♪ >> welcome to beyond the headlines. i upon cheryl jennings. every week we focus on a different topic affecting people live work negligent bay area. today we are talking about the importance of obesity of children. making children eat healthy foods is important. ahead lady michelle obama launched a national campaign. she is leading the charge to get children to eat right and exercise and grocery stores that open up in low income neighborhoods. >> her mission is ambition to change diet and exercise habits and get kids healthier. >> i want to how proud i am with the first lady.

>> and with a flick of a pen first lady michelle obama's campaign is up and running. >> it is improving the health of our children and giving support to parents, and to make the kind of healthy choices thatain times are very difficult in this kind of environment. >> the campaign is called let's move. $10 billion will be spent over 10 years with the goal of ending childhood obesity in a generation. currently one in three kids is obese and overweight . the country spends 150 billion a year treating obesity-related illness. >> we have everything we need to help our children. rarely have we in this country encountered a problem of such consequence that is so solvable. >> the first lady's plan includes tax breaks for grocery storse that go in low

income neighborhood. >> if kids are not getting adequate nutrition, even the best books and teachers in the world will not get them to where we want them to be. >> the secretaries of health and agriculture to report back within 90 days on a plan to move forward. lindsay davis, abc news. >> and joining me in the studio is dr. louise greenspan who is a endocrinologist here in san francisco. thank you for being here. >> you're welcome. >> can you tell us what a endocrinologist does. >> a endocrinologist takes care of hormone related illness. i take care of kids can issues of peburty and >> what are you seeing in the kids . i know it is a huge problem. >> we are seeing diabetes, sleep apnea. they get so much fat in the tonsils and it blocks their

airway at night. they can get a hip fracture where they need a hip fracture in adolescent . it is associated with depression and mental health problems. >> it is something we shouldn't ignore. the trick is how to get them to eat healthy food with all of the fast food out there? >> exact low. - exactly. >> i have limited the weet drinks. they should not be drinking anything with sugar in it except for milk and water. those should be their main beverages . limiting the juice and no juice is the best . should eat their fruit . veggies. >> my kids know that juice and soda. juice is in the same category as cookies and candy as cake.

>> how important is breakfast? >> very, error important. old saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. they do better academically. >> and you have a little way for people to remember it easily. >> the plate method. >> it is sim policically. half of your plate is covered with fruit vegables. if you eat cereal for prake fast and a sandwich for lunch there is no way to get five servings at dipper. if you have serial with fruit and sandwich with carrots and apple. you are it . diner look at your plate . half should have fruit vegetable on it. >> what about fussy eaters. >> studies show kids need to be offered food 17 times.

>> i eat a lot off of my children's plate. but keep trying. >> how do you stay on the path as a parent? >> knowing that you are doing the right thing for your children and you want their health to be the best it can be . help them live long healthy lives. >> thank you so much dr. greenspan. i remember that plate method. we'll take a break and when we come back. we'll learn about the real risk of sugar and sodas and juices in our frige. back in just a moment. so my mercury moment happened during our family camping trip.

i grabbed my son a juice box...and left the cooler lid open. twenty minutes later, all our hot dogs were gone. and so was most of the car. my mercury agent, steve, told me the car was covered. i switched to mercury because i saved hundreds of dollars on my car insurance, but it was the service that really made me a happy camper... er...ex-camper. call 888-4-mercury or visit mercuryinsurance.com to get a fast, free quote and start saving today.

>> welcome back to beyond the headlines. i am cheryl jennings. we are talking about the importance of healthy habits when it come to nutrition. childhood obesity know its to be a major problem. earlier this year, the state senator who wanted to fight obesity with a tax on sugar. our reporter filed the story from sacramento in february. >> state senator dean florez penny tax on all sugar in beverages like soda would apply to stores and restaurants. a billion could be raised to bankroll problems. >> the more sugar that is added to the drenk we ask that they help with the obesity

problem. >> it could add up for consumers. the mountain due has 19 tea spoons of sugar . the california senate for public health advocacy found a 20 ounce snapper has 13 tea approximate depraps of sugar . vitamin water had 8 tea spoons of sugar. and is tax this and that. >> retailers said the state of demonizing one trea with sugar. leaders will use the money for other purpose. >> the legislature is looking for places to find money for the deficit. research is over whelming.

consuming these beverages will contribute to obesity. >> it is hard to tell if the tax could change the behavior. the average adult contains 50 pounds of soda a year. this is abc sennews. and the sugar tax seems to be a no good. joining us in the studio is darla . darl even you have a great program call rethink your drink . >> right . summer campaign is in the fourth summer and it started in 2007. we is had a conversation with the health officer in almeda county x. shared the story of big box store and seeing the family wheel out a cartful of

cases of soda and thought we need to do something about that. >> how much. >> in a cola 17 tea spoons of sugar. >> that is a lot of sugar. >> and we know. >> right. and we know that the average american is eating close to 100 pounds of sugar a year. that breaks down to a quarter of a pound a day. >> you have 26 tea spoons of sugar. that's what the average person is consuming on a add sugar. what success do you have?

>> we launched the campaign after we did the campaign. it was adopted to the collectative. and they joined us with a good success story. >> we have. we have had a number of personal testimonials that they gave up and lost weight and feel better. we did it with household telephone survey and they did that with the participant in the campaign and found that they had eliminated or reduced their consumption of sugar bever annuals. >> you talk about that and not

necessarily use a. >> sugar in beverage is thest single source of added sugar in our diets. that one change that you can make is hugely segcant to talk about heart disease and certain types of cancer . all result from diabetes. best advise for people to drink. water. >> we have done taste tests with children and put cubummers and lime berries and children love it. and so it is the best alternative and fro. and thank you so much for all of your information . that was a shocking demitration of all of that sugar . we'll take a break. coming up. one mother who is a good health champion in her family and community. in just a moment.

[ fema announcer ] this is a strawberry pop tart. but this is warm, fresh-baked strawberry toaster strudel. [ music ] see the difference? pillsbury toaster strudel, the one kids want to eat. ♪ whoa! do you know what our favorite part of shooting hoops is? 3...2...1...

overtime! ♪ ♪ we're the kids in america ♪ oh, oh, oh >> welcome back to the headlines. we are talking about ways to improve your children's overall health. in february first lady obama launched her campaign to help childhood obesity. teaching kids and their parents how to eat and

exercise properly. here is the new program in march. they may be but they are learning how to exercise and eat better. >> i want to lose weight by eating healthy every day. >> it is all part of a program in the county called new. stappeds for new -- nutrition and education and wellness. >> we do that by eating. >> and young fourth and fifth graders they are obese and can lead to high cholesteral and diabetes. and here the kids learn about the food groups and how to plan and cook a healthiy meal. network this is about kids. it is changing behaviors can't be done by a child alone.

mujust do it yourself or have them do it yourself they will not do it. it is good to come together as a family. four young members of her family. >> i want them to get an education and myself and what i can give them to eat. i don't want them to grow up with diabetes and cholesteral. >> you are change the things you eat in >> yes, i am changing a lot. at the start of the program they are weighed and again at the end . in six weeks. the 12 year old lost eight pounds. >> vegetables and fruit and stop eating fat. >> hoe hope to maintain the weight off and good health. eep the youngest are getting the message. >> mick a banana or poitato

chips. >> kids who have healthy eating habits and early on will carry it throughout life. >> they know what they learn here keeps them healthy for a long time. joining me is a champion mom from almeda cooperate. >> nice to meet you as well. >> vufour kids, 8 and younger. >> yes. >> so you are a champion mom. tell me what a champ 81 mom. >> what a mom is is one who helps the children . they can go out in the community as well >> you think about this in public. >> what is your advise for folks out there.

>> the ambition i want to see my children be grown. >> what kind of changes. no sugar or fast food. it is maybe a treat. i limited partnershiped to try new vegetables but i do it. and oh, my goodness. my oldest one is picky and i learned to get her to eat syrup things. and she is refusing good

fod. >> she is saying no. i don't eat hamburger without a bun. it is about choice. temperature we have breakfast . snacks in between . fruit snacks and candy and sugary snacks . complete breakfast with the food and they eat fruits and vegetation . >> a lot of people complain it is expensive. >> i found different programs .

food stamp program is helpful . there is vouchers. >> in the long term your kids will be healthy. . when we come back. we'll discover how bay area schools are taking healthier options. we'll be right back. ♪

♪ ye ♪ look, they fit! oh my gosh, are those the jeans from last year? how'd you do it? simple stuff... eating right...whole grain. whole grain? [ female announcer ] people who eat more whole grain tend to have healthier body weights. multigrain cheerios has five whole grains

and 110 lightly sweetened calories. more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios. >> welcome back to the head lineups. i amiencigence. today we are talking about kids and nutrition. schools are taken first lady michelle obama's lead in fighting obesity. one local district is ahead of the curve. oakland franklin elementary school it is all about serving

up good nutrition at lunchtime. at this school cafeteria and others this year, fresh items replaced processed and meals made from scratch and not prepackaged. it is an effort bolstered by first lady's campaign. >> the fact that the first lady is so liked and popular, it does inpire all of us to have fresh fruit and produce available at lunch including the salad pars. >> oakland has meatless lunches at all of the schools. so far it is a hit with the kids. >> i have oranges and cubummlers. what kind of choices. yogurt and carrots and corn . apples and oranges. >> do you ever eat a candy par.

>> no, not really. after school. will ale meda county services provide cooking dems in several sights and the school district took it a step further hosting regular farmer's market to frure fresher ingredients are close at hand for students and their family. >> joining me is coleen cavenaugh. >> thank you for having me. >> the idea of having a farm at school. how about san francisco. >> at san francisco we tried a proyect and it was too expensive. bee did a different route. leavey green vegetables and green, and yellow and red . all of the high schools, and there is way it make it

healthier. one of the problems kids have to deal with. kids from lower income have been separated from regular school lunch programs. what is going on with that right now? >> we found one in 10 across the country low income kids are standing in one room separated from the schools who are 53ing cash and receiving a different meal. in michelle obama's report. schools eliminate that segregation and so there is not a social cost. the lunch meal is the healthiest. >> they are too embarrassed. once they find out you are low income. it is affecting them in their lives . eating a healthy lunch should not have a affect on the child. >> there is a number of other thengs. we urge them to see if the

kids have enough time to eat. it doesn't matter, if they don't have enough time to eat the meal it doesn't matter. where is the food located and healthy food that is conveniently located or is it doup underneath the dungeon area of the cafeteria instead of located near their classroom . a coast. does it cost less than they junky food. can we get junk food out of there and have healthy meals to help out kids . what is your program doing. >> we put out a at that point and met with michelle obama's state -- staff . they made the national recommendation that all schools look at this issue. we went to congress.

they pecked up the issue on the house side and realize we thought we were okay and need to be fixed. we have 10 seconds. >> this summer if you go it san francisco and spend 10 you get 10 free and through september. go to the farmer's market. >> thank you so much. we are oust time. and a left good information today. appreciate it and that's it for this edition of beyond the headlines. if you are looking for community resources dial 211 for help. all of the information is on our website. click on the community page. i amiencigence. thank you for letting us in your home today. boy by. my mercury moment happend right after our wedding,

when i realized that along with all the gifts that i'd be getting mercury had better coverage, better service and and we saved hundreds of dollars by combining our home and auto insurance policies. and he got miss pookie. see, everyone wins. insure your auto and home (together) and save up to 15%. get a quote and see for yourself at mercuryinsurance.com.