Conquering Childhood Obesity

Preparing your child for school is more demanding today than it has ever been. Concern over school supplies takes a back seat to a more pressing issue - nutrition and childhood obesity.

(PRWEB) January 14, 2005 -- Preparing a child for school is more demanding than it has ever been. School supplies have taken a backseat to something more important and life threatening - childhood obesity. During the past three decades, the number of overweight children in the United States has more than doubled (New England Journal of Medicine. Mar 2002).    

Hyperactivity, listlessness and an inability to pay attention are small side effects compared to the health dangers of obesity in young children. Parents do not need a medical doctor to tell them that a daily diet of sugar found in their child's favorite cereals, chips and cookies is detrimental. Sugary cake substances in snacks, high preservatives, fats and salts found in lunch boxes are all a dangerous road leading to overweight children and in many cases deadly diseases. Excess weight is associated with increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic conditions. (U.S. News & World Report, Dec 2004). In light of these circumstances breakfast and lunch can be a parent's worst enemy. The full course nutritious breakfast, a tradition once enjoyed by many parents' generations, is now sacrificed to accommodate the demands of today's "on-the-go" lifestyle.    School lunches are a convenient choice over brown bag lunches and can also be a demon to reckon with. School lunches contain mainly high-fat canned and packaged foods. (The New York Times, Oct. 24, 2004 ) What is a parent to do? How do you combat the threat of childhood obesity in your child? How do you experience victory over the boring brown bag lunch and also provide nutritional meals for your children? Statistics prove that unhealthy eating habits have led to the growing obesity epidemic and contributes to 4 out of 10 kids developing adult onset diabetes, a disease that can alter one's life and lead to blindness and heart disease. To ward off diabetes, make healthy eating and physical activity a daily routine. (Review and Herald Publishing Assn. Nov 2004)

Clearly, meal planning is the first hurdle towards success in beating the obesity problem in children. Just some of the excellent snacks that can replace a full breakfast at home include fruit, oatmeal or homemade french toast. Diets rich in fruit and vegetables have been recommended for preventing cancer. (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Sep. 2003). For a nutritious lunch it seems best to err on the side of caution, cook meals yourself and know exactly what your child is eating. For instance, lunch can include your childs favorite home cooked meal left over from dinner. Freeze it store it and pack it for lunch.

This all sounds wonderful but how does a parent accomplish this? A Bensalem, PA company called Warm & Tote.com has come up with a remedy that is catching on. They have invented a thermal lunch box system that dramatically improves on the age old lunch box that merely transports meals from one place to the next. Their product called the Lunch & Go Lunch Tote that founders, Glenn and Lynn Page, say does much more. Lunch & Go provides portable on-board, on demand heat or cold lasting 4+ hours. Lunch & Go boasts about its ability to give parents freedom in sending nutritious hot or cold meals to school with children for snack and/or lunch. You can see it for yourself and view the vast menu possibilities suggested with the Lunch & Go lunch tote on their website, www.warmandtote.com. Apparently one of the most effective weapons against childhood obesity is to provide a healthy diet for your children. According to Dr. Ravi Shankar, pediatric doctor and diabetes specialist, "a decade ago, we rarely diagnosed type 2 diabetes in children and teens. Now, we are seeing an epidemic increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes in youth. The jump is phenominal." The Saturday Evening Post. Nov/Dec 2004

According to Lunch & Go a healthy meal can be taken anywhere, school lunch, soccer and all sports games, car trips, its portability is endless. Parents, diabetics and vegetarians show signs of early and wide adoption of the new product. Lunch & Go Lunch Tote website - www.warmandtote.com.

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