Parents Can Prevent Obesity

There is much dispute on whether obesity is a disease or not. Those who do believe it is a disease often say that it is because it is hereditary and will decrease life expectancy. Other people say it’s not a disease because people make their own choices on what and how much they eat and it can be prevented.

My view on this is pretty cut and dry. I do not believe that it is a disease. I do understand the fact that if weight problems run in an individual’s family, more likely than not, the individual will also suffer from weight problems. This however does not mean that they gained 200 pounds or more purely by genes. That’s just not true. I do agree that obesity does decrease life expectancy but that does not mean that it is a disease. Drinking and smoking also decrease life expectancy but they aren’t considered diseases.

I think obesity can be entirely prevented. It all comes down to your lifestyle. In order to be healthy and fit you have to both exercise and eat right. You cannot exercise and expect that you can eat junk food. That will actually make you gain weight, but at a slower rate than if you hadn’t have been exercising. Really it comes down to eating healthy first.

That being said, there is a big problem about it with Americans these days. Many Americans have become lazy and only buy the pre-packaged food that is a cause to obesity. Parents buy fried foods not only from fast food restaurants but also grocery stores. It is because of the parents that are either too busy or too lazy to make a healthy meal and have the family sit together that the children of this generation think it is okay to eat unhealthy. It is because of parents that let their kids sit around and play video games instead of encouraging them to get involved in a school or club sport. It is the parents of that need to be educated on how to feed their children and keep them healthy.

Kids don’t know what is healthy if you don’t tell them. There are plenty of very great tasting foods that also are very nutritious. My parents introduced me to just about every food and vegetable out there which means I am not very picky at all. I will literally eat just about anything I’m given. And because they introduced me to healthy and beneficial vegetables I am in love with vegetables. Not literally but I eat them all the time. Green veggies make your hair shinier, provide clearer skin, and help digestion. That is why parents need to introduce their kids to just about every food at a young age. This way, they won’t be picky when they’re older and have more options than just fried and unhealthy foods. Even if the parents don’t like a certain food, it doesn’t mean their kids won’t.

Kids also don’t know how fun exercising can be unless you show them. My entire life I grew up with sports. Pre-school through 5^th grade I played softball because my parents signed me up for it. Then because I had so much fun I did it in 6^th grade as well on a more competitive team. They also signed me up for YMCA basketball where I met friends that I still talk to today. I had so much fun as a child playing softball, basketball, flag football, tennis, and swimming. If parents don’t show their kids how fun it is to get involved or bring up the opportunity, then they will believe staying home is more fun. It’s not okay to let kids just sit around and watch TV all day. When I was younger I was outside almost every day just running around and having fun. Every kid should be able to experience that childhood because it’s a lot more fun to look back on that the entire season of Scooby Doo you watched all year.

Bottom line: I think parents need to feed their children well and introduce them to fun exercise activities. It’s not fair for a child to grow up all of their life and feel inferior to all of the kids who weigh less than that child. If we can get parents to start treating their kids right (along the lines of diet and exercise) then Americans can start understanding the way to stay healthy.

Side note on the same topic: I think it’s horrible that we have levels of obesity. I can understand why other countries don’t like America. We have 500+ pound people here while kids in other countries barely survive the day. I really hope Americans can come together and encourage those who are obese to exercise and eat right.

To end this, I just want to let you know I have nothing against obese people. I just think that they made mistakes to get to where they are. I do not look down upon them or see them inferior to me. I just see them as unable to find a light to encourage them to change their ways. And I think each of them just needs a motivator and a friend to get themselves on a healthier track.