Poor nutrition is causing an epidemic of serious illness in our children, including diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis. I kid you not. Obese children who don't exercise are showing signs of heart disease as young as age five, and are getting full blown Type 2 diabetes in their teens. Osteoporosis, normally a disease of old age, is showing up in teenage girls, and is probably caused by drinking too much soda pop. (The phosphorus in the soda causes the body to leach calcium from the bones to buffer its acidity.)
Children who are hyperactive are put on the drug Ritalin but their parents continue to allow them to drink heavily caffeinated drinks and sugar-laden foods. Children who are depressed are put on Prozac but their parents continue to allow them to come home from school, sit in front of the TV and eat junk food. Children who have Type 2 diabetes are given oral diabetes drugs instead of a stringent diet and exercise program. This is not only unnecessary, it puts the child at risk for liver damage caused by the drugs.
The typically American junk food diet of deep fried foods (French fries, 'nuggets' etc.), grease-laden fast food burgers, soda pop, sugary cereals, white flour foods such as bagels, and too many desserts, is causing widespread obesity among children in Westernized countries. And this isn't just the pre-teen plumpness that kids get just before shooting up in height, it's gross overweight caused by gross eating habits starting before these kids can even talk.
Children will become healthier when parents become healthier. Parents who are chronically rushing home late from work and grabbing some fast food for dinner damage the health of both themselves and their kids. Parents who insist on keeping soda pop in the refrigerator because they can't live without it, will have kids who also can't live without it from a very young age. Parents who just have to have sugary cereal or yogurt for breakfast in morning, a candy bar in the afternoon, and a dish of ice cream after dinner every night, will find that their kids also just have to have sugar morning, noon and night.
Eating habits are an area where parents can make a sacrifice for their children by being good role models. If parents are eating whole grain toast and an egg for breakfast, their kids will. If they're eating an apple for a snack and drinking water to quench their thirst, their children will do the same. Granted, it can be a challenging once kids start going to birthday parties and over to friends' houses to convince them that sugar- and fat-laden foods aren't good for them, but if you're consistent and firm in your message, they will at least follow your lead at home. I'm very aware of how difficult it can be to maintain good eating habits when you're juggling work and family, but good nutrition should be near the top of your priority list, because it will affect your children's well-being for the rest of their lives.
----With permission from Dr. John Lee's Medical Letter, May 2001. Phone: (800) 528-0559. Website: www.johnleemd.com.
PPNF note: A great book to get if you are planning on getting pregnant is:
For Tomorrow's Children: A Manual For Future Parents.
This book outlines a program by which parents-to be may improve their health to produce mentally and physically healthy offspring. This program is based on the premise that most of the problems related to birth defects and infant mortality can be avoided if both parents make proper preparation prior to conception. Topics include: nutrition, vitamins and minerals, allergies, environmental hazards, contraception and prenatal influences. This advice applies to any and all ages. CLICK HERE for more information.
Another book that is GREAT for parents who don't have time to read ALL our books yet it has lots of important information that every parent should know about - all in ONE book is: The Truth About Children's Health, A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding, Preventing, and Reversing Disease. To learn more, CLICK HERE:
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