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childhood obesity united states
school nutrition in schools assignment
nutrition at schools
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Physicians and researchers did numerous studies on children’s habits and lifestyles as an important part of society. Nowadays, children face big problems with obesity. As a result, researchers have learned that healthy habits could have a profound impact on the future of every child and get a better understanding of how children perceive healthy eating. Researchers have proved and would like to emphasize that obesity has tripled in Canadian children in recent decades. For this reason, researchers have identified that healthy behaviors have numerous benefits. By making healthy food choices and explaining the nutritional value of various foods to children will improve the lifestyle of every child and make children’s health better. After a large quantity of interviews that were used to collect data on what food children prefer to eat and why it was discovered that they have bad eating habits and lifestyle. Researchers have found that only 75% of children understood healthy eating by identifying what is healthy food and what is junk food. Almost all children have mentioned eating fruits and vegetables. Findings suggested that children had previously heard or thought about these topics. As a result, these findings were used to improve unhealthy lifestyles and to give many useful instructions about healthy food choices to parents. Researchers suggest expanding children’s knowledge about food and dietary behaviors, and also develop a better understanding about children’s healthy lifestyles. (Protudjer, L. 2010).
Introduction
To have healthy children is the goal of every parent in the world.
In a world where fast food is quickly becoming popular, it has become more difficult to control our children’s eating habits. More and more chil...
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... are important for their health and lifestyle.
Recommendations
The best nutrition instructions to keep a child healthy and help him/her maintain healthy eating habits throughout the life include the following:
Eat a variety of healthy food: vegetables, fruits, grain products, fish, and meat
Balance the food a child eats with physical activity
Choose food low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt
Choose food that provides enough calcium and iron, vitamins and minerals, which promotes the body and brain development
Besides all recommendations, the process of transition to a healthy food habits is one of the most effective ways to help children to maintain healthy eating habits. It is impossible to force them to eat healthy food if we do not follow the same requirement. Choosing a healthy lifestyle has to be a role model for all family members.
It is apparent that living an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as eating poorly, negatively affects one’s health. From a young age it is quickly learned which foods are considered healthful as opposed to junk food. It is a parents responsibility to supervise the intake of their child's food, however there is a higher risk than ever before of childhood obesity.
Americans eat entirely too much. And the foods we are consuming are not at all healthy, they contain excessive amounts of salt, sugar, saturated fat, carbohydrates, etc. This over eating is not only a severe problem in the adult population but also in America’s children as well. Results from a study performed by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that 1 to 2 year olds get 30 percent more of the 950 calories they require a day. It has also been found that another contributing factor to most children’s bad eating habits is the fact that they either rarely or never consume vegetables and fruit. Besides the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables children are consuming large amounts of sugar. Wether it be in candy or desserts, soda or sugary fruit juices children are beginning to consume these at very early ages. Results from another study performed by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that infants are drinking soda out of baby bottles as early as 7 months of age. In response to these disturbing facts Parents magazine published the preceding article. It outlines 10 steps that can be taken to
Parents and caregivers have a lot of influence in the children’s life because of their concern and responsibilities for their wellbeing. Parents play at specific role in preventing their children from eating unhealthy meals. Although, parents and caregivers can help promote a healthy life style by improving nutrition meals and snack and engage their children’s in physical activity.
Conclusion: Childhood obesity is an ongoing battle in the 21st century, but is slowing getting better. If high schools changed their diet plan and made more healthy choice for lunch, it would teach students to make the healthier choice. Having a healthy diet benefits students in all the right ways to feeling good about themselves to being able to focus longer and do better in school. If America wants to have a bright future then the high sodium and fat meals need to be changed in order to have an attentive future. Diet is everything and affects every part of our lives and young student’s lives as well. Changing the diet would be and is worth it. The parents need to talk to their children and teach through example what it means to live a healthy life style so they can follow in their footsteps. Students need to learn the healthy choices to do better in school.
... and exercising regularly. Parents should limit the amount of fast food that their child is consuming. Parents don’t have to completely get rid of fast food, but they should limit going out to eat to once a month. Parents should pack their child’s lunch containing all the main food groups and pack some snacks so they can eat that throughout the day instead of buying snacks for the vending machines. Parents should limit TV and computer time and instead gather the whole family to play outside for at least an hour. Parents should enforce a healthier lifestyle at home so that obesity could be avoided. What children learn at home about eating healthy, exercising and making the right nutritional choices will have an impact on them and affect other aspects later on in life. Focusing on these causes may decrease childhood obesity and lead to a healthier society as a whole.
In summary, parents and schools have the biggest impact on a child’s nutritional choices in many different ways. Parents must be a model for their children and show them how to make good choices in regards to food. Elementary and middle school is where children continue to grow and learn about nutrition. High schoolers display set-in-stone eating habits. However, there is always room to learn and improve. In adulthood, the best way to prevent nutritional diseases such as heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cancer is by simply continuing good eating and exercise habits.
Looking around, candy, soda water and junk food are in the hands of fellow classmates. Simply walking down the street countless unhealthy food advertisement are seen and influence our choices as they are intended to do. In America, one in three children, about 22 million children, are obese or overweight, and that number is only rising. The government must aid in the fight against childhood obesity and reform the influence of unhealthy food in children’s lives, increase the availability of beneficial foods, mandate physical education, and inform our children of healthy habits.
During the adolescence, the body requires a considerable amount of nutrients to develop and grow. An optimal diet is critical to achieve potential growth. Failure to consume adequate nutrients could delay maturation or slow body growth and development.
Childhood obesity has been a growing epidemic in the United States. According to a survey done by the National Health and Nutrition Examination in 2009-2010, it shows 32% of children and teens from ages 2 to 19 are overweight. Obesity is linked to many health risks such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and overall lower life expectancy. Researchers have developed solutions to deal with the prevention of child obesity, for a healthy individual and also making society healthier as a whole. A popular idea practiced by researchers is focusing on the root of the childhood obesity. In other words, family influence is a major contribution to child obesity. What children learn at home about eating healthy, being active and making the right choices for healthy ways can also blend into their lifestyle.
Kids are not getting enough nutrition during their lunch because of the poor food choices served in schools. Perhaps, kids choose poor foods because over $4.6 billion dollars is spent marketing those foods to them (Children and Fast Food). The school lunch foods contain high amounts of saturated fat, salt, and sugar. When kids eat the school lunch items in excess amounts, it can cause weight gain, memory loss, and slow brain development (Children and Fast Food). The poor choices made during the day may be contributing to an increase in childhood obesity. The National Institute of Health stated that 25 percent of children are overweight; the figure has nearly doubled since the 1960’s (Beaver). Schools are trying to address the issue by enforcing strict new food policies. For example, a school in Ontario will forbid all fast-food and will required eighty percent of all meals to consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other healthy options (The State Has No Place in the Lunch Bags of a Nation). Although some schools have organic choices and have made changes to their menus, kids prefer to eat burgers, pizza, and other fat-filled foods. If the nation is going to shift this negative momentum, school administrators need to take a serious look at the issue, which may be more complex than it seems on the
children is undoubtedly the most important requirement for a healthy diet as Panahi advised: “If you don’t buy it for them, they can’t eat it” ( 2009, pg 23).
A child’s proper growth depends greatly on their nutrition and health. A healthy diet is essential to the developing child. Food should never be used to reward, punish, or bribe a child. Instead children should have three healthy meals with snacks in between. It is also important for children to have good self care behaviors (including bathing, washing hands, brushing teeth), and adequate sleep.
Parents are not teaching children how to eat healthy. They feed them cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, and fries. Kids are not being exposed to a regular diet of health fruits and vegetables. Now some people are just naturally overweight, but being “overweight” is not the same as being “obese.” Someone who is overweight has reached a maximum weight limit for their height. When someone goes beyond this maximum limit, then they are considered “obese” (Kiess 1). Research shows that “obesity is generally defined as the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat in adipose tissue” (Kiess 1). The increase in childhood obesity today is mainly the fault of the parent because they are unable to tell their children “no” when it comes to junk food (Kiess 104). Parents are the one buying all the food that comes into the house. They are the ones buying the sugary drinks and chips. They are the ones allowing the children to “have what they want.” Because parents are not teaching their children how to eat healthy, we will continue to see childhood obesity increase. Unfortunately, overweight children will be the ones who suffer because statistics show children who are overweight are more likely to become obes...
Childhood obesity is a health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society’s youth. For a number of years, children across the nation have become accustomed to occasionally participating in physical activities and regularly snacking on sugary treats. In result of these tendencies, approximately one third of American children are currently overweight or obese (Goodwin). These grim statistics effectively represent all the lack of adult interference, in regards to health, has done to the youth of America. The habits of over consuming foods and under participating in physical activities are all too common in the children of today. Children cannot solve this issue alone, though. These young people need to essentially be given the opportunities to make positive health decisions and learn about good, nutritional values.
A healthy lifestyle is usually picked up as we get older. However, think of how much more beneficial it would be for our bodies when we get older, if we would have learned and adapted to a healthier lifestyle when we were younger? Teaching your kids how important a healthy diet is, will help them maintain that lifestyle in their older years. Not to mention have lower health risks, higher self-esteem and it will give them the energy they need to keep up with their eating habits and maintain their body weight.