The Childhood Obesity Epidemic

I read something that really surprised me today:  Obesity is the fastest growing cause of disease and death in our country.  I would never have guessed that.  I’m not sure what I would have said was the fastest growing cause of disease and death (maybe smoking), but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been obesity.  We tend to associate weight more with looking better, not living longer.  A deadly mistake, it would seem.

What alarmed me even more is this statistic:   It’s attacking more than 12 million of our children.  Alarmed, yes.  Surprised, no.  American children do far too much sitting and not nearly enough moving.  They’ve also gotten incredibly spoiled in deciding what they will eat and what they will not eat.  As adults, we’ve made the mistake of trying to keep them happy rather than healthy.  Again, a deadly mistake.

Tonight, The Food Network will air a special documentary - can’t miss tv if there are children in your life.  It’s called Food Network Specials:  Childhood Obesity: Danger Zone.  Below are the air times for tonight as well as upcoming dates.

AIR TIMES:

March 31, 2007 - 9:00 PM  ET/PT

April 1, 2007 - 12:00 AM  ET/PT

April 7, 2007 -  7:00 PM  ET/PT

April 8, 2007 - 8:00 PM  ET/PT

The Food Network will be going head to head with the epidemic, looking not only at its causes - but also at what’s being done about it.  Experts will give parents advice on what they should do and should not do to protect their children from this dangerous problem.

So, grab your miniature loved ones and watch together.  The episode will feature several kids who have fought obesity and are trying to inspire others.  It doesn’t matter if your kids are overweight or not, they’ll benefit from watching this episode.