|
|
      |
| The Lounge | Champions | The Wire | Schedule | Audio | Arcade | The Top Ten | Historical | Email | Video |
|
|
|
| The Lounge | Champions | The Wire | Schedule | Audio | Arcade | The Top Ten | Historical | Email | Video |
 |
Battling Childhood Obesity through Smart Eating
Finally, a positive solution regarding America's difficult and costly campaign to stem childhood obesity is emerging. For the thousands of children and their families who are currently battling with childhood obesity, this good news is long awaited. Indeed, the risk factors for childhood obesity read like a checklist of ailments that only a generation ago would never have been linked to children and diet: heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and of course, social ridicule and alienation [i]. This latter consequence of childhood obesity -- ridicule and alienation -- has the dual effect of damaging a child both physically and emotionally far beyond childhood, and possibly for the rest of his or her natural life. For years, medical experts have called for a multi-faceted strategy to address this epidemic. It has been clear that any long-term solution must be fought on four major fronts: physical activity, sedentary behavior, socioeconomic status, and eating habits [ii]. Yet there is room for another pillar; or, at the very least, the identification of another component that must be a part of any lasting solution. This fifth pillar, or undiscovered component, is smart nutritional supplements. Many obese children have been told repeatedly by well-intentioned dieticians that eating smart is the key to overcoming this scarring condition. This is easier said than done; especially when emotional eating or an unobserved food addiction [1] may fuel adverse eating habits. Yet being told to "eat smart" is oftentimes not enough. Children must be provided with foods that are nutritionally sound, and foods that they actually enjoy eating. It is this latter criterion that most well-intentioned experts and caregivers overlook. This is explained below. Most obese children are neither unable to learn, nor willfully disobedient. Some of these children even have remarkable support from their well-adjusted families who dutifully remove the usual suspects of chips, soft drinks, chocolate bars, and other damaging foods from the home. Yet many of these same children continue to gain weight and march ever closer to the litany of health defects noted above. These children are not sadistic, and they are not attempting to kill themselves through eating; though some do because of the stigma associated with their condition. Indeed, many obese children are cognitively aware of the danger to which they are subjecting their bodies. Yet they continue to snack away in secret, or binge on foods when they get the chance, thereby undoing whatever minor gains might have been achieved in the previous few days or weeks. The problem is one of food selection. Generally speaking, children of all weights and shapes will not eat something that they do not like. For obese children who have typically had unfettered access to highly stimulating foods such as gravies and sugar-loaded soft drinks, the willpower to eat unpalatable foods is undeveloped. Indeed, the dietician may snack away on carrots and celery while talking to an obese child about the importance of eating smart. For the obese child, carrots and celery are foreign foods for which there is no known preference. This fifth pillar, or new component, is therefore one that provides obese children with nutritional supplements that they will eat. As stunningly obvious - even axiomatic - as this seems, it has been lost on many experts until recently. Thankfully, as noted above, there is a solution emerging. It is one that meets this demand for tasty, healthy foods. Forward-thinking companies that understand their consumers are creating low-calorie, highly nutritious foods fortified with life-sustaining vitamins and protein. More importantly: they are tasty, and are often packaged in colorful containers that are "teen-friendly". Companies including MetRx?, Experimental and Applied Sciences?, Protica Research?, and others develop products that fit well within these requirements. Granted, a healthy diet does not start or end with nutritional supplements. A healthy diet employs nutritional supplements to complement and fortify real foods. Indeed, children and families affected by the obesity epidemic in America are cautiously optimistic at this point; after all, they have been promised solutions in the past. However, thanks to the next generation of nutritional supplements, there is an expectation that this optimism will steadily grow with every success story, and every child that recovers from the potentially devastating impact of obesity. ABOUT PROTICA Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at http://www.protica.com You can also learn about Profect at http://www.profect.com REFERENCES [i] Source: "The Problem of Overweight in Children and Adolescents". The US Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm [ii] Source: "Childhood Obesity". American Obesity Association. http://www.obesity.org/subs/childhood/causes.shtml Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Helping Your Immune System Win The War Against Disease Just as our country is currently engaged in a war against covert terrorism, your immune system is similarly waging a constant war against the hidden enemies within your body.This war started before you were born and it will continue until you die. You Can Have Healthy Skin With new research, new products and new skin protection advice popping up all the time, it is hard to figure out the best things to do to improve and protect your skin.A skin care program is the combination of skin care products and a routine that will be most beneficial to the skin. Creating Your Target of Health Creating Your Target is easy.What I use to help create these targets is what I call SMARTS targetsSMARTS stands for:Simple, Sensory, and SpecificMeasurable and MeaningfulAs If Now Realistic Time FramedSmiley FactorSome more about what these all mean:"S": Simple is exactly that. What is Organic Food? "Organic" has some quite specific legal definitions in most developed countries.In the U. The Benefits Of Drinking Herbal Teas Herbal teas have long been known to have medicinal benefits as well as being tasty to drink! Some of my favorite teas are chamomile tea, jasmine tea and ginger tea. Each of these has a distinctive taste as well as health benefit. Olive Oil, the Healthy Choice Olive oil is a healthy choice over other fats such as butter, palm and coconut oils because olive oil is a monounsaturated fat that does not increase levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.Dr. Small Changes Yield Big Benefits You can start today - right now, even - on a road to feeling better, looking better, living longer and enjoying a far better quality of life.We're all familiar with the big steps:If you smoke, do yourself and those who love you a huge favor - STOP. Got Soy? Milk, Snuff, and Soy Beans Milk is highly underrated. Experts say, America finds itself in a calcium crisis today because consumers aren't drinking enough milk. The Dangers of Honey Before we get to honey we have a question from one of our readers.Pam asks:What is your opinion of Splenda?Answer:Splenda is made by chlorinating sugar (sucrose). Lesser of Two Evils: Splenda or Equal? While packages of the artificial sweetener Splenda claim, "made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar," one competitor argues that this statement is nothing short of false advertising.In fact, this rival, Equal manufacturer Merisant Co. Ayurvedic Nutrition: Let Your Food Be Your Medicine It is ironic how something as obvious as nutrition has become overlooked in the modern health care system, and how in the name of convenience our fast paced society has given way to fast foods, microwaves, quick fix medicines, and eating on the run. Fortunately, there is a growing focus in the important role that nutrition plays in maintaining good health. Fluoride Debate Continues The debate regarding Fluoride continues to rage, is it good for your teeth or, the teeth of our children. There does not appear to be a survey available, without bias, that goes one way or the other. Functional Foods: What They Are And How They Work In the brain, a typical protein can live for approximately ten days. The thoughts, feelings and memories of a human being are made up of what was in the stomach only a few days before. Good Meal Sizes and Frequency Meal sizes and frequency are very important. Over the years people are amazed by how much food I eat at work in a day and part of this can probably be explained by decent genetics but more importantly I make sure that I have a higher metabolism by eating more smaller meals. The Worse Mistakes People Make with Food There are a number of common food mistakes that costsdearly in money, health, and time. What are the majormistakes made? What changes do you need to make? Here aresome food mistakes to avoid. Serious About Wanting To Improve Your Familys Healthy Eating Lifestyles? Dr. Christine Wood, M. The Truth About the Meat You Eat There are so many topics to discuss which affect our health that it is hard to choose just one at a time. My motto is Unhealthy Soil = Unhealthy Plants and Animals = Unhealthy People. You Dont Have to be Wealthy to Eat Well: The Truth about Your Grocery Budget Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than conventional. In many cases, organic foods are priced higher. Carrots : The Master Key For Healthy Living! It slows ageing, promotes healthy vision, has anti-cancer properties, increases immunity towards various chronic diseases. Yes, carrot does it all for you. Fattening Foods: Not So Fattening After All? Have you seen those "fat free" foods in supermarkets? Have you possibly delighted in them guiltlessly thinking that they are healthy for you? There's a good chance that you have because we usually follow what the media and the world around us says. In this day in age, along with other health fads, many people believe that fat makes you fat.
|
Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us Copyright 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved. 
|
