Have the Danes cracked childhood obesity?

Childhood obesity has become a global epidemic, but it is not easy to treat. Now a scheme proven to help children shed pounds by asking them and their families to make numerous lifestyle changes has been adopted across Denmark.

A Danish paediatrician claims his pilot project has made a significant breakthrough in the battle against childhood obesity.

The scheme, in the town of Holbaek, has treated 1,900 patients and helped 70% of them to maintain normal weight by adjusting about 20 elements of their lifestyles.

The way it tackles all aspects of the children's lives - and those of their families - sets it apart from traditional "small steps" approaches to losing weight.

According to the US Centre for Disease Control, one in three children is now overweight and the incidence of obesity amongst adolescents has quadrupled over the past 30 years.

Dr Jens Christian Holm, who runs the scheme, urges other nations to learn from their experiences in confronting this global health challenge.

"In general obese children are neglected. They are often lonely and many of them don't participate in activities with their peers. They lack self confidence. With this scheme there is a real hope they can lose weight and have a good quality of life."

Obesity is an illness that is very hard for children to fight on their own, he says.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29755469

Let's hope it works.
I believe the foods we should teach children to avoid are wheat-based foods like bread and pasta.
Sugar is an evil, addictive drug!

We all do it; I do! I allow my children treats/sweets but I'm quite strict about how often.

I try to limit wheat intake: bread is crap; there is no health benefit to bread and it is also addictive....if you dint eat bread for a few days see how badly you crave it!! Why? It is FULL OF SUGAR!

What do you use in place of bread?

eddie wrote:
Let's hope it works.
I believe the foods we should teach children to avoid are wheat-based foods like bread and pasta.
Sugar is an evil, addictive drug!

We all do it; I do! I allow my children treats/sweets but I'm quite strict about how often.

I try to limit wheat intake: bread is crap; there is no health benefit to bread and it is also addictive....if you dint eat bread for a few days see how badly you crave it!! Why? It is FULL OF SUGAR!

YOUR nutritional beliefs are largely irrelevant, eddie !!!
YOU are presenting unsubstantiated personal opinion as if it were fact..  

SO TELL me ~ where did you get you degree in Nutrition and Diatetics from ?
YOUR above misinformation and lies are pure crappola, to be honest and frank..

FAT remains the most fattening - and addictive - part of the diet. Followed by sugars in a distant second !

WHITE bread is certainly rubbish; over-processed white flour is low in nutrition ~ but it is an outright lie to say there are no nutritional benefits in breads..   There are healthy alternatives out there.
WHAT is more important is reading the ingredient labels ~ and then looking for low refined ingredients, low sugar and fat levels, minimum amounts of additives...

AND keeping the total amount of grain-based products ==> flour, cereals, rice and pasta, all of which are high in starchy complex carb's (the bad boys when consumed to excess..) down around only 20% of your calorie intake (compared w. 40->50% in many western diets..).

THE difference should be made up by eating MORE fruits and vegetables, in variety..
AND preferably fresh and raw whenever possible.      

Interesting Bee. And I know you have your university degree in food and agricultural sciences.

This is a very frustrating subject for me, because of my physical condition. Oh, I'm in fine shape. But I have a unique form of diabetes. Now my nutritionist tells me fruits are too full of sugar.

Turns out the only food that is safe is/are celery and carrots, which I cut up and store in water in the fridge. Also green beans and cauliflower. So, basically, the rabbit's diet.

Ed die, what do you use in place of bread and pasta? Brown bread is ok ain't it?
If we took notice of what the "experts" say, we would starve!

bake your own and use spelt flour

bread of the wheaten variety is foul stuff and NOT as good for you as some would immagine

ever noticed after eating "ordinary bread" you feel bloated
thats gluten for you

spelt flour is lower in gluten and its slightly different to wheat gluten

spelt breat is also a bit more filling..so you will eat less.....

best of all it tastes .......................mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

nicko wrote:What do you use in place of bread?

Rye crackers or nothing.
Bread isn't needed to "eat" Nicko. Took me a long time to get out of the habit of thinking bread was "needed" in any meal of the day.

nicko wrote:Ed die,  what do you use in place of bread and pasta? Brown bread is ok ain't it?
If we took notice of what the "experts" say, we would starve!

Yep. What vic says. Spelt. I eat spelt pasta.

Wheat is cheap so therefore is sold to us as a "staple"

Google it Nicko: wheat and gluten - bad for us!!!!

Whole grain pasta or spelt pasta or corn pasta.

Bread as spelt or if wheat, only once a day at most.

I tell you what Nicko:

Eliminate wheat from your diet for one whole week and tell me how you feel.

Simple.

That won't work in the U.S. and I'll tell you why. Michelle Obama launched an initiative to fight childhood obesity (the "Let's Move" program). She's the First Lady, and like all First Ladies, she has no political power, just fame. First Ladies have traditionally used their fame to try to tackle some pressing national issue; childhood obesity is a fantastic cause.





This is how the right wing in the U.S. responded to Michelle Obama trying to use her fame to do something in a way that has no power of law or government behind it:

"You're going to have to tax, you're going to have to make it more and more difficult. But when those options don't work, how do you get people to stop eating french fries, because french fries still beat carrots. What's left? Well, now you have to start thinking about punishments -- maybe a fine, maybe even jail. But it always starts with a nudge. The media's not going to give you the truth on this nudge towards bigger government, and eventually global government, but I will. We've taken it now from french fries to global government." - Glenn Beck

After a woman called in to right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh about her own unhealthy diet, Limbaugh commented, "that woman will be reported to Michelle Obama. In the not-too-distant future, monitors assigned by the White House to listen to this show will have to report that woman because she is going to be considered a part of the obesity problem in the United States."

On conservative pundit Sean Hannity's show, Hannity said Mrs. Obama was creating a “nanny caretaker state” and is going to tell us what to eat and when to exercise when that’s the parent’s job, not hers. His guest, another right-wing commentator named Tucker Carlson, added that “she will raise your kids at gunpoint.”

Conservative commentator John Stossel wrote, "In her latest speech, [Obama] talks about helping grocery stores 'locate in underserved areas...getting healthier food into schools...helping our kids become more active, not just in school but at home.' Sounds like big government to me. ... If the government is allowed to dictate our diet, what's next? Do they start deciding who we'll marry, where we'll work?"

The lead-in to another episode of Sean Hannity's show read, "No soda. No snacks. No choice? How the first lady's task force on childhood obesity is cutting into our diets and rights."

But I should add that this was all before Sean Hannity realized how much conservatives hate Michelle Obama, because he previously had said on-air:

"I might actually -- I think -- no, I know for a fact -- I agree with Michelle Obama." Hannity went on to praise Michelle Obama's cause, saying that it was "a great position for her to take" and calling the initiative "a great cause, to call attention to such a problem." Hannity added, "We've got to get our kids in shape," and said, "I agree we need to fix the problem."

Blimey.
Everything comes down to politics and back-stabbing these days.

I have to say that I am partial to the odd chip buttie every now again but I balance that out by using oven chips at times instead of the full deep fried variety. Got to look after the old waist right enough otherwise I'll get fat.

Michelle is doing a great job, and is an excellent mother.  

Glenn Beck is a jack-Mormon who would be leading a Kool-Aid festival in Guyana right now if he hadn't found Jack Daniels.  My advice is, Keep him away from children!  

I'll never understand potatoes and bread.  Two starches?  It's like sugar on whipped cream.