Finally, a positive solution regarding America's difficult and costly campaign to stem childhood obesity is emerging. For the thousands of children and their families who are currently battling with childhood obesity, this good news is long awaited.
Indeed, the risk factors for childhood obesity read like a checklist of ailments that only a generation ago would never have been linked to children and diet: heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and of course, social ridicule and alienation [i]. This latter consequence of childhood obesity -- ridicule and alienation -- has the dual effect of damaging a child both physically and emotionally far beyond childhood, and possibly for the rest of his or her natural life.
For years, medical experts have called for a multi-faceted strategy to address this epidemic. It has been clear that any long-term solution must be fought on four major fronts: physical activity, sedentary behavior, socioeconomic status, and eating habits [ii].
Yet there is room for another pillar; or, at the very least, the identification of another component that must be a part of any lasting solution. This fifth pillar, or undiscovered component, is smart nutritional supplements.
Many obese children have been told repeatedly by well-intentioned dieticians that eating smart is the key to overcoming this scarring condition. This is easier said than done; especially when emotional eating or an unobserved food addiction [1] may fuel adverse eating habits.
Yet being told to "eat smart" is oftentimes not enough. Children must be provided with foods that are nutritionally sound, and foods that they actually enjoy eating. It is this latter criterion that most well-intentioned experts and caregivers overlook. This is explained below.
Most obese children are neither unable to learn, nor willfully disobedient. Some of these children even have remarkable support from their well-adjusted families who dutifully remove the usual suspects of chips, soft drinks, chocolate bars, and other damaging foods from the home. Yet many of these same children continue to gain weight and march ever closer to the litany of health defects noted above.
These children are not sadistic, and they are not attempting to kill themselves through eating; though some do because of the stigma associated with their condition. Indeed, many obese children are cognitively aware of the danger to which they are subjecting their bodies. Yet they continue to snack away in secret, or binge on foods when they get the chance, thereby undoing whatever minor gains might have been achieved in the previous few days or weeks.
The problem is one of food selection. Generally speaking, children of all weights and shapes will not eat something that they do not like. For obese children who have typically had unfettered access to highly stimulating foods such as gravies and sugar-loaded soft drinks, the willpower to eat unpalatable foods is undeveloped. Indeed, the dietician may snack away on carrots and celery while talking to an obese child about the importance of eating smart. For the obese child, carrots and celery are foreign foods for which there is no known preference.
This fifth pillar, or new component, is therefore one that provides obese children with nutritional supplements that they will eat. As stunningly obvious ? even axiomatic ? as this seems, it has been lost on many experts until recently.
Thankfully, as noted above, there is a solution emerging. It is one that meets this demand for tasty, healthy foods. Forward-thinking companies that understand their consumers are creating low-calorie, highly nutritious foods fortified with life-sustaining vitamins and protein. More importantly: they are tasty, and are often packaged in colorful containers that are "teen-friendly". Companies including MetRx?, Experimental and Applied Sciences?, Protica Research?, and others develop products that fit well within these requirements. Granted, a healthy diet does not start or end with nutritional supplements. A healthy diet employs nutritional supplements to complement and fortify real foods.
Indeed, children and families affected by the obesity epidemic in America are cautiously optimistic at this point; after all, they have been promised solutions in the past. However, thanks to the next generation of nutritional supplements, there is an expectation that this optimism will steadily grow with every success story, and every child that recovers from the potentially devastating impact of obesity.
ABOUT PROTICA
Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at http://www.protica.com
You can also learn about Profect at http://www.profect.com
REFERENCES
[i] Source: "The Problem of Overweight in Children and Adolescents". The US Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm
[ii] Source: "Childhood Obesity". American Obesity Association. http://www.obesity.org/subs/childhood/causes.shtml
Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com
professional maid services Park Ridge ..THE RISKWhen you consume food that's high in acid or... Read More
AgingHow did aging appeared?If mechanism of Death was chosen by... Read More
If you are like most people, you've tried dieting before.... Read More
Fats (triacylglycerols) ...Some basic terminology ...fat or fatty acid ...In... Read More
Weight loss plans are almost always trying to get you... Read More
Calcium helps reduce constipationUsing calcium and magnesium in the right... Read More
This is usually the forgotten element of most mass programs.... Read More
People want to get the very best they can when... Read More
In health circles there has been much recent talk about... Read More
The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be... Read More
According to the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis... Read More
High Fructose Corn SyrupBefore we get to high fructose corn... Read More
Fibromyalgia is a chronic and potentially life-altering disorder with symptoms... Read More
When was the last time you consumed soda? Most likely,... Read More
If you want to build muscle, lose body fat or... Read More
The American Heart Association recommends that you eat a variety... Read More
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in... Read More
"The physician who knows only medicine, knows not even medicine."... Read More
Have you ever watched someone who appears thin and healthy... Read More
Heart disease results when plaque builds up inside the arterial... Read More
Flaxseeds may be the smallest seeds you will find in... Read More
The story of creation begins with water. Water is an... Read More
You can start today - right now, even - on... Read More
Biological clockObviously you need biological clock to time and alarm... Read More
Evidence suggesting that alcohol is "cardio-protective" first appeared in the... Read More
cleaning lady near Lincolnshire ..Each and every person living in the UK is... Read More
New studies bring to our attention that high levels of... Read More
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin like A and E.... Read More
After WLS we must concentrate on eating nutrient rich food.... Read More
In parts 1-4 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More
An American culture that is marked by a chronic lack... Read More
Proper hydration is extremely important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake... Read More
America's major dietary deficiency - EFA a panacea for good... Read More
You would probably think that I was writing a lot... Read More
Obesity is epidemic in this country for both children and... Read More
I confess: I'm completely addicted to Pringles. My determination weakens... Read More
Archeological records indicate that man has cultivated the olive tree... Read More
BASIC MEAL & MENU PLANNINGAs a basis for meals and... Read More
Some fats are good for you. Your body can't function... Read More
Eating grain products - breads, cakes, cereals - have long... Read More
The old clich? that you are what you eat is... Read More
Coke, more commonly known as cocaine is a highly addictive... Read More
Enzymes are the workers in our body that make everything... Read More
In the last twenty years, a huge and growing body... Read More
Summer brings a lot of fantastic things with it, but... Read More
Calcium helps reduce constipationUsing calcium and magnesium in the right... Read More
People want to get the very best they can when... Read More
The typical American diet already provides plenty of protein and... Read More
Can a child thrive on a vegan diet? The answer... Read More
The quality of food we eat (or lack thereof) has... Read More
Nutrition |