The human body needs to eat to function properly. The foods we choose to eat affect our ability to use them, our minds, our strength, and even our propensity to get sick or injured. Eating too much of the wrong foods, with little or no exercise, can cause a silent but deadly epidemic of obesity among children and adolescents. In the past, obesity was simply known as a disease that only affected adults. In this generation, young people are increasingly prone to obesity. In 1995, an average of 18 million children worldwide were considered overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric and Imelda Coyne 731). In an article from Childhood Obesity Interventions, it is stated that 17% (12.5 million) of children in the United States are considered obese (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This scandalous number of overweight children worldwide almost tripled in 2010, where 43 million children under the age of 5 are considered overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric and Imelda Coyne 731). Another staggering statistic is that more than 60% of children classified as overweight before reaching puberty will be overweight as adults (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This brings us to the most stifling fact: 2.8 million people worldwide die each year due to being overweight or obese (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). These shocking statistics show how dangerous obesity is and should inspire everyone to fight this epidemic. Before taking any action to prevent obesity, we must ask ourselves the question: what characterizes an individual as being overweight and/or obese? The World Health Organization (WHO 2013) defines overweight and obesity as “abnormal... middle of article......RTORG/Conditions/Diabetes/AboutDiabetes/About-Diabetes_UCM_002032_Article.jsp>. Wiley-Blackwell. “Obesity and depression may be linked.” ScienceDaily, June 6, 2008. Web. December 2, 2013. Haynes, Diane and Catherine E. Ross. “Concern about appearance, health beliefs, and eating habits.” » Health and Social Behavior 28.2 (1987): 120-30. Internet. December 4, 2013. French, SA, M. Story, D. Neumark-Sztainer, JA Fulkerson, and P. Hannan. “Use of fast food restaurants among adolescents: associations with nutrient intake, food choices, and behavioral and psychosocial variables.” Europe Pubmed Central 25.12 (2001): 1823-833. Internet. December 4, 2013. .Tawia, Susan. “Childhood obesity and breastfeeding.” Breastfeeding Review 21.2 (2013): 42-48. CINAHL Plus with full text. Web November 7. 2013.