Obesity is a problem that has almost become endemic in the civilized world. Despite the numerous biological and psychological effects of obesity on adults, it tends to have a far worse impact on children; the reason being that children, especially teenagers are, in most cases, not prepared, emotionally, for the psychological effects of obesity.

However, parents and guardians seem not to be doing enough to prevent obesity in children. Forget all the stories about those weight loss diets or medication, children need more than that. They need a weight gain prevention diet, and far more importantly, they need weight gain prevention habits and attitudes, and this is exactly where parental control comes in.

Objectively, though, some things are actually outside our human control. Obese parents tend to have obese children. This can be explained in terms of genetics and heredity and this is way beyond what we can control as humans. However, beside the genetic input, obese parents, in most cases, pass down their unhealthy habits to their children. The closer children are to their parents, the greater the tendency of internalizing and imbibing the habits, norms and beliefs of the parents. Thus, obese parents need to be extra careful not to 'force' unhealthy habits on their children.

Food is one important aspect of living, and this is especially true for children. We all enjoy eating, especially when the food happens to be delicious. The urge to overeat is normally great in children. Thus, any diet that deprives children of the joy of eating is more likely to fail. Parents need to teach their children to eat just enough for satisfaction. An important way of doing this is to teach them to eat slowly, right from their very early years. Biologically, it is explained that it takes about 20mins for the stomach to signal the brain that is it full, from the time food first enters the mouth. By eating slowly, children will eat just enough for satisfaction within this time.

Besides not overeating, another issue is the type of food children consume. Poor eating habits in children is almost a norm and this is the within the realm of parental control. When it comes to healthy eating habits, parents need to implement healthy diets at home; diets rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. The type of food you prepare at home determines, to a large extent, what a child takes to be healthy or unhealthy. Children normally get used to food they eat during their growing up years and tend to stick to this eating habit for a long time. Parents can make their children grow up with the right eating habits by making it especially enjoyable by preparing food together and eating together as family.

Although, food and how we eat it affects obesity to a large extent, physical activity and exercise also play a major role in obesity. The children of nowadays belong to the digital generation. There are countless items from computers to video games, which encourage sedentary and inactive lifestyles. Almost every child will prefer to be curled up playing one computer game or the other rather than running a corner in the name of exercise. Parents should be able to encourage their children to be more active. You can make them share their free time between those exciting video games and probably an evening walk round the neighborhood. As parents, you can create a healthier lifestyle for your children by doing regular exercises, like biking, swimming, walking etc, together with them. This way, you make them enjoy exercising and they are more likely to stick to this habit in later years.

Obesity causes far worse depression and other psychological problems in teenagers that in adults, you would be doing a good job, as a parent if you diligently help your child avoid obesity. They deserve your best.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Parental Control
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