Ways to prevent childhood obesity: Just remember 5, 2, 1 and these tips
By Mitzi Perdue
ou're about to read some bad--even depressing--news, but don't worry, it's followed by good news. There are things you can do to help keep the bad news from happening.
The bad news has to do with childhood obesity. Consider these facts, which come from Dr. Alan M. Lake, chair of a task force on childhood obesity for the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Why is all of this important? Why not just accept and even embrace the reality that we come in a variety of shapes and sizes?
The answer, according to Dr. Lake, is health. Childhood obesity sets youngsters up for a number of life-shortening diseases such as heart disease and diabetes when they're adults. Worse, diabetes is now being seen more and more in teens.
As the Yale Medical School's Dr. David Katz says, "Today's kids may become the first generation in history to have a life expectancy less than their parents."
Fortunately, we're now done with the bad news and can turn to the good news. Dr. Lake has a list of things that we can do that, according to the latest research, can play a role in preventing childhood obesity.
Be role models for the youngsters in our lives. That means exercising an hour a day on most days, practicing portion control, and selecting healthy foods, including at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. An easy way to remember these goals is to remember 5, 2, 1:
5 -- Encourage your children to eat five fruits and vegetables per day.
2 -- Limit the children to two hours of screen time per day: computer time and television time combined.
1 -- Exercise one hour per day.
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