Obesity Is a Condition That Can Shorten Your Life and Can Seriously Affect You Mentally and Physically It often has its roots in childhood. Obesity in children is growing at a frighteningly fast rate. There are more obese children now than ever before. Parents are letting their carelessness with their own diets spill over into their children’s lives. Here are a few points to think about when trying to prevent obesity and health problems for your children. Small children are normally energetic and often require snacks in-between meals. It is most important to choose healthy snacks for your children. Alternative Snacks Vegetable snacks like carrot sticks and celery boats are a good and fun alternative to chips and “junk food” snacks. Fruit Can Be Substituted For Candies and Sugar Snacks Soda and sugar snacks like candy produce hyperactivity in many young children and will sow the seeds for problems later in life.