Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re well aware of the huge coverage in the media, especially television, regarding the rapidly growing rate of obesity in children.
Even more painfully obvious is the fact that although our presumed awareness has increased, the actions taken to address this issue have not.
The phrase “you are what you eat” is painfully true, especially when dealing with obesity in children. So, if the assumption is made that as parents or adults, our awareness of the problem is there, then why aren’t we seeing a decrease in obesity in children rather than the reverse?
The truth is, children don’t do the weekly shopping for groceries, and they don’t cook the meals. So where is the food coming from? Who is the person responsible for bringing the food into the home? Children will eat what is available and they will no doubt scream if they don’t get all the fast food and junk food they desire, but who is the parent and who is running the show? Obesity in children is a serious issue that can and will cause health issues for these young people.
Admittedly, kids can wear the best of parents down but at the end of the day, their physical future is just as important or even more so, then their educational and vocational future. So, let’s review some tactics that might help over time.
Control the Amount on the Plate
It’s no wonder that obesity in children is on the rise when you see the servings of food considered normal. Average portions served in fast food outlets and in many family restaurants have more than doubled since the 1950’s. As a result, the public has come to believe that these huge portions are in fact average, or normal. They are not. Portions served in Asia and Europe are considerably smaller and the results are obvious. If you find yourself at a fast food outlet and the kids are screaming, now’s the time for compromise. Get the smaller servings or share the servings between a couple of them. Be sure to avoid the sugared drinks and this includes fruit juices. Even though they are low in fat and sugar does not contain fat, sugar is stored as fat if not burned up with exercise.
Encourage the kids to eat slower. Perhaps engage them in conversation over the meal so they slow down. By eating at a slower pace, it give the brain time to get the message from the stomach that it is in fact full. What About Between Meals?
Let’s face it; kids can be bottomless pits when it comes to satisfying their appetites. It may seem difficult at first, but keeping the junk food out of the house is a good place to start. If it can’t be avoided, then only have small amounts in the house at any one time and perhaps only allow them once a day or every other day as a treat.
Many people suggest more fat free choices but if they are manufactured food, then what is usually done is more sugar is added o help the flavor and this can in fact be worse than the normal fat.
Natural, unprocessed food should always be the first choice. Fruit and veggies, already cut up and ready for the kids to grab is very handy and kids will get used to it. Even peanut butter on oat bran bread is a much better choice than cookies and candy.When kids are hungry enough, they’ll eat what’s available so make their choices healthier.Obesity in children can impact every area of their lives, including relationships with others.
No More Couch Potato
Activity is the name of the game. Having an electronic babysitter in the form of TV, computer and video games, although sometimes unavoidable for your sanity, really can contribute to obesity in children. If they don’t want to go outside and play, or do sports, then compromise and put in video games that are activity oriented, like learning to hiphop or learn other dances. Even exercise videos can be fun.
Instead of driving to places that are within walking distance, walk. This provides good exercise and gets the children outside in the fresh air.
Obesity in children is a huge problem and requires the attention of those people who are responsible for their care. The physical well being of children is just as important as their education because what kind of future will they have if it is negatively impacted by obesity and the serious medical complications that go with it? What kind of future will they have then?
Posts Tagged ‘obesity in children’
What Parents Can Do To Fight Obesity In Children
November 24th, 2009Why are We Seeing so Many Obese Children?
November 23rd, 2009Obesity rates, which have already reached epidemic proportions in many western countries, are continuing to rise and so it is not surprising that we are seeing an increasing number of overweight children. The dangers of childhood obesity today are all too clear, but what leads to child obesity?As with many conditions there is no one cause of child obesity and several different factors, usually working together, come into the equation when we are looking at obesity in children.Frequently a child with obese parents will also be obese and this indicates that there is a possible genetic or inherited link to obesity. This is one area that is currently being researched in a number of medical studies on child obesity. At present however no clearly identifiable genetic connection has been found and it is thought to be far more likely that child obesity is caused by diet and eating habits within the family and not genetics.Eating habits have altered markedly in recent years with fast food restaurants appearing everywhere, junk food widely and readily available and our supermarket shelves packed with convenience foods that frequently contain very high amounts of sugar. Gone are those days of home cooked meals in many homes, to be replaced by microwave meals or take-away food and ever more parents are choosing to take their children out to eat instead of cooking meals at home.We have also seen a significant decline in levels of physical activity in many groups of children that has been fueled to a large extent by the introduction of video games, home computers, and now the always present mobile phone. This decline in the level of activity means that all too many children are no longer taking advantage of their natural ability to burn up the calories which they gain from eating. The connection between technology today and child obesity is only too clear to see.The media (including television and the Internet) also plays a central role. Fast and junk food companies, together with confectionery manufacturers, have not been slow to jump onto the media bandwagon and take full advantage of its clear advertising potential.There is no doubt that there is a link between junk food commercials and child obesity and the answer to the question ‘Is junk food resulting in child obesity?’ is most clearly ‘Yes’.There is also a clear connection between social changes and child obesity with many of our children today simply choosing to eat whenever they are bored. We also see them turning to food if they find that they are stressed, depressed, angry or anxious.Despite the fact that a great deal of research is presently targeted at child obesity, a lot of the strategies to fight child obesity are looking at solving the problem once a child is overweight. Perhaps however the time has come when we ought to be attacking the problem at its roots and preventing our children from getting overweight or obese in the first place.
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Obesity In Children – 11 Tips To Help Your Child Lose Weight
November 23rd, 2009One of the biggest misfortunes of modern living is obesity in children. The huge bodies of these children do not permit them to play happily with their peers. Dieting, in addition to battling with the self-esteem problems that obesity usually brings, is an absolute must for obese children.
If you have an overweight child, you must try every method possible to get him or her to shed those extra pounds so that he or she can live a normal life. First and foremost, you have to consult your physician and talk to him or her about the most beneficial method for your child to not only lose weight, but also maintain good health.
To be frank, if you hesistate to take the basic steps necessary to enable your child to lose that excess weight, you will put your child’s health at risk. When we do not permit our children to play on the road or handle guns, why on earth should we let them kill themselves by eating junk foods?
If you have an obese child, the following tips will be of immense help to you.
1. Do not punish or reward your child with food. Food is one the major problems your child has to face, and using it as a punishment or reward will simply worsen the problem.
2. Encourage your child to eat healthy foods instead of fried foods. Do not keep any junk food in the house.
3. Pack your child’s lunch yourself so that you are aware of what he or she eats. Do not allow the child to buy lunch in school.
4. Ensure that your child does not get any junk food outside the house.
5. Change the food habits of the entire family. Instead of eating fried snacks, eat healthy fruit and nut snacks. Your child needs fresh fruits, raw vegetables, or frozen yogurt.
6. Study the food pyramid whenever you are in doubt about your child’s dietary needs. This will ensure that you give your children a good balanced diet.
7. See that you child does not drink any soft drinks. You will have to face a lot of rebellion initially, but your child will develop an abiding love for water. Water not only keeps a child full, but also digests fat.
8. Introduce a lot of physical activity into your child’s life. Encourage them to join a dance class, go for a long walk, jog, run, or play football or cricket.
9. Don’t allow your child to become a couch potato. Keep him or her away from video and computer games. See that your child is active always. Keeping the child active means that he or she now has a healthy alternative to eating. It also means that he or she is burning up all those extra calories.
10. If home methods do not work, you could enroll your child in one of the weight-loss camps, especially designed to deal with weight loss and self-esteem issues in children between the ages of seven and nineteen. One of these camps might be the answer to your prayer.
11. Let your child follow the example you set. If you refrain from eating junk food or indulge in emotional eating, your child will automatically learn from you and will do the same.
You will notice a change in your child if you follow these simple techniques. Your child will carry himself or herself with confidence as he or she sheds those extra pounds. His or her relationships at school will improve when all the teasing comes to a stop.
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