Obesity Prevention Must Begin at Home

Not losing weight but gaining it is why we are faced with an obesity epidemic in children. This is the real problem. Forget weight loss diets, children need a weight gain prevention diet. In fact they need weight gain prevention habits as obesity prevention must begin at home.

  • Obese parent or parents.
    Obese parents are more likely to have obese children. The reason for this is two-fold. First, obese parents probably pass down their poor habits to their children. The closer children are to their parents, the more likely they are to internalize the values and norms that their parents promote or model. Second, genetics plays a role in obesity.

  • Overeating.
    The big problem is that we all enjoy good food. So a diet that deprives children of the joy of eating is not likely to work in the long run. Therefore, the key is to learn them to avoid overeating. Parents must criticize their children's eating habits when they are young. It's important to learn children to eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to signal the brain that it is full and eating slowly will thus help children to eat to satisfaction.

  • Poor eating habits.
    It's mainly about no parental control over the child's diet. When it comes to eating, parents need to implement diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains. They can make eating enjoyable and healthy by preparing food together and eating together as a family. Skipping breakfast is a poor eating habit too. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for weight control.

  • Amount of time spent in sedentary activities.
    Today