Kids Consume Too Many Empty Calories Children in the United
States are full. Full of empty calories that is, according to a
study from the National Cancer Institute. The Bethesda, Md.,
based group's review of information from the National Health and
Nutrition Examination survey found that approximately 40 percent
of calories consumed by children ages 2 to 8 were empty. These
types of calories can promote childhood obesity and lead to
health problems. "At an individual level, childhood obesity is
the result of an imbalance between the calories a child consumes
as food and beverages and the calories a child uses to support
normal growth and development, metabolism, and physical
activity," according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's website. Nearly 40 percent of Kentucky's children
are obese, according to the CDC. This means their bodies are
more than 30 percent fat. The national average for childhood
obesity is 32 percent. Body fat is measured on a Body Mass Index
scale, and the CDC provides a