Childhood Obesity

Coca Cola has given The American Academy of Pediatrics over $3 million dollars over the past 6 years. "Standing next to sugary soda at a time when childhood obesity and Type 2 Diabetes rates were going through the roof seemed oxymoronic at the very least. And during that first meeting, they expressed to me that Coke was gone. That told me right away they were concerned about image and were taking these concerns by mothers VERY seriously."

It may be easy to reach for one of these foods when your child is hungry, but have you ever really thought about what’s inside those processed convenience foods targeted at kids? Flip those colorful cartooned packages over and you’ll find almost as many artificial colors lurking in the ingredients. That list of ingredients is a long and confusing jumble of chemicals and carcinogens, like what you’ll find in these 10 cancer causing foods. Let’s take a closer look at what effects these foods are having on your child’s health, along with alternative choices you can make to safeguard their future.

Many of us have opted for healthier choices for ourselves and our family. It certainly isn’t an easy process to break bad habits and relearn everything you’ve been taught about food. This is why it’s even more important to stop bad habits before they start, whenever possible. We gave you 10 reasons to dump diet soda, which can be the hardest hurdle for some. Well, here are 10 reasons to never let your kid drink soda:

If I asked you what you had for lunch, you could probably tell me without hesitation. If I asked what your child had for lunch at school, could you answer just as easily? Even if you know the lunch menu, what’s actually in the food may be a mystery. A look at one school’s burger found it had 26 ingredients. Among those 26 components, it contained disodium inosinate, a flavor additive that can spike heart rate, and caramel color, which contains sulfites and ammonia. Labdoor Magazine explains "processing carbohydrates with ammonia under high temperatures can produce a toxic byproduct, 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI), that has been linked to convulsions and an increased incidence of cancer in animal testing." These types of chemical compounds, and many others, are prevalent in the processed foods served at schools in these processed foods to avoid feeding your children.

Obesity is a troubling and growing trend among our children. According to the American Heart Association, "about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963." One in three! How did America get here so quickly? What can we do to stop this explosion in obesity in children?

This is a public health communication campaign that has gone very wrong. Since when it is okay to shame children? I’ll tell you when. When people with fancy degrees sit in their ivory towers and decide that the people in Georgia need to "wake Up and smell the obesity in their state" (my own quote, btw.)

I’m what you would call "formerly fat". I was morbidly obese. A big girl. Someone who used to hide in my house and someone who NEVER went to the gym. When I lost all my weight, I did it at home all by myself. No one really helped me, other than Weight Watchers and Billy Blanks DVDs. (Update: Btw, these are NOT sponsors nor have I EVER been paid by either of these brands.)