By Dr. Joey Shulman, D.C., RNCP

Everywhere you turn, media outlets, prestigious journals and health care professionals have begun to pay attention to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. It is now abundantly clear from research studies and statistical analysis that childhood obesity is placing an enormous strain on our health and financial systems. While I am pleased that information regarding childhood obesity is now being distributed, we must take active and aggressive steps for significant changes to occur. As one pediatrician recently said regarding childhood obesity, “It is as though everyone is standing around the accident scene, but no one is calling the ambulance”. Consider some of the latest statistics:

• 35% of boys are overweight in Canada
• 29% of girls are overweight in Canada
• 17% of boys are obese in Canada
• 15% of girls are obese in Canada
• 20% of childhood diabetes cases are now type 2 diabetes (adult-onset diabetes)
• Children spend an average of three to five hours per day sedentary, in front of the TV or computer
• 42 to 63% of obese school-aged children will become obese adults

What Can You Do?
Often, you read an article or listen to a seminar or news broadcast and feel very motivated to start making healthy changes in your life. Unfortunately, while a majority of us have the best intentions to create change, our best intentions get swept away by the daily activities of life. At Truestar, it is our goal to pull back the reigns on children’s health by creating permanent health changes. This is why we challenge all of our members and readers to start paving their path to looking and feeling well from the inside out by committing to one positive health step. It is a well known fact that writing down your health goals will increase the likelihood of actually achieving them. Email us at cs@truestarhealth.com and we will support you in your efforts by sending you up-to-date information, health tips and food games for children. We also welcome you to submit any questions, success stories or recipes you would like to share.

In a Nutshell
Childhood obesity is a multi-faceted problem that involves the medical and natural health care world, school systems and government. We must come together to help protect children from the health and social consequences that come with being overweight or obese, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. Being a kid today is hard enough without the added pressure of being overweight or obese.

You can begin today by implementing baby steps toward health in your own home. Start implementing the following changes one at a time and see the results in your own home.

• Do not put your child on a restrictive diet. Restriction frequently leads to frustration and failure! Instead, switch them to healthy and delicious food choices such as non-processed flour items, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, essential fats and lean proteins. For more information, visit the Truestar meal plans for children or read The Right Diet for Overweight Kids.
• A can of pop contains 9 to 11 teaspoons of sugar! Replace pop or soda with fresh, clean water of natural fruit juice that you have watered down. (See Sugary Drinks are not so Sweet)
• Keep cut up fruits and veggies, granola, baked nachos and pretzels, yogurt and homemade popsicles made from natural fruit juices in your home as healthy grabbable snacks.
• Do not let your children mindlessly munch in front of the computer or television.
• Examine your own personal health habits. We cannot expect our children to make the health changes that we ourselves would not make. For delicious and easy meals that can be incorporated into any home, click on the Truestar Kids section and create a meal plan schedule specifically for your child.
• Have your children engage in their favorite form of exercise for a minimum of one hour per day. No matter if it is dancing, hockey, running or soccer—as long as they move!
• Contact your local government officials and put pressure on them to include healthy food items, such salad bars and bottled water, in schools. Encourage them to remove unhealthy food choices, such as pop and vending machines. In addition, we can effect change by switching school systems’ notorious pizza and pop days to healthier lunch versions.

Next week: Part II of Childhood Obesity: Truestar’s Call to Action