We are getting heavier.
On average, U.S. adults weigh 24 pounds more than they did in 1960. And in that same time, obesity among children and teens has tripled, from nearly 5% to 15%.
The strategies needed to put the nation on a weight-loss plan are obvious, including reducing TV time and exposure to food marketing, eating less junk food and sugary drinks, eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising.
In 2004, pediatricians in Maine linked up with the Maine-Harvard Prevention Research Center, community groups and the state CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) office and began pushing a simple message: 5-2-1-0.
That stands for five or more fruits and vegetables a day, two hours or less screen time, one hour or more of physical activity and zero sugar drinks.
Read what by Mary Rothschild at Food Safety News had to say about reversing the “obesity epidemic.”
Beginning the week of Feburary 7, we will be adding our own healthy eating spokesperson: Ina Denburg, health and wellness practitioner.
Photo credit: xornalcerto, used with permission under Creative Commons license.