical child watches about 38 hours of commercial media.
   Too much TV not only encourages inactivity, it also exposes children to commercials promoting junk food and fast food. A study published in the The Journal of Law and Economics suggests that banning fast food advertisements in the U.S. could reduce the number of overweight children. Eliminating the tax deductibility of TV advertising would also reduce the incidence of childhood obesity.
4. Lead by example.
   Seek to maintain a healthy body weight for yourself and your spouse. Avoid eating fast food. Cook healthy meals and set regular family mealtimes. Your efforts to keep your child away from fast food and junk food advertisements will amount to nothing if you don’t prepare healthy meals for the family.
   Studies show that families who eat together have better overall nutrition. Ask your children to help in meal preparation. Doing so will increase the likelihood for them   to eat the healthy foods you’re serving.
5. Increase exercise time.
   Exercise is extremely important for all children, Dr. Mercola stresses. An obese or overweight child needs at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Major studies suggest that it is best for kids to get an hour of exercise daily.
   Start exercising as a family. Take daily walks, gradually increasing the intensity to include jogging. You can also implement a rule that allows your child one minute of video (TV or game) time for every minute of exercise.
6. Address emotional eating.
   Emotions play a huge part in childhood obesity. Emotional eating often thwarts weight loss efforts. If your child has a hard time giving up junk food, this is where Meridian Tapping Technique/Emotional Freedom Technique (MTT/EFT) can help. MTT/EFT can be very useful in addressing not only food cravings, but also the underlying emotional challenges – such as low self-esteem – that can lead your child to eat unhealthy foods or overeat.
7. Make sure your child is getting enough sleep.
   A recent study revealed that the risk of obesity increases when one sleeps less than six-and-a-half hours a night. So be sure your child is going to bed in plenty of time to get enough rest.

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Tags: childhood obesity, Dr. Joseph Mercola, Emotional Freedom Technique, high fructose corn syrup, Meridian Tapping, Nutritional Type, obesity