Obesity in children is a growing health problem. In the United States the obesity rates for children have tripled since the 1970’s. These kinds of statistics have been found here in Canada as well. This is very alarming and has huge impacts on public health. The Canadian government has stepped in and introduced exercise programs into the classroom. A new study that was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal is saying that these exercise programs are not working in reducing the BMI (body mass index) of these children. The CBC News reported on this study and you can find it here.
It really is no surprise to me. Children today do not eat real food! Obesity is a symptom of a sick body. Our kids are malnourished with skyrocketing insulin levels and can’t be cured with jumping jacks and dancing.
Sugar, fast food and denatured grain products are the real culprit.
Can a ban on sugar in schools be the answer this obesity epidemic?
The Browns Mill Elementary School in Lithonia, Georgia that did just that, they banned sugar! They did this over ten years ago and have never looked back.
In the first six months of the sugar ban, disciplinary incidents went down 23 percent, counseling referrals decreased 30 percent, and in the first years of standardized test scores, reading scores improved 15 percent, she said. Browns Mill was named a national blue ribbon school and a Georgia school of excellence in 2005.
The body mass indexes were not recorded to see if the sugar ban had a direct effect on obesity but the article did interview a girl who had lost significant weight and went from an overweight child who became a lean college student. This was a huge life lesson for her.
The school started teaching kids about nutrition and real food that hopefully the kids will take home to their families.
I have wondered if I should address this issue with my children’s school.
Sugar not only affects the health but also behaviour and therefore learning. All the kids would benefit from a sugar ban.
Would you like to see schools ban sugar?
