Unfortunately, there are many overweight children in America today. And the numbers seem to be climbing, fast. Just how bad is this problem? It would take a while to compile the data for all fifty states, but recently I have come across California’s number and I just hope that other states are doing better, hopefully a lot better.

According to the California Department of Health Services, the number of overweight children in California has doubled over the last two decades, and this problem has actually tripled among adolescents.

Currently, more than one-third of 9- to 11-year-old children and one-fifth of middle and high school students are overweight or at risk of being overweight.

While many studies have shown that eating more fruits and vegetables every day can help reduce the risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and many common cancers – the question remains – what can be done to reduce the number of overweight children in America? [sources: cdc.gov, BA Parent]