This literally translates as an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and even premature death. Something must be done to prevent a disaster!
What exactly is the reason why we have reached this situation? Is advertising for junk food responsible? Though the effect on childrens choices is rather modest, it is a direct effect, oriented to their preferences, consumption and behaviour.
The truth about the matter is that the intake of calories-rich food cant bring about obesity if it is not combined with a sedentary lifestyle. Children who practice sports on a regular basis do need a good meal to enable their body to function as required and they keep fit and within limits for a long time if they go on living an active life.
A problem arises with children who do not take enough physical exercise, the young so-called couch potatoes who are used to spending a good part of their spare time watching TV and munching different types of junk food for mere pleasure, or because of being left on their own, without proper supervision or guidance from their parents (who work long hours and cant be there when needed).
Blaming big companies for selling junk food is probably not the best thing to do as long as such companies sell salads, natural fruit juice and fresh fruit among chips and burgers. Besides, no junk food is really junk if eaten in reasonable quantity and education in schools and family should tackle this subject too.
We should blame ourselves for not paying enough attention to what we give our children to eat and not talking seriously enough to our teenage sons and daughters about health and its proper place among individual and collective priorities. Nutritionists can help but we should give a hand too to bring down this epidemic!
What exactly is the reason why we have reached this situation? Is advertising for junk food responsible? Though the effect on childrens choices is rather modest, it is a direct effect, oriented to their preferences, consumption and behaviour.
The truth about the matter is that the intake of calories-rich food cant bring about obesity if it is not combined with a sedentary lifestyle. Children who practice sports on a regular basis do need a good meal to enable their body to function as required and they keep fit and within limits for a long time if they go on living an active life.
A problem arises with children who do not take enough physical exercise, the young so-called couch potatoes who are used to spending a good part of their spare time watching TV and munching different types of junk food for mere pleasure, or because of being left on their own, without proper supervision or guidance from their parents (who work long hours and cant be there when needed).
Blaming big companies for selling junk food is probably not the best thing to do as long as such companies sell salads, natural fruit juice and fresh fruit among chips and burgers. Besides, no junk food is really junk if eaten in reasonable quantity and education in schools and family should tackle this subject too.
We should blame ourselves for not paying enough attention to what we give our children to eat and not talking seriously enough to our teenage sons and daughters about health and its proper place among individual and collective priorities. Nutritionists can help but we should give a hand too to bring down this epidemic!
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