Prevent Obesity, Achieve Weight Loss Success for Life
Obesity rates continue to increase at a staggering rate, increasing the risk of heart attack, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and many cancers. In fact, obesity has surpassed smoking as the leading preventable cause of death in America.
A study presented to the International Congress on Obesity reveals an even more sobering statistic – men who enter adulthood obese face a twofold increased risk of dying prematurely.
This underscores the critical importance of maintaining a healthy weight through childhood and into our teen years, as fat which is stored during the developmental years has a direct impact on our risk of illness and longevity as we phase through adulthood.
Fortunately, by adopting a healthy lifestyle and weight loss program, we can reverse the risks which lead to an early demise, and avoid becoming a grim statistic.
Phase 1: Educate Children from an Early Age
Information from this study makes it clear that the growing epidemic of overweight and obese children is leading to a shortened lifespan for our next generation. This problem is simply rooted in poor diet and lifestyle, as children are being raised with the notion that fast food through a drive thru window, sweetened beverages and sugary snacks make up a healthy diet.
The average family eats 4 or more times a week at a fast food restaurant, in many cases consuming more than twice the calories they should for a single meal. Couple this high calorie, low nutrition eating style with virtually no physical activity, and you have the recipe for a health disaster.
Children need to be educated on how to eat healthy and stay active in much the same way as they are taught to read. This class must be taught at home. A child’s mind is pliable, and adopting a diet of nutritionally balanced, reduced calorie meals prepared at home will become a life skill they’ll retain as they get older.
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