Chubby Child- Watch Out For That Extra Weight
Ever wondered what your overweight chubby child would be like when he or she grows up with unhealthy food habits and Lifestyle? Definitely not a charming lad or a graceful young lady! Reports from reputed scientific journals like “British Medical Journal” have concluded that children who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of succumbing to type 2 diabetes and of developing heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal and orthopedic problems, stroke and certain types of cancer later in their life. That should definitely sound an alarm bell for the parents, as the children of the present generation have the privilege of plenty of options for food (home delivered and mostly junk!) and recreation (TV and video play stations!). This is to say that the children now can eat and play to their liking – it is far exciting to get entertained at home with their favourite yummy fast food than having to go outdoors for a physically strenuous game and then being forced to eat fruits and vegetable salads! That also suits the busy parents very well. It thus becomes all the more necessary for the present day parents to see that the food for children is chosen wisely. Children pay more attention to visual presentations. Thus, instead of watching only cartoon programs and playing video games children should also be encouraged to watch programs and videos that advocate healthy eating for kids.
health-obesity-pizzahealth-obesity-burgerSuch ads on TV influence children. Will you wait till your child says, ‘Mama, I want to eat only burger or a pizza for my dinner and too a big one’?
But, do you ever ponder about what your chubby child will grow up to be – “a lazy, overweight and depressed couch potato with no self esteem, who is defeated by life’s smallest challenges?” Beware! The flab on your child may be a reflection of your affluence but think about the weight of its harmful effects on your child. Being overweight or obese can have a huge emotional and psychological toll on children. Such children are usually teased or left out because their peers feel that they are different and don’t fully accept them. These negative experiences can leave lasting emotional scars and jeopardize the development of a child into a healthy and confident adult.
Oooh! So Yummy! They catch your attention instantaneously. But… Beware of the harm these beautifully presented food can cause!!
Does this picture of your child enthuse a sense of greater responsibility in you?
Here are a few simple ways by which you can help your child to be a healthy individual who is ready to take on the world with full confidence and vigor. The key to preventing childhood obesity is to modify lifestyle and environmental factors. The earlier it is done the better it is for the child as the habits formed in childhood are seldom changed.
Don’t ever think that the gorgeous looking models eat all that advertise for! Tell your child that to look like that they maintain healthy eating and fitness habits!
Early Signs of Obesity
To get on to solve the problem it is essential to first identify it. Researchers have devised a checklist to warn parents of the early signs of obesity in their children. The seven factors include:
* Early size
* High birth weight
* Having obese parents
* Quick growth from ages 1-2
* Watching more than eight hours of TV a week
* Getting less than 10.5 hours of sleep at night
Prevent Before Treating
Like most problems in life, childhood obesity prevention is far easier than treating it, although much of the success of prevention depends on parental involvement and communication is the key. You will need to make an interesting conversation about nutrition, especially child nutrition, and you will need to take the time necessary to create nutritious meals and snacks for them to eat. But, even more important is that you will have to act as a good role model for them in terms of eating healthy food. Isn’t it unfair to ask your children not to do or eat something which you can help avoiding?
Fortunately, this is a problem like “bioterrorism” which requires brainstorming by high-level policy making bodies! This is a simple issue with even simpler causes like:
* Watching Television
* Drinking cold drinks and sugary canned juice Instead of Water
* Eating Sugar, Bread, Cereal and Other Grains
And, now that you know where the problem is, you can rectify it:
* Limit the TV time for kids and get it out of their bedroom immediately.
* Get your children off the couch and onto the playground.
* Replace the sugary canned juices and soft drinks with clean water and fresh fruit and vegetable juices.
* Play an active part in your child’s life.
The steps are as simple as they sound. What may make them difficult is your indifference or lack of commitment. So, please make a vow to help your child to eat healthy and be physically active. You would definitely feel rewarded to know that your humble contribution made a huge difference in your child’s life.
health-obesity-healthy-food
* Encourage your child to drink plenty of water. This will cut down on the amount of sugar your child consumes from soft drinks and fruit juices. For every soft drink or sugar-sweetened beverage a child drinks each day, their obesity risk appears to jump 60 percent.
* Help your child to incorporate a healthy nutrition plan into their daily eating habits so they are eating a healthy diet of whole, nutritious and healthy foods rather than the processed ones that line most supermarket shelves. This includes cutting out refined flour and sugar that are two of the major culprits behind weight gain.
* Encourage you child to choose this for a healthy life
* Exercise is extremely important for a growing child. Overweight and obese children will need at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, and research has shown that 60 minutes a day is actually best. Any activity that gets your child up and away from the television set is a good idea. At first you can try walking with your child, and then gradually increase the intensity to include activities such as jogging and playing the games which your child may show interest in.
* Emotions also play a major role in child obesity, as emotional eating sabotages many children’s weight loss efforts. Children may also have a hard time giving up their junk food snacks. Your children will learn their eating habits from those around them, so it’s important that parents are also eating well and exercising.
There are several things that parents should avoid doing if their child is overweight or obese. These include:
* Not allowing the child to eat when hungry.
* Making jokes about their weight, even if no harm is intended.
* Comparing them to thinner children.
* Making them eat different food than the rest of the family.
* Putting them down about their weight or eating habits.
* Using food as a reward or punishment.
A word of caution:
Though it is important to encourage your children to eat healthy, nutritious foods, but this does not mean that they should be on a low-calorie diet or not allowed to eat when they are hungry. Children need calories and nutrients to grow and develop, just make sure that food for children comprise of healthy foods, and not primarily from junk foods and processed foods. It takes a great amount of effort to bring order in a seemingly difficult situation. Make this a team effort where the children and parents enjoy every moment as they know that they are moving forward together to be healthy and fit for life.