Childhood Obesity

Obesity in children is defined by how much the child exceeds the recommended weight for his or her age, sex, and height. Generally, a child is mildly to somewhat overweight if he or she is up to 20 percent above this recommended weight. More than 20 percent is the beginning of mild obesity. An obese child is defined as more than 30 percent above ideal weight. Such children are likely to suffer health and social problems.

Some public health experts contend that childhood obesity has developed into a crisis in the United States. The prevalence of this problem has increased over the past two decades. Between 11 percent and 25 percent of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight. Although medical experts are unsure of how childhood obesity develops, contributing factors are a sedentary lifestyle and the consumption of foods that are high in fat and calories. These factors are fairly recent phenomena: ?Although

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minerals, and fiber. Fast foods do not provide the right combination of energy and nutrients for growing bodies to thrive. Nutritionists recommend a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat. A typical meal of burger, fries, and shake at a fast food restaurant is often enough to exceed the recommended daily allowance of sodium, fat, and sugar. For instance, a Burger King Croissanwich with sausage, egg, and cheese contains more than 1,000 mgs of sodium, almost 50 grams of fat, and 600 calories . The American Health Foundation has established guidelines that recommend children consume sufficient fiber daily to meet the ?age+5" rule. Meeting the age+5 rule means a child would consume an amount of fiber equal to his or her age plus an additional 5 grams of fiber. Thus a five-year-old should consume at least 10 grams of dietary fiber daily. Fiber is found in large quantities in certain types of breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Unfortunately, most U.S. children consume inadequate dietary fiber. According to researchers who conducted a study of childhood eating habits, ?We found that only 45% of the 4- to 6-year-olds and 32% of the 7-to 10-year-olds consumer enough fiber to meet t
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