It was announced this morning that the government and the supermarkets have agreed on a labelling system for food. The idea is that consumers will be able to identify how much fat, sugar and salt is in each product they buy.
The government hopes that it will make people eat healthier. They need to find a way to reduce obesity. Because the nation is overweight and the NHS is finding more and more people who are suffering from diabetes and heart disease.
Improving your diet is only one way of getting fitter. We all know that we have to move our bodies if we are going to get and stay fit. But more importantly we need to make sure our kids are fit and healthy. You may need a cold pack after considering some of these facts about childhood fitness.
The obesity time bomb
One in three kids in the UK is classified as overweight. Thatֳ right a third of children are too fat. This is due in part to bad diet but it is also due to the fact that many young people do not do enough exercise.
We have all heard the apocryphal stories of fields that are empty on a Sunday morning, fields that twenty or thirty years ago would have been full of kids running about and playing football. But it is true that children are developing cardiovascular problems that used to be associated with middle aged people because of their inactivity.
Obesity among boys and girls is approaching twenty percent. The time bomb is about to explode.
Exercise, exercise, exercise
Famously, Tony Blair said the priority of his government was ӥducation, education, education.ӠThe government should also concentrate its efforts on getting kids exercising.
A study found that less than 3% of 11 year olds do the one hour of daily exercise recommended by the government. It is more likely that they will be found sitting down playing computer games or watching television.
Kids spend on average nearly 3 hours a day in front of a screen, which is longer than the time they spend exercising in a week.
Young people used to be active. They would climb trees and take great pride if they broke an arm and had to wear a plaster cast that people would sign. If they sprained an ankle they would show off their ankle support at school.
These days a lot of parents are risk averse and while no parent wants to see their kids get hurt it is perhaps important that kids get out there and enjoy a bit of rough and tumble.
Facing the future
An increasing amount of young women are suffering from knee pain. This is not because they are over-exercising. It is because they are starting to suffer from osteoporosis at a young age.
It is caused by a combination of poor diet, binge drinking and a lack of exercise. These three problems have led these women to suffer from low bone density. This means that these women are more at risk from fractures and they will suffer chronic pain and reduced mobility.
If we do not do something now the future for our children will be truly frightening.