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Last night I ate a bowl of cereal for dinner, a FiberOne cereal, the honey flavor, it's really good. Anyway, the back of the box had all this content about eating healthy and such. There was an entire paragraph devoted to how eating a bowl of cereal at breakfast can actually help you maintain a proper body weight.

Then this morning I see an article about the very same topic at WomensHealthMagazine.com, coincidence, I think not. It's a fact, a truth known to Mom's forever I might add. But since research and data has been "officially" collected now then I suppose there will be less eye-rolling, I don't know.

"Researchers from the University of Minnesota studied the eating and exercise habits of 2,216 teens for five years and found that the more often a person ate breakfast, the lower the (Body Mass Index) BMI."

Read more at Journal Watch >>

Labels: breakfast, children, obesity, weight gain

Did you know there is an entire website about parents against junk food?

I found it on Roseanne's blog. Yes, Roseanne from the television comedy about the Conner Family from back in the 80s and 90s. Man, I loved that show. I still watch it whenever it is on Nick @ Nite.

Anyway.

Parents Against Junk Food is a website devoted to descreasing childhood obesity in America. It has facts about childhood obesity such as, "In the past 30 years, the occurrence of overweight in children has doubled and it is now estimated that one in five children in the US is overweight." And it has an entire page devoted to taking action against junk food being sold in public schools. We all know why it is sold there...money. But you can support the cause to eliminate said junk food nonetheless.

I eat junk food. Yep. Well, see, you need to know this about me. I am always hungry. If I'm not hungry then I am sick or really depressed. Right now I'm not particularly hungry but I have been feeling depressed. There is a lot going on in my life right now and the stress is wearing on me. But I love cookies, ice cream, salt&pepper chips, nachos, pizza...all that good stuff. I must admit I have been trying to eat better though by snacking on carrots, oatmeal and dry cereal from time to time.

I think this website is a wonderful idea. I hope there are many parents out there who support this cause and actively participate. My son is very active. He loves his video games and tortilla chips, but he can also run around for hours and he is super thin even after eating tons of pizza. I have been trying to get Braeden to eat more healthy, but it's not easy.

It is refreshing to find a site in which learning new methods of keeping a healthy home are relevant and upfront. Their mantra is, "We are devoted to eliminating junk food from our public school system. No sodas. No candy bars. No chips. No processed lunch or foods of minimal nutritional value. Let's ask our public schools to feed both body and mind properly, to take seriously their role as guardians of our children’s health and welfare."

What are your thoughts on this topic? I know money is a huge issue and the junkier the food the cheaper it normally is because it has the demand to be competitive with pricing. How do you think we, as parents, can help to back this situation better?

Labels: children healthcare, junk food, obesity

I don't know about you but I never complete my resolutions. I always have the best of intentions but by February I'm back to eating tons of cookies. What can I say? I have a whole set of sweet teeth.

My hope for 2008 is that doctors and scientists are able to develop new treatments/cures for cancer. Or perhaps more likely, better screenings which are less invasive and can be used for very early detection.

I'd also like to see more people delve into the healthcare profession. We are lacking good doctors, nurses and surgeons that actually care about their patients more than their salary or recognition.

And last but not least, I would like less news on childhood obesity. And for that to happen we need to make sure our families are active and eat more nutritiously. Less fast food and more sit-down family dinners. It's not easy, but in many ways it is very necessary.

Labels: cancer, nutrition, obesity, research, resolutions