I’ve learned so much through IIN – things that I may not have ever known before (good thing, because I paid tuition to learn haha) but moreso things I might’ve heard, but wouldn’t really take it to heart the way that I do now, knowing what I know now.
I wanted to share some things with you concerning our kids – the future of our world. Read each sentence twice and really let this sink in…
– The CDC has reported that of the children born in the year 2000:
- 1 out of every 3 Caucasian children will have diabetes in their lifetime
- 1 out of every 2 African American and Hispanic children will have diabetes in their lifetime (that is half of the African American and Hispanic population)
- This generation of children may be the first generation in history to have a shorter lifespan and life expectancy than their parents.
- Cancer is now the leading cause of death in children 15 years old and younger
- In the last 25 years the prevelance of childhood obesity has tripled
- 50% of us are expected to have cancer in our lifetime
- We now have a Generation Rx
- 400% increase in the rate of allergies
- 300% increase in the rate of asthma
- 400% increase in the rate of ADHD
- 1,500% increase in the rate of autism
- Over 30% of Americans now have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease because of sugar consumption. Sugar is toxic and addictive to the body.
- Non-nutrient sweeteners is just as bad, if not worse because they’re just chemicals going into your body.
- $17-20 billion is spent per year in America marketing junk food to children
This information and downward health spiral can most commonly be linked to the food we eat and the food we’re giving our children. Nitrates, chemicals, sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, GMO’s, pesticides, more sugar, hormones, food dyes and more sugar – just to name a few.
Did you know that 80% of the antibiotics used are utilized in animal husbandry? (That means they’re used in the animals you’re eating and drinking from). Or how about that U.S. agriculture uses 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides every year – that’s like spoon-feeding every man, woman and child 5 pounds of pesticides each year. How about that Monsanto and DuPont are considered chemical companies and now own 90% of the commercial agriculture seeds in America? Do you really want chemical companies producing your food?
Our food system has been killing people for years and now the kids get to take the brunt of our bad decisions. If it’s convenient, quick, packaged or gets served in a paper bag in a drive-thru, it’s probably a bad decision for both you and your family.
Whole foods, organic produce, free-range/cage-free/grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic-free meats and poultry. Home cooking with love, school lunches with whole foods, healthy snacks, put more love into what you’re feeding your children. I’m just as busy as anyone else, I slip up too and have a bad meal (or a few) and NO ONE expects you to be perfect – but packaged, processed, sugar-packed food and drinks are a common staple in every day meals for most households. What your kids are eating at school might shock you – get involved in changing their lunch options. Get rid of the hot dogs, fries and chips – urge them to go towards free-range meats, fruit and whole grains with healthy snacks like kale chips and organic milk. Schools across the country are responding to this health crisis because of parents like you who are persistent in seeing a change. Is it more expensive to eat like this, unfortunately yes. But you know what? You’re going to be paying way less in medical bills and medications in the long-run because your kids won’t be as sick all the time. Another sad fact – medical professionals have very little to no training in nutrition and how food interacts with the body. Skip the medical band-aids and go to the source of the problem, your food and your lifestyle.
The choice is always up to you – you can be part of the solution and do something or be part of the problem and do nothing. What are you going to choose?
