Western Diets And Childhood Obesity
Honestly, I don’t like fastfoods. I hate the smell of the restaurants and the haphazard way the food is prepared. But I still go there every now and then. Why? Simply because it’s comparatively cheap and convenient. A few years ago, if someone told me I’m harming my health by eating burger and fries, I would probably have given it a minute’s consideration and go eat anyway.
That perspective changed when I became pregnant. After my son was born, I suddenly became conscious of what is served on the table and trips to the fastfood joint were kept to a bare minimum. Chips, if there is at all in the household, are kept out of sight, and we rarely buy sweets. Sodas are a treat, and my son only gets them only on special occassions.
Why the about-turn? One word: Obesity. According to the National Institutes of Health, the number of children who are overweight in the United States has doubled during the past three decades. Currently one child in five is overweight, and type 2 diabetes is now occuring in increasing numbers in children.
What’s the big deal?
Overweight children tend to become overweight adults, which also puts them at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Children who are obese also are socially ostracized and teased, putting them at risk for depression and other psychiatric conditions [snip].
Children cannot be held responsible for what they eat. For children to eat right and develop healthy habits, the responsibility lie on us adults. If you won’t make the right food choices for yourself, would you make it for the sake of your child? It’s not easy, I know. For me, it’s a daily struggle to think of healthy meals and resist the lure of convenience food. But in the long term, I think it’s worth the effort. Our children deserve it.
For further reading, see a feature report from UCSF researchers discussing how high-calorie, low-fiber Western diets promote hormonal imbalances that may lead to pediatric obesity.
I also came across a book in Amazon that seems to be well-recommended: Superimmunity for Kids : What to Feed Your Children to Keep Them Healthy Now, and Prevent Disease in Their Future. I don’t have a copy, but based on the customer reviews and for less than $12, I think it may be a good buy.
