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Obesity and Overweight Children

Obesity has been an on going epidemic for decades now and it is starting to become a leading source of deaths around the world. The foods we eat every day contribute to our comfort. Foods provide us with the nutrients we need for healthy bodies and the calories we need for energy. However, if we eat too much of the extra foods it turns to fat and is stored in our bodies. If we overeat regularly, we gain weight, and if we continue to gain weight, we may become obese. The reason why obesity is on the rise is because of the food choices out society are making and the lack of physical activity. “In the US one out of every five children are obese” and that number is growing rapidly. Children become obese in many different reasons; genetics, family history, lack of physical activities, or unhealthy eating problems, and that is to just name a few. I feel that in schools today, cafeterias are contribution to children’s weight gain seeing as schools do not provided enough healthy food since it coasts more. First things first for a child that is obese is change their diet, increase activity in the house hold but not as a chore more as family outing. Changing their diet to healthier foods such as fruits, vegetables, and protein; instead of eating out or cooking fatty foods is the number one thing to do. Many people do not understand that it is more then just being overweight it is about the health risk that comes out of excessive weight gain; such as heart diseases or diabetes (both as a child and as an adult). It is a scary place to be when you are overweight and a lot of health issues to think about. For a parent letting a child excessively eat and gain the weight should have the most blame, most children do not understand calories and fats in food, and it becomes the parent’s job to advocate good eating behaviors. I can only assume that we much educate parents on how they should be eating for themselves so that they have a...