Childhood obesity is something that all parents should be concerned about, and yet with our busy, distracted lifestyles we often take shortcuts that jeopardize our health and fitness. Sometimes it’s a matter of getting through the day. There are some alarming statistics about how our bad habits are affecting our children. A Statistics Canada report from 2004 Nutrition: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/pdf/4193660-eng.pdf confirms what we already have heard numerous times. Habits like eating at the table, reducing screen time, and making healthy food choices make childhood obesity less of a risk. But these habits are also a responsibility of parents. These ideas are reinforced in the Childhood Obesity Blog: http://childhood--obesity.blogspot.com. Author Gary J Kidd explains that the parents are most at fault for the obesity crisis, but that schools are an important part of the solution, as well.

I try my best to feed my kids nutritious foods and put them in activities that will keep them active several times a week. But my kids have a taste for junk food, especially my seven year-old son, who loves his Doritos and Chicken Nugget Happy Meals. My daughter, on the other hand, has become a little more conscious of her choices. As a figure skater, she is starting to see herself as an athlete, and an athlete’s lifestyle has the on ice, as well as off ice component. She understands that chowing down a box of oreos defeats the purpose of spending three hours training on the ice, and that oreos are a once-in-a-while treat, rather than a dietary staple. Blogs like Nourishing Thoughts http://www.nourishinteractive.com/blog can give parents ideas for meal planning and information about dietary choices.

There is also a lot of online support for keeping your kids active. FitFactorKids Blog http://www.fitfactorkidsblog.blogspot.com Parents looking to inform themselves about ways to keep kids active can find many sites to point them in the right direction.

With all the information and support available, I feel confident that I can continue to learn about kids’ health and nutrition, while you still may see my purple minivan in the McDonald's drive-thru from time to time.

Mrs. Yuzik