The Problem of Obesity in America is Growing Faster Than Those Who Suffer From It

On a serious note though, there is a different end to the spectrum than just obesity. Kids look at magazines covers, read newspaper titles, and look at models all the time who are supposed to resemble the "perfect" body. It is nearly impossible to avoid this type of media when the government is starting programs encouraging kids to loose weight. With this overwhelming flow of pop culture, it is hard for kids to not feel insecure. I for one am unfazed by this "craze to be skinny" because I could afford to pack on a phew more pounds.
In our group discussions we discussed the different types of pressing health issues. Many topics were brought to the table including religion, underage drinking, and various diseases, but I found this one to be very interesting and am glad Margo took it. In the article that she picked they discussed the various culprits for the vast amount of eating disorders among youth, the first being a small boy of 6 who is already worrying about his weight. This is a very dangerous thought, because 6 is a very impressionable and vulnerable age, who knows maybe this kid could grow up with serious psychological damage because of deep rooted insecurities as a child. The second order of business is the government enforcing schools to promote kids to live a healthy lifestyle with their food choices. I thought this sounded like a great idea until I heard about the downsides. Although some kids are yet to receive the message about healthy eating others are taking to far. insecurities among our youth and eating disorders or on the rise. The article explains that while in countries like England the obesity rate is growing, we must also look at the tools they are using to calculate obesity. The BMI scale should only be used for adults who are fully grown. But they are using it on kids to calculate the obesity rates. The article claims that we need to "keep fat in proportion" by not over estimating the amount of actual overweight children in the world.
The last section of the article discusses food in our school systems. They explain that foods like chocolate are not "bad" foods and are actually necessary for a balanced and proportion based diet. They stress that balance is the most important thing for a kids diet.
What I took away from this article is that, yes there are kids who are overweight, but by demonizing these children we are creating an entirely new problem.