Saving Our Nation’s Youth from Excess

By: Jean Johnson for Body1

“Major public health crisis” is how the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., terms the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes currently sweeping the country and impacting youngsters in increasingly frightening numbers.

Take Action

Tips on Eating Well, Shedding Pounds, and Loving It Recognize that the availability of processed foods high in fat and sugar makes it easy for people to consume more calories than they need. Count the number of times you eat food from boxes, bags, cartons, or cans. Then work on cutting this number down. Install a good size cutting board in your kitchen, front and center (and remember that time spent slicing and dicing counts as physical activity).

Zerhouni speaks out in no uncertain terms in an August 2006 NIH release: “The alarming rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes in all age groups poses a major public health crisis for this country. This important study is one component of a multi-faceted research agenda to address this dual epidemic, which threatens the health of our youth and the vitality of our health care system.”

It seems that we are here in the 21st century with the blessings of modern medicine being undone by our own bad habits. As the NIH puts it, “Type 2 diabetes is closely linked to being overweight, inactive, and having a family history of diabetes.”

While youngsters don’t top the nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults that are currently overweight or obese, they appear to be closing the gap at alarming rates. In the 2 to 19 year age group, 17 percent are overweight. This figure triples the 1980 rate. A similar percentage of youths are borderline and considered by the NIH to be at risk for becoming overweight.

The problem of overweight and obesity in this country is ballooning out of control. Thus, the NIH study – aimed at hundreds of sixth graders at 42 schools across the country – will look at whether changes in diet and activity along with better education about health will improve youngsters’ chances for long, healthy lives. Type 2 diabetes, with its serious complications including blindness, kidney damage, heart disease, and nerve damage, is not a disease with which anyone would like to flirt.

“The school environment can have a profound effect on the behavior and health of young people. From this study we hope to learn if better food options, improvements in physical activity programs, and education about eating better and moving more result in healthier kids and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes,” said study chair Gary Foster, Ph.D., of Temple University.

After 2.5 years, the NIH study will test all students for diabetes risk factors, including blood levels of glucose, insulin, and lipids. They will also be measured for fitness level, blood pressure, height, weight, and waist circumference.

A large part of tackling obesity is to start savoring and enjoying the kitchen. Have fun cooking with fresh, seasonal vegetables. Eating in tune with the passing seasons can make you feel a part of the earth’s annual cycle as it helps pare the weight down. Make vegetables taste great by adding small, measured amounts of oil, fruits like raisins, nuts, and cheeses. With money saved on packaged food, you can afford an exotic chunk of cheese now and then.

Get creative with baked spaghetti squash. Try it scooped out on a plate with spaghetti sauce or pesto, as a great base for vegetable soup, or even whirled in a blender with a couple of eggs and a little corn meal or whole wheat flour. Pour into cake pan and you have yourself a pizza crust. When set, add whatever pizza toppings strike your fancy – like tomato paste, herbs, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, olives, pineapple, and mozzarella. Enjoy a slice with an ample green salad that you’ve made from hand washed sweet and bitter greens. Complete with a drizzle of olive oil, a shake of vinegar, and some toasted walnuts.

Last updated: 05-Jan-07