Preventing Childhood Obesity in Schools
Obesity has become something of an epidemic, as more and more people now fight the condition all over the world. The situation among children is alarming and some reports have suggested that a fair amount of kids in western societies may be outlived by their parents, considering their weight situation.
Childhood obesity needs to be tackled and the best way to go about it is to ensure that schools play an active part in instilling the right habits in kids and creating awareness to ensure that more kids lead a healthy lifestyle. It is a process that will take a long time but is necessary as there are no shortcuts to solving this problem.
Instructions
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1
Awareness
Awareness needs to be created amongst both parents and children about the health risks that are posed by the excessive weight of kids and teenagers. They need to be made aware of the options on how to lose weight and lead a healthy life style, which are the first steps to fighting this menace.
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2
Better Menus
Schools should offer better menus that are packed with good healthy foods. Schools should encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables and add more of these to the meals they offer for lunch. The kitchens should also make food from whole grains rather than refined grains which lack fiber and are packed with carbs, causing obesity. Reducing fats in the food is also very important.
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3
Exercise Programs
There are programs at schools that help students maintain their fitness. However, there is a need to have more of these programs, and encourage students that are obese or overweight to be a part of physical excursion. Even if it means that extra classes with credits need to be offered just to get them moving, it is definitely worth the effort.
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4
Facilitation
Children should be facilitated in maintaining their healthy ways. Some experts believe that home cooked meals can be an ideal option for kids to eat healthy. Refrigerators may be placed in cafeterias so that students can bring lunch from home and eat healthier foods. The parents will have peace of mind knowing that the food will remain fresh during the course of the day as it will be refrigerated.
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5
Water
Encourage kids to drink more water. Many of the times when a person feels hungry despite having a meal, it is actually thirst. The more water they drink, the better will be the overall health and excessive food intake will gradually decline. There is also a need to discourage sugary drinks that are nothing more than blank calories.
