The Obesity Time Bomb

I was interviewed on BBC Three Counties Radio  ( Listen here )  this morning discussing the  shocking survey that half the UK population will be obese by 2050 !

Dire warnings that half of Britons will be obese by 2050 are an ‘underestimate’, a shock report warns today.

The obesity epidemic could be far worse than predicted because experts did not factor in how much fatter we are getting as we age, it says.

The report blames junk food firms for confusing the public about healthy eating, and says ministers and GPs are failing to get a grip of the problem, with NHS systems ‘not fit for purpose’.

Your children are watching you, learning from you and picking up their lifetime habits from you, as you are their primary role model.

Surely it’s a matter of moving more and eating less, getting kids walking to school, playing sport and off the screens and teaching them to pick up an apple instead of a biscuit ?

Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist at Croydon University Hospitals, South London, said obesity was ‘the greatest threat to health worldwide’.

He said poor diet was contributing to more disease than physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol combined, and accused junk food firms of adopting strategies of ‘denial’ and trying to confuse the public to ensure they carried on buying unhealthy products.

Dr Malhotra said the companies were using the same tactics as those used by the tobacco industry 50 years ago when evidence first emerged that smoking caused lung cancer.

‘Junk food companies sponsor sporting events and athletes endorse sugary drinks, with advertising that targets the most vulnerable members of society, including children,’ he said.

So what are you doing to talk and teach your kids to eat healthily and exercise regularly ?

I believe it’s a case of small changes making a BIG DIFFERENCE over time.

So make one small change tomorrow – eat a healthy soup instead of snacking on an unhealthy sandwich, put raisins in your child’s pack lunch tomorrow instead of a biscuit, and stick on your favourite song and boogie round the bathroom to it  to get your body moving!

In case you feel a bit stuck in your old habits I am delighted to have my great pal Amanda Frolich,  from the very wonderful Amanda’s Action Club top tips.

The Amanda’s Action Club approach is very much for parents and carers to get involved with their children and to make moving fun! Using funky music and interactive props they give children a sensory extravaganza and encourage them to dance and play and explore the environment around them.  They call it ‘Learning through Fun, Fitness and Music together.

1. Children dance best when adults dance with them! Interact is key word!

2.Encourage your children to help you with the cooking. Get them to explore all the raw foods and then try tasting them.

3. Children need fun parents! Get rid of the inhibitions and become a child yourself. If activities are fun, children will engage.

4. Challenge. Children enjoy being able to run as fast as mummy and daddy! Make up exciting mini circuits and challenge the children to beat the clock!

5. Cut out the sugary drinks!!!! There are far too many hidden teaspoons of sugar in what we think is healthy! Read the labels.

You can always buy the Amanda’s Action Club music on CD from her website or on iTunes and that comes with a workout guide created in line with the Governement’s requirements for early years development (EYFS). Then you can bring the magic of Amanda’s Action Club to your own living room. LINK

To read more about the Report click on the link : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2538319/Obesity-UK-Its-worse-feared-Bombshell-report-reveals-true-scale-crisis.html#ixzz2qJEUNiUu Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook