Educators and health officials converged for the first time in Iowa to take a healthy bite out of the epidemic sweeping the nation: obesity.

The Action for Healthy Kids coalition, partnered with the Midwest Dairy Council, put on the summit to begin an initiative in the state of Iowa to educate young children about healthy lifestyles.

Studies show obesity is now the second highest cause of death, falling only behind tobacco use, according to a 1993 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

According to the Centers for Disease Control Web site, www.cdc.gov, one in four Americans gets no exercise at all and obesity costs the U.S. economy over $93 billion per year.

Mary Thorsell, vice president of nutrition, marketing and consumer communications with the Midwest Dairy Association was part of the team that put together a national summit for healthy schools.

Obesity has reached epic proportions, she said. Schools spend large amounts of money on programs that teach children about drugs and tobacco, but no money teaching them to avoid the second highest cause of death in the United States.

“Is that really the right place we should be putting our finances if the second cause of death is obesity?” Thorsell asked.

Carol Voss, consultant with the Iowa Department of Public health, said since the rise in awareness about obesity, more funding has been funnelled toward educating people.

“People are realizing that it really is an epidemic,” Voss said.

Nicole Stahr, registered dietitian with the Midwest Dairy Council, said concern about obesity rose when children in grade school started showing signs of what are characteristically adult diseases, such as type II diabetes.

Stahr said 2 percent of children meet the food guide pyramid requirements and often their diets mainly consist of empty calories such as those found in potato chips and soda.

“That [2 percent is] very low and as a registered dietitian I am very concerned with that,” Stahr said.

Voss said by teaching children to eat healthier, parents can also learn about healthy lifestyles.

“Who can say no to a kid who asks for vegetables?” Voss said.

Thorsell said now is the time to take action.

“The stars are aligned,” she said. “I think the time is now. It’s a great time to get involved in this.”

Stahr said in the past, college-age students were the target audience for information about living healthy lifestyles but it is now time to start educating grade school, middle school and high school students.

“It’s no longer going to be the freshman 15 [when kids enter college] it’s going to be the freshman 45 if the trends increase,” Stahr said.

Thorsell said there is a “portion distortion,” meaning many people do not know what a portion size is.

“People want a value for their money,” Thorsell said.

Stahr agreed.

“When people go out to eat,” Stahr said, “they don’t want a 6 ounce steak, they want a mammoth steak.”

Both Thorsell and Stahr attribute this “‘Super size it’ attitude” to the value Americans place on getting more for less.

The bottom line is to eat in moderation, Thorsell said.

“Eat breakfast like a king, eat lunch like a queen and eat dinner like a pauper,” Thorsell said.

She said a healthy lifestyle may take extra effort, but it will be worth it in the end.

“We just need to burn up that energy and make things happen,” Thorsell said.