Combating Childhood Obesity Requires Family Lifestyle Changes
School lunches come under fire, but the childhood obesity
epidemic is much larger than that. Earlier this year, USA Today
reported on the USDA's push for school lunch changes. The agency
recommends that schools lower sodium, include more whole grains
and serve low-fat milk in an effort to address the childhood
obesity issues that plague our country. Childhood obesity is
when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age
and height. The extra pounds often lead to health problems that
were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood
pressure and high cholesterol. In many cases, childhood obesity
can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression. How do you
determine if your child is obese or close to it? Besides taking
an honest look at their size and extra rolls that children
should not have, there is the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is
derived from the proportion of weight and height, in combination
with age, and in comparison t