FAQ - Adolescent Nutrition

Is obesity in children a problem?
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (www.aafp.org), “the number of children who are obese is increasing in the United States. Approximately 21 percent of 12-to-17-year-old adolescents are obese, up from 15 percent in the 1960s, and about 23 percent of 6- to-11-year-old children are obese, compared with 15 percent in the 1960s. Overweight young people, particularly those who are older, tend to remain overweight and, in general, have a 1.5- to 2.0-fold increase in the risk of being overweight as adults.”

What causes obesity in children?
Obesity in adolescents can be attributed to one or more of the following factors:

• Physiological – metabolism, genetics, body composition
• Environmental – parenting, accessibility to food, varying standards of healthy weight
• Diet – too much food, nutrition (too much fat, calories, sugar; too little protein, fiber, fruits and vegetables), portion size
• Physical Activity (or lack thereof)
• Psychological – low self-esteem, distorted self-image, food as comfort or punishment, appetite, eating disorders
• Knowledge – unable to identify obesity as a problem, unable to control food cues
• Social – advertising, peer pressure, acceptance of “the fattening of society”

Is it safe to reduce the caloric intake of adolescents?
Our products are designed to be a nutritional supplement to a healthy meal plan for older children, as is useful for controlling the caloric intake of children. Children and teenagers need more calories by body weight, but too many calories are just as harmful as not enough. The idea is to avoid excessive caloric intake, thus helping prevent extra calories from sitting in the body and become fat cells. They need the right combination of nourishment and exercise to give them the get-up-and-go to get through the day. They should not consume calories in excess of what they will burn off in exercise that day. Hi-Energy is a convenient way to stay healthy, maintain good nutrition, and even manage weight.