Childhood Obesity : A Primer for Parents

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Having an obese child doesn’t make you a bad parent.

• Uninformed : MAYBE
• Bad : NO

1. Processed food producers spend an ungodly amount of money learning what type of foods encourage overeating…and over-purchasing. Sugars, fats, processing techniques, flavor enhancing chemicals, etc.
2. In addition to the bio-chemsitry, then spend big bucks on neuro-psychology to determine how your eyes and brain can be manipulated while you shop. Believe it or not, there is a lot of science behind product placement and purchasing decisions.
3. Moving on to the science of manipulation, our food producers also spend huge amounts of money creating and delivering marketing campaigns aimed directly at your kids….knowing that if they get them while they’re young, they will have them for life. Creepy – YES…but also very effective.
4. And if that wasn’t enough, they also spend a lot of money employing lobbyists to protect their interests within government, generate massive food subsidies and to block any legislation limiting their influence over our kids.

Put it all together and it’s not too surprising that our kids keep getting fatter and fatter.

Luckily, there are solutions.

• Informed parents can make better food and activity choices for their kids.
• Informed parents can tell their government that they don’t like advertising directed at their pre-pubescent children.
• Informed parents can bring attention (thank you social media) to the political manipulation that makes a mockery of the Free Market.
• Informed parents can talk to other parents and local government to improve access to healthy foods in their neighborhood.
• Informed parents can take advantage of existing grants and support organizations to improve the walkability and “playability” of their neighborhoods

And how does a parent get informed?

Here’s a good place to start.

• Childhood Obesity : Monkey See Monkey Do
• NYC Escalates War Against Childhood Obesity
• Stop Sugarcoating Childhood Obesity
• The Economics of Obesity
• Is Obesity Child Abuse?
• Truly Terrifying Obesity Statistics
• Childhood Obesity, Junk Food Profits and the U.S. Congress
• Childhood Obesity, Breakfast Cereal and the Nag Factor
• The Chubby Baby Workout
• Choose My Plate…The Paleo Version
• Toronto’s kids are lazy…How about yours?
• Dr. Oz vs Childhood Obesity
• Cure for Adolescent Obesity
• This is how you sell exercise to America
• Beverage Industry Bitch Slaps the Soda Tax
• Fast Food, Fat Profits: Obesity in America
• Would you vote for a Ban on Junk Food Advertising aimed at kids under 13?
• Obese Teens and their Hidden Metabolic Abnormalities
• Poor Kids Get More Outdoor Exercise Than Rich Kids
• NFL Players Build Playgrounds to Combat Childhood Obesity
• A 1980s Solution to Childhood Obesity
• No More Birthday Cupcakes for America’s Fat Kids
• Major League Baseball Strikes Out Childhood Obesity
• Coca-Cola & McDonalds Are Afraid of You
• Being a parent is the hardest job in the world
• MEND: A Better Way to Reverse Childhood Obesity?
• Can Michelle Obama Reverse Childhood Obesity?
• Childhood Obesity: A Cruel Kindness
• Sesame Street v.s. Childhood Obesity
• Can America’s Food Producers Save Us From Obesity?
• Fit Kids Need Playgrounds
• Did You Play Today?
• PediaSure…a source of complete and balanced nutrition for our kids?
• Can Video Games Reverse Childhood Obesity?
• Childhood Obesity: What Can Parents Do?
• Are “Fat Kids” victims of child abuse?
• And just when you thought the obesity epidemic couldn’t get any worse…
• Big Brother v.s. Childhood Obesity
• Fat Babies become Fat Kids become Fat Teenagers become Fat Adults
• A BAN on Fast Food TV Advertising Would Reverse Childhood Obesity Trends

Other Resources

• A Paleo Diet for the 21st Century – FREE eBook
• Hive Health Media – great source of health & fitness articles

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