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You may have heard that childhood obesity is on the rise. Since 1980, the proportion of overweight kids and teens has tripled to 15%-that's 9 million kids and growing! Another 15% of kids are at risk of becoming overweight. This is serious. Overweight kids have a 70% chance of becoming overweight adults, and overweight adults are at higher risk for developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer. On top of that, so many kids are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (a weight-related condition) that it can no longer be classified as an adult disease. I know it's hard to imagine that what someone eats as a child can determine their health as an adult, but it's true. Think about the link between having inadequate calcium as a kid and developing osteoporosis as a 70-year old adult. It works the same way with these other diseases. If 25% of kids between 5 and 10 years old already have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or another risk factors for heart disease, imagine what their health status might be at age 40 or 50. But there are more immediate consequences for overweight kids: social discrimination. Children who are teased a lot can develop low self-esteem and possibly even depression. No one wants that for their child. In order to prevent kids from becoming overweight or to help them achieve a healthy weight, it is important to understand the underlying causes. Genetics is the first factor many people refer to, and they do play a role — some people are just genetically programmed to be fat — but genes alone can't account for the huge increase in childhood obesity rates over the past few decades. Other environmental factors usually play a much larger role. Excess calories are the overall culprit for both overweight kids and adults, and health experts have some good ideas about the specific sources of extra calories in kid's diets. Junk foods, especially sugary foods, usually replace more healthful foods in the diet. If a child eats a cupcake instead of a piece of fruit, or drinks a soda instead of a glass of milk, they're missing out on a chance to cut their risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, or cancer. Junk food is also calorie dense, meaning it has a lot of calories per bite, and therefore contributes to our bottom lines. Sodas are a major source of extra calories, and are responsible for about 42% of the sugar consumed by teenagers. When given the choice, it is extremely easy for children to consume extra calories by drinking sweetened caloric beverages instead of health-promoting beverages like water or milk.
Insufficient exercise is another main culprit, since exercise gives kids a chance
Not surprisingly, television is highly correlated with overweight, since kids spend time sitting instead of moving around. On top of that, kids often eat while watching, which creates a feeding cue (a reminder to eat), even if hunger is not present. Eventually, a child who eats while watching TV will want to eat every time he sits down in front of it. Commercials for foods like sugary cereals and soft drinks also provide feeding cues and can have a lot of influence on kid's food choices. The average American child spends over 3 hours a day watching TV, and another 3-4 with other media, like video games and computers. Kids and adults who watch the most television have the highest incidence of obesity. All of these factors add up to increase everyone's risk of overweight and obesity. But there are so many things that can be done to prevent kids from becoming overweight or obese, and most importantly foster healthy lifestyles. Most importantly, NO diets! Imposing restrictions on food damages a child's autonomy; they will grow up feeling bad about themselves and angry with their caregivers. They will also be unable to regulate their own eating and will be dependent on elders to control it for them. Kids need structured, orderly meals and snacks, with no distractions like toys or TV, and no discussions or fights over food or weight. Adults and caregivers set the primary example for teaching children to build a positive relationship with food. When feeding kids, adults need to remember that it is up to them to decide what the child is offered to eat, but it is up to the child to decide if and how much they will eat.
Sometimes it seems like kids just don't like healthy foods, but the truth is
Though parents can't be with their children all day long, they can see to it that schools are doing their part to promote good nutrition. At school, kids should learn about nutrition and have an opportunity to put their knowledge to work with classroom cooking activities and school gardening projects. Offering healthier school meals is a great place to start, too. Parents can also advocate for more physical education in the curriculum to ensure that their kids are getting enough exercise. I think that there are many approaches to help prevent overweight and obesity in kids and to help them live healthy lifestyles. Obviously there is a lot of individual responsibility involved, and it is ultimately up to parents to decide how much they will emphasize healthy behaviors. But schools that prepare meals and parents who send snacks to school for celebrations have a social responsibility to promote health in all children. Lifestyle adjustments should happen slowly, but without pressure or deprivation, in order for them to be lasting. Kids also need to understand why things are changing. It might sound impossible to make healthy modifications without feeling deprived, but if small changes are incorporated slowly, they will come to feel as natural as the old ways, especially if kids are taught to value them. Good nutrition plays an important role in learning and in health. In order to give kids a head start in all aspects of their lives, they need to be properly nourished, but not overly nourished.
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'll be the first one to tell you that all foods can fit into a healthy diet when eaten in
moderation but it seems to me that as a nation we've gone way beyond moderation.
All the burgers, fries, doughnuts, sodas, and candy are adding up and that can have
some pretty severe consequences for everyone.
to burn off any extra calories they consume. Almost 40% of California school children
are classified as physically unfit. That's probably due to the fact that only about half
of U.S students are even enrolled in physical education classes, and a mere 32% of
students attend daily P.E. classes. Teaching kids to enjoy physical activity helps set
the stage for healthy exercise habits later in life.
they need some conditioning before they assimilate new flavors. Healthy
eating, like exercise, is a learned behavior. Children learn by example.
They need to see their peers, teachers, and parents demonstrating a positive
attitude towards healthy lifestyle habits. Feeding children requires patience,
since kids need to be exposed to a new food about 10 times before they make
it a part of their diet.