The number of obese (overweight) children in the U.S. has jumped significantly in the past decade. A significant array of obesity-linked diseases has placed obesity among the major health problems. An example is the sharp rise in what was termed “adult-onset diabetes,” or type II, in children! Reported at a recent meeting of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was the alarming increase of diabetes linked to obesity in children. U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher called childhood obesity a “current epidemic.” The National Center for Health reported that one in five children in the U.S. are overweight. Studies show that 70% of these children end up as obese adults. Overweight children tend to have high-normal (at best) blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood fats. William Dietz, director of a Centers for Disease Control Nutrition Division, was puzzled when recently commenting on the increase in obesity among children, since the percentage of fat in the American diet dropped over 40% in the past 15 years. To those of us in the alternative/complementary medicine camp this is not a wonder at all! While the establishment guidelines (food pyramid) advised no-fat/low-fat, lots of carbohydrates (bread, pasta, starchy grains, etc.), the children got fatter! And sicker. The dietary paradigm was wrong, and we naturopaths knew it all along. As is now revealed – eggs are good, white bleached wheat is not!
Rebuilding a Healthier Plate
Reverse the obesity trend by reversing the average medical/dietician/government advice – instead of leaving out fat, consume healthy essential oils (olive oil, flax oil, fish oil), use lean protein (fish, eggs, tofu) and complex carbohydrates (brown rice, vegetables, salad – especially raw). Leave out the white bleached stuff – mezonos rolls, pizza, challah, white rice, pasta, and white sugar! Yes, stop the sugar! The average American child consumes about 100 pounds of sugar annually. There are about 6 teaspoons of sugar in a bottle of Snapple, 10 in a can of Coke. High blood sugar inhibits white blood cell activity, thereby weakening the immune system. Sugar inhibits vitamin C absorption. Refined sugar causes hypoglycemia, syndrome X and diabetes. Also eliminate the especially harmful trans or hydrogenated artificial fats that clog our cell membranes for years. Again, the establishment replaced natural oils with fake chemical ones, starting with margarine and now found in most store-bought baked goods – cookies, pretzels, etc.
Why Family Habits Matter Most
If we don’t care enough about our own health, we must start caring about our children’s health. Due to multiple factors such as the advent of frozen foods, microwave ovens, more single-parent homes and many more homes where both parents are out working, our kids have to make their own choices in diet. We allow them too much time in front of TV, video or computer screens. We should be maintaining regular exercise schedules with our spouses and children, and allow only healthy food and drink in our homes.
Let us rise to the occasion and be a global example – a healthy people, far lower in percentage of obesity and its related illnesses than the average westernized Americans.