How to Prevent Childhood Obesity: 5 Nutritionist Tips

An obesity pandemic is sweeping the planet, not even sparing children. According to the WHO, 2.1 billion. people in the world are overweight, and this number is only growing every year. By itself, childhood obesity is not particularly dangerous, but it leads to severe consequences — serious diseases, many of which are incurable. Already from adolescence, children suffer from diseases that were previously characteristic mainly of the elderly. Can can problems be prevented? Nutritionists believe that yes.

• Why is it so important to prevent childhood obesity
• 4 causes of overweight children
• 5 recommendations of dietarians to prevent childhood obesity
• The main things preventing obesity in children and adolescents

Why is it so important to prevent childhood obesity

Almost half of the children and adolescents who are overweight at 5-19 years of age retain it into adulthood. With every year the problem gets worse. Childhood obesity causes disease:

• type 2 diabetes mellitus;

• hypertension;

• asthma;

• diseases of the liver and  gall bladder;

• problems of the musculoskeletal system;

• sleep disorders;

• clinical depression;

• eating disorders.

Overweight children and teenagers are often bullied by their peers, which cripples the psyche, affects self-esteem, leads to self-isolation and suicidal thoughts. Dissatisfaction with oneself, self-deprecation become the cause of eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia), which are sometimes fatal. Psychological problems provoke cravings for drugs, alcohol.

Read also: What should parents do if their child is bullied at school

Parents' Task — let your child know that they love him in any body, are ready to take care of him. At the same time, it is important to start the fight against extra pounds in time so that they do not spoil childhood and adult life. Recognizing the problem is easy: BMI calculation formulas work great, but in adolescence they are difficult to interpret correctly due to the active growth of the child. Therefore, the best way — see a professional nutritionist.

4 causes of overweight children

Childhood obesity can be triggered by some endocrine system problems, but most often the causes are trivial:

1. Incorrect nutrition. Children love fast food, snacks, sweets and cream cakes. Wash it all down with sweet soda — ultimate dream. Unhealthy high-calorie food is inevitably stored in reserve.

2. Sedentary lifestyle. Computers, TV, gadgets have replaced active outdoor games, live communication with friends. Babies don't use much of the energy they get from food,   it becomes fat.

3. Psychological problems. The inability to cope with difficulties makes you look for solace in food. Anxiety is not  only adults, but and children.

4. Heredity. Don don't blame everything on genetics, but it does play a role. If a child whose parents are obese overeats, moves little, then the risks increase. However, problems can also be prevented.

If a child of preschool, school age has extra pounds, it does doom destined to obesity in adulthood, but the probability is high. You should not immediately put a student on a strict diet. You need to slow down the gain of kilograms until the child grows up to his ideal weight.

Read also: How to wean a child from gadgets: tips for parents

5 recommendations of dietarians to prevent childhood obesity

Adults form the daily menu, and this makes it easier for a child to control weight. You should not stuff your child with appetite suppressants or keep him in a black body. Often, minimal lifestyle changes are enough to normalize a child's weight. Follow the simple guidelines.

1. Control portion sizes — this is archival

Often, parents do not even suspect that the child is overeating, because they are guided by the adult's appetite. Find out the size of a normal serving. It should be no more than a handful. Otherwise, the child will get used to eating too much, and the task of fighting excess weight will become more difficult. Cancel the practice of supplementation. It is better to organize a low-calorie snack a couple of hours after eating.

2. Replace unhealthy sweets with fruits and vegetables

Depriving a child of sweet — real punishment. And & nbsp; here it is necessary to replace one product with another. Make sure that the child does not eat muffins, crackers, cookies, sweets, cakes, and does not drink sweet soda. Replace them with bananas, oranges, apples, homemade juices. It is important that sweets do not contain fat.

Pay attention! Many parents teach their children to  sweets as a reward for good behavior. If you have already made a similar mistake, stop the vicious practice!

Read also: How to praise your child correctly and constructively: 10 tips

3. Dine with the whole family at common table

We we are so accustomed to eating separately that eating together already seems like a luxury. And it is necessary. Discussing the past day at the table, you focus on communication, eat more slowly and feel full faster. Do not allow meals at the computer or in front of the TV. Better get ready to dine at the common table. This will have a positive effect on the weather in the house.

4. Help increase the child's physical activity

Limit the amount of time your child can spend on the computer to 2 hours. Try to walk more. Play catch-up, hide-and-seek, snowball fights, ride bicycles with the whole family. Your personal example — the best prevention of obesity and an incentive to lead a healthy lifestyle. Nice solution — enroll your child in pool or sports section, dancing.

5. Go to a circus or walks instead of cafes

Try to stop going to cafes and restaurants, or at least reduce their number. You can go to a circus, a zoo, go to nature, play bowling. Lots of options. Pick  what your child will like and have fun actively. Even a birthday can be celebrated not in a restaurant, but on a paintball field. Such a holiday will bring more joy than overeating.

Main prevention of obesity in children and adolescents

Healthy habits are instilled in the family. If your child has begun to gain weight, reconsider your lifestyle:

• Find out what each family member's portions should be and don't put more on the plate;

• Cook exactly as much as you can at at once, so there is no chance to take a supplement;

• replace bad sweets with healthy ones — vegetables, fruits, cottage cheese, yoghurts and homemade juices;

• dine with the whole family at a common table, enjoy the fellowship;

• walk more often, enroll your child in a sports section or swimming pool;

• don't use food as a reward, punishment, and teach your child to celebrate important events at the table.

Eating on a schedule seems like a limitation until you get used to it. Then, by learning to control your meal times, portion sizes, and menus, you'll realize how much easier life will be. Enjoy every day without harm to your family's health!

Read also: For parents: which sports section to enroll a child in 

You might be interested in: Abs Workouts.