TheWorriesofGrowingupChildreninChina,althoughrelativelyslimarejoiningthegrowingtrendthroughouttheworldoffirstbecomingoverweightandlaterintheirlivesturningobese.AlarmingfiguresarenowcomingoutintotheopenthatobesityisbecomingoneofthemostseriousdiseasesthreateningchildreninChina’slargercities,especiallyinthecapital,Beijing.ButwithanabundantsupplyofreadyavailablefoodandaneverincreasinginfluenceoffastfoodestablishmentsfromtheWest,Chinesechildrenarespoiltforchoice.Sadlythefigureforobesechildrenhasreachedthe10millionmark.WiththecurrenttrendbeingmostthingsWestern,especiallyinthelargercitiesinChina,childrenareopentoanarrayofdifferentcuisines.Butwithalackoftimecontinuouslyhoveringoverthem,fastfoodbecomestheeasieroption.Andnotonlyaretheypayingwiththeirwallets,butalsowiththeirhealth.Since1985inChina,theamountofoverweightchildrenhasgrown“double”“threefold”etc.withcurrentfiguresshowing“whichcity”asthefattestcityinChina.Itisalsodisplaysthefactthatitisthericherpartofthecountry,theeast,whichishavingthemostproblems.AlthoughforeignfastfoodrestaurantsstartedthetrendinChinabyopeningupKFC’sandMcDonaldsofwhichtherearearound1000and700respectively,theChinesesoonclickedonandcreatedtheirown.FastfoodinChinaisseenasanupscaleeventeventhoughit’sagooddealmoreexpensivethan‘real’restaurants!Someofthegreatestpleasuresinlifearetheoneswhichdamageourbodythemost!Fastfoodalsotakesontheformofice-cream,chocolate,crisps,sweetsandfizzydrinks.Theseaswe’reallawareofarefullofcaloriesandgreatlylackanythingnutritional.Andcombinedwithalackofoutsideactivitiescanonlyresultinoneway–obesity.IntheWest,childrengetfatbecausethereistoomuchfreedom,parentsdon’tstopthemfromeatingtoomuch.InChina,childrenhavenochoice.Theyarepracticallyforce-fedbytheirparentsandgrandparentswhoambushthemwithfoodurgingthem“Eatmore,eatmore”.FewChineseparentshavethehearttodenyanonlychild.Snackingwhilstwatchingtelevisionisfun,butbeforeyouknowit,you’vegainedafewextrapounds!Anothercaseofmunchingonfastfoodsiswhilststudying.TheworkloadforaChinesechildisextremelyheavywithextraclassesattheweekend.They’repronetostressandwithallthepressure,theybingeforcomfort.
