Preventing Child Obesity
"Obesity" is a condition of excess body fat, which puts a child
at increased risk for developing heart disease, Type II
diabetes, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure and asthma.
Facts:
Did you know that more than 60% of American youth eat too many
fatty foods, and less than 20% eat the recommended five or more
servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
>From 25-40 percent of children inherit the tendency towards
overweight.
While children's fat consumption has decreased over the past
several decades from 40 percent to 34 percent, their rate of
obesity has risen from 12 percent in 1991 to as much as 30.5
percent today. One reason: children have increased the amount of
calories they eat each day by as many as 300.
Causes:
Family genetics and history plays a significant part in whether
your child will develop a serious weight problem.
If you come from a family of heavy people, and high-calorie food
is readily available yet exercise is not, your children are
likely to become overweight.
Highly processed, high-calorie meals and fast foods have become
staples of the typical Western diet. Poor nutrition spells
weight gain.
Eating habits have also changed drastically: family meals have
often been replaced by munching continuously throughout the day.
Cookies, chips and other high-calorie snack foods are readily
available for children to fill up on.
As a result of Obesity:
Many obese children have behavior and learning problems.
Overweight children tend to have more anxiety and poorer social
skills than normal weight children. At one extreme, these
problems may lead to acting out and disrupting the classroom. At
the other, they may cause social withdrawal.
Stress and anxiety also interfere with learning. School-related
anxiety can create a vicious cycle in which ever-growing worry
fuels ever-declining academic performance.
Obesity is associated with increased risk for a number of
dangerous medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer,
gallstones, high blood pressure, diabetes, and musculoskeletal
disorders.
What to do?
- Exercises like brisk walking, jogging, and playing out door
games help to reduce weight.
- Focusing on good health and nutrition, not a certain weight
goal.
- Teach and model healthy and positive attitudes toward food and
physical activity without emphasizing body weight. - Take a good
look at what is consumed in your children's day and see how you
can encourage healthier eating. - Discourage eating meals or
snacks while watching TV because eating in front of the TV may
make it difficult to pay attention to feelings of fullness and
may lead to overeating. - Provide opportunities to help children
develop positive attitudes about healthy foods and learn
appropriate eating patterns, mealtime behavior, and
communication skills. - Encourage children to eat slowly. - Do
not use food as punishment or reward. - Be a role model by
setting a good example for children to follow by demonstrating
healthy eating behaviors and an active lifestyle. - Determine
the type of physical activity that suits your child's life style
and continuously encourage physical activity.
- Limit high sugar and fat foods without being overly
restrictive. Fat should not be restricted in the diets of
children younger than 2 years of age. Children between 2 and 5
should consume gradually diminishing amounts of fat so that by
the age of 5 their diet contains no more than 30 percent of
calories from fat.
In conclusion:
If you have a child that is considered obese or is getting there
please take steps now to reverse or stop it. Getting involved
early will have a lasting impression on your child's well being.
Also, this will give you a good opportunity to examine your own
health condition.
Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor or nutritionist, before making any changes to
your child's life style please consult a professional.
For more advise on Good Health, Nutrition and Exercise visit my
blog @ http://www.keeping-fit
.blogspot.com