Obesity In Young Children
How To Avoid Obesity In Young Children
To avoid obesity in young children, you may have to change some habits. Obesity in children is on the rise and this leaves them open for certain illness and diseases like diabetes. It can also do damage to teeth and cause decaying and rotting. But along with the physical damage, obesity in young children leaves kids with a low self esteem and depression. They can be teased and bullied and the child is left to wonder why they are being abused.
It is estimated that ten percent of kids from two to five years old are now over weight. There are many reasons for this. The first is fast food. Parents may choose after a hard day at work, to stop and purchase fast food as oppose to making a nutritional dinner. This is very convenient but if this is done more than a few times a week, the extra calories start to add up. Once a child gets used to eating fast food, it can be hard to get them to eat anything else.
Another contributing factor for obesity in young children is lack of movement. Many homes now have some kind of cable or satellite television, an internet hook up and various video games. With all of these options open to kids it is no wonder that they do not get enough exercise. After they indulge in fatty greasy foods, instead of going outside to play they opt to stay inside at sit at the TV or computer. These bad habits can last through a child’s life if they are not taught how to eat healthy and exercise at a young age.
Obesity in young children can also happen if they have parents that are over weight. Usually when a child is over weight, so is the parent. The child becomes accustomed to the way the parents eat and fall into their bad habits. If this is the case, both the children and the parents will need to start eating right.
When it comes to trying to control a child’s eating habits, parents can make serious mistakes. They may be over critical of the child and constantly remind him of his weight problem. A child should never be told that they have a weight problem or confronted about it at all. It is the parent’s responsibility to correct the bad eating habits. This is possible the worst thing any parent can do because it may mentally have a bad affect on the child. Instead the parent can make subtle changes to the diet and realistically help the child lose weight.
Children are naturally curious and very often eager to learn new things. The parent should include the child in preparing food as soon as they are old enough. Healthy habits can start to be introduced to the child. Along with the preparation of food, parents may consider a healthier lifestyle that includes plenty of exercise. This can be as easy as going for a family bicycle ride or spending at day at the beach swimming. Exercise does not have to be looked at as anything hard and strenuous. It can just be a fun activity. This is great for the entire family and not just the overweight child.
If you control the portions in a child’s meal and substitute fruit and vegetables for unhealthy foods you can begin to combat childhood obesity. Just remember not to go overboard. Children can burn extra calories off easily so never skimp on foods because of the calorie count. Weight loss should always be a slow process, so do not except your child’s weight to change overnight.