|
||
Though obesity does not directly cause death but it’s the diseases caused by obesity like high blood pressure, cancer or diabetes that plays a crucial role in premature passing away of the obese people. The prevention of obesity is extremely important if we take into account the hazards and disadvantages associated with it. Here we will discuss some easy ways to prevent child obesity.
- The proper education of pregnant women is very important as generally they develop health awareness during pregnancy. If proper habits of eating and living are developed during this period, it is likely that they may continue for lifetime. And besides that afterwards their children may also imbibe them. Those babies who develop correct habits in their childhood are saved from obesity in their later life.
- There should be proper diet control during the first year of infant’s life. Generally the fat in the human body is in the form of independent adipose tissues. Usually fat cells are formed during the first year of an infant’s life, and their number does not increase afterwards. So, if an infant is overfed during the first year of its life, the number of fat cells exceeds the normal limit. Later on, fat gets deposited in these cells, eventually causing obesity. In other words, if the number of fat cells is not allowed to exceed normal limits, the chances of developing obesity are also reduced.
- The large intake of carbohydrates plays a crucial role in causing obesity. If an infant is not overfed with carbohydrates during the first year of his life, the possibility of his becoming obese later on are reduced almost nil. In short, do not let the child develop carbohydrate addiction. Right from the beginning, encourage him to cultivate the habit of taking proper and balanced diet.
- For a child, breastfeeding is very helpful in fighting against obesity. Several researches show those breasts fed babies are less obese than those fed on external milk.
- Always insist that your child should chew his food properly. His food should not be so soft that he can gulp it down his throat without making any effort to chew it.
- Sometimes, parents don’t let their children participate in sports or other physical activities. They are always afraid that their child will be hurt if he indulges in any such activity. This lack of activity may develop obesity in your child.
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.
Now more than ever, something needs to be done to reverse this growing trend and prevent it from becoming an even bigger epidemic than it already is. By sitting back and allowing our children to become overweight and eventually obese, we are in effect severely shorting their lives.
The main ingredient in helping to eliminate child obesity is recognition. As parents, we can not take the stand that it is healthy for our children to be round and plump. Yes they need to eat enough to be healthy and to grow properly, but we must know where to draw the line between what is a healthy weight and what is excessive weight.
Often, parents will push food on their children with the idea that they need more food because they are growing. The fact is however, the energy expenditure required for growth accounts for only around 2% of their daily energy expenditure. With this in mind, a child's appetite should be taken into account when determining how much they need to eat.
Over eating is more of a learned thing than one that just develops on its own. Children, much like adults, if given a well balanced diet with limited access to junk food and fast food, will eat all they need and stop when they are done. Forcing them to eat beyond that point, as well as giving them as much junk food and fast food as they want, only teaches them to over eat from an early age. This habit then usually carries over into their adult lives.
Sometimes when a parent does notice that their child is overweight, they will try to push diets on them that are too low in calories. This is not good for them either. They still need a certain amount of calories for their growth and restricting their calories too much can interfere with the normal growth process. It is better here to simply bring them back to the proper amount of calories they should be getting. Since they were over eating before, going to a normal amount of food will make them lose the extra weight just fine.
Last but certainly not least, lack of exercise is part of the reason that so many children get fat. The average school kid today spends more time watching TV and playing video games than they spend in school. Even when they are in school, most kids only get around 60 to 90 minutes maximum of physical education per week.
The bottom line here is, if we don't stop over feeding our kids, and we don't limit their intake of junk food and fast food, and we don't limit their TV and video game time and get them more active, we will be creating an epidemic of obesity for our children that will reach truly epic proportions.