The start of the school year bring promise and apprehensions, a few fears and certain triumphs to come.
Kids wonder who their classmates and teachers will be, and working parents buckle down to get organized to stock the pantry and fridge with healthy (they hope) items that the kids will want to eat at school, sports events and after school at home.
Many parents struggle with heartbreak of having a heavy child, and noted Bariatric surgeon Carson Liu, M.D., a father himself, is sympathetic and counsels families daily on how to keep from becoming a growing statistic: Overweight is the now the new normal, and obesity rates have gone through the roof according to the CDC.
Dr. Liu’s offices are filled with people whose weight has spiralled to the point of surgery. Keeping a child’s weight under control is now crucial for a lifetime of health benefits, as the weight normally tends to creep up on us all now throughout maturity and old age. Beginning life as a obese or overweight person sets one up for a lifetime of potential preventable disease and even early death.