Thanks again to First Lady Michelle Obama for keeping childhood obesity at the forefront of the national news.  Although Colorado is perceived at the “healthiest state”, today’s Denver Post article : “Obesity plan feels at home in Colo.” points out that the number of obese children in Colorado climbed from 48,000 in 2003 to 72,000 in 2007!  The end is not in sight.  There’s still a great deal of work to do on every front.  Obama’s four-part campaign includes serving healthier food in schools, increasing the access to and affordability of healthier foods, encouraging physical activity among the nation’s children… and my personal passion… helping parents make better food choices.  I feel privileged to be “in the trenches” of the childhood obesity epidemic.  To sit across the table from a family and see them make eye-opening discoveries about the foods that are going into their bodies is so rewarding.  It is not easy to motivate a young teen who cannot yet feel the effects of their elevated cholesterol and borderline blood sugar readings – yet I do it, because their future is at stake.  Parents, educators, nutrition professionals, legislators and childhood advocates must continue to lock arms and do what is necessary, though sometimes challenging, to help the nation’s children be more fit from the inside-out!