Americans today live a life short on time. We value anything that’s faster and more convenient and it really shows when it comes to the food we eat. Fast food is a staple in many of our diets, but what effect is that having on the weight of our children? When it comes to childhood obesity and ionized water, you can help your little ones shed the pounds by keeping their water bottle full.
Recent scientific studies tell us that 15% of our children are obese. That’s because a third of American children are consuming fast food once a day, leading to six extra pounds a year. “The numbers, though alarming, are not surprising since billions of dollars are spent each year on fast-food advertising directed at kids” says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston. These commercials show happy and active children eating chicken nuggets from their treasure box of fun, but these advertisements not only affect the way our children think but also they way parents perceive what to feed their children.
These companies try to promote a “healthier” way of eating fast food, when in the end “healthy” and “fast food” for the most part is a contradiction. No matter how much the companies market the healthier alternative to food choices it always is the wrong one to allow our children to eat fast food on a regular basis, but the fast paced lifestyle has become common place and the dinner table has been replaced with the drive through.
The western society way of eating has not only impacted the children in America, but has also seen global ramifications. “We have truly a global epidemic which appears to be affecting most countries in the world,” said Dr. Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity Task Force and author of an editorial in the journal warning of the trend. He predicts massive weight gain in children of other countries by the end of 2010 “They’re being bombarded like they are in the West to eat all the wrong foods. The Western world’s food industries without even realizing it have precipitated an epidemic with enormous health consequences,”
Obesity in children has almost reached epidemic proportions in America; with one out of three children being obese we need to take a hard look at what our children are eating. Let’s take a look at what a happy meal from McDonalds consists of.
A small French fry has 230 calories while 100 of those calories comes from fat
A 6 piece chicken nugget has 280 calories while 160 of those comes from fat
Chocolate milk 100 calories and 12 grams of sugar
Now McDonalds has been trying to promote healthier options for our kids by replacing the French fries with apple dippers and the soda with chocolate milk. Now with the milk of course you are getting the vitamins and the calcium but you are still giving 100 calories to your kids and 12 grams of sugars, while the soda is around 110 calories and 29 grams of sugars. Clearly the milk is a better option but an even better option would be fighting this obesity and ionized water would be served instead. Ionized alkaline water from an EOS water ionizer hydrates three times more effectively, gives our little ones lots of energy, neutralizes acid waste, and detoxifies. It’s WAY better than bottled or tap water.
In total a happy meal with chicken nuggets, French fries and chocolate milk totals out to:
620 calories
280 of those calories coming from fat
28 grams of fat
12 grams of sugars
Also add 50 calories and 6 to 11 grams of sugars per sauce packet they use.
That could be close to a 700 calorie and 300 of those coming from fat and 28 total grams of fat. Just for lunch.
Most doctors agree that there is an obesity problem among children, and most believe these habits will not only shorten the lifespan of our children but also lead to an unhealthy lifestyle when they reach adulthood. One of the most important and easiest changes that can positively affect the future of our children is cutting out the soda, heavy sugar juice boxes and other high calorie; high sugars drinks and replace them with ionized water.
Children ages 4 to 8 should be drinking 3 cups of milk a day, and 4 cups from the 8 to 18 range. Now what happens when milk is replaced by soda? In children the phosphoric acid is after time going to suck the calcium right out of the bone. It makes the bones brittle and more susceptible to breaks and fractures. This is double fold considering the fact that we are replacing a Childs good source of calcium, which is milk, and letting them drink soda.
Another side effect of drinking soda is the lack of water intake. Water is the main component in which our body is made of, it keeps us fresh and dehydrated and if it’s ionized, it detoxifies us. But we are still letting our children reach for the soft drinks instead. It is generally believed that children who get the proper amount of water as children keep this habit up through their teens and into adulthood leading to a healthier lifestyle. Now we know the health ramifications that come from this destructive lifestyle, beginning with the fact that it sets our children up for failure.
It is important to consider what we are allowing our children to consume. Of course the occasional happy meal or juice drink is not going to have long term ill effects on a child’s health, but long term healthy food habits have to be instilled at a young age.
It’s always important a child starts with a strong healthy breakfast. I usually make my kids scrambled eggs with a little cheese, fruit and toast. Then a glass of ionized water to wash it down. If not the eggs then a cereal, fruit and maybe some orange juice. I mix these things up because I don’t want them to consume all of the sugar that comes in fruit juice every day.
Fresh fruits like bananas, apples and the small oranges are always a hit around my house and never last long, As much as people say that fruit is expensive I usually can get a weeks worth for the family for about $15. That’s the price to take my two kids and myself to McDonalds for one lunch. For lunch I go with simple sandwiches of turkey or chicken, with some lettuce, mayo and mustard. I do allow them to have chips with their lunch. But I don’t allow them access to a large bag of chips; I usually buy the bag of individual servings, and usually baked chips, thus controlling how much they are allowed to have. Snacks range from fruit to granola bars, wheat crackers and some cheese. Dinners range from grilling chicken and white rice with green beans to roast and mashed potatoes with corn. But every meal my children eat come with a form of fruit or vegetable. And they drink ionized water all day long.
It’s important to balance out our children’s diets since all of the habits they form as adults are biased in what we teach them as children. A healthy lifestyle as a child will lead to a healthier lifestyle as an adult. If we continue to allow our children to take part in this fast food, high calorie, high fat lifestyle, we are just leading them down a path of destruction. Balancing out their lives now with fruits and vegetables, healthy exercise and lots of ionized water will ensure a longer and happier life. Childhood obesity and ionized water can be a marriage that makes your kids healthy and happy.
To your health!
