According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the best strategies to reduce childhood obesity is to improve the diet and exercise habits of your entire family. Treating and preventing childhood obesity helps protect the health of your child now and in the future.
As many of my regular viewers to this web blog know, there are many factors contributing to childhood obesity. I post daily here about it, whether news print articles, opinions, feedback, or just personal opinion.
Recently, I wrote an article for Yahoo! (click here) about childhood obesity. I started searching for sources for this article, and received over 100 responses to the question, “What do you think caused the rise in childhood obesity?” Responses came from professional and Olympic athletes, fitness experts, health experts, nutritionist, and parents.
I was unable to use everyone’s feedback, but thought it would be great to post some of their responses on my blog in a new web series, “What Causes Childhood Obesity.” I hope that you enjoy the opinions here from various individuals. Please remember, my including their posts does not necessarily mean I agree or endorse their opinion, rather, a place to share other people’s thoughts.
Opinion: Frances Wilkins
98% of the time, overweight is a sign that the child (or teen or adult) has some unexpressed sadness, anger, and/or fear. These emotions are pure physical energy in our bodies. when we don’tandle our emotions physically and constructively, we look for ways to distract ourselves from what we are feeling.
If we encourage a child to talk by providing a safe, non-judgmental environment, free of shaming, blaming, or advice-giving, he or she will get around to talking about what is really going on for them. That’s what they do before their family, culture, peers, school put a stop to that with all the messages about why it’s not okay to express emotions.
Allow them to cry (sadness), shiver and shake (fear), pound or stomp (anger) and the energy that drives us to turn to food for comfort and to fill that inner hole will naturally decrease.
Jude Bijou
www.AttitudeReconstruction.com
Trudy Scott
1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?
I am Trudy Scott and I’m 51 years old. I am Food-Mood expert and nutritionist, educating women (and their families) about real whole food and finding natural solutions for anxiety and stress, depression and other mood problems (and the associated sugar and carb cravings). I do this via one on one consulting and via my book The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help you Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings (June 2011, New Harbinger).
2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?
My darling mom inspired me as a child to eat healthy and stay fit. And she continues to inspire me to this day!
3. What did they do to inspire you?
I grew up in South Africa and I am the oldest of five kids. My mom fed us real whole foods i.e. home-cooked meals, made from scratch. There were no TV dinners, no cans, no boxes and certainly no fast foods! It was such a great foundation! We also weren’t big on medications, always looking to natural solutions if we did get sick, which wasn’t very often.
4. How did their lesson change your life?
This really did change my life in a BIG way! When I started to get anxious in my late 30s (I had unexplained fears, waking with a sense of doom and even had panic attacks) I looked first to food and nutrients and natural solutions – and found them! I have used gluten elimination, zinc, vitamin B6, GABA and the amazing healing powers of foods and nutrients to completely heal. I even went back to school to study nutrition, leaving my corporate computer job and starting my own business to help those with mood problems.
5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?
Yes, I do, indirectly. Since I work with moms, helping them feel on top of the world again and teaching them about eating real whole food and getting healthy, they take this information back to their families and children.
6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?
Eat real food, eat breakfast every day and include protein at breakfast, eat quality food (organic produce, grass-fed meat, wild fish etc) AND skip the sugar, junk, caffeine, and sodas. Address food intolerances such as wheat/ gluten – it’s much more common that we suspect. Get out and have fun and exercise in the sun and nature – get your parents and siblings to go on a bike ride or hike. Get enough sleep, laugh, play and be a kid!
7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?
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