Childhood Obesity
Statistics:
In 2013, 42 million infants and young children were overweight of obesity worldwide. It is presumed that 70 million young children will be overweight or obese by 2025 if current trends continue.
Childhood obesity is now the No.1 health concern among parents all over the world topping DRUG ABUSE AND SMOKING .
That is some serious issue.
High blood pressure , type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels these where normally seen in medical reports of adults ; but now its not limited there we can find these conditions even in our kids. Reason : OBESITY.
Do not forget about the psychological effects they have :
- Low self esteem
- negative body image
- depression .... list can go on.
So how exactly we are planning to deal with it ?
Well for one we can start counting calories in their diet and it does work but wont it be easier if or kids prefer veggies over junk food and sweets ;we can only wish .
However it is unto us how our kids eating habits turn out to be if we avoid exposing them to sugars and fast food or restaurant food form the start it is less likely that they will suffer from eating disorders in their teens or adulthood.
As parents we need to understand sugars and junk food is not the only way to show love to our kids.Just imagine your kid coming home with a trophy won in sports or Olympiad. Promising him/her to take them to fast food restaurant is that only way to show appreciation ; why not take them to camping on weekend or for a paintball game , swimming or may be put some music and have a party at home with healthy home cooked recipes .
Its how we mold our kids that is exactly what they become ,they are like clay .
Our body requires food to remain healthy its a necessity; so presenting high calorie , fat and sugar loaded food as a reward is a wrong way to educate them about their body.
There is this case of a 219 pound 8 year old boy who was taken away from his mother for health reasons . An average 8 year old boy is about 55 pounds, making the boy in question approximately 165 pounds overweight or four times more than average.Social workers became aware of the boys condition in spring of 2010 when 7 year old was hospitalized for two weeks with severe breathing problems. The child has since been diagnosed with sleep apnea and uses a breathing device and monitor at night,according to court records.
Is this the kind of future we want for our little ones.
In the process of promoting healthy eating me might not be always our child's favorite but we will definitely be a better parent , a conscious parent.
So what are the nutrients that our child must get?
Consider these nutrient dense foods:
- Protein: sea food,eggs, beans , peas , soy products, unsalted nuts , lean meat and poultry.
- Fruits: encourage kids to eat a variety of fresh , canned ,frozen or dried fruits rather than fruit juice they need the fiber present in it, more over it fills their stomach better and they wont feel hungry for quite some time where as juice just adds sugar in the body.But even if your kid drinks juice make sure its 100% juice without added sugars and limit his her serving or you can make juice at home and add the pulp in it.
- Vegetables: Serve a variety of fresh canned or frozen or dried vegetables including dark green , red and orange, beans ans peas, starchy and others each week. When selecting canned or frozen vegetables look for options lower in sodium.
- Grains: choose whole grains such as whole wheat bread , oatmeal , muesli, popcorn but without butter or excess salt , quinoa , brown or wild rice. Limit the use of refined grains because they lack fibers .
- Dairy: Give them fat free or low fat dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese or fortified soy beverages.
