Weight Matters for Healthy Families
In one of the largest studies ever to examine obesity rates across the globe, researchers found that more than 60% of men, 50% of women, and 1/3rd of children are either overweight or obese. They concluded that obesity is a growing problem….
“If you didn’t come from a healthy family, make sure a healthy family comes from you. ”
Weight Matters…
The World Health Organization has called obesity a global pandemic with obesity tripling since 1975 that has global implications for health and disease. Obesity is a contributing factor to over 100 different chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
In one of the largest studies ever to examine obesity rates across the globe, researchers found that more than 60% of men, 50% of women, and 1/3rd of children are either overweight or obese. They concluded that obesity is a growing problem in all regions of the world, even among traditionally lean Asian populations. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States is the most obese nation in the world, just ahead of Mexico. Their report states 2/3rd’s of U.S. adults are overweight or obese (69 percent) and one out of three are obese (36 percent) and 1/3rd of children are overweight. If trends continue unabated, by 2030, estimates predict that roughly half of American men and women and children will be obese.
Recent increases in childhood obesity are of a major global health concern. Childhood obesity increases the risk of multiple acute and chronic medical problems as well as psychological issues, all of which can persist into adulthood and adversely affect the quality of life. Obese children can suffer from orthopedic complications, including abnormal bone growth, degenerative disease, and pain.
Children become overweight and obese for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. Only in rare cases is being overweight caused by a medical condition such as a hormonal problem.
Sugar is Everywhere
One of the main problems is excess sugar consumption. To put this into context, the average daily consumption of sugar by Americans in 1822 was 9 grams a day. It is currently 153 grams a day per individual. This is a 16-fold increase in less than 200 years. We change very slowly biologically, yet we have drastically altered what we are eating and the amount of sugar we are consuming. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports the average child eats and drinks much more added sugar than they should. On average, sugar makes up nearly 20% of what children consume each day. Half of that comes from drinks with added sugar.
Sugar is highly addictive. To break the addiction, the first step is to monitor our sugar consumption by reading food labels and limiting consumption to a healthy level. The American Heart Association recommends daily consumption of added sugars to no more than 25 grams a day for women and children (6 teaspoons) and 36 grams (or 9 teaspoons) a day for men.
Eating protein is an easy way to curb sugar cravings. High-protein foods digest more slowly, keeping you feeling full for longer. Protein doesn't make your blood sugar spike the way refined carbs and sugars do. Pick proteins like lean chicken, eggs, nuts, or beans. Protein shakes are ideal for breaking the sugar addiction and can also provide essential and beneficial nutrients.
There is no denying, we are what we eat. Nikken is committed to providing the balanced nutrition that our bodies need with organic whole food supplements for the whole family. We have recently discussed these in the past months Healthy by Choice Masterclasses. You can view the recorded classes on our Self Care Awakening YouTube channel.
Harry S. Truman said, “In the long view, no nation is any healthier than its children”. I wholeheartedly agree, and we will be addressing this and solutions for Healthy Children by Choice in our next Healthy by Choice Master Class on Tuesday, June 9th, at 9 pm Eastern, 6 pm Pacific. at www.theroyalalliance.com/live.
Please note we will be taking a short summer break on June 2nd and will not have a class that week. We look forward to seeing you on June 9th.
Be Healthy by Choice
Teaching Healthy Choice Habits to Our Children
Over the last century, the primary burden of disease in children and young people has shifted from infectious diseases towards chronic conditions. Teaching healthy choice habits to our children can be one of the most important things we can do as parents.
Teaching Healthy Choice Habits to Our Children
“A nation is only as healthy as its children.” Harry Truman (1946)
Over the last century, the primary burden of disease in children and young people has shifted from infectious diseases towards chronic conditions. Up to twenty million children and adolescents in the United States have some form of chronic illness or disability. Chronic refers to a health condition that lasts anywhere from three months to a lifetime.
The state of health among U.S. children does not reflect the standard of health expected for a child living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. According to a 2010 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, chronic illnesses in children doubled from 12.8 percent in 1994 to 26.6 percent in 2006. This alarming trend confirms an earlier Harvard study that found U.S. children were sicker today than their parent’s generation. It has been said that babies being born today are the first generation of children whose life expectancy is less than that of their parents.
The "big three" chronic health conditions for kids are obesity, which affected 5 percent of American children in the early 1970s but 18 percent of children today; asthma 10% percent prevalence, nearly double from the 1980s, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, an increase of 43 percent in the last 15 years.
The percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s. Today, about one in five school-aged children (ages 6–19) are obese. Childhood obesity has immediate and long-term impacts on physical, social, and emotional health. For example:
- Children with obesity are at higher risk for having other chronic health conditions and diseases that impact physical health, such as asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, type 2 diabetes, and risk factors for heart disease.
- Children with obesity are bullied and teased more than their normal weight peers and are more likely to suffer from social isolation, depression, and lower self-esteem.
- In the long term, childhood obesity also is associated with having obesity as an adult, which is linked to serious conditions and diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and several types of cancer.
Childhood diabetes is one of the prime results of rising obesity rates, which in turn result from more sedentary behaviors and poor diets.
it is estimated that children with serious, complex chronic conditions account for 10% of admissions, but 41% of hospital charges in the United States.
In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a comprehensive study that suggests more than 33% of diseases affecting children under the age of five are caused by environmental exposures, and that by preventing these exposures, as many as four million children’s lives a year worldwide could be saved.
“The environment plays a role in 85% of all diseases. New science is showing that the effects of exposure to chemicals at low doses, and in combination, can have an impact on human growth and development.” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
The Self Care Awakening is about reducing our body burden of environmental toxins, staying well hydrated with clean healthy water, quality sleep and maintaining a healthy weight. These are sound principles and vital to good health regardless of our age. Teaching healthy choice habits to our children can be one of the most important things we can do as parents.