I commonly notice societal trends since I talk with so many people on a daily basis. Here are two trends that I have recently noticed and find alarming.
The first trend I have noticed is that parents are routinely giving toddlers iced tea to drink. Now you may ask what is wrong with that, isn't tea supposed to be good for you? Well, tea is good for you but there can be ingredients in it that aren't. Caffeine is in most tea (more in black than green). Why would you want to make your child more hyper and make it difficult for them to sleep? Also if you drink caffeine regularly and then don't for a day or so you can get headaches and not feel well. (aka cranky child!) The other ingredient that isn't good for you is sugar. If you buy a sweetened tea or add sugar then it can be just like drinking a soda. So, what is ok? I would suggest brewing your own tea using decaffeinated tea bags and then do not add sugar to it. Or, if you are lazy like me I would just give your child a glass of water to drink instead.
The second trend was brought to my attention by my teenage daughter. She tells me that teens are using tanning salons and lying out in the sun. I thought that this had decreased over the years with education about the dangers of the sun but I having been checking with my patients and my daughter is right. So, it is time to start talking with our teens about the dangers of the sun. They don't care about skin cancer so instead I would tell them that the sun causes wrinkles and will make them ugly. Take them shopping for sunscreen to see if you can find a type that they like and are likely to use. Encourage them to put it on daily.
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