Years ago, custody decisions were pretty straightforward: Mom got custody, dad got visitation. Today, parents are increasingly accusing each other about the obesity, and nutrition, of their children, to persuade judges their kids are getting less than optimal care by the ex- or soon to be ex. In some cases, it’s allegations of a grossly overweight child; in many others, it’s that the other parent is too obese to perform basic child-rearing functions.

Recently in Portland, Ore., a boy whose weight was in the 95th percentile, told the non-custodial parent he was miserable because he was getting made fun of at school. An investigation confirmed his diet was fast food restaurants morning, noon and night, that he also wasn’t getting proper medical care; and the judge made the decision to switch custody.

With the epidemic of child obesity, more states are altering custody criteria to include the physical as well as the emotional well being of the child.

Your heart is the size of your closed fist, and is a small, overworked muscle, pumping 24/7.  Did you know that for every extra pound of fat you carry, your body has to grow one additional mile of blood vessels---primarily capillaries, but also small arteries and small veins---and your heart has to work that much harder?  Put on 2 pounds, and that's two miles of blood vessels; 50 extra pounds requires 50 miles of new blood vessels.  The good news is that the opposite is true:  For ever pound of fat you lose, your body sheds a mile of blood vessels, lightening your heart's load.

As Americans get heavier they are, literally, crushing their feet.  Obesity leads to foot and ankle problems in weight bearing areas, as well as in the tendons and ligaments.  Pressures on the bottom of the feet are far greater in the obese, and obesity damages the joints of the foot and ankle.  We carry approximately four to six times our body weight across the ankle joint when climbing up stairs or walking on inclines, and obesity significantly increases the impact.

Did you know that obesity can dramatically affect your oral health?

The eating habits of overweight people put them in greater contact with simple sugars. Our mouths convert simple sugars to plaque; as plaque accumulates on teeth and gums, gingivitis, periodontitis and tooth decay becomes inevitable.  Additionally, fat cells produce many chemicals and hormones that increase inflammation in the body, decrease the effectiveness of your immune system, and increase your susceptibility to periodontal disease. Inflammation of the gums, aside from causing bone erosion and tooth loss, also harmful oral bacteria to enter the blood stream, which has been linked to diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and other conditions.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by interruptions and cessations in breathing during sleep, which can occur hundreds of times per night. Temple University in Philadelphia did a study with 270 obese patients, average age 61 years old, all with a ‘moderate’ apnea index—meaning they experience 15 to 29 apnea events per hour. Those who had no weight loss over a year had a signific...ant average increase of four apnea events per hour, moving them into a ‘severe’ apnea index. It confirms that obese apnea patients have a rapid progression of episodes as they age, and this progression leads to hypertension, stroke and oftentimes death from cardiovascular causes—risks that are already elevated because of their obesity.

I actually found a low-calorie, low-fat chocolate bar snack.   It’s not the super-size bar that we used to think was normal-size that got us fat, but, you’re gonna like ‘em, believe me.  Of the many products CocoaVia makes, I’m recommending only two of them because they fit into our program, both in terms of calories and fat content——CocoaVia Chocolate Snack Bar and the CocoaVia Almond Snack Bar.  At 80 calories per snack, with only 2 grams of fat and 6 and 8 grams of sugar, respectively, they’re a welcome treat.  I know they sell them at CVS and Walgreen pharmacies, but, don’t go shlepping around town to find them.  Go onto the Coca Via website and use their‘store locator.  I already did that using the zip codes for each of our locations and a whole bunch of places pop up.  Or, you can order them online.  For our kosher clients, be advised that in response to an email I sent, CocaVia tells me “these products are not kosher at this time.”  Hopefully, that means they’re working on it.  Either of these two bars = either 1 Milk or can be exhanged for 1 Fruit  Visit the site at www.cocoavia.com.