Healthy Habits for Kids

Are we as educators, parents, caregivers, and mentors enabling our kids to live a healthy lifestyle?  We as Americans have an obesity epidemic on our hands and we all need to work together to become a healthier nation.  
“While we've heard a lot about the problem of obesity, only recently communities, schools and workplaces are starting to intervene and impact the way we live. Until we really change the education factor — and say, look this is what you need to do to be healthy — we're not going to see a real change.” - Beth Trapani

Astounding Facts..

• The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to almost 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.
• Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.
• In 2008, and still today, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.

Childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term health effects.

• Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. 
• Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes.
• Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.
• Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. 
• Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancers.

Preventative measures need to be taken.

• Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases.
• Diet and physical activity behaviors of children and adolescents are influenced by many sectors of society.  This includes families, communities, schools, child care settings, medical care providers, faith-based institutions, government agencies, the media, and the food and beverage industries and entertainment industries.
• Schools play a critical role by establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and practices that support healthy living. Schools also provide opportunities for students to learn about and practice healthy eating and physical activity.

What can Educators do?

• Be a role model - Students look up to their teachers no matter what their age.  Educators should be setting the example by eating healthy in front of the students as well as taking part in physical activity, whether it be during recess or in after school programs.  
• Schools can take an active role by setting up programs that promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. 
• Get everyone involved! Adopt school wide programs that involve the staff, students, parents, and community.  

What can Parents and Caregivers do?

• Get moving as a family.  A great way to get both family time and exercise in is to plan to walk after dinner or have a game of kickball in the backyard.  
• Limit TV, video game, and internet time.  This will encourage the whole family to get out and find different activities to do together.
• Limit the amount of junk food and sodas kept in the house.  This will make everyone in the family feel better and will allow for more family dinners.
• Make sure everyone gets a good nights sleep and eats breakfast.  If your family is getting eight hours of sleep a night and waking up to a nutritious breakfast it will promote a healthy start to each day.

We all need to work together to see the end of childhood obesity.  We should all be asking ourselves if we are doing our part.

Pizza - A Vegetable?!?

I have a confession to make.  There are times when I eat school pizza.  Those square slices of the delicious wheat crust with just a hint of cardboard, and the latex like cheese that is just done enough to pull out of the oven... Mmmmmm... But truly, I do at times eat school food.  My class has the last lunch and by 12:30 after a morning full of rigorous lessons we are all starving.  Even the steaming, or cold, school food looks good to a food critics eye at that time of day.  

Recently school lunch has been under the microscope and the findings aren't good.
"The most important tool in modern school kitchens is apparently a box cutter — for opening the boxes the frozen stuff comes in," says Ed Bruske, a parent and food writer in Washington, D.C., who has become a school-lunch reformer.
Bruce is part of a new school lunch reform movement that began in early 2011 when President Obama signed a bill called the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.  Leading the movement is first lady Michelle Obama who is at the forefront of the fight to stop childhood obesity.  The contested legislation contains proposals to limit French fry servings to twice a week, reducing the amount of sodium in current school lunches, ensuring that kids get five servings of vegetables a week, and introducing whole grains. Despite many who are in line to make this change, congress stands at the back.  In November 2011 Congress blocked the proposed change introduced by the Obama administration which caused many critics to attack congress implying that congress has declared "pizza is now a vegetable".  However, in the face of opposition, the USDA as well as the Obama administration is still determined to make school lunch healthier for the children of America, proposing new reforms at a rapid pace.  

Chew on this - Which is healthier - School lunch or packed lunch?

Watch the video and share your thoughts.