Are Diet Foods Making YOUR KIDS Fat

One from every three children are actually overweight, or close to 25 million American children, and these figures are increasing. Actually, in just the past 30 years, the quantity of overweight children has doubled. Fifty years back, just a small percentage of the population had problems with their weight. We now have an epidemic, including among children. This is serious, to be overweight as a child can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and many more health problems.

Even though many are quick to blame inactivity and much more TV watching and gaming playing, along with simple overeating, because of this increase, I think there is another factor involved. This increase in childhood obesity in addition has happened while we have greatly increased the quantity of diet and low-fat foods inside our diets, including diet sodas, fat-free chips, low-fat dinner entrees and more. Round the turn of the century, there were NO diet foods, and we ate more fat, including more butter and cream and red meat, and very few individuals were overweight. And fewer still were obese. Just what exactly is going on? Should you be buying your kids low-fat diet foods to greatly help them lose weight?

Low Calorie Diet Foods Lead to Overeating and Obesity

According to articles in the journal "Obesity," published in August, 2007, researchers have discovered that whenever children eat low-calorie versions of foods that are saturated in calories, overeating takes place and leading to obesity. The head writer of the paper, David Pierce, says that "predicated on what (we have) learned, it is best for children to eat healthy, well-balanced diets with sufficient calories for his or her daily activities instead of low-calorie snacks or meals."

Diet Foods Condition One to Want More

Although eating diet foods could also lead to obesity and ill health for adults, it appears that for children, there is another factor going on. It would appear that the usage of diet drinks and other diet foods from an early on age appears to condition them to want to eat more, because you can eat even more of the diet foods with fewer calories. Another study at the University of Massachusetts corroborates this. It found a connection between diet soda drinking and a higher risk of obesity, along with higher rates of heart disease and diabetes.

Eat HEALTHY FOODS Rather than Diet Foods

Although the study referenced above did use rats, not children, the researchers feel that because the young animals were designed to overeat when given low-calorie foods and drinks on a daily basis, that is directly applicable to our children. As we have observed, obesity rates are high and climbing even amongst our youngsters. Mr. Pierce recommends using old-fashioned means of keeping your children healthy and fit such as for example eating well-balanced meals and exercising regularly. check here continues on to admit that "diet foods are probably wii idea for growing youngsters."

We completely agree. We have to get back to real foods, for both children and adults, and cut right out the dietary plan foods, the low-fat foods, the pre-packaged foods, and the junk food. We need to be eating whole fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy from grass-fed animals, and wholegrains. You need to remember that children are growing and need more calories than an adult of their size. You do not desire to feed them a low-calorie diet, and especially not just a low-fat diet. Kids need good quality fats for his or her brains and reproductive growth especially.

In addition to heading back to real foods, it is also true that an excessive amount of TV watching or video game playing rather than exercising outdoors is harmful to all of us, and your kids are no different. Set a good example for them and encourage some outdoor activity of all days, along with exercising yourself. This, in conjunction with the real foods, can help your kids attain and maintain a standard healthy weight.

Copyright 2008 Karen Pijuan. This short article could be copied only in its entirety and only when all links, including those in the resource box or the about-the-author section, remain intact.

Karen Pijuan is the owner of several health-related websites and contains written numerous articles about nutrition, vitamins, healthy living, whole dietary supplements, natural body care and cleaning products, natural weight reduction and more. Discover more about what to look for in a healthy vitamin, and also resources for where to find the complete food vitamins she recommends at [1]

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