Studies point to big future

Are you overweight?

If you are not, stick around for a couple decades and you probably will be.

But a lot of us don’t have to wait to join the parade.

A new study at Johns Hopkins Hospital found that two-thirds of today’s adults are obese or overweight. The report says one-third of school-age children are, too, and that nine out of 10 Americans will be overweight in a quarter century.

The saying that we are digging our graves with our teeth is true because unless Americans get into physical shape and eat less, their longevity will steadily decline.

We will have eaten ourselves to an early death.

Another study released over the weekend from the nonprofit group Center for Science in the Public Interest helps explain why Americans are so fat. They get a start on obesity during childhood with the help of their favorite fast-food restaurants.

The study found, for instance, that children’s meals at fast-food places are loaded with far more calories than growing children need. The National Institute for Medicine recommends about 430 calories in a meal for children ages 4 through 8. Yet a child’s meal at one restaurant contains 1,020 calories. Another restaurant entices children to ask for their 1,000-calorie meal deal.

We can’t blame this national problem on just fast food. Adults must take responsibility for what their children eat.

But how does a mom explain why she may eat a cheeseburger and fries but her children cannot?