North American's are now paying the price with there health, their money and their future; During the last few decades our lives have become so busy we have lost sight of priorities, with mom and dad both working and kids off in every direction for extracurricular activities we are no longer sitting down to a family meal. What has this done to us? From the time our children are small we are giving them sugar to appease temper tantrums and keep them quiet and justifying it is making them happy. First of all children learn by example so what did we just teach them? Healthy Choices Healthy Children? Nope it is easier to give them a Pop Tart and let them run out the door or $5.00 and tell them to go and get lunch at the nearest fast food restaurant. Now we wonder why the new generation is heavier than ever before; toddlers growing up on hamburgers and french fries and soda pop and we have the nerve to ask this. I want to cry when i see a severely obese baby or toddler that cannot hardly walk because they cannot support their own weight because this is not their fault. Accountability time my friends, what will happen to this child in a society that shuns obese people that do not look a certain way? They will hide indoors , they will live a sedentary lifestyle and Eat More because they are depressed, angry and bored. They will have no self esteem and feel a sense of inferiority and shame and withdraw from society. Worse Yet research has repeatedly shown that being overweight can shorten life spans. Experts have concluded one month/one pound you are overweight. Obesity can take 2-4 yrs off the average life span while severe obesity 8-10 years. The American Heart Association considers obesity to be associated with an increase in certain types of cancer as well; women were at a higher risk of endometrial, cervical,ovarian, breast and gallbladder and for men Prostrate and Colon. Also obesity has also been linked to diabetes, stroke, and other serious medical issues. The Health system is detiorating due to the average diet of North Americans as more pharmaceuticals and Sleep Apnea Machines are needed to treat this issue.
Our eating habits could be broken down as the following sandwiches, soups, frozen meals, processed luch, fast food and baked products. These are all high sodium , high fat especially Saturated fats which are linked to coronary heart disease the sodium contributes to high blood pressure , heart attack, stroke, clogged arteries is this what we want for our families?
Fast Food is a great treat when the busy schedule of our lives need convenience so we have a breakfast sandwich a coffee and perhaps a hashbrown Or maybe we decide to skimp a little and have a bagel and cream cheese and a double double? Sound familiar and people do this daily as they have time limitations so it is eat and run. What are really doing here one we are spending a lot more money then we realize and then angry when there is not enough money to have fun or to stretch the bills. When we get to work we are irritable and have headaches and sometimes nausea as well hmm what is our body telling us? By lunch time we need to grab a bite but we have 30 minutes to eat so we skip to the local Burger Joint for Grease; what a great choice...
So its time to wake up and re-evaluate our health and our habits for ourselves and for our families and there are other options out there we just need to educate ourselves and make better choices to live Healthier Longer Lives.
