Childhood Obesity: Prevention With Nutrition and Exercise Guidelines

By John E. Lewis, Ph.D.

Today, children face more challenges than ever in trying to achieve and maintain their health. The prevalence of the internet and video games negatively affects kids’ desire to play outside and participate in physical activities, and the preponderance of fast food restaurants and processed foods at our grocery stores, along with their appealing advertising campaigns, results in an over-reliance of poor dietary choices that are too high in calories and too low in nutrition. Childhood obesity is dramatically rising and is now the most significant health crisis affecting children today. Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are the principle causes of obesity, according to the US Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA). In addition, children are now dealing with rates of Type II Diabetes and cardiovascular disease previously only seen in adults.

So what can we do to help our children?

In addition to proper rest and sleep, stress reduction, avoidance of toxins, such as second-hand cigarette smoke, and drinking plenty of water, health begins and ends with
proper nutrition and exercise. Eating properly should consist of a reliance on a plant-based, whole food diet. Eating plants in their most natural state, looking as much
like when they came out of the ground or off the tree, should be the goal. Eating a plant-based, whole food diet will give us the vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, flavonoids,
and the thousands of other phytochemicals that we need for our cells to function properly. Eating anything green (except for poison ivy!) should also be a staple of a
healthy diet because these foods provide us with calcium, magnesium, protein, and other key nutrients that are readily absorbed and metabolized by our digestive system.
Your goal should be to eat something green with every meal. Complementing your green foods with other colors, like red, yellow, orange, and purple, will naturally allow
you to get many other nutrients that are necessary for achieving and sustaining positive health.

Follow just a few simple guidelines for getting what you need every day. Try to eat 5 or more servings of whole grains each day. Grains are “whole” if they are not
processed, bleached, and exposed to chemicals. One serving is ½ cup of cooked or dry oat cereal, a slice of whole wheat or spelt bread, or a cup of brown rice or spinach
pasta. Be careful, because some of the processed and prepared foods are full of hidden sugars and fats. Try to eat 5 or more servings of vegetables per day. Good vegetables
to eat are broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and collard greens. Colorful vegetables such as purple onions, beets, and sweet potatoes can help reduce your risk of cancer.

One serving is 1 cup of raw or ½ cup of cooked vegetables. Try to eat 5 servings of fruits per day. Enjoy delicious and healthy foods like mangos, peaches, tomatoes, pineapples, all varieties of berries, melons, grapefruits, and apples. A serving of fruit is one medium fruit, ½ cup of cooked fruit, or 4 ounces of 100% fruit juice (not “fruit drinks” with processed sugar added). Finally, try to eat 3 servings of beans, nuts, or soy foods per day. This might include black beans, lima beans, walnuts,
or tofu. These foods have plenty of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. A serving is ½ cup of cooked beans or nuts, 4 ounces of tofu, or 8 ounces of soy milk.

As for exercise, try to do something outside or in the gym every day for 30 minutes (60 minutes for kids). You can do something as simple as walk for 30 minutes, play a
game of basketball with your friends, or go for a swim. They key is to move! If you are not used to exercise, then you should start out slowly and gradually increase your
intensity, so that you do not injure yourself as your body begins to get accustomed to daily exercise. If you are already exercising, then continue increasing your level of
exercise to the point where after one hour of play you feel very tired. Exercising every day will ensure that your muscles, bones, organs, and organ systems are being
stimulated to function properly.

The bottom line is that most of us have diets that are too high in energy (calories) and too low in beneficial nutrition and we do not exercise enough to be in good health.
If you follow some of the simple guidelines above, then you will eventually get healthy. Just remember to be consistent in what you do and have fun with the process of
creating a healthy you!

John E. Lewis, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor, Director of Research for Complementary and Integrative Medicine and 
Associate Director of the Medical Wellness Center at the Miller School of Medicine/University of Miami, Miami, Florida.

The above information is for educational purposes only. Please contact your health care provider for any specific nutritional, exercise or health related questions.

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