Tag Archives: children

childhoodobesity200Parents may be in denial when it comes to their kids’ weight.

About half of parents with overweight or obese children don’t think their kids are too heavy, a new study shows. This is true in the USA and around the world, the researchers found.

“Parents who underestimate their kids’ weight may not take action to encourage healthy behaviors that would improve their child’s weight and reduce their risk of future health conditions,” says lead author Alyssa Lundahl, a graduate student in the clinical psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

These findings come after a study released last week … Read the rest

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Halloween has always been a challenge for parents. Do you restrict kids’ candy consumption, or do you let them “binge” and then go back to eating healthfully on November 1st? This year, there’s a new wrinkle – Halloween-themed breakfast cereals.

Let’s be honest – most breakfast cereal, at least the ones that appeal to kids, aren’t that healthy anyway. They are loaded with sugar and artificial flavorings. But, now General Mills has rolled out a record 5 “Monster Cereals” this month, to play off Halloween at the end of October. Parents should beware, though – and not just of the … Read the rest

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A new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that children of obese mothers have increased risks for developing serious cardiovascular disease and early death. Yikes!

The study is based on the health records of more than 37,000 people born in Scotland between 1950 and 1976. It does not try to explain why a mother’s weight would affect the health of an adult child decades later. Genes may play a role, and so too might family lifestyle. There is abundant evidence that adult eating habits are often originally defined during childhood, so family lifestyle may play a significant … Read the rest

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just announced that, for the first time in decades, the rate of childhood obesity is down slightly. The rate of obesity in low-income preschoolers was lower in 18 states.

This is fantastic news, but one year is not a trend and we shouldn’t take our eyes off the ball quite yet. Childhood obesity is still at epidemic levels in many states. Some states report childhood obesity still affects more than 1 in 6 children, and studies continue to show that suffering from childhood obesity significantly raises the probability of continuing adult obesity.

This … Read the rest

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If you frequent Taco Bell, then it’s likely that you don’t go there for healthy food. Taco Bell is not known for their healthy fare. Their menu items tend to have a lot of calories and a lot of sodium too.

But, Taco Bell just announced that it wants to fix the high-calorie and high-sodium issues with their menu. They recently announced that they plan to have 20 percent of their combo meals meet the federal government’s recommended dietary guidelines, but not until 2020! Some of their current menu items top the scales at more than 950 calories and more … Read the rest

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