Overweight Children In Your Family

From the Wholefood Farmacy Newsletter:

"A new study published by the University of Michigan, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, and the University of Michigan Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit, shows that a large number of parents may be in denial about their children’s weight. The research was published in CHEAR’s journal Vol. 2, Issue 3; December 10, 2007.

With each passing year, the risks to children who are overweight or obese are becoming clearer and well documented. With respect to asthma, obese children age 6-17 are more than twice as likely to have asthma as children who are at a healthy weight.

Children who are overweight are also at risk for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure as well as other chronic diseases that are usually seen only in adults. Moreover, overweight children are very likely to be overweight for life, a condition that carries with it serious, life long health and emotional consequences.

According to the study, one-quarter of US children ages 6 to 17 are either obese or overweight, based on the parent reporting of children’s height and weight. Surprisingly, less than 10% of parents of obese children ages 6 to 11 reported being “very concerned” about their children’s weight.

More than 40% of parents of obese children age 6-11 perceive their children’s weight status as “about the right weight”. In reality, a 6-year-old boy of average height, (3 feet 9 inches) would be considered obese if he weighs 55 lbs. or more.

"Obesity isn't just something that affects the clothes that you buy or how you are perceived by your friends and your schoolmates," the researchers said. "It is something that can have health effects, not only in adulthood but in childhood."

We encourage parents of children and teens to use the Body Mass Calculator offered by the Centers for Disease Control by clicking here: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

If you find that your child or teen needs to lose weight, experts agree that small gradual changes offer the best chances for success. One small change that everyone can live with is having healthy, convenient snacks on hand at all times. From there, gradually phase out the junk food, fast food, sodas, energy drinks and candy as you discover healthier choices that your children enjoy.

The New You Resolution Pantry offers an incredible selection of healthy whole food based snacks, meals, soups and smoothie mixes. Click the link below for a Special Limited Time Offer from The Wholefood Farmacy."

Lose A Can Of Soda To Lose Weight

"Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University and colleagues have just completed a two year study. Five Philadelphia elementary schools replaced sodas with fruit juice. They scaled back snacks and banished candy. They handed out raffle tickets for wise food choices. They spent hours teaching kids, their parents and teachers about good nutrition.

The results were phenomenal. The number of students who became overweight during the two-year experiment was a full 50% less than the number of kids who became overweight in schools that didn’t make these changes. The findings are published in the April, 2008, issue of the journal Pediatrics.

In the five test schools, juice, water and low-fat milk replaced sodas. Snacks had to meet limits for fat, salt and sugar. Students who ate healthy snacks got raffle tickets to win prizes such as bikes and jump ropes.

But the schools can’t do it all on their own – the biggest challenge to schools is that kids drink sodas and eat junk food at home – so they come to school expecting to do the same. As parents, imagine the difference we could make if all of us made these same simple changes in our homes.

Wholefood Farmacy foods taste great, they’re convenient and kids love them. Let the Wholefood Farmacy help you to take that first step in the right direction."

As Always, we are at your service, The Wholefood Farmacy Team

Children's Health In Crisis

In today’s fast paced society, it’s plain to see that the health of our nation’s children is in crisis. Obesity rates are at the highest levels ever putting millions of children at risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes. Sadly, obesity and many of these chronic diseases will follow them into adulthood – and it’s the children who will end up paying the ultimate price as they grow older.

The junk food industry spends $33 billion dollars per year to convince your children that it’s normal to consume several servings of sodas, junk food, fast food, candy and other processed foods each day. At the same time, the increased use of computers and computer games has drastically reduced the levels of physical activity that our children get – and this is a recipe for disaster.

The Wholefood Farmacy is now offering a complementary email based educational program for parents that we call “15 Days To Wellness For Parents”. After you subscribe http://organicnutrition.wholefoodfarmacy.com/2005/nap_web.asp you will receive one short email per day for 15 days that includes all of the latest scientific research, important health issues and helpful tips for parents of children and teens. One minute per day for 15 days can change your child’s life forever!

As a parent in today’s society you should be able to answer all of these questions with 100% confidence. If you can not – then this educational program is for you.


1. By what age do children build 50% of their bone mass?

2. By what age to children build 100% of their bone mass?

3. What are the 3 most important factors for building healthy bones in children?

4. Would a 6 year old boy 3 feet 9 inches tall weighing 55 lbs be underweight, the correct weight, overweight or obese?

5. How many hours of sleep does a 3rd grader need to significantly reduce their risk of becoming overweight or obese by 6th grade?

6. How many hours of TV per day will increase a child’s risk of high blood pressure by 330%?

7. How many hours of TV cause a child to consume 167 extra calories worth of junk food?

8. What foods and lifestyle habits can cut your child’s risk of asthma by 50%?

9. How many minutes of daily exercise will cut your child’s risk of obesity by 50%?

10. What natural food is scientifically proven to work better than over-the-counter cough syrup? 11. What internal organs are damaged when children have high blood pressure?

12. How is exercise related to behavior and academic performance?

13. What’s the correct way to fuel young athletes before a game?

One minute a day for 15 days can improve the health of your children and teens offering lifelong health benefits to them.

Parents may be in denial about their child's obesity

A new study published by the University of Michigan, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, and the University of Michigan Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit, shows that a large number of parents may be in denial about their children’s weight. The research was published in CHEAR’s journal Vol. 2, Issue 3; December 10, 2007.
With each passing year, the risks to children who are overweight or obese are becoming clearer and well documented. With respect to asthma, obese children age 6-17 are more than twice as likely to have asthma as children who are at a healthy weight.

Children who are overweight are also at risk for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure as well as other chronic diseases that are usually seen only in adults. Moreover, overweight children are very likely to be overweight for life, a condition that carries with it serious, life long health and emotional consequences.
According to the study, one-quarter of US children ages 6 to 17 are either obese or overweight, based on the parent reporting of children’s height and weight. Surprisingly, less than 10% of parents of obese children ages 6 to 11 reported being “very concerned” about their children’s weight.

More than 40% of parents of obese children age 6-11 perceive their children’s weight status as “about the right weight”. In reality, a 6-year-old boy of average height, (3 feet 9 inches) would be considered obese if he weighs 55 lbs. or more.

"Obesity isn't just something that affects the clothes that you buy or how you are perceived by your friends and your schoolmates," the researchers said. "It is something that can have health effects, not only in adulthood but in childhood."

We encourage parents of children and teens to use the Body Mass Calculator offered by the Centers for Disease Control by clicking here:
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx
If you find that your child or teen needs to lose weight, experts agree that small gradual changes offer the best chances for success. One small change that everyone can live with is having healthy, convenient snacks on hand at all times. From there, gradually phase out the junk food, fast food, sodas, energy drinks and candy as you discover healthier choices that your children enjoy.

The New You Resolution Pantry offers an incredible selection of healthy whole food based snacks, meals, soups and smoothie mixes. Click the link below for a Special Limited Time Offer from The Wholefood Farmacy. http://www.top-health-cafe.com/wholefood-farmacy/home.html

Young Children - Sleep and Obesity

Sleep & Obesity in Young Children
A new study published in the November 2007 issue of the journal Pediatrics shows that more sleep for youngsters may lower their risk of obesity significantly.
The researchers have found that every additional hour per night a third-grader spends sleeping reduces the child’s chances of being obese in sixth grade by 40 percent. Dr. Julie Lumeng of the University of Michigan, who led the research, said that “the less sleep they got, the more likely the children were to be obese in sixth grade, no matter what the child’s weight was in third grade”. If there was a magic number for the third-graders, it was 9 hours, 45 minutes of sleep. Sleeping more than 9 hours, 45 minutes lowered the risk of obesity significantly. Of the children who slept 10 to 12 hours a day, only 12 percent were obese by sixth grade. If you think about it, the kids can’t eat while they’re sleeping – and – if well rested, they are less likely to be stressed or exhausted which is when many kids turn to unhealthy “comfort foods” (candy, sodas, burgers, fries, chips, energy drinks, etc).
If your children consume these all-to-common energy drinks, we encourage you to read the labels – the levels of caffeine are extremely high. In place of these unhealthy energy drinks, consider offering Farmacy Pro Power which is an all natural, delicious and very healthy energy drink. One serving is the equivalent of 8 servings of vegetables – that’s where the real energy comes from. But all in all, the study gives parents yet another reason to encourage regular bedtimes, restrict caffeine and remove the TV from the bedroom.
Experts offer these ideas for promoting good sleep habits in elementary school children:
WAKE TIME: The biological clock resets in the morning, so it’s just as important to have a consistent wake-up time as a consistent bedtime. Avoid over scheduling that interferes with sleep time.
WEEKENDS: Avoid letting children sleep extremely late on weekends, but be flexible enough to allow a little fun.
TEMPERATURE: A cool bedroom is better.
CAFFEINE: Soda or chocolate at lunch may keep some children awake at night, so limit or rule out caffeine. ELECTRONICS: Keep TVs, cell phones, computer games and other electronics out of the bedroom.
BEDTIME ROUTINE: Encourage reading, chatting about the day or other soothing activities in the 30 minutes before bed.
After a good night’s sleep, there’s no better way for your kids to start the day than with convenient Wholefood Farmacy foods. The kids love it when you add Phi Plus or Fruitalicious Plus to their oat meal, cream of wheat, or quality whole grain breakfast cereal. It adds new dimensions of taste and nutrition to these healthy, whole grain types of breakfast foods.