April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month - 30 Tips and Facts in 30 Days

With certainty, fattening kids up by making them overweight/obese is child abuse.

Nutritional child abuse is the most common form of child abuse of which we are aware. About one-third of all kids are overweight or obese. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month in the USA. To help these children, who are arguably the most abused on earth, Fitness Watch will offer 30 tips and facts – one for each day in April – directed at saving the children. Even if you are not from the USA, these facts and tips can help you and your children, too.

Today’s Fact and Tip – Though governed by the laws of physics, the matter of body weight is entombed in a collection of fairy tales that would make the Brothers Grimm envious.

Please read to the end where the children are addressed directly.

There is only one truth and one truth only about body weight: an imbalance of Calories in vs. Calories out results in weight gain or weight loss.

If you consume more Calories than you burn, you MUST lose weight.

If you consume fewer Calories than you burn, you MUST lose weight.

Nothing, NOTHING, else matters.

During the month we will address some of these myths. Today we start with the lies about healthy foods.

In the weight debate, “health” really means the statistical likelihood of developing certain bad illnesses. You are healthiest, i.e., you are at the LOWEST risk of developing these bad illnesses when your Body Mass Index (BMI), a ratio of height to weight is between 18.5 and 24.9.

How you achieve a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is of little relevance.

For example, it is unknown whether someone with a BMI of 22.0 who ate boneless, skinless, free-range organic chicken breasts is any healthier than someone with a BMI of 22.0 who ate red meat.

Nor is it known, if someone with a BMI of 22.0 who ate fresh vegetables is any healthier than a person with a BMI of 22.0 who ate frozen vegetables.

When it comes to losing weight, the source of the Calories is relatively unimportant. Caloric intake is all that matters. As long as fewer Calories are consumed than burned, the weight comes off with 100% certainty.

Which brings us to the matter of “healthy” foods.

The best that we know right now, is that there are no healthy foods, but there is eating healthily. Anything you eat that gets you to a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is healthy eating.

But what about antioxidants, you ask? Or preservatives?

Clearly the jury is out. As to antioxidants, see here and here. For preservatives, see here.

Today’s healthy food is tomorrow’s toxic food. And vice versa.

What happens is a political debate where parasites in search of votes or lazy parents looking to blame others or corrupt researchers pandering for grants get into the conversation and promote so-called “healthy” foods so they can benefit.

Not you.

Or your kids.

In fact, the kids end-up harmed as otherwise well-intentioned parents get distracted and disheartened thinking that only “healthy” foods will “save” their children.

Not so.

What will save the kids is not the bickering of infantile grown-ups.

What will save the kids is here now, i.e., fewer Calories in than out if they are already overweight/obese.

To help the kids, cut the Calories that they consume by a modest amount and watch the weight come off.