This is certainly a step in the right direction. But if we're serious about wanting to improve kids' health, how about a ban on hot dogs and Happy Meals while we're at it? The children who eat chicken nuggets and pepperoni pizza today will likely grow up to be the obese adults and heart patients of tomorrow.
Our addiction to meat, eggs and dairy foods is making us "and our kids "sick. Thirty percent of children in the U.S. are now overweight or obese. According to a study published last year in the journal Obesity, if current trends continue, that number will double by the year 2030.
Overweight kids tend to become overweight adults who are at greater risk for heart disease, strokes and all the other ailments that stem from extra pounds. Children as young as 3 are showing signs of clogged arteries, and pediatricians are reporting an alarming increase in the number of children with type 2 diabetes, a disease that typically affects adults.
By eliminating meat from your kids' diet, you can slash their risk of obesity and heart disease. Population studies show that meat-eaters have three times the obesity rate of vegetarians "and nine times the obesity rate of vegans. Vegetarians are also 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease.
Vegetarian foods, which are packed with vitamins, phytochemicals and fiber, can also help your kids ward off cancer as they grow older. Researchers have found that vegetarians are 25 to 50 percent less likely to suffer from cancer than meat-eaters are.
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