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Fueling Up
Welcome to America – Land of the free, home of the fat. Yup. That’s right. We have a big problem with being too big. Obesity, or being over a healthy weight, affects one in every three American kids. And it’s hurting Hispanic, African-American and Native American girls the most. Being overweight can mean lots of bad stuff like diabetes, low motivation, heart disease and even cancer!
So what’s up? Why ARE we so big? Mostly, because we eat more calories than we burn off. Here is a simple way to look at it: your weight is usually decided by three things – how much you eat, what you eat and how often you get your booty off the couch and work it off. If you eat lots of junk food and chill all the time, you gain weight. If you eat healthy stuff and play a lot, you don’t.
It seems really easy, but it’s actually really hard for some kids. Folks get out of balance and overweight for a bunch of reasons. For some kids, food is a comfort. They have a tough time dealing with stuff, so they use food to fill the holes in their spirit. For others, fatty food is just a part of the way their family does stuff.
You can choose to take care of your body, eat right and stay active. Here’s how: First of all, no matter what you do, don’t get suckered into fad diets. Balance what you eat. Eat lots of the stuff that is low in fat and high in vitamins- like veggies, fruit, lean meat, pastas and breads. Stay away from stuff that is super greasy, salty or fatty. So what if you have ice cream every now and again, just make sure the bulk of your meals are healthy. Lastly, make sure you are moving your body every day – walking, running, playing, jump roping, riding your bike, whatever. No matter what you eat – a sit-around lifestyle isn’t good for your body.
Ask any athlete and they’ll tell you that their body treats them as well as they treat it. If you want lots of energy, strong bones, powerful muscles – you have to fuel your engine with the good stuff – not the flubbery stuff. If you want to score goals, jump high, run fast – you’ve got to get used to paying attention to what you eat and how you burn it. Every day you choose what kind of body you’ll have – choose a sportscar, not a hoopty.
Quick points:
The food puzzle: Think of different foods as pieces of a puzzle. Veggies, bread, fruit, protein, milk are all important in making up a healthy big picture. Although our bodies need more of some food groups than others, what counts is balance. It’s no good to overdo it on Doritos, but it’s no good to overdo it on carrots either. Check out what you eat for one whole day – are you balancing or lopsided?
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