Childhood obesity and weight problems

Help your child reach and maintain a healthy weight.

As a parent, you are cuter than your entire cheek baby or your toddler's plump knee. However, for some children, the fat of an adorable baby can be a health problem. You may be alone or powerless watching your child struggle with his own weight. In reality, you are not both. Childhood obesity affects a huge number of families worldwide, but in most cases it is preventable and can still be reversed. Support, encouragement and positive role modeling can help your child reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Childhood obesity: understanding the problem

Today, nearly 1 in 4 years old children and adolescents in developed countries is overweight or obese. Those extra pounds are at risk for developing serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and asthma. Childhood obesity also takes an emotional toll. Overweight children often get along well with other children and have difficulty participating in sports and activities. Other children can be teased out, causing low self-esteem, negative body image, and depression.

However, there are many things you can do to help your child. Diagnosing children's weight problems and obesity as soon as possible reduces the risk of developing serious health conditions as you age. With the intervention of the whole family, you can break the cycle of weight problems and obesity, promote your child's physical and mental health, and establish a healthy relationship with food that will last a lifetime. We want to let our children know that they love their children, whatever their weight, and to help them live healthy and happy lives.

Is your child overweight?

Children grow up at different rates at different times. So it's not always easy to know if you're overweight or not. Body Mass Index (BMI) uses height and weight measurements to estimate body fat in body fat. However, BMI is generally a good indicator, but it is not a perfect measure of body fat and can be misleading in times of rapid growth.

If your child registers a high BMI metric, your health care provider may need to perform additional evaluations and screenings to determine if excess fat is a problem.

Causes of weight problems and obesity in children

Understanding how children become overweight at first is an important step in breaking the cycle. Most cases of childhood obesity are caused by eating too much and exercising too little. Children need enough food to support healthy growth and development. However, eating more calories than burning all day burns as a result, resulting in weight gain.

The causes of weight problems in children are:

In busy homes, cook at home and eat out more.

Easy access to cheap and high calorie fast food and snacks.

The food portion is bigger in restaurants and at home.

Children take huge amounts of sugar from soft drinks and hide in a variety of foods.

Children actively spend time playing outside, watching TV, playing video games,

And sitting at the computer.

Many schools that eliminate or reduce physical education programs.

Myths and facts about children's weight and obesity

Myth 1: Childhood obesity is genetic, so obesity cannot.

Thing: Human genes affect weight, but they are only a small part of the equation. Some children tend to weigh more than others, but they are not destined to deal with weight problems. Most children can maintain a healthy weight if they eat and exercise.

Myth 2: Children who are obese or overweight should go on a diet.

Things: Otherwise, childhood obesity treatment is not weight loss unless directed by your child's doctor. The goal is to slow or stop weight gain so that your child can grow to his or her ideal weight.

Myth 3: It's just baby fat. Children grow over weight.

Thing: Childhood obesity does not always lead to obesity in adulthood, but it dramatically increases the risk. The majority of children who are overweight either at school or at primary school are still overweight when they enter their teens. Most children do not surpass the problem

To solve the weight problem, all families need to participate.

Healthy habits start at home. The best way to prevent or prevent obesity and weight problems in childhood is to walk the healthier path for the whole family. Choosing better food and being active will help everyone, regardless of their weight.

You can also have a major impact on your child's health by intervening in details of your child's life. Spending time with your child, spending time playing, reading, and cooking can provide you with pride that can make a positive difference.

Ahead of view

If your child eats vegetables, is active, and limits TV time, it's a great opportunity for them to do the same.

What you eat: Tell your child what health food your child is eating. You say, "I'm eating broccoli with garlic sauce. Do you want a bite?"

When cooking: cook healthy in front of your child. What's even better is to give the kitchen a job that is age-appropriate. Tell them what you are making and why it is good for your body.

How it works: Exercise every day in any way. Authentic-do the things you enjoy. Tell your child what you are doing and invite them to be with you.

Free time: Avoid television or too much computer time. If the children are off and doing something they can participate in, they tend to be less likely to turn on the screen.

Strategies for real life

Be aware that you have more control than you think. Turn off your canister TV, computer or video game. You can get off the bus stop once more than usual and walk the other way. This is especially true when you are with your children. Offer more vegetables for dinner to your canister family.

Think about the immediate benefits. If reducing the risk of future heart disease seems abstract, focus on the good things that can happen right now. If you have a smaller portion or skip the dessert, you won't be uncomfortable feeling uncomfortable. Hiking with a teenage child can lead to unexpected and wonderful stories. Dancing or playing with children is a lot of fun and you can do good exercise.

Make small and easy changes over time. If your family suggests running every day, it will probably open your eyes. It's easier and more attractive to start with a new approach to nutrition and physical activity that the whole family is really willing to try. For example, instead of turning on the TV, take a night walk twice in the evening.

Choose healthier food

You may need to make major changes to your family's eating habits, but if you change everything at once, you're cheating or giving up. Instead, start small, gradual steps towards healthy eating, such as adding a salad to dinner every night or exchanging fries for steamed vegetables. As small changes become habits, you can continue making healthy choices.

Eat the rainbow. Encourage and encourage the consumption of various fruits and vegetables. Like eating a rainbow, it should contain red (sugar beet, tomato), orange (carrot, squash), yellow (potato, banana), green (lettuce, broccoli), and more.

Prioritize breakfast. Children who eat breakfast are less overweight or obese than those who skip the first meal of the day. It's important to focus on healthy choices like low-fat milk instead of oatmeal, fresh fruit, high-fiber and low-sugar grains, high-sugar grains, donuts or toast pastries.

Find the hidden sugar. Reducing the amount of candy and dessert that you and your child eat is only part of the battle. Sugar is hidden in a variety of foods, including bread, canned soups, pasta sauces, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners, low-fat meals, fast food and ketchup. The body gets everything it needs from sugars that occur naturally in food. So if you don't add anything, it's a lot of empty calories. Check the label, choose a low sugar product and use fresh or frozen ingredients instead of canned.

Set a regular meal time. The majority of everyday children. If you know that your child will only eat food at certain times, then you are more likely to eat what you get.

Limit eating out. Avoid fast food if you need to eat out

Don't be fat, go with good fat.

Not all fats contribute to weight gain. So instead of trying to remove fat from your child's diet, focus on replacing unhealthy fat with healthy fat.

Avoid trans fats. It is dangerous for your child's health. Pack or take out foods that contain "partially hydrogenated" oil in snack foods, fried foods and ingredients, even if they claim to be free of trans fats.

Add healthier fats This can help children control blood sugar and prevent diabetes. Unsaturated or "good" fats include avocado, olive oil, nuts, oily fish, beans, tofu, flaxseed, Brussels sprouts, kale and spinach.

Choose saturated fats wisely. USDA recommends limiting saturated fat to 10% of your child's daily calories. Focus on the source of saturated fat intake: for example, a glass of whole milk or natural cheese, not hot dogs, donuts or pastries, or grilled chicken or fish instead of fried chicken.

Be smart about snacks and sweets.

Your home is where your child eats most of the meals and snacks, so a healthy choice for the kitchen is essential.

Find the hidden sugar. Reducing the amount of candy and dessert that you and your child eat is only part of the battle. Sugar is hidden in a variety of foods, such as bread, canned soups, pasta sauces, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners and low-fat meals. Check the label, choose a low sugar product and use fresh or frozen ingredients instead of canned.

Do not completely ban sweets. While many children consume too much sugar, if they do not follow the rules of sweets, then given the opportunity, it becomes an invitation to craving and excess. Instead, limit the amount of cookies, candy, and confectionery your child eats, and instead introduce fruit-based snacks and desserts.

Limit juice, soda and coffee drinks. Soft drinks are mixed with sugar, and coffee drinks can be bad. Give your child sparkling water instead of splashing lime, fresh mint or fruit juice, as many juices are nutritionally worse.

Keep snacks small. Do not turn snacks into meals. Limit it to 100-150 calories.

Find reducing sugar options. When purchasing foods such as syrups, jelly and sauces, choose "reduced sugar" or "sugar-free products."

Focus on fruits. Keep a fruit bowl so your child can eat snacks. Children love satsuma or tangerine oranges. Sweet juices-serve frozen juice bars, fruit smoothies, chunks of strawberries and whipped cream, fresh fruit added to plain yogurt or apples with peanut butter.

Try herbs and spices. Use sweet-flavored herbs and spices like mint, cinnamon, strawberries or nutmeg to add sweetness to your food without empty calories.

Check the sugar content in your child's grain. There is a large imbalance in the amount of sugar added between cereals of different brands. Some cereals contain more than 50% sugar. Mix low-sugar, high-fiber cereal with your child's favorite sweetened cereal, or add fresh or dried fruit to oatmeal to taste the natural sweetness

Snack

What to buy as a snack: Snack again:

Fresh fruits and vegetables can be packed for lunch on the go. Fruit juice with soda, sweetened lemonade, fruit punch, and sugar.

Milk and dairy products (including current cheese). Hot dog, fatty lunch meat, sausage, chicken nuggets.

Whole grain bread and grains, pretzels, nuts and olives. White bread, sweet breakfast cereal, chips.

Greek yogurt, frozen fruit juice bar, fig bar, gingerbread snap. Cookie, cake, candy, ice cream, donut.

View part size

When eating out, there are strategies you can hire to retrain your and your family's appetite and avoid excessive food perception.

Find out what a certain portion size looks like. The portion size used by you and your family to eat is 2-3 servings. To keep track of your calories, limit yourself to the size of a fist.

Read the food label. Information about serving size and calories is on the back of the packaging. You may be surprised at how small the recommended portion is or how many calories you have on your plate.

Use a smaller dish. Portions look bigger and eat less when using small bowls or dishes.

Cook in the kitchen. To minimize the temptation of the second and third help, instead of serving food on the table, serve food on separate dishes.

Divide food from large packaging into small containers. The bigger the package, the more people tend to eat it without realizing it.

Reduce high-calorie treatments Make small pieces of pizza, chocolate, and more to give your child fewer pieces.

Order down size. When eating out, share your entree with your child or order an appetizer instead. Large order instead of half order or large order.

Let your child move

Children who sit too much and move too little are at greatest risk of becoming overweight. Children need an hour of exercise a day for optimal health. This may seem like a lot, but exercise doesn't have to happen at the gym or all at once. Instead, include exercise in your family's daily life.

Exercise ideas for kids

Normally, children were playing around, naturally consuming energy and exercising. It's not always an option in today's world, but there are still options to increase your level of activity.

Enjoy active indoor games. Release the remote control and configure some indoor games. You can play tags (crawling tags, probably to minimize mess), hide and seek, or Simon Says (think of jumping over jack and stretching).

Try activity-based video games: stand and dance on Wii and Kinect, or stand and play skateboarding, soccer, bowling or tennis. Once your child gains confidence, you can get off the screen and play real objects outside.

Do external activities with your child. Take a walk together, ride a nearby bike, explore a local park, visit a playground, or play on the playground. If it's right for your neighborhood and your schedule, walk between activities and schools.

Do the chores together. Perhaps it is not your child's first choice, but doing housework is a very effective way to exercise. Burn amazing calories with morphing, cleaning, trashing, dusting or vacuuming.

Register your child for after school sports or other activities. If the budget allows, sign up for children to participate in sports or physically active activities. The local YMCA, YWCA or Boys and Girls Club is a safe place for children to exercise and play.

Sign up for a 5 or 10K walk/run with your child. Sometimes with a goal in mind, even the most reluctant activists can motivate them. Tell them that you can find events that are child-friendly in your area and train them together. Congratulations on achieving this feat

Reduce screen time

The shorter the time children spend watching TV, playing video games or using a computer or mobile device, the more time they spend on active time. Remember how important it is to be a positive role model. Therefore, you may need to reduce your viewing habits.

Limit screen time every day. Research shows the relationship between screen time and obesity, so set limits on your child's watching TV, gaming and surfing the web. Experts do not recommend more than 2 hours a day.

Stop eating in front of the TV. Limit your child's calorie intake by limiting the amount of time you eat in front of the tube. Tell your child from now on that the family is eating all at the table.

Please choose another reward or punishment. Instead of spending more time in front of your TV or computer for your child, promise something different, such as going out or choosing an activity.

Encourage your child to develop new hobbies.

More stress on the child's life due to major lifestyle changes. Sometimes an overweight or obese child may feel sad, angry, embarrassed or discouraged. In the past, you may have solved your stress by eating in front of a TV or relieving your stress. Please help us find a healthy alternative as we can no longer choose. Ask your child what it is to take as a hobby. Hobbies can help kids increase self-esteem, relieve stress and provide a positive exit.