3 posts tagged “how to prevent child obesity”
The graph of child obesity is very alarming throughout the world. According to various studies, it is found that obese children who weigh about twice their ideal weight were at significantly higher risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
Modern lifestyle has become a bane to children’s health. Rather than playing outdoor sports, a lot of kids spend most of the day at home watching DVD movies or beating the highest score in the newest play station game. With both parents working full time, kids often have free rein over what they eat. To make up for the little time they spend with their kids on weekdays parents pander to their children’s liking for junk food during weekend outings.
Poor eating habit is a major cause of obesity among children. A sedentary lifestyle compounds the problem. Kids are eating more high calories fast foods, spending more time in the front of the computer monitor and TV screen and less time on physical activities. This applies to kids all around the world.
What parents can do to prevent child obesity?
* Keep a close watch on your children’s diet. Provide them with foods recommended in the food pyramid. Avoid empty calories – sweets, sodas, fried foods, foods with thick gravy, etc. Encourage them to opt for steamed, boiled or grilled foods instead.
* Give your children lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and wholegrains. For a treat give them fruit instead of candy. Serve water instead of sodas.
* Make exercise a family affair. Go cycling or swimming take walks in the park. Physical activity burns calories and improves overall health. If your child sees you enjoying healthy foods and physical activity, he is more likely to do the same now and for the rest of his life.
* Gradually change your family’s physical activity and eating habits. Slowly introduce good food choices. Instead of removing all unhealthy foods, try reducing the portions first. If your kids feel deprived, they may crave for more.
* Establish regular eating times. Eat only at the dining table and not in front of the TV. Limit snacks.
* Reduce the amount of time you and your family spend in sedentary activities such as watching TV or playing video games.
* Help your overweight children maintain their current weight growing normally in height.
* Focus on your child’s health and positive qualities, not your child’s weight. Try not to make him feel different. Let him know he is loved and appreciated whatever his weight. Overweight children are probably more aware than anyone else that has a weight problem. They need support, acceptance and encouragement.
* If the child is morbidly obese, seek your doctor’s advice. The child will require proper supervision for weight loss as well as diagnosis and management of associated diseases.
Read information on How to Lose Love Handles. Also know useful Home Remedies for Cellulite to burn fat naturally.
Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.
Child obesity is very alarming in most of the developed countries. But slowly it is also becoming a part of the entire world. To prevent child obesity a change in lifestyle is required. Here in this article you will find some useful weight loss tips to combat child obesity.
Most of the parents know that children who eat breakfast do better academically and have fewer behavior struggles in school. But children however think and feel that skipping breakfast will help them lose weight or maintain an attractive weight. Just the opposite is true! Children who don’t eat breakfast tend to snack more, and they eat lunches and dinners that are higher in calories. It is important to make breakfast a priority, say health experts. Whatever be the excuse, kids need to eat breakfast. Skipping breakfast is a big problem. A lot schools give mid-morning snacks because children skip breakfast. It helps their attention span.
There are plenty of options for a nourishing and low fat breakfast that can be made in spite of a tight schedule. Ideally, the first meal of the day should provide almost one third of the nutrients the child needs until bed time. Protein, a carbohydrate and a fruit must be included as a rule. Scrambled eggs, cheese, yogurt, drinks, peanut butter are all favorite protein foods among children.
Cereal is the obvious choice for carbohydrates. Children will benefit from a brand that has 10 grams or less of sugar and 2 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving. Fiber provides the “full” feeling, so the child does not feel hungry soon. Instant oatmeal or a cold oat or whole wheat cereal would be a good option.
Children can be given toasted frozen waffles with pureed fruit or light syrup or a toasted English muffin. It will be hard for the children to get the recommended two to four serving of fruit a day if they don’t get a serving of fruit for breakfast. Something as simple as banana slices over a bowl of cereal or sliced strawberries in yoghurt can be prepared.
Physical activity is another important aspect to fight child obesity. Encourage your child to take part in outdoor sports. This will boost up the metabolism to burn more calories.
Check out the most powerful fat burning pills - Herbal Weight Loss Diet Pills. Know How to Increase Metabolism to speed up the fat burning mechanism.
Though obesity does not directly cause death but it’s the diseases caused by obesity like high blood pressure, cancer or diabetes that plays a crucial role in premature passing away of the obese people. The prevention of obesity is extremely important if we take into account the hazards and disadvantages associated with it. Here we will discuss some easy ways to prevent child obesity.
- The proper education of pregnant women is very important as generally they develop health awareness during pregnancy. If proper habits of eating and living are developed during this period, it is likely that they may continue for lifetime. And besides that afterwards their children may also imbibe them. Those babies who develop correct habits in their childhood are saved from obesity in their later life.
- There should be proper diet control during the first year of infant’s life. Generally the fat in the human body is in the form of independent adipose tissues. Usually fat cells are formed during the first year of an infant’s life, and their number does not increase afterwards. So, if an infant is overfed during the first year of its life, the number of fat cells exceeds the normal limit. Later on, fat gets deposited in these cells, eventually causing obesity. In other words, if the number of fat cells is not allowed to exceed normal limits, the chances of developing obesity are also reduced.
- The large intake of carbohydrates plays a crucial role in causing obesity. If an infant is not overfed with carbohydrates during the first year of his life, the possibility of his becoming obese later on are reduced almost nil. In short, do not let the child develop carbohydrate addiction. Right from the beginning, encourage him to cultivate the habit of taking proper and balanced diet.
- For a child, breastfeeding is very helpful in fighting against obesity. Several researches show those breasts fed babies are less obese than those fed on external milk.
- Always insist that your child should chew his food properly. His food should not be so soft that he can gulp it down his throat without making any effort to chew it.
- Sometimes, parents don’t let their children participate in sports or other physical activities. They are always afraid that their child will be hurt if he indulges in any such activity. This lack of activity may develop obesity in your child.
Read Love Handles ebooks to get rid of love handles. Also read about Fat Loss Supplements at Fat Loss guide – a health guide to make you and your family fit and healthy.
