Sad fact: 20% of 4 year olds considered obese

I know that I'm not the only one who's deeply disturbed by new research indicating that 1 out of 5 preschoolers are obese. That's not cute. That's not baby fat. That's the diagnosis that leads to high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes not too far down the road. Along with emotional and social problems, and poor performance in school.

That's a tough future for any child and a label that not one of them deserves.At four years old, they're not making poor choices that led to weight issues. This wasn't their own doing.

We've had the challenge of trying to put weight on our good-for-you-food loving children, who have both struggled with being underweight. We've incorporated all kinds of healthier fat options like avocados, olive oil, whole milk, full-fat cheese and yogurt, dark meat and nuts, with little, if any, successes. Having this experience makes me wonder what's going on - or not going on - in these homes.

So, that same research tells us that many of these children are living in lower-income situations where they might be indoors more to avoid the neighborhood dangers, eating food bought from the local convenience store because there's no access or financial means to a true grocery store, and snacking more or eating increasingly larger portion sizes while sitting in front of the TV.

This is disastrous. How will these children lead our country into greatness someday if they don't make it to adulthood?

The problems are overwhelming. The solutions can be, too. But for today, what if we all did one small thing to help make a difference to a few of these preschoolers?  Here's a few ideas to get you started:

• Talk to your school about providing bottled water or other healthy drink options instead of sugar-filled juices, sports drinks or sodas
• This is going to sound strange but, talk to your local McDonald's franchise owner and request a visit from Ronald McDonald to your local school - he has a great show that teaches kids the importance of getting active in a really fun way
• Fight to get unhealthy options in school lunches or vending machines out of schools and parks - this is worth the battle
• If sports or other physical activities have been reduced from your school, ask for volunteers at your next Parent's Association meeting to organize opportunities for the students
• Invite the neighborhood kids over to your house or the local park to run, skip, chase or play ball. Raining outside? Turn on Yo Gabba Gabba or fun music and see how long they can go without sitting down or resting!
• Do you know someone who owns a restaurant? Ask them to speak at your school about food - where it comes from, why our body needs good food, and share something surprisingly healthy and tasty
• When the local crops start to flourish, invite growers to your school to speak and sample their bounty
• If you know an overweight child, invite the family over for dinner and serve something healthy. Ask them to join you at the farmer's market. Share your love of good, healthy food with someone. Just don't tell them why (at least initially).

As parents, we all have skills and talents that can be shared to make a difference in other child's life. I believe that they're all worth it!

Comments

[Wendy]

Love these ideas!

Another possibility: Plant a "pizza garden". Plant tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc. Everything you would put on your pizza (except crust and cheese). My girls love to load their's with carrots and brocolli! I find that when they are involved in the whole process,(planting, tending, harvesting, eating) they are more excited about eating healthy.

[Gina]

That's a great idea, Wendy! Thanks for sharing.

Yes, getting kids involved in the food process makes a HUGE difference: take them to the farmer's market or grocery store, talk about food, let them help with menu planning or pick out their own healthy snacks, give them tasks to help prepare the dinner or the family table.

These little things add up to so much pride they'll feel about helping feed their family, great memories that they'll share with their own kids and encourages them to try new things.