I am sure that we all know about the gradual change in weight over the past 20 years and how it has effected the health of our world but has anyone considered the kids?
Sodas, over sweetened fruit drinks, over processed meats and breads, fast food on every corner, bad eating habits.
Well I may be exaggerating to some, but lets face it, our country has really taken advantage of the food at our finger tips rather than weigh the good vs the bad.
According to the "OnLINE - International News Network" one underlying issue is soda. Yes! soda is bad! DUH! in fact it contained the addictive drug - Cocaine at one point in history.
Why don't our kids realize this!!(or Parents)
Another article from Reuters - "Nature tops nurture in childhood obesity: study" comes to the conclusion that genes can also play a role and its not always the parents fault that the kids are getting fat... but if they have obesity in the family, perhaps a healthy lifestyle can provide the right foundation. Yes this is true.
From the above article at Reuters...
"The World Health Organization classifies around 400 million people worldwide as obese, including 200 million children under the age of five."
UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE!? When did we start to neglect the 5 year old's? I love kids but its sad to see them overweight. (don't get me started with malnourished kids)
You may want to note that the WHO Site is very informative on this topic and provides info like, COUNTRY SPECIFIC statistics, additional publications and even GLOBAL STRATEGIES!....its a good site to check out
Well with all that being said, I believe our world (not only the US) relies heavily on habits. Habits like getting out of bed, brushing our teeth and going to school are one thing but this problem goes deeper. Kids today seem to be stuck in habits of Television, Video Games, Computers, and yes even FOOD.
Why do they develop these habits?
We love to be comfortable, in fact we are creatures of comfort. Once we fall into a rhythm for our day, its sets the mood for the coming days and its either a good or bad scenario.
In my opinion, in order to allow the kids to develop, we need to attack the source; Adults.
I truly believe that adults get into habits and these become instilled into our kids conscience, for a life time. It may depression, anxiety, happiness, silliness, grief or guilt to name a few.
It is truly a 2 way road for everyone.
What do you think?
maybe if it were socially acceptable to discriminate against fat kids, or maybe just make fun of them, 5000 years ago fat people got eaten by lions, we need to introduce natural selection back into the picture, bodies a temple.
Yea, but discrimination won't help the problem some kids face. in fact it could increase the problem 10 fold. Its like your trying solve the problem with the source of the issue.
Be the change you wish to see in the world! - Ghandi
well ghandi definitely didn't suffer from excess weight.
But more to the point, have you ever seen the book "Hungry Planet?" It's a photojournalistic look at what people the world over eat. The photographers found families that represent the average for countries around the world and took pictures of the family and all the food they buy, grow, or forage for a week's consumption. It really gives a graphic picture of why America has an obesity problem. Our food doesn't even look like food--it all comes in boxes and bags and is processed into some completely different form--and we eat way too much of it!
Check it out sometime. Judging by your blog, it seems like something that may interest you.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
it's partially laziness. It's much easier for me to order a pizza or pick up McDonalds than it is for me to grow some veggies, bake some bread, and make a healthy meal. I have the means to do so, but luckily I also have the knowledge to not do so. Not everyone is wise or strong enough to overcome the laziness.
F*** Religion. Read more here:
http://www.progressiveu.org/020528-f-religion