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Former President Bill Clinton and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee - both recovering junk food addicts - raised the red flag this week about the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, and it's a issue far more serious than many think.
Clinton, in an ominous message, said children born today could live shorter lives than their parents because of junk food diets and lack of exercise. Imagine that. All the marvels of modern medicine developed to promote longevity could be undermined by fat kids who sit on the couch all day and eat doughnuts and potato chips.
There's no such thing as a cute chubby child. Obese children may face an adulthood wracked with diabetes, heart disease and other medical complications. The cost of treating these chronic diseases is staggering.
There's no such thing as a cute chubby child. Obese children may face an adulthood wracked with diabetes, heart disease and other medical complications. The cost of treating these chronic diseases is staggering.
It's estimated that 16 percent of U.S. children are obese. The American Obesity Association points to lack of regular exercise, high frequency of computer use and television viewing, over consumption of high-calorie foods and non-stop exposure to advertising of junk foods as the primary culprits in the chubbiness of American kids.
Schools have done far too little to educate children about diet and to see that they get regular exercise. In fact, schools have been part of the problem by allowing candy bars and soft drinks - a typical can of cola contains 35 grams of pure sugar - to be sold on school grounds. Some school districts build the revenue from junk food sales into their budgets. In an insidious relationship with junk food companies, schools have been provided with equipment and supplies in return for promoting and selling junk food on campus. The matronly kitchen crews at many schools are still cooking up the old heart-clogging sloppy joes and deep frying everything in the lunch line.
Schools have done far too little to educate children about diet and to see that they get regular exercise. In fact, schools have been part of the problem by allowing candy bars and soft drinks - a typical can of cola contains 35 grams of pure sugar - to be sold on school grounds. Some school districts build the revenue from junk food sales into their budgets. In an insidious relationship with junk food companies, schools have been provided with equipment and supplies in return for promoting and selling junk food on campus. The matronly kitchen crews at many schools are still cooking up the old heart-clogging sloppy joes and deep frying everything in the lunch line.
Parents must take a more active role in shaping their children's health. What a great idea to spend more quality time with children, outdoors and away from the television or computer games. Parents prepare their children academically and socially to enter adulthood. They should also see that their children are fit and healthy as well.
The old adage that children won't eat anything good for them is a cop out. No doubt kids would eat cheeseburgers, potato chips and soda pop for lunch every day of the week. But just as children are told tobacco and driving too fast are dangerous, so too must they be educated about the consequences of non-stop consumption of nutritionally-deficient foods. The quality of their lives - if not their very lives - is at stake.
The old adage that children won't eat anything good for them is a cop out. No doubt kids would eat cheeseburgers, potato chips and soda pop for lunch every day of the week. But just as children are told tobacco and driving too fast are dangerous, so too must they be educated about the consequences of non-stop consumption of nutritionally-deficient foods. The quality of their lives - if not their very lives - is at stake.
