Kids Cuisine

Childhood obesity is rampant in our society. All of us must take responsibility in stemming this problem first at home, leading by example with healthy meals, reducing the consumption of sugar-laced drinks, eliminating fast-food meals, and increasing exercise and outdoor activities.

Don’t misinterpret me, though. There’s nothing wrong with letting kids be kids and enjoy candy or soda or ice cream or a french fries or other things in moderation. I do let my daughter indulge in treats, but not to the point of excess. Heck, Easter is this Sunday, and yes, she’ll enjoy some Easter candy and other Easter treats from her Easter basket.

But, my wife and I on the same page of not going overboard.

Here are some facts about childhood obesity:
• During the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, more than quadrupling among children ages 6 to 11.
• Today, more than one-third of all children and adolescents in the United States are overweight or obese. That’s nearly 25 million kids and teenagers.

One group that’s helping take a bite out of childhood obesity is The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In general, the foundation seeks to improve the health and health care of all Americans. With regards to childhood obesity, their goal is to reverse this epidemic by 2015: “Unless we take action now to reverse this alarming trend, we’re in danger of raising the first generation of American children who will live sicker and die younger than their parents’ generation,” says the foundation. They work mainly in schools and communities, where the goal to improve access to affordable healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.

Here’s the really big news. Just this past week, on Wednesday, the foundation announced its commitment to invest $500 million to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. This is the largest commitment any foundation has made to combat childhood obesity. According the foundation, “As we embrace this new challenge, we expect to build on the lessons drawn from our past work on other critical health issues, such as preventing tobacco use and helping to roll out the nation’s 9-1-1 emergency response system. To reverse the childhood obesity epidemic, they have developed three integrated strategies: evidence, action and advocacy.”

Says the foundation, “Childhood obesity is one of the most urgent and serious health threats confronting our nation. It affects all of us—every race and ethnic group, all income levels and every area of the country. It’s going to take all of us—government, schools, food and beverage companies, health care providers, families and other foundations—to turn the tide. It deserves a serious response.”

What are you doing to prevent, turn around, and stop this epidemic?