The Food And Beverage Industry - 1410 Words

How delicious and mouthwatering is a large slice of pizza, cheeseburger piled high with bacon or a hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge? Most adults choose their favorite foods in early childhood and keep them throughout their life. The food and beverage industry has responded to America’s food passion. They have increased sugar in drinks and offer larger portions of food as well. The food and beverage industry has also specialized in food that appeals to children alone. From the exciting music, vibrant colors, celebrity filled commercials and the prizes promised in every box of cereal, children have become one of the main targets of the food and beverage industry. For many years obesity among youths was over looked but now there is an†¦show more content†¦It becomes an issue when a child would rather sit and watch TV endlessly instead of going outside or even staying inside to engage in physical activity. Some children might even eat and drink while watching televi sion causing even more excessive weight gain. Children need to get back to playing outside and increasing their physical activity daily so extra calories can be burned instead of stored as fat. Over the years, academic pressure, the need for children to perform, competition with other countries, etc., has forced schools to slowly stray away from recess and physical education. This decision has also become a contributing factor to childhood obesity as well. According to the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play, twenty percent of elementary schools in the U.S. have banned recess so students can spend more time on course curriculum in the classroom. It is important for every child to at least have thirty minutes of physical activity a day to reduce negative health issues. Currently, less than twenty five percent of children in the US get thirty minutes of physical activity a day (International Life Sciences, 1997). With less activity and excessive weight gain, hea lth problems become a major issue to childhood obesity. An overweight child can have the same health issues as an overweight adult. Obesity can cause high blood pressure; Type II Diabetes and depression just to name a few. Children that are severely obese miss four times