A Kaiser Permanente study in Southern California shows that after the pandemic, the numbers of overweight and obese children aged 5-11, had risen by 10%, to land at a staggering 46%.
Meanwhile, Norwegian scientists at the University of Bergen, have estimated that a sustained change from a typical Western diet to an optimal diet consisting of nuts, wholegrains, legumes, fish, fruits and vegetables can increase life expectancy by more than a decade for women and up to 17 years for men. Even if processed food is merely reduced and not entirely eliminated, longevity gains are significant. Gains of 10 years can be seen when this diet is adopted in middle age, with people in their 80's gaining up to two or three years.
This enforces how critical it is to teach children about cooking and nutrition at a young age. According to the CDC, one in three American children born after 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes in his or her lifetime. Since obese children tend to become obese adults, we are heading toward a future health crisis as the risk of heart disease and certain cancers also increase.
It’s never been more important to teach children to eat healthily, and we are passionate about spreading the word in order to improve the long-term health of as many students as we can reach.
