Childhood Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Prevention

It irritates me that children are now becoming type 2 diabetics due to childhood obesity. This is something that can be PREVENTED. Because parents allow their children to eat whenever and whatever, we see more & more obese kids. I have seen it first hand where the kids go in the kitchen constantly grabbing junk food; the parents don't fix supper & the kids eat quick microwaved food or even fast food; there is just no nutritional concerns. I agree with what an earlier comment said about that children sit in front of the tv or video games; there is lack of physical activities. I know of a child that is 6 years old & weighs 70+ lbs. I didn't weigh that until around 8th grade. It makes no sense! Parents need to realize the risks that obesity causes. It's bad enough for adults to have to battle with type 2 diabetes, but for a child to have to deal with it because their parents don't care if the child is obese. As a parent, obesity & type 2 in a child is PREVENTABLE. Now you may wonder why I am so angered by this epidemic, it's because I am the mother of a type 1 diabetic. Unlike parents of obese type 2 kids, I could NOT prevent my child from getting diabetes. Diabetes is a serious condition.

To my mind, the Internet and video games as leading causes for the obesity crisis, as kids are tempted to stay inside rather than playing and exercising outdoors. My son was absolutely addicted to video game, that’s why I bought parental control software Ez Internet Timer allows to limit the amount of time he spent online. Great program! It lets me turn off my son's internet when I want it to. Since then he began to spend more time with his friends, play football and lost some weight.

To my mind, the Internet and video games as leading causes for the obesity crisis, as kids are tempted to stay inside rather than playing and exercising outdoors. My son was absolutely addicted to video game, that’s why I bought parental control software Ez Internet Timer ( http://www.internettimer.net ) allows to limit the amount of time he spent online. Great program! It lets me turn off my son's internet when I want it to. Since then he began to spend more time with his friends, play football and lost some weight.

Sheila Rae
www.imagebysheilarae.com ( http://www.imagebysheilarae.com )

There are articles, news reports and comedians that put there “two cents” in on what should be this years New Year’s Resolution. So I decided to join them and suggest to the world to eliminate white flour. There are many supporting facts on why we should do this but we are a Wonder Bread Society and habits are hard to break.

White flour came onto the scene around the time of the Industrial Revolution. We started milling wheat and removing the beneficial germ to increase the bread self life. Naturalist would say that they removed the life of the grain which is what makes it so beneficial to the body. I think this is a valid point but the thing that scares me the most is the use of chemicals in the process. The most common used in the production of white flour is called alloxan. This chemical is used to make white flour look so beautifully clean and this same chemical has the power to destroy the beta cells of the pancreas. What does that mean to our bodies in the long term, the risk of diabetes? Scientists have known the risk for years and even use it to induce diabetes in lab animals by injecting alloxan directly into the animals. How does alloxan cause diabetes? The alloxan makes beta cells fail to operate normally and they eventually do not produce insulin which causes one variety of adult-onset type 2 diabetes. The white flour industry argues if alloxan was the primary cause of diabetes more Americans would be diabetic. Even though that is a valid point we also know that not just one thing usually causes a single health issue.

If you are diabetic or have a family history of diabetics one of the first steps in prevention is the elimination of white flour.

The baker’s at Bizzy Lizzy Bakery have come up with a wonderful solution. They have created a breakfast “Hearty” cookie that is packed with fiber and protein. These soft and delicious cookies have 4 grams of fiber and NO FLOUR. Most high fiber products have wheat flours, which many are trying to avoid.

Running and healthy living programs such as Girls on the Run (www.girlsontherun.org ( http://www.girlsontherun.org )) and Marathon Kids (www.marathonkids.org ( http://www.marathonkids.org )) help prevent obesity as well as build healthy self-esteem. The programs provide kids with ways to integrate physical fitness, healthy food choices and the idea of community into their everyday lives. Groups such as these are helpful for parents who might need help in this area - in fact, once parents see the positive impact of these programs, they have been known to get their own bodies active!

Brianna Grant
Author
We Are Girls Who Love to Run
www.balancedsteps.com ( http://www.balancedsteps.com )

Thanks for sharing the link.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at CatherineBlogs.com ( http://www.catherineblogs.com/ ) and The Political Voices of Women ( http://politicsanew.com/ )

Parents need to take an active role in preventing childhood obesity. In my blog's weekly news feature, I commented on a topic similar to this one:

"Kids’ obesity not weighing on their parents’ minds" ( http://www.iowaavenue.com/profiles/blog/show?id=77... )

Lisa
Iowa Avenue ( http://www.iowaavenue.com )