When I think about all the times I go into the elementary schools of Bemidji, Minnesota, I not only think about how I will help the children that day, I also think about When I walk down the halls, I also think about the many kids who are either malnourished or obese. Few kids look healthy. I often wonder how this became the normal. In America, it is no secret that obesity is a rising and major problem. It all boils down to malnourishment. Many children are being overfed, but undernourished. Something has caused children to become bigger and bigger, and not in a good way. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that if U.S. children do not get their weight in check, their anticipated health problems will significantly shorten their lives and make them the first generation in the U.S. history to die at younger ages than their parents (Cooper 75). You would think that it would be an easy problem to fix; just cut out all the bad food and bring in all the healthy food, right? Wrong. It is not that easy to fix. We only wish it were that easy. There needs to be talk about how schools are affecting children and their nutrition in the classroom and the cafeteria, from the good to the bad, and how they could finally end this epidemic. Why is this such an important issue you ask? First off, child obesity rates have more than doubled over the last 20 years. They are at great risk of many negative health conditions, including diabetes, heart problems, and blood pressure issues. Type 2 diabetes once was rare in American children, but an increasing number of children are developing the disease. In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in the United States. One prediction says that 80% of overweight children will become overweight adults. More and more, families in America have eaten fast food or processed foods, which are not healthy. At an elementary school in Karlstad, MN, I interviewed a school nurse. When asking her what she felt on the issue of child obesity, she said, Children are becoming couch potatoes at an early age of watching television... Second, children are especially susceptible because they absorb substances faster and have more difficulty eliminating them. Their kidneys are immature and cannot expel these chemicals as fast as adults can. Children are the most affected by the chemicals used to produce and process food. If the body cannot eliminate the toxins, they tend to be stored in body fat and accumulate over time. The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research organization, analyzed U.S. government pesticide records and food consumption data and reported that every day, 610,000 children ages one through five eat a dose of neurotoxic organophosphate insecticides that the government deems unsafe. Not only are there health costs associated with childhood obesity, but your childs weight problem is also closely intertwined in his or her emotional world. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, living with excess pounds can be heartbreaking. The social stigma attached to being overweight can be very. In a society that puts a superiority on thinness, studies show that children as young as 6 years may associate negative stereotypes with excess weight and believe that a heavy child is simply less likable. In general, if your child is obese, he or she is more likely to have low self-esteem than his thinner peers. His weak self-esteem can translate into feelings of shame about his body, and his lack of self-confidence can lead to poorer academic performance at school. This can lead to depression. Some overweight children like these might seek emotional comfort in food, adding even more calories to their plate