Childhood Obesity is the plague of the 21st Century. Our kids are fat and getting fatter! The Center for Disease Control has issued some alarming statistics:

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1%.

In other words, nearly 1 in five kids are obese. This trend is bringing with it a unprecedented collection of health issues:

• Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

• Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.

• Obese youth are more likely than youth of normal weight to become overweight or obese adults, and therefore more at risk for associated adult health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.

The chances of an average child in this country being overweight are the highest they have ever been AND GROWING.

Ironically, for both children and adults, being overweight or obese is almost always a sure indicator that they are also malnourished and at the same time a strange twist of logic, malnourished people can be overweight or appear to be normal.

Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases. Possibly more important is the chance to avoid the social stigma and accompanying risk of depression that frequently plagues obese kids.

Addressing the nutritional needs and weight management challenges of kids can be far more complicated than in adults. Where an adult presumably has the maturity and focus to support a long range goal, a child has more myopic perspective and dwells in the now.

So helping manage kid’s nutrition comes with both a challenge common to adults and a challenge uniquely its own.

Adults who struggle with their weight typically three things in common. Knowing these problem areas can help kids to develop good habits in these areas can bring a lifetime of benefit. The trick is integrating these habits into their lifestyle in a way that avoids rebellion and promotes beneficial life-long habits.

Those three consistencies shared by both young and old are:

• Not enough daily protein intake

• Not enough water

• Not eating regularly

Trends tracked over decades make it clear that, as parents, we are not getting it right when it comes to our stewardship of doing the very best for our kids. It may be cultural, habitual and at risk of sounding like an endorsement of "victim mentality" it may be a consequence of the staggering amount of advertising and ease of access to convenient but not healthy processed foods and fast foods.

The solution is education and a gradual change to healthier practices. Educate yourself with a newsletter designed especially for the nutritional needs of our kids.

Learn what kids need to be healthy and then make gradual changes in order to gently ease them into a healthier lifestyle without causing resentment or rejection.