Kids and nutrition

Today I feel like are kids have become targets for the media selling crap food at a high price. And I'm not talking strictly monetary, but their lives in the end. They are obese by the age of 13 and subject to humility, although the public in general is becoming obese which in the end will be the norm.
There are two major challenges. One, our school system is set up to operate self-supporting lunch programs, which means they must "sell" food to kids in order to supply lunches in the long term. Because kids aren't standing in line to buy nutrient dense salads, the schools are almost forced to sell the fast foods the kids have become conditioned to opt for. A single Burger King meal(double whopper w/cheese, large fries, chocolate shake) contains as many calories as most children will burn in a day! The schools actually contribute to the association between "meal" and "junk."

A study conducted by Agricultural Research Services and Harvard University scientists showed U.S. children who ate fast food, compared with those who did not, consumed more total calories, more calories per gram of food, more fat, more refined carbohydrates, and more sugar. They also ate less fiber, fewer antioxidants, and fewer valuable micro nutrients. Childhood intake of fast foods increased five fold since the 1970's.

The second challenge is the marketing of sugar and caffeine, both addictive. Mountain Dew sponsors "Extreme Sports" and skateboard competitions. They sell their new "Amp" product, which is sugar and caffeine, to kids creating an early addiction and a long term struggle with managing blood sugar. There's a new line of candy called "Wired Candy" geared toward children. The new sports drinks are loaded with sugar and caffeine.

I've conducted seminars where teachers and parents asked "is caffeine really bad?" "Bad" is a relative term, and because coffee is so prevalent in our society, people tend to believe caffeine is perfectly OK....even for kids. Here's a small dose of reality. Caffeine is Addictive. Caffeinated soft drink intake among teenage boys tripled between 1978 and 1994. Children and teens drink more than 64 million gallons of soda per year. Caffeine withdrawal interrupts cognition. Caffeine and phosphoric acid(provides carbonation in soda) hinder the absorption of calcium and can leach calcium from bone. Caffeine intake among teenage girls closely correlates with increases in bone density concerns among women under 30.

Of course, the fact that exercise and activity are minimized complicates the challenge. Another complication lies in the fact that their parents have been raised in a "diet" mentality, erroneously believing obesity is reversed through starvation. Children need protein for cell growth, minerals for bone health, essential fats for hormonal development, and complex carbs for fuel. A "diet" can do more harm than good.

The trick lies in educating children as to being at their "best." I've done many seminars at schools and early on I was amazed by how interested kids were in eating right...if they were taught it can lead to bigger muscles, bodies like their favorite movie stars(without an obsession toward perfection), and greater performance in everything they do. They may not welcome veggies with open arms, but teach them the virtues of making better choices and a little at a time they become empowered not only to improve their health, but also to educate their parents! A great book I think you would enjoy in helping with this matter is called: Weight Control for a Young America: Happy Healthy Kids Who Eat Right from Wrong by Keith Klein.