What Is Wrong With Children Today, In My Opinion, Part One

Many parents are already addicted to the salt, sugar, caffeine, and artificial flavors of all the prepackaged and fast foods that have flooded the general population and they in turn feed it to their children. Doing so virtually ruins any chance they have of ever enjoying the wonderful benefits and flavors of natural foods.

There was a time when parents understood that it was important to feed children real food. Today, thanks to marketing, laziness, and social brainwashing, our children are suffering. Almost from infancy, they are filled with empty, and unnecessary calories. Crying must mean hunger right? Plug up the mouth and stop the noise. Put the babies to bed sucking on a bottle, by doing this you as a parent create an emotional imprint, it becomes a form of 'self' soothing with food. It's no wonder so many people are triggered to run to food when life is unfair, or they are under stress, they have been programed from the crib. Feeding them in your arms, and then laying them down, and letting them cry a little has a different imprint. They were comforted and fed by someone. Now it is time to be alone and it is okay, any fear that may be causing distress can be soothed by remaining close to your baby. Lullabies were created for this purpose, a soft voice, a soft pat on the back, or a rub let's them know you are there. Anything, other than more food.

Candy, crackers, chips, cookies are all used to stop a child from fussing by many parents. Again, it is emotional imprinting, and it revolves around eating, only now it is also 'rewarding' unacceptable behavior with food. Unacceptable behavior should have an unpleasant consequence, not a bribe from parents. Candy, crackers, chips, cookies are also used as a reward for a job well done by many parents Why? A child should receive praise for a job well done. It really is all they want from you.

No wonder there is rampant lack of self control in children today, make no mistake here, I am not saying this is the only reason for a lack of self control.

I do find it interesting though that we never heard of ADD/ADHD or juvenile diabetes, and childhood obesity when parents did not have all the processed foods to feed the children. Sure there were always a few 'chunky' kids who were usually stuffing their faces with something, but as far as the majority of the population, kids were lean and toned and they had energy to run and play. Goodness knows that today, as a society, we can not blame the parents. No, that would be politically incorrect I'm sure. The sad truth is, and always has been that it starts at the home.

My children did not eat super sweet foods and never candy. They occasionally had chips, crackers, or cookies (always homemade with oats, fruits or nuts), as a treat/snack, not as part of the meal (or as a 'reward' if they ate). They had julienne vegetable sticks and sliced fruit with their sandwich and they ate them. Why? It is all that I would give them. This way of eating has been proven to keep blood sugar balanced and energy levels up. I knew one day they would venture into the world beyond my protection. I was IMPRINTING GOOD HABITS, and I only had a few short years to do it. People were always justifying wanting to feed the junk foods to my kids, completely dismissing the fact that my kids were not 'feeling' deprived. My kids would scrape off the frosting from birthday cakes, their choice, it was too sweet, and to them it was gross. Why? Because I stood firm in my commitment to develop in them a desire for real food, and to this day, they acknowledge how bad they feel when they make poor choices of food, and how much better they feel when they eat the way Mom fed them.

Part Two: I will address 'possible' solutions to turn kids around when it appears to be too late.

We must begin at the beginning. In the beginning was a garden and everything needed to sustain life was within the Garden. I am a grandparent, I want my children's children to know the lessons and not repeat the mistakes. I see them, I talk to them, I tell the stories.

I have a website and a new t-shirt line to help raise awareness of how critical REAL FOOD is. Your support enables a voice to be heard all across the world. http://eatingrainbows.net/eating_rainbows_t-shirts.

Original article

No Child Is Born To Be Fat

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. How much more stubborn are humans than horses? Natural selection has kept the balance in every area except humanity. Survival of the fittest, that is nature's way. There is no weak link allowed in nature, disease kills the weak, and makes any survivors that much stronger or resistant. Humans once endured the same hardships as every other life form does in nature. Humans however, developed systems to avoid 'natural' selection. In doing so, they also allowed the regeneration of weak DNA, resulting in chronic health issues passed from one generation to the next. Life is now sustained regardless of physical condition. To complicate the situation further, they have added excessive creature comforts, and the masses have taken full advantage.

For reasons that I have my own opinions of, the medical community has educated the masses that heredity is to blame, and to a degree it is. The actual truth, is the diet of the parents and what they are feeding the children is the 'heritage' that is being passed along. Over feeding, or poorly feeding anything, does not make for a healthy life. Human, animal or plant. It has been proven over and over. Education is not working, you can find the information everywhere and most of it is free. I teach classes and my classroom is empty. I've heard all the excuses.

A human child's body needs specialized calories (energy), it needs specialized nutrients, (a variety of foods, not just starches and sugars). It needs water, not soda, not powdered mixes, and not 'juice drinks'. It needs to run and play in the outdoors. They need to get dirty, they need to get scraped and scratched (to build the immune system). The highly marketed 'fear' of germs 'campaign' that has saturated the airwaves for decades, and the unnecessary food products consumed (also marketed for generations), have parents believing a sterile environment is good for kids. At the same time, they think they can 'grow' a healthy body with artificial food and a vitamin pill.

Everything involving childhood obesity is connected to overfeeding or poorly feeding and a lack of activity, especially the outdoor kind. A healthy, muscular, body requires the 'nutrients' to build one. A healthy body starts with the immune system, (white blood cells that locate and destroy anything abnormal) nothing to fight=failure to function (autoimmune disorder). A healthy body mass requires protein, no protein for building muscle= fat. Muscle won't develop if there is no physical activity. Carrying around fat, will build muscle in the areas supporting the weight. Look at any fat/obese person who is still able to walk and check out the calf muscles. Next ask the ones on 'disability' and riding scooters if it is because they blew out their knees, or backs carrying the extra weight. 100% will say yes, to one or both conditions. Finally, there is no getting around it, calories that are not used are stored, as fat, period.

I am here to help parents, if your child is 1-10 years old, it is not too late. If they are 5-10 years already, the self esteem alone, will be so worth the effort.They will thank you in the end, that I promise. For more information or to schedule a consultation please visit. http://eatingrainbows.net/consultationsclassescookbooks

Original article

What's Wrong With Kids Today, In My Opinion - Part Two

In Part One, I exposed several ways that parents have perhaps unknowingly contributed to the health issues facing our kids today. If you have not read it, please do so before you read this.

Today in America our children are plagued with chronic health conditions including Colds, Allergies, Asthma, Ear Infections and Tooth Decay. As well as, Behavior/Learning Disorders like ADD/ADHD, and Eating Disorders, primarily Anorexia, Bulimia, Diabetes and Obesity. All linked to processed foods and poor nutrition while parents are not being accountable.

If you are dealing with a child who has become addicted to processed foods, it will be like doing a drug rehab. I am sorry, but that is the sad truth. Children are like sponges and even when you squeeze out as much as you can, they will still hold the imprinting unless they are left to 'dry out'. Information can only do so much. Action must follow. That means that you, as a parent can no longer continue to provide the poor choices. It also means that they will sneak over to a friends house and get it anyway (depending upon age). They will be surrounded by it everywhere, and your home should be the sanctuary. As the authority, it is up to you to eat the same foods that you are expecting them to eat. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can hide it from them either. Just like kids find the loaded gun, the booze, or the drugs that some parents think they so cleverly hide or lock up. They will find the snack stash.

If you are somehow under the delusion that it is 'bad parenting' to deny a child what it wants, you need to get help first. No child will starve itself, and missing a meal due to stubbornness won't kill them. You are not being cruel, and CPS will not come banging at your door. Parents often create picky eaters by giving them the option to be picky, in the first place. No child under the age of 6 should be choosing in the foods they eat. Parents should be noting which 'good food' they enjoy and serving it to them, as a portion of the entire meal.

Expect tears and fits, whatever the child is use to doing, in order to get the 'reward' (food) from parents in the past. If you are easily embarrassed, grow up! If they throw a fit take them aside and deal with it. This is your child, disciplining your child is good parenting. Discipline does not mean punishment. It is defined as an activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training. I left an entire cart of groceries in the store, apologized to the people who had to put all the food back, plopped my sons who would not stop arguing into the car and went home. That night, we had peanut butter sandwiches and green beans. I told them we could have been having meatloaf (their favorite), but they would not behave, so it had to stay at the store. The next trip to the store they remained quiet and were very excited to know that meatloaf would be dinner this time.

An excellent activity for getting kids to eat real food, is allowing the child to prepare part of the meal. Discuss the importance of the food and why it is necessary to eat it. How does it help the body grow? Why does it help keep illness away? Make the food into fun shapes or funny faces on the plate. When they are eating something they claim to not like, watch the child, the gag reflex can not be faked. You can see it at the bottom of the neck, the muscle will push food back up. Never force the food to be eaten, encourage and experiment with it.

Many 'overeating' habits are formed by parent forcing kids to eat, or finishing everything on their plates, often with a bribe of dessert (imprinting). This is not necessary, just don't 'reward' a child who will not eat real food, with a snack food later. Always give small portions on a big plate. This forms a mental thought process of perhaps not having enough to eat. If the meal is not finished and not being hungry is the reason. Let them leave the table. Put the plate in the fridge. If 'hunger' arrives later, and a snack is requested take the left over food from the meal and offer it a second time. If they are suddenly not hungry again, dispose of the food, in front of them. and Inform them that there will be no more food that night, then let them go to bed without eating. By morning they will most likely eat a better breakfast. Stay strong, do not be an enabler.

Enabler: one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior by criticizing or rescuing.

We must begin at the beginning. In the beginning was a garden and everything needed to sustain life was within the Garden. I am a grandparent, I want my children's children to know the lessons and not repeat the mistakes. I see them, I talk to them, I tell the stories.

I have a website and a new t-shirt line to help raise awareness of how critical REAL FOOD is. Your support enables a voice to be heard all across the world. http://eatingrainbows.net/eating_rainbows_t-shirts.

Original article

Causes of Childhood Obesity and How to Avoid Them

-One of the more prominent causes of childhood obesity is good old mom and dad.

Yes, it's true our children learn a good part of all their behavior and develop future habits from their parents, relatives and friends, especially when they are very young. Their eating habits are no different, in fact healthy eating habits or the lack thereof, more than any other behavior...starts at home.

-If you allow your children to dictate the rules, the results will not be good.

They certainly will not always do as you ask, but monkey see, monkey do. If fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods are a staple in the home, they'll pick up on it. That's not to say we need to eliminate all the goodies, we all need those from time to time. We just need the basic framework to be in place

Other Causes of Obesity

Unhealthy eating habits learned at a young age, while certainly a root cause of obesity for some kids, is not the sole cause for many others. Physical inactivity is also a large contributor in many children. Video games and obesity unfortunately can often go hand-in-hand.

With all the unbelievably realistic video games, movies, and constant new additions in electronic devices, it can be tough to get off the couch, for adults as well as for the kids.

How to Escape the Effects of Childhood Obesity

Well, number one of course is to set a good example. They learn from you, so do your best to show them the importance of physical activities, and how much fun they can be. Take the family biking, camping or hiking or even just a walk. Any number of fun physical activities should be a regular part of the family routine.

While it's true that many children are picky eaters, they learn from us what is healthy and what they should be eating. To avoid the causes of childhood obesity, the rules of healthy eating and the importance of a balanced healthy diet must start young, and the sooner the better.

If your child is overweight, let them know they are loved and appreciated no matter what. If they eat healthy and continue to be physically active, they'll grow up healthy and happy and the weight will usually stabilize. If not, it's all the more important our kids know that they have our acceptance and approval.

Where to Start?

-Again, show them how much fun being physically active can be, the key word being "fun". Children should get a minimum of 1 hour of physical activity each and every day. Shut off the computer and take them to the park or ball field if you have to!

-Limit television and computer time, it's really a must these days.

-Make sure to provide a balanced healthy diet for the family, and keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand so when they do get hungry, and you know they will, the right stuff is available and handy. A bowl of apples, oranges and believe it or not, even carrot sticks will disappear fast when young stomachs growl.

-Eat meals at home and as a family as often as you can, where you can guide their food choices to healthy ones.

-Don't allow foods or snacks of any kind when watching TV. If the kids need a snack, eat it in the kitchen, a habit that will serve them well in the future. Never use food as punishment for your child's bad behavior, or as a reward for good behavior, it sends the wrong message.

-Avoid all sugary drinks if possible, encourage water as the drink of choice. It will save their teeth, their waistlines, and your pocketbook...not to mention their health!

The habits that are formed by our kids as children, will follow them throughout their lives, try to make them healthy habits.

Remember that 70% of all overweight or obese adolescents will become overweight or obese adults!

http://www.health-stories.org/balanced-diet-for-kids.html deals with a wide range of health and fitness issues, from obesity and
a balanced diet for kids -to a simple, healthy eating plan we can all feel good about.

*Copyright: You may freely republish this article provided the text, author credit, the active links and this notice remain intact.

Original article

5 Things Everyone Needs to Know About Helping Young People With ADHD

Sometimes it is hard to know where to start when supporting young people with complex needs, including those who have Attention Deficit Disorders. When my colleague Jo Steer, a Clinical Psychologist, and I sat down together to reflect on our years of working with young people, and their families and schools, we realized that all our 'success stories' had a few common themes. Those times when things worked best, we had dealt with the complexity by providing support from multiple directions. They were also the times when we took the 'onus' of making changes from the shoulders of young person and shared the responsibility for success between all of those on board - teachers, parents, professionals AND the young person.

The 5 'secret success' elements we identified will not surprise you, and in fact many people use these strategies every day. However we found that once we put them down in writing, they helped us to create a format for designing our support packages. When working with families and schools, we now make sure that we had at least one action point in each of these areas.

Understanding is the key: Providing support to young people is all about forming positive relationships, and relationships will struggle without understanding. It is important that adults learn about ADHD and also how it impacts on the young person as an individual.

Adapt the environment: ADD/ ADHD impacts on many areas of function, and often creates a very real disability for a young person. Changes to expectations and support need to be made in order to enable engagement, participation and learning. There are many effective ways to structure the environment and tasks in order to provide scaffolding and maximize performance.

Teach skills: Sometimes we get stuck dealing with problems and crises and overlook opportunities to teach skills that can make a real difference in day to day life. Skills can also enhance self-esteem and protect against the experiences of repeated 'failure' that are unfortunately all too common for kids with ADHD.

Make the young person an active partner: The direct involvement and participation of the young person is often what leads to real and sustained progress. This is particularly essential during the teenage years and ensures that individuals learn life-long skills in helping themselves.

Consider changes to the system: Strategies that work well for kids with ADD/ ADHD often work really well for all young people, and therefore implementing changes across the family, school or sports club is very likely to have benefits for all!

In upcoming Article I will share some more strategies as we look at each of these 5 areas in a little more detail.

Kate Horstmann is an occupational therapist working in the Evolve Behavior Support Team, Disability Services Queensland, Australia. She has over ten years' experience of working with children and adolescents with a range of difficulties including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, autism and developmental disorders.

Original article

Why Should If Care If My Child Is Fat, Overweight, Or Obese? What's The Difference?

How can we help our kids lose weight? Is it important that they slim down? Yes! It is vital that we "cut our kids down to size!" Extra calories are creating more than plump cheeks and chubby bodies. Unneeded calories are jeopardizing our children's health. Instead of worrying only about how to pay for college, add weight reduction as an important responsibility in the stewardship of your child's future.

Statistics show that overweight or obese children typically grow up to be overweight or obese adults or raise overweight or obese children who grow up to be...well, you get the idea. Part of the problem is certainly heredity. Our children may be born with an inner metabolism that predisposes them to weight issues. However, the eating habits they develop as children are often more to blame than their inherited tendency to be overweight.

Adults often don't know the basics of good nutrition which will lead to a lifetime of weight management. (This is why most adults are also overweight.) Many of us were raised by parents ("or parents who were raised by parents") who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930's. The memory of bread lines and inadequate food supply has haunted their memories and they have developed attitudes about making sure they, and their children, get enough to eat.

After World War II when goods and foods, and the money to buy them, became abundant for so many people, there was an understandable desire to "live the good life". Women went to work leaving little time for food preparation... and the ready-made-meals industry was born! It wasn't until high-tech medical tools for research were developed in the late 50's and 60's that scientists began to uncover the relationship between what we eat and our health. (Remember the "damn the egg" move of the 60's? The relationship between eggs and cholesterol became routine conversation.)

It took several decades, however, for over-consumption of fats, sugar, sodium, and calories to deliver the brunt of their effect. We became a nation of obese people with heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. We are now in the "enlightenment" phase. We see the damage excess food habits and sedentary lifestyles have produced.

Start today to educate yourself and your children as to the problem (obesity is making us sick), and the solution (exercise and eating the right foods at the right times and in the right amounts). Our health as a family and as a nation depend on it!

Sue Bristol, R.N. says: "lose weight and lower your BMI"

Here's the "Secret Weight Loss Diet" that virtually EVERY successful dieter uses. (Whether or not they are even aware of it!)

Click Here to get your Free e-book, which will give you the "Weight Loss Secret" You don't need to be overweight: how to lose weight

There is One Correct Diet

Original article

The Psychological Effects of Obesity and Bullying in Children

An obese child is more likely to be bullied than a normal weight child, declares Dr. Julie C. Lumeny, researcher in a 2004 study of boys and girls who fit the definition of obese, which is a category step heavier than the overweight category. She determined that it made no difference at all if an obese child was black, white or Hispanic, or male or female. Rich or poor, or A and B students alike are bullied if they are obese by 1.2 times more than normal weight kids.

We must try to have a basic understanding of what these young people have to bear in order to change this condition in homes and schools. Yes, some of the bullying comes from the home, as ignorance in parents and siblings persists.

As a result of just being obese, a child may feel depressed, anxious, socially isolated with low self-esteem and forced into functioning at a lower level. But, couple these disastrous conditions with intense emotions felt as a result of bullying of all kinds: bullying is for him/her a daily endurance of name-calling, teasing, ganging up, humiliation and ignoring. Victims without a doubt, they become perpetrators in order to defend themselves: this is one more layer of hardship for them as now they are not only offensive but defensive. They should feel safe and secure at home and in the school-yard, yet both can be battlegrounds. And sometimes, even the most dedicated of helping hands can be detrimental if they are showing, nationally, pictures of obese children with unflattering labels across their bodies.

It is not new information that overweight children are at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and high blood pressure, high cholesterol, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes, compared with normal weight children. Also easy to believe is that an overweight child advances into adulthood carrying his obesity with him. A conclusion made by a Colorado State University Extension study is: Obesity beginning before 8 years old and continuing into adulthood may be more severe than in childhood.

There have been a good number of interventions mentioned in the literature that may change the picture for obese children's lives:

Address this issue at individual and community levels.Change the negative perception of obesity by peers. Future research should evaluate ways to modify these negative behaviors.Doctors should incorporate bullying history into their regular check-up history and physical.Doctors can open the conversation by asking the child if he has been bullied at home, school or on the playground, and then following up on the information he has attained from the childRegistered Nurses can put the bullying history of the child in his chart.Doctors, Health Care Personnel, Parents, Siblings, and Teachers can be empathetic with the obese child and cease reinforcing the bad feelings.

We are a nation of fat people. Can we not stop this trend of fatness by starting with the OB nurse in the Obstetrics Ward of the Hospital? Here is an opportunity for all of us to have knowledge of what happens to our young ones as they face the world, to help them instead of hindering them. I say the OB nurse should have it in her/his teaching routine for new mothers--right at the very beginning of the lives of our babies--the mothers should be taught, along with all the other useful and necessary subjects, how not to feed their child too much or too often, that a healthy child is not necessarily a fat child. They can be taught how a healthy new baby looks and acts and what the mothers can look forward to as a future for their babies if they do not take charge in their kitchens and households to produce wonderful normal weight teenagers who walk uprightly into adulthood.

This means that you, parents, are in charge, even though you allow your children to have their say. You do the shopping, you pay for it and you have the control over who eats what! If you have a preventive way of thinking, the bad stuff never occurs and you do not have to rehabilitate it. This is one thing you cannot grow into gradually: you have to be prepared to meet it before it takes over your life.

Margaret Heaps is a native born Californian who sees life as not long enough to fit everything in. She has grass roots in Petaluma, California and Nicasio, California, where her great grandfather bought land from gold that he mined in the Gold Rush of 1848 and created a high yield dairy farm. With this background legacy, she married and raised six boys, went back to school and became a registered nurse; this was her profession for many years. Now that she has retired, her energy level still high, she has undertaken to build and market a new website:
http://bloodcirculationhealth.com/

Shop all day and all night on the internet. No hurry! We can serve you. Make the above URL work for you, and we will introduce you to a variety of physical fitness equipment at a reasonable price. See our exercise bicycles, wobble boards, punching bags for kids and adults, weight lifting iron, jumping ropes, Pilates, charts showing the muscles of the body, home gyms and much more.

Original article

The Nutrition of Our Little Girls

Recently I had the privilege of interviewing revered metabolic guru - Dr. David Barker. The same Dr. Barker who presented to the medical world decades ago - the "Barker Theory" - now accepted as medical fact. The Barker theory explains how low birth weight children are at a greater risk of coronary heart disease. Dr. Barker's research is centered on the effects of a mother's nutritional status on the gestational development of the fetus - through later life.

Sensitivity to insulin is established in the developing fetus. Beta cells are the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. The nutritional status of the mother strongly influences the baby's own beta cell production. Women that are malnourished - which yes includes too thin & obese - their developing offspring do not produce enough beta cells to protect them metabolically throughout life. Thanks to Dr. Barker - we are realizing just how much of a baby's fetal exposure to malnutrition is a potential setup for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, asthma, osteoporosis, ADD, high blood pressure...many of our current chronic plagues.

Here is where we need to take this much more seriously. Yes, obviously prenatal health is important - stop smoking, stop drinking, take our prenatal vitamins, exercise, eat properly. However Dr. Barker's resounding research is showing us albeit important its just a tiny piece of the puzzle. Healthy embryonic development feeds on the mother's lifetime of nutritional history. We are not just what we eat - we are what our mother's ate as well. When we feed our little girls - we are determining the metabolic destiny of our grandchildren & yes our great grandchildren. Babies feed on the mother's lifetime of nutritional quality.

We often talk flippantly about we are genetically doomed for heart disease, cancer, diabetes - when in fact does that really make sense. Charles Darwin was a pretty smart guy - does it make sense a gene for heart disease is naturally selected - no of course not. It would not make us the survival of the fittest. However, what is very probable - is a compromised metabolic start during gestation.

Now let's put this research together with the disgraceful & nonsensical state of our children's health. The childhood obesity rates have tripled over the last 25 years. If it continues - over 70% of the adult population will be obese. Diabetes rates are growing exponentially. We now know factually how this will affect the health of the children of these obese kids. Focusing on prenatal health simply is not enough to protect the health of future generations. We have to be far more proactive with our children's health - not just for them but for the metabolic legacy being etched.

However, just thought I would mention this is not that proverbial "get out of jail for free card. We cannot blame of health status on our mother's - yes it can predispose us to a much tougher time fighting chronic illnesses - but we are not helpless. What it does mean is those of us at a metabolic disadvantage - yes we have to try harder & be more vigilant.

My wish for you today & every day - may you get at least 60 minutes of exercise!

Shira Litwack
Medical Fitness Professional, Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach, Fitness & Nutrition for chronic illness recovery,
Radio Talk Show Host/Producer bestinhealthradio - Listen to interview with Dr. Barker!
http://www.bestinhealthradio.com/
http://www.fitfan4fun.com/

Original article

Simple Steps to Prevent Childhood Obesity

There are simple factors in every parent's control that can reduce the chance of childhood obesity. In society today, approximately one in five children will be labeled as obese. Obesity is defined as an excess amount of body fat, measured as a percentage of total body weight. A child is considered obese when their body weight is 20% higher than the average weight of children of the same age. It is imperative that parents realize how their choices impact the chances of their children developing obesity.

The main contributing factors to childhood obesity are lack of physical activity and high calorie intake, as well as the variety of foods consumed. The recent emphasis on technology as well as convenience, high calorie meals have had a detrimental effect on child health. Furthermore, one of the worst physical effects of childhood obesity is the susceptibility to diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and early onset of heart disease.

Obesity has negative effects on emotional health as well. Society today labels those that are obese as lazy or unmotivated. These stigmas contribute to the increasing onset of depression, anxiety, and low self esteem in children. These factors then affect the social health of children as well, as there can be a lack in the development of relationships and acceptance from their peers.

In this technological age, it is easy for children to develop a lack of physical activity. Both computer usages as well as the increase in video gaming systems are the major technological factors in childhood obesity. It is easy for parents to use these as ways to keep their children busy. While there have been recent advancements in gaming that involve total body interaction, the comparison of these games to actual physical activity such as sports or dancing shows a minimal amount of calories burned. The largest impact that parents can have on these factors is managing the amount of time spent on all screens within the home, forcing children to find alternative methods of entertainment.

Parents do have control over several factors that contribute to obesity. The eating habits of children can be controlled, as parents need to resist the urge to provide the quick, convenience meals such as fast food and high-calorie, low nutritional snacks. A higher consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains may reduce the risk of obesity in children. Parents should provide healthy beverages to their children as well, such as reduced sugar juices, skim milk, and water, as opposed to high sugar liquids such as carbonated soda pops and sugar-based beverage mixes.

Parents can also provide a variety of physical activities for youngsters. A creative mind can create unique activities that require participation and motion. Some examples of such activities are outdoor play, such as games like tag or hide and seeks, and indoor play such as fort-building, balloon play, or dancing to upbeat music.

A parents control over meal choices, activities, and daily routine may be the solution to the widespread childhood obesity seen within society today.

For more information and resources, please visit http://moms-probs-odds-and-jobs.blogspot.com/

Original article

Childhood Obesity - An Overview of The Cause

I was eating lunch at my favorite restaurant and noticed a flyer on the wall discussing how to combat the problem of obesity in this country. The flyer was supposed to help motivate readers to find out how to change their diets for the better. The reality is most people are stuck in a place of comfort and change is very difficult. The real concern for our society is how obesity is effecting our youth. Children get less time to play outside with their classmates, have more games each year that motivate them to get on the computer and seem to be more driven by the latest technology. It is amazing to see the growing cases of diabetes among our youth. According to statistics from the American Diabetes Association, 1 in 400 children have a diagnosis of diabetes, which adds to a host of complications their young bodies have to deal with if the disease is not managed properly. Many more go undiagnosed, which is even more frightening. The question is how did we get this way and what will we do to change it? It is really important to pay attention to diet and exercise to help combat and prevent this disease. Simple sugars are high on the typical American diet and cause sugar spikes in our bloodstream. I can honestly say I remember eating two doughnuts, a cup of orange juice and feeling the shakes. Those rev ups followed by a sluggish crash was what people used to call a sugar rush. Trust me when I say I don't do that anymore.

I am so glad so many larger cities have community centers and youth programs. Most of my friends have youngsters very involved with softball, football, basketball, Irish dancing and other neat activities but is it enough? I would dare say no and why, you ask? Simply if the youngster is eating poorly, even if they are getting one to two days of exercise, it will not satisfy the body's need to burn off the junk and does not even begin to answer the issue of poor "body fuel". We truly are what we eat and our body cannot do much with a burger and fries dinner... ever notice how hungry you get an hour later? There is a reason. I had someone once tell me if it is mushy in your mouth, it is dead. They body needs enzymes and other live food items for fuel. The next time you pull up to the gas station to get gas, think about your body and give it a little high octane.

Original article

School Lunch Police?

We all want our kids to eat the best food for them. For some parents, it's the school lunch program. For others, it's a carefully planned lunch they make themselves. But it's always your choice.

Right?

Maybe not. Recently, in North Carolina, a four-year-old's lunch was taken from them (confiscated) by an adult from the school. Apparently, the turkey and cheese sandwich, potato chips, banana and apple juice box did not conform to the USDA guidelines for a healthy meal.

These guidelines require that a sack lunch from home must contain one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain and two servings of either fruit or vegetables.

What did the girl eat instead? Processed chicken nuggets.

As a nutritionist, there are several problems I have with this. First, it is my opinion that if a child brings in a lunch, that's their property and no one can take that away. As parents, it is our right to feed our children the best foods possible.

Secondly, the guidelines take no consideration at all to the numerous health problems found in our schools. It also takes into no consideration the poor quality foods served in most schools.

School districts are allowed to serve greasy pepperoni as a meat. This product has very little quality protein and very high levels of unhealthy fat, salt and preservatives. This can lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure when eaten often. It's not the only meat served during the week; hot dogs and hamburgers are not high on the health list either.

An excellent meat substitute is tofu, a vegetable based protein that takes on the flavor of what it is cooked with. It can be crumbled in a salad or made into seasoned cubes for finger food. Hummus is also a great vegetable protein made from flavorful chickpea. Dipping veggie sticks or 100% whole grain crackers tastes great.

The next guideline really distresses me. Milk is a low quality food, just barely above white sugar on the nutrition scale. It is a fast growing allergy and a potential cause and exasperator of ADHD. Most children do not digest milk properly, because most of us stop producing the lactase enzyme require to digest milk at about 4 years old. Add to that, the milk served in schools is 2% or skim milk. The healthy calcium and Vitamin D that makes raw milk healthy is destroyed and removed during the pasteurization and homogenization process. Vitamin D is a fat based vitamin and cannot exist in milk without the fat portion. Finally, a Harvard Medical study is now linking factory farmed milk, the stuff your kids are drinking, to hormone dependent cancer. The dangerously high estrone sulfate found in these milk products are linked to cancers of the breast, colon and lymph.

The serving of grain may injure children with gluten intolerance or Celiac's disease. As many as 1 in 33 children are thought to have Celiac's disease and 1 in 3 are gluten intolerant. Symptoms of these diseases are unexplained weight gain or loss, hyperactivity and digestive issues like gas, loose bowel and constipation.

Also, financially distressed schools may choose unhealthy and cheap processed white flour products for their grains rather than healthy 100% whole grains. White flour products are known to raise blood sugar and insulin levels, starting a cycle that leads to Type II Diabetes.

The chemical preservatives found in white flour products and hormone remnants and pesticide residues found in milk also interact with medications for ADHD, allergies and antibiotics. It can negate the medications entirely or make them more aggressive. Several studies have been conducted linking chemical residues to ADHD.

Two servings of fruits and vegetables are good, unless one starts to count a teaspoon of pizza sauce as a vegetable. And that is how the government gets away with serving greasy, pepperoni pizza on a white, sugary crust to your child and calls it complete nutrition.

Is it any wonder that our children cannot recognize what fruits and vegetables look like anymore? Or that over half are overweight? Or that ADHD is now the top problem our schools are facing?

The 'unhealthy' lunch that was taken away from the four-year-old was much healthier than the foods served in the cafeteria. I would improve that lunch with 100% whole grain bread, a cup of organic yogurt with fruit and skip the cheese.

Christina Major is the Naturopathic Doctor and Holistic Nutritionist of Crystal Holistic Health Consulting. Crystal Holistic Health helps people, especially women, who have Type II Diabetes, High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure lower their numbers, get off medication and increase their energy so they can save money, take back control of their lives and improve the health and happiness of their families. You can get a free report on health at http://www.crystalholistichealth.com/!

Original article

Physical Fitness and Childhood Obesity - Tips for Getting Kids More Active

Ever since having kids, my shopping habits have completely changed. After discovering kid's consignment stores, that is the only place I shop for kid's clothes and shoes. I am also obsessed with consignment stores in general, as I have an addiction to designer labels at thrift store prices. It works for our family, since we are on a pretty tight budget.

It has been at least three or four years since I have been in a real department store in the kids clothing section. So I was a little shocked (and a little sad) by what I saw last week when I was in JC Penny's girls department.

I read all the articles about childhood obesity, and I see it every day at school and at after school activities, but walking by a 'Plus Size for Girls' section of the department store put it all in perspective.Clearly there is a market for clothes designed for overweight kids.

I understand that parenting is extremely tough, especially when it comes to food - my kids eat more than their fair share of crap. Here is what I don't understand. If a parent knows the pain, struggles, and frustration of being overweight, why would they ever allow their kids to endure the same agony?

We know that parents influence kids every day with words and actions, and when mom and dad regularly encourage kids to be active, they help kids to appreciate fitness and have fun along the way.

Teaching practical life skills is one of the many roles that parents have. Things like how to brush teeth, how to tell time, how to tie shoes, and to add one more to the list - how to be healthy and active.

It's never too late to start a healthy habit, especially with kids. Kids like to move, and though it is highly unlikely that a child goes from couch potato to Olympian, there are several ways parents can influence their children to exercise.

While verbal encouragement or logistical support, such as driving kids to soccer practice, is important, parents' attitudes about health and fitness and their own patterns of physical activity are equally as important, since kids often follow by example.

Being active together has shown to have a significant impact on how kids view exercise, but it often goes down as a child's age goes up. Younger children are more likely to want to spend time being active with their parents than teenagers, so there may be a window of opportunity to use it before losing it when it comes to co-activity.

And even though the sphere of influence on kids can be far and wide from friends to teachers to Sponge Bob, few are as direct and important as parents.

Children are well known for their contrary nature. Tell them to do something, and quite often they will do the opposite. So trying to force children to exercise may not be the best strategy.

Every parent has his or her way of approaching life lessons, but the idea with fitness is to get children to appreciate being active, and have a little fun along the way. "Because I said so" may work for putting the dishes away, but encouragement, celebrating small victories, and doing things together can be effective ways to motivate kids to get fit and stay active. And no child wants their brain to turn to mush because of too much television.

Whether is it sports, riding bikes, a martial arts class, or walking the dog every night, it is important to consistently present each opportunity in a positive way. It may take a bit of time and patience, but when children find the fun in being active, fitness can become a part of everyday life.

When kids are active at a young age, the habit can last throughout their lifetime, and influencing kids to be active at an early age is no different than teaching them the golden rule or respecting their elders. So it's time to put fitness right up there with teaching children how to ride a bike and that there's no hiding a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

I am a stay-at-home mom and "gym rat" certified in Fitness Nutrition. Health and fitness takes work, dedication, perspective and good information. I hope I can provide you with tips to work hard, inspiration to dedicate yourself to a fit lifestyle, a no nonsense perspective on fitness and weight loss, and reliable information so that you can become the best you.

As a mom, I always appreciate a great tip. Whether it is a shortcut on how to prepare a recipe faster, or a trick for putting on makeup, the right tip will make my day a little easier. Fitness and nutrition are no different.

Most people are short on time, so I want to give you tips and tools to get the most out of your fitness and nutrition in the best use of your time.

Healthier Choices, Happier You!
http://www.fitchicktricks.com/

Original article

Association Between Childhood Obesity and Low Self Esteem

a) Background

Obesity is excess accumulation of body fat. For children a body mass index greater than 95th percentile for age and gender is considered obese. Self-esteem is a term used in psychology to describe a person's overall sense of personal value or self-worth. It is derived from a Greek word meaning "reverence for self." The "self" part of self-esteem refers to the beliefs, attitudes we hold about ourselves, while "esteem" describes the personal worth and value we give ourselves. It is how we feel about the self, how much we value ourselves, the pride we feel in ourselves or our acceptance of ourselves for who and what we are at any given time in our lives. This is important, because how we feel about ourselves can affect how we act.

Self-esteem is an essential human need that is crucial not only for survival but also healthy development. Since it develops from an individual's beliefs and consciousness of oneself, self-esteem is closely linked with one's feelings, thoughts, actions and behaviours. The development of self-esteem is a life-long process, starting from very early in life. It can be positively or negatively influenced by different events and circumstances. Consequently, a person can have either a healthy (high) or a low self-esteem. A person with a healthy self-esteem has a happier outlook to life and is more self-confident than the one with low self-esteem.

What factors influence self-esteem?

A number of key factors are believed to have a significant influence on self-esteem. To begin with we all inherit different personality traits from our parents which determine how we interpret or react to events or circumstances. This in turn impacts on our self-esteem. One of the major factors affecting self-esteem is experiences in one's childhood. Children are significantly influenced from an early age by the care givers.. A child who receives praise and encouragement for their efforts develops a healthy self-esteem and is inspired to keep trying and take on more challenging tasks. If, on the other hand, these people are critical and judgmental this can lead to a child feeling inferior, worthless or rejected.

Other factors that can influence self-esteem are painful events or experiences like divorce, bereavement, serious illness or bullying. Body image, which is how someone feel about his or her own physical appearance, can also enhance or lower one's self-esteem.

b) What is the association between childhood obesity and low self-esteem?

Childhood obesity is known to be associated with a number of conditions, among them, low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can occur in children who are obese due to the following factors:

i) Bullying

Children who are obese can be bullied or become bullies themselves. Consequently they are isolated as it becomes difficult for them to make friends, they get excluded from social activities and feel unwanted.

ii) Poor body image

Body image can be closely linked to self-esteem, especially in early teen-age life. According to a study on childhood obesity and self-esteem by Richard Strauss published in Paediatrics, there was no significant difference in self-esteem scores between 9- and 10-year-olds who were obese or not obese. However by age 13 and 14 significantly lowered self-esteem was noted in some of the study children who were obese compared to their non-obese counterparts (Paediatrics 2000;105;e15). As children enter their teens they are more conscious of how they look and what others think and say about them. The manner in which being overweight or obese affects a child depends a lot on the child's parents, their perceptions and on the culture in which the child grows up. This is because some parents and cultures accept a wider range of weights than others. A child who is constantly teased about how fat they are soon develops the feeling that he or she is not good enough, is not appreciated or accepted. This teasing can take place at home as well as at school. Children may be subjected to negative comments and hurtful teasing about the way they look from siblings (especially boys), parents, classmates and peers. Such comments can affect one's body image and self-esteem. External factors, for example media images of skinny girls and bulked-up boys, can also adversely influence a child's body image and hence self-esteem. Girls have been found to be more dramatically affected by weight and perceived weight problems than boys.

Author: Mary Slessor Limbe MD
The author is a consultant paediatrician, whose subspecialty is paediatric endocrinologist. She has a keen interest in childhood obesity. For more articles on this topic, please visit the website below.

Website address: http://slessoronline.com/
e-mail address: info@slessoronline.com

Original article

Childhood Obesity - The Root Causes

Definition

Obesity is defined as having excess body fat accumulated to the extent that it may be detrimental to health, leading to increased health problems and reduced life expectancy. Obesity is measured using Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a function of the body weight and height. According to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, an adult whose BMI is below 18.5 kg/m2 is underweight; 18.5-24.9kg/m2 has healthy weight, 24.9-29.9kg/m2 is overweight while 30 kg/m2 and above is obese.

For children, BMI is categorized into percentiles, using gender and age-specific charts. A child with a BMI below the 5th percentile is underweight, between 5th and 15th percentile is probably at the risk of underweight; between 15th and 85th percentile is healthy weight; between 85th and 95th percentile is overweight while a child whose BMI is above 95th percentile is obese.

Predisposing factors

a. Eating habits

Childhood obesity is increasing globally at an alarming rate. This is partly due to changing dietary patterns as well as lifestyle habits. Generally there is an increased consumption of calorie-rich foods and drinks instead of healthy foods like whole meal grains, fruits and vegetables. This has been contributed to in part by upsurge of fast-food eateries and their promotion through media commercials. In the developing countries, especially in Africa, eating patterns also change following rural-urban migration, which happens due to better job opportunities and schools for children in the urban areas. In this process family diets change from the traditional natural, healthier farm produce to commercial, more refined options available in the supermarkets.

b. Sedentary lifestyle

Together with the dietary changes, there are lifestyle changes as well. The urbanite lives a relatively sedentary life compared to the rural child. the latter, for example, walks and runs to school while the child schooling in the city is dropped to and picked from school or rides to and fro on public transport. To add onto that, globally children are spending more time on sedentary recreation, like watching television or playing video games than playing outside. The time spent in front of the television is also spent consuming unhealthy snacks and drinks.

These two factors are the major key players in the increasing trend of childhood obesity, but a few others also play a role.

c. Socioeconomic factors

Whereas in some developed countries obesity tends to occur more commonly in the lower socioeconomic class, in developing countries-especially Africa, it is considered a problem of the rich, who actually do not consider it as such, but consider it a status symbol. It becomes an uphill task in this case to convince these people that their children are obese and that something has to be done about it.

d. Genetics

Inheritance may also play a role in some cases of obesity, however, this is further influenced by family dietary practices and lifestyle.

Original article

Diet and Fitness Tips for Lasting Weight Loss for Kids and Teens

One of the largest challenges that any child can face is being overweight. Not only are overweight children more likely to be heavy adults, but they also face many emotional and physical side effects even as kids because of the extra weight. They may become withdrawn, suffer from low self-esteem, and avoid activities that they enjoy because they feel that they are too overweight to participate.

If your child or teenager is overweight and needs to lose weight, they can follow some of these easy-to-use diet and fitness tips. These will help them change their minds about healthy food and get moving in a fun, yet effective, way.

Diet Tips

No one wants to go on a "diet" and kids most certainly will balk at the idea of diet food. But healthy eating principles are more than just a fad diet or something that will last for a few weeks. Nutritious noshing should be an essential part of any child's everyday life (as well as any adult!) and so kids need to apply principles to their everyday eating that can be turned into long-term habits. Some ways that kids can change how they eat and lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way include:

Cut back on junk food, but do not cut it out completely. Many kids struggle with feeling like they cannot eat the things that they really love because they are on a diet. If your teen or kid simply eats what they love in moderation, filling up on the good stuff and then having junk food as an occasional treat, they can lose weight and keep it off. As soon as a kid thinks that they can never have French fries or candy again, they will covet them even more. Moderation is the key with junk food.
Focus on eating at the table and not in front of the television. Kids should avoid eating in front of the television or the computer, because this is when they eat when they are not hungry and eat more than they need to. Try encouraging everyone in the family to eat meals and snacks at the kitchen table.
Avoid fast foods and make meals and snacks at home. Fast food can be dangerous to any healthy lifestyle. Children who eat meals and snacks at home as opposed to at fast food restaurants tend to be at healthier weights than those who exist solely on drive-through fare.
Build meals around fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins and minerals and are the perfect base for any meal or snack. Kids can lose weight simply from swapping French fries and candy for veggies and fruits.

Exercise Tips

No healthy life makeover for kids is complete without exercise. Some top tips for kids to follow to get in shape and stay healthy include:

Move for 20-30 minutes a day. Kids can walk their dog around the blog, go for a jog, shoot hoops in the front yard, jump rope or any other physical activity for 20-30 minutes per day. This can help them to get active and burn calories while doing something that is enjoyable.
Take up a new sport. Sports are one of the best ways for kids and teens to lose weight because they are fun and they foster a sense of connection with other kids. Look for neighborhood baseball or soccer leagues, sports at school that are "no cut" sports (like track and cross country) or even sports leagues at your local gym or church.
Play video games that are active. Many new video games combine video game play with exercise, such as Wii games. Kids can play these for a half an hour or so after school and get the necessary activity they need to be healthy.

Teenagers and children can also find out more healthy eating tips and exercise tactics when they attend fitness camps. These summer weight loss camps can help them to foster healthful eating habits, learn new exercises and make new friends all at the same time. They can help to teach kids methods for weight loss that they can use for the rest of their lives. They may also help kids who were suffering from low self-worth to get out of their shells and meet new people.

Kids and teenagers do not have to spend the rest of their lives overweight, as long as they adopt healthful eating habits and make exercise a part of their daily lives.

Joe Busch specializes in writing articles related to healthy weight loss for kids. He focuses on proper diets, exercise, and weight loss camps. Parents with children that struggle with their weight should consider a weight loss camp for teens to jump start the process.

Original article

Child Nutrition: Help Your Child Be Healthy

The food your child eats is important not only now but also for the rest of his or her life. A small child is going to need various types of foods for energy to play, grow, and to build a healthy body. Muscles and bones are forming over the first fifteen years of life, and when eating the right types of foods and including smart nutrition your child is more likely to avoid sickness and to ward off some types of disease.

Your child's nutrition

Your child's nutrition is going to start with you. You child is going to see what foods you eat, and when you are more likely to eat them, and your child is going to build their own habits from those habits he or she sees you following. If you eat breakfast on the go, all the time, your child will feel this is normal and ok, but you should be sitting down to a breakfast every morning for good nutrition basics. Even if you are eating a bowl of cereal or you are enjoying a glass of juice, taking five minutes will encourage better eating habits.

Nutrition for your child's health

Healthy beginnings start with fruits, vegetables and good portions of meats. The food pyramid is going to be important in the early stages of life so that your child will learn to eat many types of foods, and not only the foods they like the taste and looks of. Giving your child many options in life will help them pick foods that are better for them in the long run. Healthy children are not going to eat burgers and fries for every meal, but they will have a well-rounded life with nutrition builders such as fruits, vegetables, meat, and variations of these builders.

Teaching good habits for your child's nutrition awareness will start with reading labels. Learn about what preservatives and additives are in some of the foods you are eating, and then talk about these with your child as they grow. Include foods that are all natural, or that contain very little preservatives for a solid start in their understanding of nutrition.

Be patient.

Don't try to force your children to eat if they refuse to finish their meal. By creating drama in the kitchen, you set a bad tone for the future. Kids will automatically think of mealtime as a negative experience and will only become more reluctant when it comes to eating. Be persistent by offering a variety of foods along with those you know they like. As new foods become familiar, your children will be more likely to try them.

* Remember, timing is everything. In the midst of a dinnertime showdown, children don't want to hear all of the reasons why they should eat the food sitting on their plate.

Original article

Why Physical Fitness Class Is Better Than Club/Membership Involvement for Students

As a future physical educator, I've learned the very importance of physical education while studying for my degree, but even more so with the involvement with my students. The truth of the matter is physical education class is vital to any student's success in the future. In the early grades we go over key motor skill and development tasks. As we progress through the grades, we target other more in depth skills, such as strategy and cooperative games, that incorporate these fundamental motor skills. This directly can be associated with our National Association of Sport and Physical Education standards, but more importantly teach students how to participate in a variety of skills. Other than these tasks, we also are able to associate physical fitness with fun and positive experiences, by offering our students a chance to expand in their imagination and creativity. These are also vital skills that teach students to come up with their own ideas and to adapt to different environments, as they will need to do these tasks on a daily basis. The physical education class is the only place that can allow such a dramatic and dynamic learning atmosphere.

The main reason clubs and other various programs do not and will not ever be able to fulfill the skills learned in our physical education class is because they are all based of specificity training. Specificity training is when clubs, memberships, etc. train children and adolescence to be particular good at one skill. For example, swimming memberships specifically would train students to only be proficient in in-water activities. However, it is common knowledge that a majority of physical fitness happens outside the water rather than in it. While I find the program to be of great value for those who want to go on to swim competitively, it does not teach the motor skills needed to even participate in swimming.

Let's say you were a student who joined the swim team in your area because your physical education class was terminated at the beginning of the year. Now that your program is cut, you need to attend swim practice after school three times a week for one hour. This means that homework along with dinner will have to wait or be rescheduled for a different time. You are also swimming around 20-50 laps during practice and learning the max of the four strokes available to swimmers. Now imagine that your physical education class was not terminated and is scheduled twice a week during your school day. After a given subject classes you go the gymnasium to find out this week and next you will be touching on your basketball skills with an instant activity and a scooter basketball tournament. The following two weeks your will be playing racket ball with again an instant activity, as well as, a mini round robin tournament. This example shows how there are multiple of other factors that go into students needing to attend an outside activity rather than a physical education class; for example, after school time taken away from valuable homework time and the fact that being involved in only one activity stiffens a student's skills and imagination. Also, it is imperative that as physical educator's we place emphasis on not only team sports, but also individual sports. Even back yard games such as Can Jam and Horse Shoes are games played at family and community events. If we do not teach these basic games to our students who will? Put yourself in our student's shoes with this example and examine which is truly better for accomplishing both these goals. The answer is physical education.

It is our duty as a physical education program to teach these skills to our students and associate them with positive memories. This will in turn allow students to be excited about physical fitness and be much more successful in the helping them continue to participate in physical fitness throughout their life. This is goal of not just the physical education class but expands throughout our community. As fitness is one of the essentials of life, it is one that is necessary to promote in our communities in a way that has value and success. The physical education classroom is our answer.

Original article

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Diet for Children

A plethora of information is on the internet, in magazines, on the radio and television about whether or not gluten and dairy products play a role in autistic behavior. Neurotransmitters and neuroreceptors in the stomach correspond with those in the brain - this information leads folks to believe that some kids will benefit from the diet. Current research looks at the influence of gluten and milk proteins in the intestinal function. Gluten is a protein in wheat; casein and whey are proteins in milk. Serious evidence needs to be obtained about the diet and the effects it has on each individual child.

Each child on the Autism Spectrum has a different chemical makeup, thereby, certain foods and vitamins affect each child differently. One child may respond well to the diet's vitamins, although for another, it may increase aggressive behavior. While others see an increase, over time, it steadily decreases; others may plateau to the point of the behavior entirely diminishing. Although some children do benefit from this diet, other children have significant changes in behavior or personality, and may even gain or lose weight. If you are thinking of putting your child on a diet or on vitamin therapy, consult with a nutritionist before starting therapy.

Many children have gastrointestinal problems such as constipation and diarrhea. One of the hallmark signs of Autism is rigidity - in routines, foods, activities, and transitions. For children, having a rigid diet is one of those routines that they do not want changed. Many of them do not get the needed nutrients from a variety of foods, therefore, they are not receiving the benefits intended with a well-rounded diet. Some children will only eat salty, crunchy foods, while others will only eat foods that are red and round. Whether these problems are linked to brain development is a question that is being researched.

Children with Autism also have a flavor for objects and items that are not foods - such as chemicals - glass cleaner, dusting spray, soap, lead paint, dirt, metal, etc. Something in their body is either lacking or missing altogether, which is why the body is seeking to replace what is lost. This is similar to you craving something salty, if your body is lacking salt, then you find yourself craving products such as condiments or meats high in salt. Does the diet eliminate this craving?

Vitamin therapies include combinations of Vitamin B and magnesium as they produce improved performance and attention, and decrease bad behaviors. Dramatic improvement occurs after a child is free from chemical additives and allergenic foods eliminated from the diet. Some diets are comprised of 50-75% raw foods (not including raw meats). No junk foods, sugar or white flour products are given, and only steam -distilled water is given to drink. Choline, DMG, magnesium plus calcium, vitamin B complex plus niacinamide, B3, B5, and Vitamin C are the most important supplements to help improve brain function and circulation to the brain. DMG is an oxygen carrier to the brain, important for normal brain and nervous system function.

There are other types of cleansing and fasting diets and treatments to rid the body of chemicals, but as always, please check with your doctor before starting any diet program. Remember - your DNA is much different than your Autistic son or daughter's DNA. What may not work for them, may work for you. Do not try their drugs or supplements, in the dosages their doctors prescribe for them. You trying their therapy and drugs is NOT an indication of how well the diet will work for them.

Julie Callicutt is the owner of Ferko Therapeutic Group, a company specializing in providing intensive rehabilitation therapy to children with disabilities, specifically those on the Autism Spectrum. Julie's services include 1:1 intensive therapy, coaching/mentoring of caregivers and making herself available to speak at local and national early childhood conferences. If you would like more information, please visit, http://www.ferkotherapy.com/.

Original article

Lose Weight Fast - Why Childhood Obesity Is Increasing

In the United States today, one of every three children is obese. This is the major health issue in that country. Obesity, especially in people so young, leads to early onset Diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, even in the adolescent years. It may be linked to some cancers. There are two reasons for this health issue, poor eating habits and lack of exercise.

Your child cannot lose weight fast until both of these deficiencies are corrected. However, that is harder than you think, because most of us crave unhealthy meals. We eat processed foods which are loaded with artificial colors, sugars and salt. Readymade dinners, breakfasts and lunches fill the freezer sections and shelves of most grocery stores as well as calorie dense deserts, snacks and concentrated fruit juices. Look at your grocery store, how much of it contains fresh produce, dairy and meat sections, in comparison to processed, canned and frozen foods?

Unhealthy foods are everywhere because they taste better and more convenient. There is hardly a store you walk into today which does not have candy and snacks near the checkout counter, including department stores, home improvement stores, even fabric stores and pet stores. There is a portion of fresh meats, dairy products and eggs contain certain amounts of chemicals fed to animals so they can produce more, grow faster, or stay healthier. These, according to recent studies, stimulate fat cell growth. Even plants can be injected with chemicals, rubbed with waxes, and given added colors. They can be picked before they are fully developed and then artificially ripened with gases on the way to market reducing their nutritional value. People say they can't afford organic foods and locally grown produce and meats. However, health is your most valuable possession so hold it tight and never let it go.

Furthermore, our kids are becoming sedentary, physical education programs have been shortened or cut, computer games and TV have taken the place of physical activities. Luckily, the newer games get kids active and moving. Still, in the 1960's kids watched an average of 5 hours of TV a week. Today, many watch that much a day.

Good habits start young. If you want your child to lose weight fast, be the parent with the touch love attitude. Stop buying the wrong foods, pack their lunches, talk to them about the importance of good eating habits and make exercise a part of their daily routine. Finally, kids imitate mom and dad, so follow your own advice. Exercise with them, and share healthy meals together. You may discover the house is a happier place, everyone sleeps better and doctor visits will be less often. You may even discover that you lose weight fast as well.

If your ready to melt and slash the fat off your body naturally, click on the link to lose weight fast at Fitness Watchers

Mike Derfasi holds a Masters degree in Food and Nutrition Science from Curtin University of Technology

Original article

The Importance Of Sports In A Child's Development

Games and sports are an opportunity for children to mingle with other kids and get some exercise. Children should not be deprived of outdoor play and should instead be encouraged to participate. Games and sports provide a more fulfilled childhood especially for those whose passion lies in sports. A child should be encouraged to pursue a game or sport that he or she loves in order to develop their self-confidence.

Building Relationships

Games and sports can help a child establish friendships. Being in a team and being friends with their teammates makes him feel accepted, which can eliminate their insecurities. The child is able to appreciate the value of friendship and he eventually learns to develop relationships elsewhere. Having friends teaches a child to share, communicate and cooperate whenever they needs to. They also learn to understand how people are different from one another and adapt to these differences. Children who participate in games and sports are also able to effectively communicate with other people.

Leadership Skills

The leadership skills of a child are better harnessed if he or she is given the chance to participate in groups or teams. Participating in games and sports teaches children to follow rules from a leader. Because children learn by example, they learn how to lead their own teams and apply their skills inside the classroom and in other occasions where leadership is needed.

Self-Confidence

Team sports expose a child to many people and allow them to experience many things. Exposure to people increases a child's self-confidence. They are able to use this newfound confidence in school and in dealing with other people.

Physical Fitness

Games and sports keep a child physically healthy while providing a form of recreation. This is especially true for those children who are part of teams that practice regularly. It becomes easier to maintain a regular exercise especially if the child meets their friends during practice. Coaches also encourage the children to maintain a healthy diet along with regular practices. Failure to maintain a healthy weight may result in elimination from the team, so children are motivated to do better and keep their bodies healthy.

Life Lessons

Studies show that games and sport help children keep a busy life, which prevents their involvement in drug addiction, sexual activities and alcoholism at a young age. Instead of engaging in these acts, children who participate in games and sport spend most of their time practicing, playing and hanging out with friends who have the same hobby.

Team sports teach a child that putting his best efforts is far more important than winning. At an early age, he is also taught how to respect other people-even their opponents. The child is then able to use these life lessons in the community, in the classroom and in other occasions.

Raising strong, active and healthy children in today's fast-paced and fast food environment gets harder and harder with each passing day. To get tips and ideas about child fitness, child health and child nutrition and learn how to keep your children healthy, strong and happy. At Concerning Kids, you will discover fun things to do that will help your healthy kids live longer, live stronger and lead a more fun, active and healthy lifestyle.

Original article

Teaching Fitness to Kids

Obesity is a problem not only for adults but for kids as well. Today more and more kids are becoming overweight and one major reason is because of technology.

Technology played a key role in making things simpler and more convenient for everyone, yet they also played a major role in reducing physical activities of children. Kids today would rather play video games, watch TV or DVDs, or surf the internet rather than play tag, go biking, play sports and so on. Without these physical activities, kids are at risk to become obese, even before they reach their puberty.

So what must be done?

The major responsibility of course would fall on the parents. It is their duty to encourage their kids to engage in physical activities instead of playing video games all day. One thing parents can do is to initiate the activity. There are a lot of activities that you can do with your kids that doesn't require any electronics or gadgets. Go to the park, teach them how to ride a bike, teach them sports, go swimming and so on.

If they're really persistent on playing video games, encourage them to play games that require physical movement. There are a lot of games that require physical movement, Wii for starters offer a variety of games that is physical but fun. You can also use TV and DVD to get them interested in sports or other physical activity by letting them watch how fun it is to do it.

Teaching kids how to exercise is also a good strategy. You can start teaching them basic and simple exercises that they can do when they wake up. This will also help your kids as they grow up as they will develop a good habit of physical fitness. It is never to early to teach kids how to exercise, there are lot of exercises that are simple, basic, easy to follow and not very strenuous. You just have to teach the kids how to properly perform the exercise and remind them to avoid straining themselves too much.

Obesity among kids is a growing concern and cannot be overlooked. The lack of physical activity is a major factor that contributes to obesity and it can be solved with the proper guidance and encouragement from parents. One way to solve the problem is to teach kids to do basic, simple and easy-to-follow exercises.

My name Zero Carter is I'm an internet marketer who enjoys doing research online.

Do you find the article useful? You can learn more about weight problems with kids in http://healthandfitnessforkids.blogspot.com/

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Easy Tricks to Get Kids Exercising and Loving It!

Physical activity is equally important for both kids and adults if they want to lose weight or maintain it. A majority of kids spend more than 20 hours per week watching TV, surfing internet or playing video games which leaves no room for physical activity. And even though you give them a chance to do some physical activity, they often avoid it because it does not trigger their interest. So the best thing to do is include some of their favorite things in simple activities and it will sooner rather than later get your kids off the couch. For example, your kids will be exercising as well as loving the activity by just following some of these tips!

Taking the Dog for a walk: Kids love pets! A good way to turn this love for pets into a physical activity is to get them a dog. Prior to getting them the dog, make a deal with them that it's their responsibility to take it on walks. You can add more fun to this activity by getting them a Frisbee, which will keep them involved in training the dog and meanwhile they're burning calories.
Add Allowance: If your kids are into earning their allowance. Then it's your best bet to convert this allowance earning into a physical activity. Give them allowance for performing chores that require physical work, such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves, or even a car wash! What persuades kids is the outcome of the activity, and when the outcome is monetary or something tangible, then they are sure to love the activity and perform it every now and then.
Lead by Example: Kids usually learn from their elders, and try to relate to their older family members. So if you are a parent and are into fitness chances are that your kid will also turn out to be a fitness conscious person. What you could do is to indulge them in your activities. Like when you go for a walk in the evening take your kid with you, and on the way you can both chat about school stories or what happened in the day. It will make your parent-child bond grow, and the kids will enjoy the walk.
Amusement Parks and Zoo: If you have an amusement park or even regular parks in your neighborhood then take your kids daily in the evening to play and mingle with kids of their own age. This will give them a chance to be both socially and physically active. Also, frequent trips to the zoo will definitely keep the kids moving!
Just Dance: Turn on the music and shake your body! Dancing is one of the most enjoyable and fascinating ways to burn calories. Get your kids to join you and make it a family dance, it does not need to be any specific kind of dance. Just let the kids enjoy it! As long as they keep moving your mission is being accomplished.

Children have very active minds, and this is the phase of life where you can turn them into a couch potato or a fitness fanatic. Parents can make all the difference in how they can be. Remember there are tons of other ways to get your child active that ride the line of fitness and leisure. So be creative, and most of all, have fun!

Wendy Ida, 59 years young, Fitness Coach & Best-Selling Author of Take Back Your Life! My No Non Sense Approach to Health, Fitness & Looking Good Naked!

No matter what your age, it's not too late to take charge. Wendy Ida provides the motivation and education to make health and fitness a priority - and enables you to put this life-changing decision into practice.

Tap into Wendy's wealth of knowledge and inspiration through her Personal Fitness Training, Media Events, Health Seminars, Guest Speaking and Topical Articles at http://wendyidafitness.com/

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Steps That You Can Take to Help an Overweight Child

Today, it is a fact that the percentage of people in America who are overweight and those who are suffering from eating disorders is rapidly on the rise and the sad thing is that many of these people are our children. There are many parents who are totally shocked when they witness their children eating large amounts of food and when they begin to put on extra pounds, they put the hammer down on them to shed the excess weight. Most kids are naïve about the food choices that they make, so as a parent it is our responsibility to teach our children the importance of healthy eating instead of criticizing them about what they eat all of the time.

If you are the parent of an overweight child there is no need to panic because there are ways to encourage your child to lose those extra pounds while at the same time not getting into a confrontation with them all of the time.

The first thing that you need to remember is to choose your words carefully when you talk to your children about their eating habits as harsh words can often have long-term effects on your child's health. If you are constantly harping or nagging at them about their eating, this can cause them to suppress their emotions and keep them inside and this is not a good thing for their well-being. The best thing that you can do is to set a good example for them. If you want them to eat certain foods such as vegetables, make sure that you enjoy them also because it will be a lot easier to develop good eating habits in your children if you possess them yourself.

You need to keep in mind that your overall goal is not a strict diet, but a healthier lifestyle for your child. The key to success is to properly educate your child on healthy food choices and you do this by making smart food choices for yourself in front of your children. If your child constantly sees you scoffing up candy bars or eating a gallon of ice cream and then you scold them for having an extra piece of cake, they will become frustrated and may decide not to listen to your advice any longer. Make sure that you also teach them the importance of proper daily nutrition and the best time to do this is not at the dinner table where they may feel pressured, but at a place where they feel relaxed.

Do not force your child to exercise. Instead encourage them to participate in things with you know that you know they enjoy and this way you can get them moving. Invite them on a walk or challenge them to a one on one game of basketball or ask them to take a bike ride with you and these are all good forms of exercise. If your child is sensitive about showing their body, choose activities that avoid this.

Try to get your child involved with playing with other children in your neighborhood. This is difficult for some kids especially if they have been picked on by others because of their weight. Some kids are too embarrassed to play with other kids and this is a big issue for them and you need to be respectful of this. If they are able to play with others, this is a great way to build up their self-esteem and they will respect you for doing this.

Last of all make sure that you do not force your child to eat less because your child will not appreciate you constantly keeping at and hovering over them. There are a lot of children who turn to eating for comfort at a very young age and this is not a healthy thing for them. The key is to try to provide them with healthy alternatives that will be better for them. Instead of eating potato chips, offer them popcorn and when they are craving soda, offer them a fruit drink or smoothie.

Dealing with your child's weight problem will prove to be a challenge, but when you approach it in a friendly way, your child will be much more open to the idea and you can work together with them to hopefully solve the weight problem once and for all.

I hope that you enjoyed this article and if you would like some great free information on eating healthy, please visit my web site where you will find some great tips to help you live a long and healthy life.

I am a 54 year old retired mill worker from Northern Maine. I am happily married with 3 wonderful boys. My main interests are my family and God. I own a eating healthy web site with great tips and information that is designed to help you live a healthier and longer life.

http://eatinghealthyhub.com/

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Childhood Obesity Part 2

This is part 2 of the 2 part article discussing childhood obesity. In this part I will discuss how children are the victims of marketing and how parents can become their children's role model.

The next time you find your son or daughter parked in front of the TV watching the same cartoon you've heard a thousand times but have never seen, stop and watch. Sit down with your kid and pay close attention to the commercials. They are designed to instruct your child to bug you for the newest toy or snack. There is actually a snack that you can temporarily tattoo your tongue with!

The marketing of processed fatty fast food is hard to resist. With the huge portion sizes and the toys and cartoon character that are in a kids face 8 hours a day on 10 different cartoon channels. Who can expect a child to resist. And the convenience, that is what sells the parents. After being at work for the last 8-10 hours, the last thing Mom or Dad want to do is cook dinner. So on the way home we pick up some burgers and fries for dinner. The kids, again, have no choice. The parents are the direct line to the fatty, sugary, salty mess that is fast food.

As much as I would like to blame "Big Business" for our children's weight problem, the truth is parents are to blame. We have the power to say NO to bad food and YES to walking and jumping and playing. I realize there may be some genetic issues which may lead to obesity like slow metabolism or a thyroid problem but for the most part diet and lack of exercise is to blame I have read a lot of articles on childhood obesity and few of them spent more than a sentence talking about genetics. Mostly it's the example set forth by the parents that causes childhood obesity. If parents are not home when the child comes home from school, children tend to over consume fatty, sweet and salty snacks. If the parents do not exercise than the child probably won't exercise either.

Parental influence, I believe, is the top reason children become fat or obese. The influence a parent has on a child can not be understated. Even from birth the choices made by parents may influence if a child becomes fat or not. Some studies have shown that breast feeding is better for a child than bottle feeding. The thought being that a breast fed baby stops eating when they are satisfied whereas a bottle fed baby is encouraged to drink the whole bottle. Other studies have indicated that breast fed babies are introduced to multiple flavors influenced by the mother's diet. Bottle fed babies are exposed only to the flavor of the formula. Also the availability of fruits and vegetables early in their life predisposes them to acceptance of fruits and vegetables as school children.

Children do not shop, parents do. The parents decide what types of food will be in the house and available for the child to eat. If the child is home unsupervised, what choice does the child have but to snack on chips and cookies found in the pantry.

There are new programs and ad campaigns directed at the childhood obesity epidemic. The First Lady, Michelle Obama, has begun the "Let's Move" campaign aimed at helping kids make healthy choices. Due to all the reasons specified in this article, The First Lady recommends giving parents the knowledge to make healthy food choices for their family, provide healthy foods in schools and helping kids become more active. But like all programs aimed at helping, there is a group which does not approve of The First Lady's "Let's Move" campaign. Those against Mrs. Obama's campaign is the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). This group believes the "Let's Move" campaign singles out fat and obese kids as unhealthy and will bring undo ridicule on them. Therefore the "Let's Move" campaign should educate everyone, of all sizes, to lead a healthy life style. NAAFA believes you can be heavy and be healthy. NAAFA is a civil rights organization not a health organization. You can visit their web site at http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/.

Another campaign that NAAFA is against is a public service campaign is Georgia. This new campaign is drawing controversy for how it depicts fat children. The first phase of the campaign can viewed here http://www.healthhabits.ca/2012/01/03/stop-sugarcoating-childhood-obesity/. The campaign is meant to be a three phase public service announcement. Phase 1 is meant to attract attention, which it is doing. Phase 2 will educate parents that there are ways to prevent and reverse childhood obesity. Phase 3 will offer support and tools to battle obesity.

Ray Antonacci, http://www.oururgentcare.com/,
Make Our Urgent Care, Your Urgent Care.
Visit us at the above link or if your in our area visit us for your urgent care needs.

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Childhood Obesity a Growing Problem

Childhood Obesity is an increasing problem for minorities. To help your child, here are suggestions:

1. Work at being healthy yourself. Remember: experts say that a child who lives in the house with two obese parents has an 80 % percent risk of becoming overweight, and if he or she has only one parent who is obese, the risk is 70%. The risk drops to 7% if both parents are normal weight.

2. Cook at home. The more families eat at fast food restaurants, the greater the risk of being overweight.

3. Give up the soft drinks. They are high in calories and loaded with sugar.

4. Substitute healthy snacks for chips, cupcakes and other fattening, salty foods you buy for kids.

5. Buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. If you can't get the freshest vegetables, move to frozen vegetables.

6. Reduce the amount of fatty meats you buy and cook.

7. Cut back on fried foods, such as chicken and fish. Those 'french fries', that children and adults love from the many fast food stores that crowd some communities, help to clog up the arteries and pack on the weight.

8. Control food portions. The portion sizes of meals has tripled. We are eating more food than we need. No need for seconds and thirds.

9. Get everybody moving. Turn off the television, go for walks, or go to the community center or Y to exercise.

10. Be an Advocate:

- At your child's school, push for outdoor recess, gym classes, and after-school athletics.

- Ask your administrators about replacing soda and candy with healthy water, fruits and snacks

- Tell your public officials that you want more safe places for kids to play in your area, and

- Support Farmer's Markets that help to provide fresh, affordable and accessible food to your community.

Increasing Prevalence of Obesity in U.S. Population

The percent of U.S. adults with obesity increased in White, Hispanic, and African American U.S. populations, but most strikingly, among African Americans between 1988 and 1994, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The best approach to overweight and obesity prevention is to:

- Start early and be consistent in promoting and facilitating healthy eating and regular physical activity for both children and teens.

- However, to accomplish this, or recommend it to others, one must first understand and appreciate the context and environment in which the effort will be, or is being, made.

Dr. Goodwin earned her B.S. degree from Virginia State University and her M.D. degree from the Medical College of Virginia.

Dr. Goodwin is President and Editor-in-Chief of http://healthpowerforminorities.com/

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How Parents Can Provide Motivation To Teen Weight Loss

Carrying around too much weight at any age can be troublesome, but it is particularly so for parents who have to deal with child obesity. Parents love their children and only want the best for them, but teen weight loss carries with it a two-edged sword. While wanting to help your child make better food choices and become more active to work off those calories, if you tell them that they need to lose a few pounds it could lead them to feeling even worse about themselves.

No parent wants to do that so it does take some real strategy in order to motivate your child to do what is best for them. This is particularly true because being overweight, even at a young age means that those same kids are at greater risk for developing some serious health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and asthma. Child obesity can also lead to some emotional disorders that are often directly related to being excluded from activities and teased by peers. All of this can mean lower self-esteem, depression and negative body image.

Understanding some of the causes of child obesity is one of the best tools that parents can have in their arsenal of tools to help them to provide motivation for teen weight loss. It helps to understand that obesity, whether it is the child or adult, in most cases is caused by lack of exercise and eating too much and eating the wrong kinds of foods. Here are some factors that contribute to the phenomenon.

• Families are so busy that they eat out more often and cook at home less.

• Junk food and fast foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value are cheap and easy to access.

• Kids today are spending more time in front of televisions, computers and playing video games and less time outdoors playing.

• Physical education programs and outdoors activities are being eliminated from many schools.

Healthy habits should begin at home because parents have the most influence on their children from an early age. Child obesity can be prevented or fought against best when the entire family gets involved in getting and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Helping children to make better choices in the foods they eat must begin at the family table. As the whole family gets involved, the task of teen weight loss becomes easier and the changes that take place are more likely to be long-lasting.

Here is how you can motivate your child if she or he is obese and continue to fight child obesity. Remember, you are the best example your child has, so make the most of it.

• Watch what you are eating: Let your child know about the healthy food you like to eat at the time you are eating it. You could draw attention to the food on your plate by saying, "I love eating broccoli covered in garlic sauce, it tastes so good. Do you want a taste?"

• Watch what you cook: When you cook healthy meals for your family you are fighting child obesity. You can even give your child some cooking tasks that are age-appropriate to help them become more enthusiastic about eating more wisely.

• Get up and move: You should be demonstrating to your child the benefits of exercise by inviting them to exercise with you, even if it is a walk around the block or dancing at home.

• Free time activities: Teen weight loss can be encouraged by avoiding sedentary activities yourself. Spend less time in front of the TV and more time in activities that your kids can enjoy too.

Motivating your kids through your own example is the best way to combat child obesity.

Theresa de Jesus is a health and wellness coach. She is passionate in helping kids challenged by overweight or obesity to create a healthy, active and fun lifestyle. Get your FREE weight loss booster newsletter and learn how you can lose weight the healthy way without feeling deprived. http://weightlossbooster.teenhealthfitnesscoach.com/

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