Children are our future…
Brian April 8th, 2009
Well, let’s hope not. If you have been to a mall, fair or even a playground lately you have probably noticed that tiny Tim isn’t so tiny anymore. Parents should be most alarmed, but so should the rest of society. These obese children will become obese adults, which puts a burden on our health care system and raises the cost of care for everyone.
The obesity rate in our country is staggering and what is even more alarming is the rate amongst children and teens. Our forefathers ate sausage and eggs for breakfast and steak and potatoes for dinner. Why weren’t they walking around with a muffin top? It is because they weren’t eating simple, refined carbohydrates and processed fats. Aside from socioeconomic reasons, obesity rates have climbed exponentially because of a lack of exercise and the consumption of too many calories from processed foods.
In the 1970′s two recently developed food additives became ubiquitous in processed and fast foods: high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and palm kernel oil. Pick up any packaged snack food and you will see these two ingredients listed. HFCS was created as a cheaper, stable substitute for sugar. Now, HFCS is so ubiquitous that it would be hard to find many products without it. The litany of health problems associated with this compound are too long to list. Do a google search for high fructose corn syrup and see what this garbage can do to you.
The best meal plan is one which limits processed foods and includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean sources of protein. I know, you have heard this ad nauseam. Most people have busy, on the go lives which they believe precludes eating healthy. Go back to some of my other blogs and read about how to eat healthy on the go. Check out the links below for some food for thought.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123904983350094249.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/sep/28/foodanddrink.shopping
http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-0618380604-5?&PID=25450
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In Health,
Brian