CHILDHOOD OBESITY

It is estimated that 1 in 5 South African children is either overweight or obese, with 20% of children under the age of six being overweight. Obesity increases the risk for serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, among many other illnesses. Childhood obesity is a difficult disease to cure; once children become obese they are predisposed to obesity for the rest of their lives. Obese kids also may be prone to low self-esteem due to being teased, bullied, or rejected by peers.  They may be more likely than average-weight kids to develop eating disorders and be more prone to depression. The question is what can we as parents do to prevent our child from becoming part of the statistics.

It all starts at sunrise

Parents want to give their kids the best advantage in every aspect of life, but they are overlooking the easiest way to help their children – breakfast. Studies show that children who eat a good breakfast perform better in school, pay more attention, are more creative, think better and score higher on tests than children who don’t.  Children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. See that your children get a good breakfast before heading for school and you’ll be giving them an essential start to theior day. Choose a breakfast with milk, fruit and whole grain cereal like All Bran, whole-wheat Pronutro or Oat bran or give them whole-wheat bread with Peanut Butter. Breakfast is a healthy habit to start at a young age and carry into adulthood.

Foods on the table

After-school activities, late workdays, meetings, traffic, no time for dinner - sounds familiar?  This is the typical scenario for many households these days!  Our fast paced lives leave us little time for healthy meals that are shared with everyone in the family.  Yet studies show that the family dinner hour is an important part of healthy living. When younger kids frequently eat dinner with their families, they are less likely to be overweight than other children. Discourage eating meals or snacks while watching TV. Eating in front of the TV may make it difficult to pay attention to feelings of fullness and may lead to overeating. Having a regular mealtime to spend quality time together is very important. If it is impossible, set a goal and aim for twice a week and build from there. Kids need schedules and routine. A good solution is planning meals ahead. Make healthy meals in bulk and freeze them in portions for the days that there is no time to prepare dinner. Reheat and serve! This will help to avoid picking up the phone and calling the number on the fridge for that unhealthy but oh-so convenient pizza! Get the family involved. Let kids help prepare meals and teach them about healthy foods choices. Neither you nor your children will regret the time and energy put into making mealtime a time to gather ‘round the table.

Sweet tooth

It is impossible to shield your child from sugar because it is everywhere and in virtually everything we eat. Your job is to teach them how not to abuse it. Try not to expose your kids to candy, sugar and all sorts of sweets (even fruit juice) for as long as possible. Early exposure to sweets impairs development of other tastes and an appreciation for natural fruits and vegetables.  Soda drinks which are high in sugar and other calories are low in nutrition and this has been a proved fact that it causes obesity. The easiest way to prevent this is to keep sweets and soft drinks out of the house.  However, completely denying children sugar will only make it more tempting. Don't reward kids for good behaviour or try to stop bad behaviour with sweets or treats. Come up with other solutions to modify their behaviour. Find alternatives for sugary foods like fresh fruit, stew whole pears or apples and serve with cinnamon, dried fruit, make a whole-grain pancake or waffle and offer it as a dessert with fresh fruit slices, peanut butter and a little honey.

Junk Food
Junk food is one of the culprits for the obesity epidemic. Kids are exposed to junk food in many ways, from unhealthy parental role models to fast food advertising. Kids are also offered poor food choices at school. Eating excessive amount of these foods leads to obesity and malnutrition. Processed foods, though convenient, are often loaded with fat, salt, and sugar, and low on nutrients and fibre which is served in a large quantity in just a single serving. These foods are robbing kids of essential vitamins and minerals. Children in their growing age need a lot of vitamin and iron. As a result of obesity these children naturally get tired before the normal kids, which make them to stay at home and to perform less physical activities. High consumption of fast food makes the children more prone to illnesses like loss of appetite, constipation, tiredness, fatigue, lack of concentration and diseases caused due to vitamin deficiencies. Fast foods are very high on starch, which raises the food cravings of the children and as a result they eat more and thus gain more weight. High consumption of fast food leads to a diet absent of healthy foods like vegetables, fruits and other natural food.   The biggest change will need to come from you as parents to stop buying junk food and start preparing healthy meals to set a habit for our kids early on. Set nutrition guidelines for your children and enforce them by packing lunches and staying firm when grocery shopping.

Put down that remote
Many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer, or on their play stations. Kids who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less. Not surprisingly, TV in the bedroom is also linked to being overweight. Many kids spent all their free time in front of one screen or another. Children need to be active every day to promote their healthy growth and development. Physical activity has been associated with increased academic performance, self-concept, mood, and mental health, the promotion of physical activity and exercise may also improve quality of life. Kids who establish healthy lifestyle patterns at a young age will carry them – and their benefits – forward for the rest of their lives. Make healthy eating and exercise a family affair. Make physical activity part of the family’s daily routine such as designating time for family walks or playing active games together. Support and encourage your children to participate in active play and sports on most days. Incorporate physical activities into family outings. The common recommendations, with regards to physical activities for children, include at least an hour of dedicated outdoor interaction time. Implementation of a sustained exercise regime like walking briskly or biking, swimming, engaging in sports and games and doing tasks in the home and garden may all contribute to physical activity.

Preventing kids from becoming overweight means adapting the way your family eats and exercises, and how you spend time together. Helping kids lead healthy lifestyles begins with parents who lead by example.

     Article written by Almarene Mocke ((RD) SA  - Dieticians at work