The Problem Of Childhood Obesity

Robin Konie wrote “Let’s stop blaming fat, sugar, or any other “one” thing. Let’s get on the side of real food”. One must learn to limit the amount of sugar that they put into their body, although of course not all sugars are bad for one, nor are all fats. “More than 70% of Americans eat at least 22 teaspoons of added sugar daily.” (Richards). The majority are not aware of how much excess amount of sugar is going into their body. Sugar is addictive, and the body will crave more and more, if this generation, and the generations after are not educated, these numbers will go

Childhood obesity is not just an issue in United States- it is an growing epidemic. Obesity epidemic in kids has increased by alarming rate just in last few decades. Nearly one in every five child is obese in the United States. If the pattern of obesity continued on most of America’s children will be living with diabetes, heart disease, and dying young due to obesity. The American Heart Association reported this year that childhood obesity is the top health concern among parents in the United States, beating out smoking and drug abuse. My own younger siblings suffer with child obesity. Their craving for fast food and very limited physical activity has made them overweight and currently they suffer from health problems. Is this the future of our young generation? How much contribution should a parent have in their child’s diet? Fast food has taken over American diet and it has lead to poor nutritional diet among American youth. Fast food companies spend billion of dollars every year on commercials, convincing youth to love and eat their product. It’s just not our eating habits that has lead our young generation into obesity, lack of physical workout has also played a major role in obesity epidemic. TV, computer, video games and other technology entertainment has contributed to children getting no exercise. Obesity in children can put them in high risks of developing chronic and serious illness. Unhealthy weight leads to having weaker lungs, poor blood quality, heart

Today, despite technological and scientific discoveries of the past century, we live in a country filled with mysterious sicknesses. While America continues to prosper in other ways, our health continues to decline. What has helped to cause this terrible battle? Sugar. Even though it may pack a great taste, sugar has captured and addicted us to it. Our addiction to sugar has negative consequences such as severe chronic disease and obesity. Americans need to reduce sugar consumption to prevent, cure, or limit problems of chronic disease, addiction, and obesity.

Sugar can turn your liver into scar tissue if you have too much. Sugar can also lead to obesity. You can put yourself at risk of a heart disease, diabetes and mood swings and so much more. Dr. Robert Lusting (2014) claims sugar is ''poison'' for the human body. California students eat 160 fewer calories a day than other students in other states because we have labels on fast food menus (Brownnell, 2011). "The California Senate recently passed a bill designed to do just that, and it may soon become a law (Lloyd, 2014, p. 18). Americans deserve the right to know what can make them

In our culture there 's a push for health and wellness and countless Americans are moving at such a rapid pace it is difficult to obtain a healthy lifestyle. With society’s push for success, it can shift our attention towards other priorities and neglect things like our diets. Our basic source of fuels comes from oxygen, water, and food. A great deal of convenient foods that are available tend to be loaded with added sugars. With our ever going lives, we gravitate towards effortlessness. Prepackaged foods for sale in grocery stores, fast food chains and restaurants are quick and cheap. Trying to maintain a healthy diet can be time consuming and expensive. Junk food vendors conveniently line the walls of workplaces, airports, shopping

And though this diet surged in popularity (Remember the low-fat craze in the 80s and 90s?), many are convinced it’s actually the exact opposite of how we should be eating, and that sugar is biggest problem when it comes to weight gain and health problems. A recent article in The Guardian explores this controversy, and ventures to explain how we could have gotten so tangled up in this wild web of fat versus sugar.

When most people think about sugar, their first thoughts are not: heart disease, addiction, or slow and painful death; yet, unfortunately, these conditions are very real consequences of the unregulated and excessive consumption of sugar. In Nature’s article, “The Toxic Truth About Sugar” (2012), Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist; Laura Schmidt, Professor of Health Policy at UCSF; and Claire Brindis, Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy at UCSF, evaluate the world’s ever-increasing and toxic struggle with the substance sugar – also discussing counter measures to promote healthier diets amongst American’s and other societies. Lustig and his colleagues develop their argument using statistical evidence as they address the global impact of sugar, refuting minor oppositions, before dissecting each harmful aspect of the substance – even comparing it to substances more known for their toxicity. Eventually, presenting readers with possible routes of regulation, the authors firmly suggest government intervention in the production and sale of sugary foods. Although the argument is well executed, I remain unconvinced that government intervention is actually necessary.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic that goes on throughout the United States. Studies have shown how obesity in children may start, and how it affects each and every child in America. Childhood obesity has been getting attention in the media from famous celebrities all the way to the First Lady of the United States. There are many things that cause childhood obesity and very few ways to stop it. However, there are people out there who are trying to help by getting children active, eating healthy and getting back on track to having a healthy and long life.

In fact, more are hopping on the “low-sugar” diet, overtaking the common “low-fat” diet. Fat has always been a red flag in health communications and an area in which people have always tried to steer clear of. People have, overtime, become more educated on the importance of healthy fats, and the differences between unhealthy and healthy fats. When people choose a low-fat diet or lifestyle, they often go for fat-free items that in replace of that fat, are loaded with sugar. This often is associated with misleading labeling and health claims that state that it’s low fat but actually loaded with sugars or other additives that are not healthy. Hidden sugars can include fructose, corn syrup, maltose, sucrose, molasses, dextrose, and the list continues (Rolls). It is so important to read the ingredient label to gain a better understanding of what sugars are hiding in your foods. So essentially, in trying to consume a healthier plate with reduced fat, you are still consuming an unhealthy quantity due to the replacement of sugar. This is why sugar has created it’s new name and role as the red flag, and this is why sugar has been making headlines as the new #1 culprit.

A few months ago I watched an interesting documentary on sugar and the world’s health crisis called that sugar film. It is about an Australian man who consumed a diet of no processed sugars as his usual diet and then ate a diet that contained the average person’s amount of sugar for two months to watch the transformation of his body; however the crazy part was that he ate all foods that one may normally consider healthy but still contain the hidden sugars like low fat yogurts, juices, and granola bars. By the end of the experiment the man had all sorts of ailments like pre-diabetes and fatty liver disease which really surprised me since the foods were considered healthy. This lead me to reassess my personal diet as well as my family’s before

If you are American, you ate too much sugar today, twice the daily limit, about 60 to 90 grams of added sugars. Americans consume two to three times the daily limit of added sugars, a silent, yet serious issue. Many people are confused about what added sugars are, which are unnatural sweeteners with extra calories that are added into foods and beverages, through cooking, processing, or on the table (Today’s Dietitian Magazine). From October 2011 to December 2012, ChooseHealthLA ran a marketing campaign to combat excess consumption of sugar sweetened beverages in America with more effectiveness compared to other similar campaigns, “resulting in more than 515 million impressions” throughout “mass media, billboards, buses, and railways” (Barragan).

The risks of consuming sugar do not end with diabetes; studies have also reported sugars connection to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Typically, liver disease is seen as a result of the over-consumption of alcohol, but sugar can also have a similar effect on the liver. As previously described, when glucose is consumed it is dispersed throughout the body via insulin and the extra is sent to the liver to be stored. Glucose consumed at low to moderate levels will not have an overly detrimental effect on the liver. Fructose, however, circumvents insulin and is directed straight to the liver (Stanhope, “Sugar Consumption…”). When the fructose reaches the liver it is stored as fat cells, which build up over time and cause a stress response

Childhood obesity is a growing problem that needs to be resolved. Many people may say it is the Child’s fault, he is weak willed. This is just a common misconception; there are hundreds of different reasons for childhood obesity. I will just be scratching the surface of this paper. By the same token childhood obesity is a growing problem that needs to be resolved. We can achieve this by understanding some common misconceptions, understanding health problems, and understanding fitness.

In recent years since the 1970s, childhood obesity has slowly emerged as one of the most troubling issues faced by parents. Children began to lose interest in outdoor activities, preferring to stay at home and play video games or surf the internet. Since they don’t leave the confines of their homes, they started to discover the wonders of fast food and junk food. With no exercise and an unbalanced diet, children slowly became overweight and became more prone into contracting serious and debilitating diseases. This paper examines why it is very hard to find a definite solution to the problem of childhood obesity and with the environment the new generation have today, it contributes to their otherwise inactive lifestyle.

One of the biggest problems causing child obesity is diet. In America, (the continental 48 states) the furthest you can be from a McDonalds is 107 miles. There are 34,392 McDonalds in the world and 14,146 of those are in the United States. When parents have no time (or are simply too tired) to cook food at home, they just pull in to the nearest McDonalds drive-thru and buy their kids a meal. each McDonald's meal is about 1,200 calories, which is about half of the recommended caloric intake. If you eat 3 meals a day, you would need to eat two very small meals or do loads of exercise to achieve the number of calories you should taking a day, not to mention how terrible McDonald's food is for your body. The second biggest problem causing child