Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Mamis! If your Nenes Are Gordos : Turn off the Novelas

The novelas themselves aren't making your children fat, after all most of the protagonistas are way too flaca, it's all those commercials in between that are to blame for the rising obesity numbers among Latino kids.
Spanish-language television is bombarding children with so many fast-food commercials that it may be fueling the rising obesity epidemic among Latino youth, according to research led by pediatricians from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Latino children, who make up one-fifth of the U.S. child population, also have the highest obesity and overweight rates of all ethnic groups.
After watching 60 hours of Univision and Telemundo, on average, there was 2-3 food related commercials per hour, many of them targeting the kids and half of them for fast food chains featuring soft drinks and fried foods (yum).

So what's a mami to do? The report recommends that kids be limited to two hours of tee-vee a day and that kids younger than 2 shouldn't watch any television. My recommendation? Just turn it off and skip the Micky D's Cajita Feliz.

Source : Hispanic Tips
Image Source : People in Espanol

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