What is the latest BUZZ in California?

Tax soft drinks to promote health and raise revenues: A New STATE WIDE SODA TAX (AB 669) AIMS TO RAISE $1.4 BILLION TO FUND THREATENED CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

The new proposed state-wide soda tax (AB 669) would levy a penny tax per fluid ounce on soda and other sugary beverages.  Revenue from AB 669 could generate $1.4 billion – $233 per student – to local schools and communities for important child obesity prevention programs that would focus on teaching children healthful eating and lifestyle habits through education and sports programs. 1,9   According to Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), a shocking 56 % of California Adults and 28 percent of children are overweight or obese. As a result, the state has seen a dramatic rise in chronic diseases, such as diabetes, which cost the state an estimated $41 billion a year. 1

Why is this important?

The consumption of sweetened beverages has been linked as the leading factor in the childhood obesity crisis. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 Obesity today rivals smoking as the largest cause of preventable death and disease. 1  Obesity has become an epidemic, and it is the main catalyst for raising future trends of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer among today’s children and adolescents.2  According to the American Heart Association (AHA), high intake of added sugars (sugars and syrups that are added to foods during processing or preparation, including sugars and syrups added at the table) have been implicated in numerous poor health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke, as well as short fall of essential nutrients. 3 Read more...

According to the Surgeon General, for the first time in our history, the United States is raising a generation of children who may live sicker, shorter lives than their parents.

So the question is whether or not this statement is actually true. And the sad reality is that today, more and more obese children (body mass index-for-age percentile is greater than 95^th percentile) as young as 7 years of age are developing insulin resistance (Acanthosis Nigricans) or abnormal blood lipid levels–both prime risk factors for cardiovascular disease or stroke.

I personally find the statement to be true, because in my daily practice, I teach behaviour modification skills related to food and physical activity to prevent or treat chronic conditions, including obesity, to children as young as 5 years old. This is an astonishing age to be developing such problematic habits and life-altering health issues.

In the news, we hear about childhood obesity, but as a society, do we truly believe that we have a real issue on our hands?  According to the Office of the Surgeon General, “The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has more than doubled (from 15% to 34%) among adults and more than tripled (from 5% to 17%) among children and adolescents from 1980 to 2008.”

These are alarming numbers!! Read more...

I think that this article provides such a compelling story!

In my practice as a pediatric weight management provider, focused in the Latino community, I come in contact with children and adolescents plus their parents who are experiencing the same or similar scenario as Garza’s.

It is critical for the entire family unit to acknowledge the root cause of their son’s or daughter’s obesity. Verbal comments, often with good intentions, can inflict psychological harm on children which lead to emotional eating. “Her family insisted they were doing this for her own good, but Garza believes it was destructive”.

Read the full article here »