Why is obesity so prevalent?
August 9th, 2010 - 2:19 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Aug 9 (ANI): Despite fad diets and ‘fat-free’ healthy foods, why is the world in the grip of an obesity epidemic?
Quattrin, who is testing an innovative program for preventing and treating obesity in children aged 2 to 5, has now offered her expert opinion.
Why have obesity rates increased so much over the past several decades?
Quattrin: People are eating more, and eating less healthy food high in calories. There are children who eat a whole carton of strawberries, and their parents think that’s OK.
But too much healthy food can contribute to the problem, too. Extra calories, along with low physical activity, lead to obesity–especially in people with a predisposition to developing the disease, and certainly in kids whose parents are obese.
What are some simple steps children and families can take to prevent obesity?
Quattrin: Parents should educate themselves by finding out their children’s body mass index, and their own. Young children who don’t look overweight may still be obese.
If the home environment is such that the refrigerator and pantry are full of junk food instead of fruits and vegetables, the child grows up feeling that’s the way he or she should eat.
Park a little further away from the supermarket. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk to the store or a friend’s house. These are simple steps that can ameliorate and prevent problems. (ANI)
- Whole Kids foundation to focus on childhood health - Jul 28, 2011
- Delhi school kids to form human chain against junk food - Dec 17, 2011
- Government mulls curbs on junk food in schools - Jul 18, 2011
- Kids know which brands deliver what they want: salt, sugar and fat - Jan 26, 2011
- Junk food lowering Delhi girls' puberty age: Doctors - Nov 01, 2011
- Junk food: High Court seeks guidelines - Jan 11, 2012
- Addicts cut down on junk food after calorie labelling - Jul 27, 2011
- Teens growing addicted to junk food - Jul 29, 2011
- Kids sharing family meals less likely to binge - May 02, 2011
- Court to centre: ban junk food from school, college canteens - Oct 05, 2011
- Eat quality food to lose weight - Jun 23, 2011
- Don't reward your kids with sweets - Mar 01, 2011
- Do Chemical Compositions Cause Junk Food Addictions? - Mar 30, 2010
- Obesity on rise in school children: Study - Nov 12, 2011
- Study: Calorie labels don't affect kids food choices - Feb 16, 2011
Tags: body mass index, calories, carton, elevator, fad diets, free healthy foods, fruits and vegetables, healthy food, home environment, junk food, obesity epidemic, obesity in children, obesity rates, overweight, pantry, physical activity, predisposition, refrigerator, simple steps, strawberries