Liquid candies from soft drinks to chocolate milk

If the choices as a family are empty calories -high calories with no nutrients- such as sweetened beverages, the blood sugar level elevates blood insulin at any age. Being overweight is the beginning of many risks for children's health. Poor health is an effect of poor diet and low nutrients in each meal, along with rich calorie intake all day from fat in food and sugar in drinks. Parents relay on quick and easy beverages their children's water intake.

Low physical performance at every activity is the reality of many families; this can be a consequence of non-healthy food and habits at home. Even if some childhood obesity's effects are immediate parents should better be concern about the long term impacts. Cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure is affecting 70% of obese children. Bones and joints problems, occasional sleeplessness, anxiety and stress, and low self esteem are major effects on obese kids. All this leads to kids with adults' illness, including heart disease, diabetes, and sort of cancer. Do we want this for the youngest of the family?

The lifestyle of children is set-up and controlled by parents. As decision makers, parent must evaluate weight management issues among their children and must take it seriously as a family project. Parents’ concern often is whether their child is too young to put him / her on diet. When parents make simple dietary adjustments step by step, the family weight management gets under control. Mom and dad can do the work one pound at a time.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILHOOD OBESITY?

Adults pay more attention to children’s education than their eating habits. Some adults do not realize that kids eat more than parents think or wish. Parents’ pressure to feed the family and their multiple concerns diminish their attention to unconscious actions such as over eating and drinking when surrounded by their kids. Children imitate what they see. Children's eating habits are a result of observing their parents eating; family meals at home or in public places play an essential role. Families are eating together in front of the TV without paying attention to the quality and amount of food. This allows the little persons of the family have no control over their calorie intake per meal.  Today’s busy parents are raising overweight kids, and childhood obesity is an epidemic. Parents’ eating behaviors should be evaluated as a family by integrating nutritious meals and weight management program at home for the sake of the family.

Some overweight parents see their kids' overweight problem as something that runs in the family's genes. Being overweight depends on the family's culture, background and habits; this is an issue defined as having too much body fat in a human being. The body fat is measured bu BMI -Body Mass Index- which is based on weight and height to estimate the body fat percentage. The higher the BMI, the higher health risks are developed. Being overweight is becoming a common family condition, and overweight families are increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Childhood obesity has increased by 300% in the past 30 years.

Childhood obesity is influenced and caused by genetic, behavioral and environmental factors. Their enviroments send them different messages of junk food such as TV advertisers at home and vending machines at school, and toys included in fast food restaurants' meals. Some parents neglect to have healthy snacks and drinks anywhere their kids are; some also rely on TV to entertain their kids while they hit and serve processed food.  In sum, adult's lack of attention on food supplies and eating habits at home play a larger role than marketers and schools.