Winning a national championship is not the only thing Eli Manning can put on his resume. The Superbowl-winning quarterback is also an ambassador for Building Our Kids’ Success (BOKS) – an organization that works with schools to get children moving more throughout the day for both physical and mental health.

The fact that today’s generation of youth has more interest in electronic devices than playing sports or running around outside is just one of the numerous factors contributing to childhood obesity. Poor diet and a lack of exercise are two more. Currently, 9 million children over the age of six are considered obese. And comparatively speaking, obesity in America has taken a turn for the as obesity rates have more than tripled in recent years.

Growing up, children cherish memories of recess and gym class in elementary school. Recess is that critical break that children need to get away from classroom studies and relish in the benefits of fresh air and physical activity. While national guidelines recommend 60 minutes of physical activity a day, schools have started to limit recess time and physical education classes in order to achieve more time in the classroom.
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For years, health experts have predicted that Type 2 diabetes would become a severe problem among today’s youth as obesity rates continue to rise. Unfortunately, those predictions are coming true. For the first time ever experts have conclusive evidence that Type 2 diabetes among youth has reached epidemic-status, and only seems to be worsening.

Researchers analyzed data from a study of more than 3,800 youth ages 12 to 19 who participated in a federal survey. According to the report published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that the number of teens with diabetes or ‘pre-diabetes’ (individuals showing early signs of diabetes), rose from 9 percent in 1999 to 23 percent in 2008.

Previously, health experts and physicians rarely saw diabetes in kids. But it’s becoming more and more common as more children in our country are being diagnosed as overweight or obese. This news is especially alarming as diabetes is also known to cause such related issues as blindness, nerve damage, heart attack and stroke.
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They say it takes a village to raise a child, but sometimes, it takes a child to inspire a village.

Such was the case with Marshall Reid, a 12 year old from Sanford, North Carolina, on a mission not just to change his own health, but the health of his family and millions of other Americans who struggle with their weight as well.

Marshall’s weight loss journey began after a school bully pointed out his biggest insecurity. “One of my classmates actually told me you don’t look very good. You’re fat,” he said. Already feeling self conscious about his weight, Marshall then happened to watch the documentary ‘Super Size Me’ and decided that wasn’t the lifestyle he wanted.

So he told his mom, Alexandra, that he wanted to get healthy – that he was done with eating unhealthy foods. And he proposed the family eat the opposite of the way they’d been eating – primarily fast food and take out – for the next 30 days to see if they could stick to it. She said hearing the news felt like somebody threw a brick at her chest.

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Is it possible that the West-coast population is eating less than us East-coasters and Midwesterners? According to a new study, that may be the case; especially when it comes to California teens.

The new study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that California teens are eating less at school. And although the margin may be small – about 158 calories – nutrition experts say this could make a big difference in the long run, especially since they also seem to be eating less added sugar and fat than students from others states.

The 14 other states included in the study reportedly have less strict nutrition standards, which may potentially be the reason their students are consuming more calories during the school day. But what isn’t clear is why California students also seem to be eating fewer calories at night when they arrive home from school.

Authors of the study say California’s nutrition laws are what’s likely contributing to the surprising results, since the state limits the amount of unhealthy snack foods and sodas schools can sell to students – including the content of vending machines.
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Bake sales used to be the highlight of any school function, with mountains of cupcakes and muffins, and bundt cakes galore, tempting the taste buds of kindergartners and teachers alike. But that may be changing soon, as schools are beginning to make bake sale restrictions in light of America’s ever-expanding waistline.

The public school system in Maryland’s Montgomery County, for instance, is no longer allowing its districts to hold bake sales, even if the fundraisers are for a good cause. This is because selling sweets has been outlawed during the school day, and the new ban is taken rather seriously, according to Marla Caplon of Montgomery County’s food and nutrition services, who says officials ‘make the rounds’ daily to ensure no one’s breaking the rules.

“If a bake sale is going on, it’s reported to administration and it’s taken care of,” she says. “You can’t sell Girl Scout cookies, candy, cakes, any of that stuff.”
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