While child obesity is actually declining in much of U.S., Illinois is still not doing so great...
Here are the scary numbers.
1 in 8 preschoolers nationwide is obese, and therefore 5 times
as likely as their peers to become overweight adults. However, numbers declined
in 19 of 43 states from 2008 to 2011. These numbers appear the latest
indications that Americans are becoming healthier - a trend continuing
after the Center for Disease Control reported in 2003 that obesity rates
were finally stagnating after decades on the rise
Good news for the most of the States. But not Illinois. According to CDC, obesity rates did not change between 2008 and 2011 in 21 of 43 states, including Illinois. 30 percent of Illinois preschoolers were overweight or obese in 2012 (to
find out definitions and the difference between the overweight and
obesity in children go here
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000384.htm).
Also, our home state reports higher than median rates of high-schoolers who consume at least one soda a day and watch at least 3 hours of TV a day. Vegetable consumption is also lower than recommended - 88 percent do not eat vegetables with every meal.
Sad statistics, parents...
So, there are two questions here:
1.
What Is Chicago Doing?
In some neighborhood grocery stores, it’s difficult to find fresh
vegetables and far easier and cheaper to eat what’s highly caloric. It
can even be too dangerous to play outside, which leads to children being
sedentary in their homes. Thankfully, CLOCC (the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children -
www.clocc.net) and the city of Chicago
have been incredibly proactive over the last decade.
With the creation of
Healthy Places—a joint partnership between the
Chicago Department of Public Health
and CLOCC—the city is working to “implement sustainable policies,
systems and environmental changes that address obesity in Chicago by
creating healthier environments where Chicagoans live, work, learn and
play,” according to CLOCC.
Chicago is increasing access to fresh and healthy foods through
healthier vending-machine options throughout city parks; mobile produce
carts that bring in affordable, fresh fruits and vegetables to
lower-income areas; community gardens; and corner stores with healthy
options. The city has also stressed the importance of physical activity
by designing street and sidewalk access for bikes and walking paths as
well as safe access to parks.
Chicago Public Schools are also on board with healthy food options on
their menus and an increase in physical activity during school and
after-school programs. Nutrition and wellness education is stressed not
only in schools but citywide.
2.
What Can You Do? (and this pretty much what my blog is about)
Although an epidemic as large as childhood obesity can be
overwhelming, taking small steps to begin living a healthier lifestyle
can make it seem more approachable.
When it comes to how many calories a day a child should consume, there is no straight answer; that it is different
for every child, depending on the child’s current body size, activity
level, metabolic rate, and where each child is at in the growth spurt.
Instead of limiting calories, allow healthy snacks, avoid sugary sodas
and juices, practice portion control, and cut out the oil and butter
when cooking, keep screen time (which includes television, video games
and the computer) to a minimum—it’s not only easy to eat more while
sitting in front of a screen, but watching aggressive and tantalizing
marketing ads for foods on TV can also be a problem.
Simple steps to
childhood obesity prevention include:
- Rethink drinks. Nix sugary beverages, such as soda and juice, from
your child’s diet—it’s an easy way to carve 400–500 calories off the
daily caloric intake. Add a 16-ounce Snapple
Lemon Iced Tea from the vending machine for an afternoon thirst quench,
and you’re up to 440 calories in one day, with just two drinks. And
while most of us know that soda is chock-full of calories, many of us
are unaware of the calories in juice. A 20-ounce glass of 100 percent
orange juice contains 280 calories, and a 20-ounce glass of 100 percent
apple juice contains 300 calories, although numbers vary brand to brand.
- Practice portion control. The average restaurant meal is about four
times the size that it was back in the 1950s. The CDC recommends splitting meals when you eat out or taking some
home with you for another meal. To keep kids from overeating at
mealtime, let them eat a healthy snack, like a piece of fruit or small
salad, before dinner. The CDC also recommends dividing up the contents
of one large package, like a bag of pretzels or crackers, into several
smaller bags to help avoid overeating.
- Get physical. According to the 2012 CDC Illinois State profile survey, 24 percent of
kids were physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day.
That means 76 percent(!) were not. Get kids to play, and get their
adrenaline pumping for an hour each day. Whether it’s inside or around
your home, be active with your kids. Also, minimize television-viewing time.
According to the CDC, about 36 percent of kids watched television three
or more hours per day on an average school day. CLOCC recommends two
hours or less of screen time a day, which includes TV, playing on a
computer and video games.
While, all these steps may seem like a common sense to most of the parents, sometimes maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping up with a busy schedules and running multiple errands during the day, can be quite overwhelming.
I hope my blog can be useful for you, dear parents. Here you can find some ideas of outdoors and indoors activities with kids, quick and easy recipes for busy adults (and maybe some more sophisticated ones ;)), reviews of places to go and local happenings, farmers markets, etc, and some useful links and articles on the topic of the healthy families lifestyle.
Welcome and have fun!
