Looking out my front window I watch as the local Jr. High student walk home from school. Are you as shocked as I am? It seems that half of them have a weight problem. If you look at current trends it is predicted that 30-40% of all our children will end up with Type 2 diabetes and this is showing up in their formative years. We are on the verge of a pandemic and we as responsible and concerned parents have the tools to stop this.
How do we stop it? First and formost...Stop giving our children soda! Our bodies are not equipped to deal the the amount of high fructose corn syrup we consume. A new syndrome has been coined the "metabolic syndrome". This syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors including abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL (good cholesterol), high LDL (bad cholestol), high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and inflammation. These risk factors can lead to hear disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Teenagers get about 13% of their daily calories from soft drinks. This is equivalent to 10-15 teaspoons of refined sugar/day!
Diet soda is not much better. There is research showing that artificial sweetners can lead to weight gain because they make you more hungry not to mention cancer! The only thing you are saving by drinking diet soda is the calories which you probably make up for in added snacks.
Consumption of soft drinks can also lead to osteoporosis and tooth decay. This is due to a high concentration of phosphoric acid. Adding phosporic acid into our system leads to calcium being pulled out of our bones to balance the acid. The calcium can then be deposited into the kidneys potentially leading to kidney stones.
The excess acid raises the acidity of all the cells in your body. Our cells don't function well in an acidic environment. This can lead to lethargy and an inability to fight off illness. Bacteria and viruses thrive in an acid environment.
So, if you do one thing towards the health and well being of your family...give up soda! Send your children to school with a healthy lunch and deter them from buying soda on campus. Just the idea that the schools even provide soda to the students is a major concern. How do they even expect the students to concentrate in class if they don't provide proper nutrition.
Keep an eye on my blog...I will share with you how to provide your families with proper nutrition to establish a life time habit of health!!
For one on one couseling, e-mail me at conceptsinwellness@sbcglobal.net
