Obese Teens Are More Prone To Become Obese Adults
If there is one thing that some overweight adults would have wished if they can turn back the hands of time, it’s that they should have eaten healthier and consumed lesser fats. Unfortunately, as we age there’s no such thing that can make us go back in our teens. But sure enough, there’s still enough time for parents to prevent their kids from suffering the same fate of becoming obese as adults – if only they’ll start serving healthier meals and lunch on a regular basis.
In a recent national study of American youth, researchers found that one in twelve teenagers became severely obese as they entered adulthood. It can be recalled that the US federal government, along with the Department of Agriculture and other concerned sectors are vigorously leading the pack to fight childhood obesity in America. This problem is noted not only to adversely affect country-wide households but even the health care cost of the US – where over US$140 billion went to the national medical expenditures for 2009 alone.
Fast Food Meals For Kids Worsen Obesity In America
Advertisements are made to attract people to buy certain products. They definitely make an effective campaign not only to increase a company’s revenue but also to provide people several options of which products to buy and which to avoid. In the case of fast foods, advertisements make a huge impact for kids’ choices of what’s healthy and what’s not. As obesity cases in America grow, are fast food chains seriously changing the way they advertise their meals for children?
Researchers do not seem convinced that fast foods are making a good impact in children’s health these days despite promises to change the way they market their meals. Unhealthy food options like French fries, ice cream, greasy burgers and chicken nuggets are still the dominant items on the menu as opposed to serving more fruits and vegetables as side dishes for every meal.
Healthy Diets and Fresh Healthy Vending Recipes for Kids
Eating healthy impacts kids’ learning capacity. And this fact is strengthened by a recent research conducted by Tufts University and the Journal of School Health and reported by the California Department of Education, which revealed that children who are fed with healthy foods are not only more likely to attend school but are also more motivated to learn. Unfortunately, despite the proven health benefits of eating nutritious foods, many parents still find it difficult to consistently make their children consume more healthy foods on a regular basis. How then do parents deal with this matter? How do we get kids to eat more healthy foods and stop them from indulging on junk foods?
Whole Grain Pancakes
Pancakes have been an old-time favorite among children; however, the ones available in many fast food chains are laden with less nutritional value. On the hand, you can make your own healthy version of pancakes at home using whole grain flour which are already available in many grocery stores. Top them with slices of fruits, especially berries which according to several studies are high in antioxidants that are good in strengthening the immune system.
Diabetes Society Taking Money From Soft Drink Company
When American Diabetes Association (ADA) announces the multi-million dollar support it is receiving from the world’s third-largest soft drink manufacturer—Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB), not only one but several sectors have reacted about the “corrupt” alliance that has taken place between the two organizations. According to the press release that was handed out, CSAB is joining ADA in its efforts to fight obesity and diabetes in America.
“We are thrilled to have Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages join forces with the American Diabetes Association to help deliver crucial messages to consumers about healthy lifestyle changes,” said Larry Ellingson, RPh, Chairman of the Board of the American Diabetes Association. Furthermore, ADA maintained that in working together with CSAB, they will be able to bring forth the tools and solutions needed by Americans to achieve and maintain healthy weight while at the same time incorporating physical activities into their lives.
Shopping for Healthy After School Snacks
Compared to adults, children in general have higher energy level and metabolism that make them still hungry despite taking three full meals a day; therefore, giving them after school snacks are just fine as long as they are given in schedule and are packed with nutrients. As a general rule, children must be served with snacks two hours before meals. This way, they are still full with appetite by the time they reach dinner. Likewise, supplementing them with snacks keeps them from gorging heavily during mealtime.
However, as much as parents want to give their kids the best snacks they can afford, it is inevitable to occasionally fall on the difficulty of shopping the “right” after school snacks. What kinds of foods should be served during snack time? How do we vary the choices so our kids don’t get bored seeing and snacking on the same thing? These are just some of the questions that can leave any parent dilly-dallying in the grocery aisles and before they knew it, they usually end up getting more sweets and high sodium content chips.
Healthy Family Habits That Help Curb Childhood Obesity
It is now a given fact that childhood obesity is fast becoming the most serious epidemic across the nation. Concerted effort made by the government, educational institutions, community workers, private organization and health advocates have proved to be still inefficient as far as addressing the issue is concern. In fact, even First Lady Michelle Obama spearheads national awareness and physical activities to curb obesity among US children.
The truth is childhood obesity is running out of control in the US already and the statistics are alarming. Study conducted by the Center for Disease Control shows that 12.5 million American kids ages 2-19 are obese which comprises the 17 % percent of population, tripling the percentage 30 years earlier and 16.5% are at risk of being overweight.
Start a Fresh Healthy Vending Franchise Business
Junk foods are out and fresh healthy vending machines are in. Sounds quite surprising; nevertheless, it’s a huge development in the drive to end childhood obesity. Right, people are gaining control of their lifestyle, and they are becoming more and more aware of the chronic illnesses brought about by being obese or overweight. Meanwhile, along with this progress, the franchise industry is also booming with small and medium-scale entrepreneurs looking to make good investments in new healthy lifestyle businesses.
Like any type of business, reputation and trust are important; and to achieve this, your business should have great name recognition. It’s probably right to say that the success of a franchise business boils down to the name recognition. Consumers trust a business that has good transaction history and an untarnished reputation of doing excellent service to its market. When people see your vending machine in the corner of a busy street, they are likely to stop and drop in some coins or paper bills to get healthy stuff because they know your machine sells genuine healthy food options. So choose a franchise company like Fresh Healthy Vending that will give you a reliable start.
Better School Lunches for Kids
As the intense drive to curb childhood obesity continues across the nation, campaign and the study against the epidemic strengthens anew. Different programs, posters, advertisements, national and local awareness plan and other healthy mean options abounds in order to get the message to children.
In addition to the above mentioned and to make it easier for kids to make wise choices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is turning to psychological approach to get kids choose healthier foods in their school lunch line. USDA is giving $2 million to conduct a study on how to encourage kids to pick veggies and fruits over French fries and chocolate chips.
Tips For Kids Staying Healthy in Schools
In today’s hectic schedules among working families in America, it is somewhat inevitable for parents to just give their kids money to buy their own meals in school as opposed to packing healthy lunches and snacks at home. Unfortunately, in many cases, monies are not well spent in healthy food options because the lure of junk foods in vending machines is just around the corner. So how then do we keep our kids healthy in schools if monitoring their food during mealtimes is hugely impossible?
One viable option being looked at recently is the introduction of fresh healthy vending machines in school campuses. We know students are almost always in a rush when they’re in school due to a variety of reasons; and thus, lining up in school cafeterias to get nutritious snacks are likely to take the back seat. This is where vending machines come into the scene. After all, kids still adore fast and convenient service and food access.
Healthy Kids Diets Makes for Better Learning in Schools
Sure it takes some good effort for parents to prepare packed meals for their children, and it even takes a lot more to ensure that kids are eating healthy in school when they miss the time to send nutritious lunches and snacks to their kids. With the frenetic and busy schedules of working families, the kids’ health is at times taking the backseat. And unfortunately, it leads to childhood obesity and poor performance in schools.
So, what options are we looking at for our kids’ healthy diet? How do we make them perform well in school and stay alert all throughout the day?