CNN posted an article up today relating to childhood obesity.  Here are a few snippits from the article (if you don’t have time to read the whole thing, although I highly recommend it).

About 12.5 million children 2 to 19 are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

12.5 million is a pretty high number when you think about it.  That is San Diego, Minneapolis and Chicago all rolled together in a bundle of obesity.

Their family was not one for a lot of fast food, soda or sugary treats. Bond cooked dinner most nights: fried chicken, roast beef, enchiladas. But the large meals, combined with a lack of physical activity and the junk food Breanna ate at school, continued to create a big problem.

I can understand the concern with this.  I’ve always attributed my weight to going to to eat, getting fast food, drinking too much soda.  When I cook at home it feels like “it must be healthier, and my weight will reflect that”.

Keep healthy snacks such as raw vegetables and hummus around; avoid buying chips, soda or other junk food.

The article goes on to talk about how most of us don’t have willpower.  I know I don’t.  What do I do now to prevent myself from over indulging?  First, there is no soda in our house, period.   A single 12 ounce can of Mountain Dew has 160 calories, 46g of carbs (all of which come from sugar) and pretty much 0 nutrients.  I could drink 6 (yes, 6) of those cans in a day.  When my husband and I played video games on the weekends, it’d be so easy to grab a can of soda and sit back down on the couch.

Healthy habits may be easiest if taught o us as kids, but that doesn’t mean an old dog can’t learn new tricks.