In Case you wonder why we started with Nutrition, Here are some Stats

We all know that we are not as healthy of a society as we used to be but for me it helps sometimes to look at the numbers. The more often I am reminded of what I am doing wrong the better chance I have of changing that behavior. If you are like me in that way here is a quick reference on some statistics that are quite alarming about where our current generation of youth is at.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH 

1. The average 10-year-old girl weighed 77 pounds in 1963; today, 88. The 10-year-old boy weighed 74; today, 85. 

2. A 2006 study tracking 2,000 low-income children in 20 cities found that a third were overweight or obese before age 4. Most at risk: Hispanics.

3. Even more than smoking or drinking, obesity triggers significant health problems and pushes up health spending.

4. Children and teens consumed 110 to 165 more calories than they burned each day over a 10-year period  adding up to 58 pounds of extra weight, according to a Harvard University study.

5. Only 2 percent of U.S. children eat a healthy diet as defined by the USDA. 

6. “Husky” car seats were developed several years ago. In 2006, more than 250,00 children under 6 exceeded the weight standards for regular seats.

7. Soft-drink consumption has increased 300 percent in 20 years, and is the leading source of added sugars for adolescents.

8. One-fourth of all vegetables eaten in the U.S. are french fries or chips.

9. One-fourth of all Americans eat fast food at least once a day.

10. We consume 20 percent more calories than a generation ago; most comes from fats and oils (up 63 percent), grains (up 43 percent), sugar (up 19 percent). 

Sources: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2006 annual report; American Journal of Public Health; Roland Sturm, UCLA/Rand; Obesity journal; Harvard University; Center for Science in the Public Interest; National Association of School Nurses; “Fast Food Nation”; USDA.

GOV’T. RESPONSIBILITY

1. America’s weight problem can be fixed. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation points out:

* In 1965, 43 percent of Americans smoked. Today, 21 percent do.

* In 1982, drunk drivers killed 22,000. Today, 12,000 do.

* In 1983, 24 percent of U.S. drivers used seatbelts. Today, 82 percent do.

2. Trans fat bans or limits were proposed in 15 states last year. None passed.

3. For 32 years, the U.S. Women, Infants and Children program subsidized eggs and cheese for poor children, but no vegetables. In 2007, vegetables, fruits and whole grains were added.

4. James Hill of the University of Colorado has found the “energy gap”  the difference between what’s consumed and what’s burned off to be 100 calories daily for the average American adult. That’s about equal to: two-thirds of a can of Coke, or one-fourth of a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. Walking a mile would burn off roughly 100 calories.

5. A quarter of teens drink an average of four colas a day  the equivalent of an extra meal. 

6. “A pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. To lose 1 pound a week you will need to expend 3,500 more calories than you eat that week, whether through increased activity or decreased eating or both. Losing 1-2 pounds of fat a week is a sensible goal.” 

Sources: Institute of Medicine; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; University of Colorado; Science News; About.com.