Obesity

I have been taking a lifetime fitness class and we just wrote our first essay. The topic: Childhood Obesity in America. It’s an amazing topic that, to me, has a simple answer. Simply make your kids eat healthy and make them exercise. Below is my essay. Enjoy.

Childhood obesity has taken the United States by storm. It not only affects the children and their development, but it also affects the people around them. From the bully who taunts them every day at school to the parents that try to shield them from the world. For the past 25 years childhood obesity has skyrocketed. This epidemic is gripping the nation and has no intention of letting go.
I recently grilled my sister-in-law about how she is feeding my nephew. He is in the top 95% of his weight class and in the bottom 5% for his height. He is also allergic to milk. For his first birthday we had to make him a cake and frosting without using dairy products. I asked her what recipes she uses to prepare his food and she just brushed me off as if I was a fly out for her food. The conversation went on and I told her until he is old to drive she is responsible for his food intake. I told her that she can’t just feed him fried foods(which she does often), and that she needs to find other sources of vitamin D and calcium. The next day the whole family convened my house for my nephew’s birthday party and she said that he has pees and rice for dinner and not fried foods.
The point is at such a young age kids do not know what is good for them or not. It is up to the parents to teach their kids how to eat properly. Potato chip companies are not entirely to blame for the obesity problem in America. Parents have an obligation to tell their kids that eating potato chips and junk food all the time is not healthy, and they must lead my example. Parents should cook healthy food for their families instead of fried chicken. However, food is not the only problem that is causing childhood obesity.
Technology is a big culprit in producing overweight children. Computers MTV, Cartoon Network, XBOX, they are all great sources of entertainment, but none of them provide the level of activity that kids and adults need. Kids constantly play these games and watch TV, but as with eating healthy parents are the first line of defense. Parents buy their kids the video games and computer and they let their kids watch TV more often than they should. Parents are responsible for getting their kids out of the house and buying them a bike or taking them to the pool or park to run around and play.
Once children reach the age to drive and can go and buy their own food and make their own choices, then their health is on them. But if they were not taught about healthy living they most likely will not make good eating habits. I was a big kid from 3rd grade to my junior year in high-school. I knew that my body was different from most of the other people in school, but I also noticed that I ate a lot more than anyone else and I didn’t eat healthy things. My mom would let me eat what ever I wanted and she allowed me to stay in front of the TV 24/7. No one ever questioned me. That was wrong of her to do. Now that I am older and can use the healthy living tools like MyPyramid.gov I know how to eat properly and that exercise was and is an important part of longevity and disease prevention.