More

Childhood Obesity

Are You Doing Enough to Get Your Kids Physically Active this Summer?

Daryl Devonish | Posted 05.09.2013 | Canada Living
Daryl Devonish

Think about it. You learn to read and a whole new world opens up to you. You can pick up a book on any topic and dive into it for hours, consuming knowledge. Powerful knowledge that helps shape your future. And yet we neglect to teach our kids the ABCs of physical literacy.

B.C. Steps Up Childhood Obesity Fight

CP | The Canadian Press | Posted 04.05.2013 | Canada British Columbia

VANCOUVER - The B.C. government is spending $2 million to expand programs to help overweight children shed some pounds.Health Minister Margaret MacDia...

In the War on Obesity, Is the Government Fighting Fair?

Sara Zborovski | Posted 03.30.2013 | Canada
Sara Zborovski

Gulp! The food industry just won the latest battle in the war on obesity. Last week, a New York State Supreme Court Judge stopped New York City Mayor Bloomberg's plan to ban the sale of large sugary drinks, calling the ban "arbitrary and capricious".

Students Must Exercise Both Body and Mind to Be Successful

Marci Warhaft-Nadler | Posted 03.20.2013 | Canada Living
Marci Warhaft-Nadler

As a parent, I'm less concerned with the food that's available at my children's school than I am with the physical activity that is NOT. If our school boards think they are doing our kids a favour by keeping them tied to their chairs and computers, they are sadly mistaken. All the professional and financial success in the world means nothing if you don't live long enough to enjoy it.

A Natural Solution to the Obesity Epidemic

Dr Mike Hart | Posted 05.15.2013 | Canada Living
Dr Mike Hart

Many different organizations and health experts have purposed various solutions to solve the western world's obesity epidemic. But the underlying problem to the obesity epidemic is the current population's lack of connectivity to the soil, the environment and the food supply. If we can reconnect our current population with the food supply and the community, we will create a healthier and brighter future for generations to come.

Child Obesity Is Not the Problem

Marci Warhaft-Nadler | Posted 05.13.2013 | Canada Living
Marci Warhaft-Nadler

While it's become nearly impossible to turn on a TV or read a newspaper without hearing about the obesity epidemic, I believe we are focusing our energy on the wrong problem. Is obesity a serious issue? Yes. But obesity is just one symptom of the real issue which is unhealthy living. By focusing solely on obesity, we are turning a "lifestyle" issue into a "fat" one and are completely missing out on giving people the information they need to be truly healthy. The dangerous part about this is that instead of encouraging people to get healthy we are demanding that they get skinny

Does Mayor Bloomberg Want Us to Be Healthy or Skinny?

Marci Warhaft-Nadler | Posted 05.12.2013 | Canada Living
Marci Warhaft-Nadler

The judge has spoken, the ruling has been been made and our right to drink super sized, sugar loaded beverages remains intact. "The rule prohibits selling non-diet soda and some other sugary beverages in containers bigger than 16 ounces." I have no problem with the government wanting to help us get healthier, but I do have an issue with it just wanting to make us skinnier.

The Root of Canada's Obesity Problem

Lianne Castelino and Andrea Howick | Posted 05.10.2013 | Canada Living
Lianne Castelino and Andrea Howick

Let's face it -- prior to entering the world of solid foods, most first-time parents are likely hanging on, eating whatever is in sight for their own dinner. The transition from eating as a couple to eating as a family is a HUGE leap and one not to be taken lightly.

Ways to Help Kids Fight Obesity

Rose Reisman | Posted 05.08.2013 | Canada Living
Rose Reisman

There isn't a parent I know that doesn't want the food environment to be healthier. Stress and time restraints force many to get the "quick" fix when it comes to food, and fewer families are preparing meals from scratch. Here are some tips to keep your kids healthy.

What's To Blame For The Massive Number Of Obese Children?

The Huffington Post Canada | Posted 03.05.2013 | Canada Living

Every day, it feels as though we get scarier and scarier news about the state of our nation's health — but the most recent report from Ontario about...

SavvyMom Roundup: Moms in the Media and More

Minnow Hamilton | Posted 03.20.2013 | Canada Living
Minnow Hamilton

It was a fun week. I noticed some celebrity news with Amy and Tina, the Olsen twins looking for more attention, solutions for cold and flu season, help with staying active and more on gun control in the U.S.

Can You Trust the Health Check Logo on Your Food?

Kapil Khatter | Posted 02.11.2013 | Canada Living
Kapil Khatter

The Health Check program is meant to help those going to restaurants and fast food restaurants to make better menu choices. But when you search their product list for Health Check'd vegetables there are zero. Health Check is in need of a makeover. The program needs to promote fresh fruit not fruit juice; it needs to encourage eating at home not at restaurants. Or it needs to cease and desist.

The Video the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to See

Yoni Freedhoff M.D. | Posted 02.09.2013 | Canada Living
Yoni Freedhoff M.D.

A little over a month ago I was invited to a food industry breakfast to offer my comments on how the food industry might help in improving the health of our society. Unfortunately, just three days prior to the event, I was uninvited without the courtesy of an explanation or an apology. So I decided to record my talk and post it online.

Obesity Odds May Be Higher For Children In Daycare

CBC | Posted 01.20.2013 | Canada Living

The nutrition and physical activity levels of children who are in daycare need to be investigated, recommend Quebec researchers, who report higher lev...

For Kids, Playing Is Not a Waste of Time

Kelly Murumets | Posted 01.14.2013 | Canada Living
Kelly Murumets

Play is not only an easy, accessible and affordable way to get children more physically active, but it has the potential to improve a child's physical, emotional, social and cognitive well-being. It's not a frill or a waste of time. According to the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card, play has been shown to improve and foster motor function, creativity, decision-making, problem solving and the ability to control emotions.

Obesity Cancer Risk Could Reverse Gains From Less Smoking

CBC | Posted 12.15.2012 | Canada Living

The unhealthy consumption of high-calorie food threatens to reverse declines in smoking-related cancers in developed countries, while cancer death rat...

What Percentage Of Canadian Kids Are Overweight?

CP | Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press | Posted 11.20.2012 | Canada Living

TORONTO - Almost a third of Canadian children are either overweight or obese, says a report from Statistics Canada that bases its figures on the World...

Obesity Doesn't Always Mean Unfit

CBC | Posted 09.20.2012 | Canada Living

Some obese people can be just as fit as those of a normal weight and carry no greater risk of developing heart disease or cancer, studies suggest. ...

Kids' TV Time Predicts Waist Size

CBC | Posted 09.15.2012 | Canada Living

Children who watch more TV between the ages of two and four may increase their risk of having a large waist size and weaker muscular fitness by the en...

WATCH: Is This What Obesity Looks Like?

The Huffington Post Canada | Posted 06.28.2012 | Canada Living

Before you think about getting a greasy hamburger for dinner, you might want to watch this video. An Australian obesity awareness and healthy livin...

Attention Getter: GroundWave Shadow Trainer Teaches You How To Dance

The Huffington Post Canada | Posted 06.22.2012 | Canada Living

For those of you who don't feel the beat in your soles, GroundWave Shadow Trainers will teach you how to dance. The prototype kicks have sensors th...

Screen Time: Too Many Screens For Canadian Kids, Not Enough Activity

CP | Lauren La Rose, The Canadian Press | Posted 07.29.2012 | Canada Living

TORONTO - Many Canadian kids are failing to make the grade when it comes to reaching physical activity targets, with too few hours devoted to active p...

Kids Eat Up TV Ads, Then Junk Food

Marko Sijan | Posted 07.16.2012 | Canada
Marko Sijan

The results of recent surveys of students in the U.S. and Canada link poor eating habits in children to the amount of television they watch. While this isn't new information, it serves as a useful reminder that the advertising industry is indoctrinating children into the long-term negative effects of eating unhealthy food -- effects that range from obesity to early death.

Taking Action on Obesity

Silken Laumann | Posted 05.06.2012 | Canada Living
Silken Laumann

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler Jones warns that if we continue on this trajectory by 2023, 70% of Canadians will be overweight or obese....

Mom, Why Am I Fat?

Silken Laumann | Posted 03.19.2012 | Canada Living
Silken Laumann

Is it cruel to make fun of kids because they are fat? Yes, but it is far more cruel not to help these children and their families identify and address the problem.