Wellness Facts
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Food Facts Corn-fed beef is less healthy because it contains fewer Omega 3 fatty acids than the meat of grass-fed cattle. • Every day, one in four Americans eats in a fast food restaurant. • Food additives have been scientifically and conclusively linked to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). • In 1970, Americans spent $6.2 billion at fast food restaurants; in 2004, the amount was $124 billion. Twenty times as much! • In 2001, Americans consumed 15 billion gallons of soft drinks, twice as much as in 1974 and the equivalent to 587 12-ounce servings per year for every man, woman, and child. • More than 25 percent of nineteen- to twenty-four-month-olds eat French fries or fried potatoes on any given day. • Most children can recognize over 1,700 products but do not know what's grown and produced locally. • Organic diets significantly lower children's dietary exposure to pesticides. • Our food travels an average of 1500 miles before we eat it. • The generation of Americans born in the year 2000 is the first in history to have a shorter life expectancy than its parents. • The United States exports 1.1 million tons of potatoes a year, and imports 1.4 million tons of potatoes a year. • 70% of all antibiotics consumed in this country are utilized in animal husbandry. |
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Green Facts • Childhood diseases of environmental origin cost Americans $54.9 billion annually. • US Agriculture uses 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides each year; roughly 5 lbs for every American. • Asthma is the number one cause of absenteeism in the NYC public schools. Many industrial-strength cleaners used in schools contain asthmagens (asthma triggers). |
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Coach Facts • Compared with Children nationwide NYC students are more likely to be obese (21% v. 17%) and overweight (18% v. 14%) • Obesity-attributable Medicaid expenditures are $3.5 billion in New York. • Total healthcare expenditures related to obesity - $6 billion for New York. 24% of New Yorkers are obese. • Obesity rates are rising faster in NYC than the rest of the nation. Minorities are disproportionately affected. • Nearly 75% of New York City adults report no regular physical activity and nine out of 10 do not eat the recommended servings of fruits and/or vegetables per day. • Diabetes is 3 times more common among obese New Yorkers • Areas with the highest proportions of residents who do not eat at least 5 fruits and/or vegetables per day have the highest rates of obesity. • 43% of NYC public elementary school students are overweight, and more than half of these are obese. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, asthma, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, breathing problems, high blood cholesterol and other illnesses. • The 2003 healthcare costs incurred in the treatment of illness related to obesity in New York State are estimated at $3.5 billion.
• Blood pressure has increased over the past decade among children and adolescents, in part because of increasing rates of overweight. • One in three U.S. children born in the year 2000 could develop Type 2 Diabetes during their lifetimes. • The rate of obesity among children today is twice as high as it was in the late 1970s. - Schlosser, Eric, “Fast Food Nation: The Dark side of the All-American Meal”. Harper Collins, 2002. |
