Obesity

Effective Ways to Fight Obesity

Obesity is a topic of which we are hearing a lot more lately. It seems like we cannot turn on the news without hearing how obesity is on the rise and how our teens are the fastest growing segment of obese people in our society. Unfortunately these reports are all too true and our children are the ones who are going to suffer the consequences of being overweight in the long run.

Obesity rates have risen with our increased consumption of junk foods and unhealthy snacks. Many two-income families do not have the time to prepare well-balanced meals any more - our lives have become too rushed. So, more and more parents turn to the fast food solution - either brining meals home from restaurants or turning to prepared foods as a quick fix. Alas, such meals, while tasty, are loaded with sugars, fats and preservatives and are sadly lacking in any of the essential vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need. Add to this poor diet a shocking lack of exercise and you have the recipe for overweight teens.

Obesity is not only bad for a child's self image but it is also detrimental to their health. In recent years more paediatric doctors are seeing hypertension in teens as young as thirteen. Hypertension was, until now, a disease confined to middle age; not so anymore. Most teens with hyper tension will be able to control their life-threatening disease with a proper balance of good food and exercise, while others need medication to alleviate the symptoms of this deadly disease. Another debilitating disease that is on the rise thanks to obesity is type 2 diabetes.

The best way to prevent obesity is to prepare healthy, well-balanced meals at home and to insist that your child get adequate exercise. Get the whole family involved in making the right lifestyle choices - go for walks or bike rides together, join a sports team and encourage your child to make healthy choices. Creating a healthy environment will teach children healthy habits for a lifetime and instil the merits of a good diet and exercise, which they in turn will pass on to the next generation. Together we can eliminate obesity entirely.