Childhood-Obesity-Prevention versi 5

Chef Susan Teton Campbell - Feeding Our Children Healthy
By Kevin Gianni

In this article, Chef Susan Teton Campbell shares on feeding children including cultured foods, snacks for the car and more. Susan is a food evangelist and author of "Raising a New America" and co-author of "The Healthy School Lunch Action Guide."

Kevin: Tell us a little bit about your experience working with schools, working with children. What's a good way to start introducing these foods to kids?

Susan: When I worked in the schools that was in the 90s so I think it depends on the children. I think it's so important to start kids out at a young age with just the foods from the earth and not the factory. I have neighbors that will stop at McDonald's as treats for their kids. They'll say once in a while. It's like the treat kind of thing. They'll come home with these sugary colas and all this kind of stuff, milkshakes. They're just all over the place. They are so amped up.

I raised a son that had a lot of problems with allergies and focusing and all the things we call ADHD now. He's all grown up now but these things, this is how I first learned that food could be this powerful. If parents think that a little is okay, I really don't think it is anymore. The children that are being born in today's world are not as strong as they were 20-30 years ago. Each generation we get a little weaker because of all the environmental influences and everything else. I think it's absolutely vital to start your kids out on a very healthy diet. I would definitely include a cultured food in their diet. If they're young and you're raising them with a good diet, their formation will be a lot stronger and a lot more able to handle junkier foods as they enter into a larger, more expanded social life.

I know it's an issue with a lot of parents. I know it's really difficult. My friends make sure that they sit down to a sit-down dinner every single night, despite the fact that they do these other things at times. On the whole their children get dinner every night and they have that family time. I think that's really important too.

I would highly recommend a cultured food. If you don't have time to make them then make sure they get probiotics in pills or in some way. There's a lot of products on the market now.

The other thing is I don't think parents should push so much food on their kids and make them finish all the food. Most kids don't require as much food as people think they need. They'll let you know when they're hungry. So you always want to make sure that you have nuts and seeds and things like that in the car or a little pack-n-go kit, so when you're out and the kids get hungry or blood sugar goes down that you've always got liquids and you've always got maybe some dried fruit and nuts and seeds for them to snack on. You'll find if they're really hungry they'll grab it and they'll eat a handful and then they're done. They don't need all that much food.

I think as long as they have good, wholesome foods around the house, if they really don't want to eat their broccoli then don't make them.

The thing is eventually they will. Things that I eat now, I never ate when I was a child.

And I don't like to get into vegan, vegetarian, low-fat, high-fat. I'm really just trying to educate people to eat from the earth and not the factory. If people really want to incorporate animal foods into their lives then what I say is make sure the animals are as healthy as you'd like to be.

If you're going to drink milk or eat cheese, just make sure. I've found in all my research and just watching families, if they eat animal foods and they eat other really wholesome other foods from the earth, they're usually pretty well off. It's the junky factory foods that are the worst and the highly processed foods and all the chemicals.

Childhood-Obesity-Prevention versi 4

All About Teen Fitness Camps
By Shiji Shijina

A teen fitness camp is one of the most relaxing fitness camps you have in town. It teaches us how to eat intelligently with the intake of all the vital nutrients, what are the tips to exercise efficiently and what is the most apt way to relax. The main concept behind the teen fitness camp is to find out the fact as to what is the reason for waiting to train the teens about the nutrition etiquette until they become adults. So it is far better to catch them young so that they can reap the benefits of physical fitness from a tender age itself. The basic philosophy behind the teen fitness camp is that in case the teen agers are practicing these things at a tender age then it is more likely that the people will practiced it on a regular basis even in case you tend to become a adult.

These weight loss fitness camps are exclusively conducted for the teen agers that want to be physically fit and appear trim. In these courses there are various kinds of activities to be followed by the teen agers so that they can get the fit and trim body that they have dreamt of. There are a number of academic programs that have been designed particularly for the teen agers so as to keep their momentum going through the fitness programs, in addition to this there are a number of athletic programs that are being organized, horse riding, aerobics, bicycling, gymnastics, swimming, hockey, fencing and many other social development skills. These days in this world wherein everyone wants to be exactly fit and perfect sized the attitude of the teens has entirely changed it is important to remember the fact that the most of the teens have become completely interested in maintaining a weight that is completely admirable. So these programs are completely designed so as to reduce the body weight and remain exactly fit and perfect.

These days the same scenario prevails everywhere wherein the teens tend to eat too much of the food that is completely unrestricted irrespective of the fact that they tend to put on weight if such fitness classes are started wherein the teens are advised on what to eat and what not to eat. It is important to understand the fact that teens once they are informed about the do's and dont's then they would be in a better position to keep them fit and fine.

It is important to note the fact that the long term exercise programs will be provided to the teens who intend to attend the weight loss camps. Weight loss center is one of the most apt places for the teens to shed their extra calories without losing their energy. The instructions provided by the trainers relates to the proper exercise methods and balanced diets so that they could shed their extra fat. There are number of overnight fitness camps that have been recognized under the statute over the state and there are a number of effective programs that have been designed, there are efficient exercise tips, nutrition tips, weight loss tips, diet plans and their are a number of other programs that relate to the physical fitness have been conducted on these camps.

Childhood-Obesity-Prevention versi 3

Healthy Children Are Happy Children
By Bernice Eker

As the percentage of children in the United States who are considered clinically overweight or obese continues to rise to alarming levels, more parents are finding themselves having to impose a weight loss goal on their adolescent children.

The decision to consciously help a child lose weight should never be taken lightly, and should only be undertaken with the advice of the child's pediatrician. When the doctor and parents have agreed that the child in question is at an unhealthy weight level, caution and good judgment must be used to keep the self esteem of the child intact.

Maintain Rather than Lose Weight

A better way to address the overweight status of a child is really to help him maintain his current weight, rather than promote efforts to actually lose weight. Keep in mind that the child is still growing, and if he continues to gain height, but not weight, to overall goal of a healthier body will be achieved.

Keep the Goal Quiet

Since your children have little control over many aspects of their life, you can easily take charge of their eating habits without making it known to them that the intent is to help them with a weight problem. Simply substituting low-fat milk and yogurt for the original varieties will go a long way with many children in cutting calories. Eliminate, or strongly limit, sodas and fruit juices. Many children love the idea of drinking bottled water, and refills at the tap don't seem to bother them at all. Eliminate snack foods in favor of fruit or raw veggies. A little ranch dressing, although not in itself exactly healthy, will help you little ones appreciate raw carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.

Decision to Eat Healthy

To refrain from alienating your child in the quest for weight loss, make the decision to eat healthy a family affair. Make all of the limitations mentioned above apply to everyone in the family. Decide that the household will simply no longer have certain snacks or beverages in it, and promote these decisions to your children as "being healthy" rather than "losing weight". Our media already puts too much pressure on us to lose weight without parents projecting that goal onto their children.

Exercise

Be sure your child is getting plenty of daily exercise. Limit the use of tv and video games to a reasonable amount of time per day and encourage physical activity. Find out if your child has a particular interest in a sport and sign him up for a training class or enrichment team. These types of organized activities are usually not emphasizing the competitive nature of the sport, are more geared for having fun, and will encourage your child to push himself to impress other members of his team. If your child does not have a particular sport in mind, again make it a family affair, and go bike riding, or hiking, or swimming.

Know that most children grow out of the baby fat stage that they go through, as their bodies start to spring up in height. The important point may be to encourage good eating habits while they are young, to prevent them from having weight problems as they get older.