by Dr. Jeremy Fritz
Are you aware that the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents? A 2005 report, noted the rapid rise in childhood obesity, if left unchecked, could shorten life spans by as much as five years. This current trend is so alarming, revealing the first decrease in life expectancy within the last 2 centuries.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of obese children in the United States has tripled since 1980, subjecting more children to substantial weight-related health risks. Inactive lifestyles and poor dietary habits are amongst the most common causes, but general lifestyle trends today favor that of obesity over health. Consequences go beyond physical health issues to affect children psychologically, behaviorally, academically, and socially. This month’s article will focus on reversing this trend by focusing on a simple 3 step action plan: Eat right, drink right, move right.
3 step action plan:
1.) Eat Right: Eating right simply entails eating real food. We need to get back to the basic notion that our bodies use food as fuel, not just a means of satisfaction. Our lives are so fast paced these days that we often rely on fast food to satisfy our immediate hunger. With a primary drive to satisfy hunger, not much thought is put on the long term effects of these food choices. Most chronic diseases and disorders have been deemed preventable with diet playing a central role. It is imperative that we get back to eating a whole foods diet. A whole foods diet means that we choose foods in their most natural form. In essence, a whole foods diet consists of foods that are minimally processed. A general rule of thumb is that the majority of unprocessed foods are found on the perimeter of the grocery store. When shopping for real foods, it is important to look for foods that have a shelf life. In the nutrition world, it is said that if a food doesn’t rot it’s not really food. The short and simple is to focus on eating to live, not living to eat.
2.) Drink Right: Drinking right means that we need to drink to nourish our body not just quench our thirst. Most children today simply do not drink enough water. So many children these days are chronically dehydrated. It is common for parents to believe that their child’s hydration is being satisfied by anything that comes in liquid form. Unfortunately, many of the drink choices that are made, such as sodas, juices, and energy drinks, do not fulfill the hydration requirements of the body and actually act to dehydrate your child. When digesting the above liquids, the body responds by raising blood sugar and processes these liquids to mobilize energy instead of hydrating the body. The only liquid that supplies the innate need to nourish hydration is, you guessed it…..water. The human body is said to be approximately 65-75 percent water, so it only makes sense to continually replenish our supply. Don’t underestimate the value of simple things and H2O is one of the simplest.
3.) Move Right: Move right could be restated as move to live. Most of us know that a sedentary lifestyle will increase the risk of chronic disease, but many fail to realize that movement is essential to optimal health. Movement is necessary to keep the brain active and ultimately drives every system within the body. The brain uses the muscles of the body to create a continual flow of energy to itself which then allows for appropriate modulation of the entire body. With noting the above, it is imperative to instill the importance of movement into the lives of our kids. Sedentary lives are starting to become the norm in the eyes of our children with and increase popularity in technology and video games. The only way to ensure that our children will not become one of the staggering statistics is to model an active lifestyle with an emphasis on enjoying and embracing one’s health.
Obesity and chronic disease are deemed as being preventable. Noting the staggering increase in these conditions amongst our kids, it is crucial to ensure that our children have all the tools in place to reduce their likelihood of becoming a statistic. To do this, we must act proactively and formulate a plan to help our kids. With that being said, I encourage you to start by incorporating this simple plan: Eat right, drink right, move right.
Dr. Jeremy Fritz is a board eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, certified as a Clinical Nutritionist by the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutrition, and functional medicine practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Fritz is also the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers of Vernon Hills, IL & Mequon WI.
The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neuro-behavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. We work with children who suffer with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For more information, please visit www.BrainBalanceCenters.com.
Are you aware that the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents? A 2005 report, noted the rapid rise in childhood obesity, if left unchecked, could shorten life spans by as much as five years. This current trend is so alarming, revealing the first decrease in life expectancy within the last 2 centuries.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of obese children in the United States has tripled since 1980, subjecting more children to substantial weight-related health risks. Inactive lifestyles and poor dietary habits are amongst the most common causes, but general lifestyle trends today favor that of obesity over health. Consequences go beyond physical health issues to affect children psychologically, behaviorally, academically, and socially. This month’s article will focus on reversing this trend by focusing on a simple 3 step action plan: Eat right, drink right, move right.
3 step action plan:
1.) Eat Right: Eating right simply entails eating real food. We need to get back to the basic notion that our bodies use food as fuel, not just a means of satisfaction. Our lives are so fast paced these days that we often rely on fast food to satisfy our immediate hunger. With a primary drive to satisfy hunger, not much thought is put on the long term effects of these food choices. Most chronic diseases and disorders have been deemed preventable with diet playing a central role. It is imperative that we get back to eating a whole foods diet. A whole foods diet means that we choose foods in their most natural form. In essence, a whole foods diet consists of foods that are minimally processed. A general rule of thumb is that the majority of unprocessed foods are found on the perimeter of the grocery store. When shopping for real foods, it is important to look for foods that have a shelf life. In the nutrition world, it is said that if a food doesn’t rot it’s not really food. The short and simple is to focus on eating to live, not living to eat.
2.) Drink Right: Drinking right means that we need to drink to nourish our body not just quench our thirst. Most children today simply do not drink enough water. So many children these days are chronically dehydrated. It is common for parents to believe that their child’s hydration is being satisfied by anything that comes in liquid form. Unfortunately, many of the drink choices that are made, such as sodas, juices, and energy drinks, do not fulfill the hydration requirements of the body and actually act to dehydrate your child. When digesting the above liquids, the body responds by raising blood sugar and processes these liquids to mobilize energy instead of hydrating the body. The only liquid that supplies the innate need to nourish hydration is, you guessed it…..water. The human body is said to be approximately 65-75 percent water, so it only makes sense to continually replenish our supply. Don’t underestimate the value of simple things and H2O is one of the simplest.
3.) Move Right: Move right could be restated as move to live. Most of us know that a sedentary lifestyle will increase the risk of chronic disease, but many fail to realize that movement is essential to optimal health. Movement is necessary to keep the brain active and ultimately drives every system within the body. The brain uses the muscles of the body to create a continual flow of energy to itself which then allows for appropriate modulation of the entire body. With noting the above, it is imperative to instill the importance of movement into the lives of our kids. Sedentary lives are starting to become the norm in the eyes of our children with and increase popularity in technology and video games. The only way to ensure that our children will not become one of the staggering statistics is to model an active lifestyle with an emphasis on enjoying and embracing one’s health.
Obesity and chronic disease are deemed as being preventable. Noting the staggering increase in these conditions amongst our kids, it is crucial to ensure that our children have all the tools in place to reduce their likelihood of becoming a statistic. To do this, we must act proactively and formulate a plan to help our kids. With that being said, I encourage you to start by incorporating this simple plan: Eat right, drink right, move right.
Dr. Jeremy Fritz is a board eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, certified as a Clinical Nutritionist by the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutrition, and functional medicine practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Fritz is also the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers of Vernon Hills, IL & Mequon WI.
The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neuro-behavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. We work with children who suffer with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For more information, please visit www.BrainBalanceCenters.com.
