Childhood obesity and overweight children have reached epidemic proportions in this country.  In fact the statistics on childhood obesity tell us that 1 in 5 children today are either overweight or obese.  Childhood Type II diabetes has also risen to an all time high, to date we have 1 out of 4 overweight children that are being diagnosed with childhood Type II diabetes. 

Childhood obesity facts state that there are two main root causes for this increasing problem facing American children and their parents.  Let's address the 1st cause which is diet.  Did you know that the average American child consumes approximately 15 pound of sugar per month.  Not only is sugar at the root cause of obesity but it is the direct cause for the increase of type II diabetes.  The second root cause is of coarse lack of exercise.  Did you know the average child watches 37 hours of  TV or Video games per week.   The abuse of TV and Childhood obesity go hand in hand.

Another real concern is our children are deficient in calcium and vitamin D,3 which is very alarming.  If a person does not reach peak bone mass between ages 1-30 they will be at a very high risk of osteoporosis later in life.  Many of our children and teens are drinking soda's on a daily basis, which is a big problem, because the phosphoric acid in all soda's pulls and leaches calcium from the bones. Orthopedic surgeons are projecting a 400 % increase in osteoporosis by 2015.  

 We are now seeing children being diagnosed with high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.  You may be surprised to hear that plaque can start to build up inside arteries as early as 3 years old.  When autopsies where preformed on young 19 year old soldiers they discovered the beginning stages of arteriosclerosis.  Traditional doctors are now beginning to prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs to children.  The real root of this problem is the amount of fake fats, HYDROGENATED OIL, that our kids are consuming.  We must remove hydrogenated oil from our children's diet.

Whether you are a parent, grandparent or someone who just really loves children I hope you will do your part to help educate our kids to make better choices.  The formative years of a child's health can not be replaced.  What a child does now can and will affect them the rest of their lives.  We can make a difference one child at a time. 

"It's Cool to be Healthy" was created to be a tool to help our children to want to make better food choices.  As a parent I know how hard it can be to accomplish this important responsibility.