It's no news that fast food is fattening, but is it one of the leading causes of childhood obesity? A new study shows a startling connection between the amount of fast food kids are eating and the rise in child obesity. Researchers from the Children's Hospital in Boston studied the lifestyle habits of some 6,200 children between the ages of 4 and 19 to determine what role, if any, fast food was playing in their weight. They were shocked to find that on any given day, one out of three children are eating a fast-food meal. That's a fivefold increase over statistics collected in a similar study during the 1970s!

The researchers also found that children today are eating fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains than in generations past, while taking in far more fat, sugar, and simple carbohydrates. The result? Those extra calories are adding up to an average gain of six pounds per child per year!

You can stop this trend starting with your child. First, limit the amount of fast food you and your child eat every week. Then, when you do visit a fast-food restaurant, encourage your child to choose healthier options, like apple slices over fries, milk over soda, and grilled chicken sandwiches over hamburgers and cheeseburgers. More and more fast-food restaurants are trying to smarten up their act by offering healthier choices, so encourage them by ordering fit food over fat food the next time you do drive thru!

Attitude is everything — so pick a good one!