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| 7 Natural Solutions for Childhood Obesity |
Childhood obesity has become an epidemic. And, it has significantly impacted the physical and psychological health of our nation’s children. Research shows that overweight and obese children are more likely to stay obese into adulthood. They also have a much higher risk of developing diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease at a younger age.
Experts at the World Health Organization estimate that there are 43 million overweight children who are under the age of 5. By 2020, more than 60 percent of diseases worldwide will be directly associated with obesity.
The WHO also reported that it’s not uncommon to find under-nutrition and obesity existing side-by-side. But how does this make sense? If you’re consuming so many calories in one day, aren’t you eating enough foods that your getting the nutrients you need? The truth is that childhood obesity stems from the consumption of empty calories, which supply little or no nutritional value. So, children in our country are overfed and under-nourished.
For young people, to treat obesity naturally, it’s important to lead by example and display healthy behaviors to your children at home. By cooking at home more often, encouraging your child to engage in daily physical activity and serving as a support system, you can help your child to get healthy and establish a positive relationship with food.
7 Solutions for Childhood Obesity
1. Start with a Healthy Breakfast
Did you know that skipping breakfast can actually lead to weight gain? Studies indicate that regular breakfast consumption will reduce the risk of childhood obesity and improve a child’s physical activity behaviors.
Children need breakfast to fuel their bodies and give them energy throughout the day. Without a proper breakfast, children and adolescents will feel fatigued. They will be less likely to engage in physical activity that burns calories. Plus, when they do finally eat a full meal, they will be so hungry that they choose larger portions and consume more calories.
Research also shows the positive benefits of breakfast programs that are in place at schools for low-income families. Providing children with a well-balanced breakfast improves their test scores and leads to better attendance. Breakfast programs also improve classroom attentiveness and behavior.
A healthy breakfast contains protein, fiber, healthy fats and antioxidants. Avoid serving children foods that are processed and contain added sugars, like cereals marketed to children. Use some of these healthy breakfast recipes for ideas.
2. Pack School Lunches
To fight childhood obesity and even improve your child’s focus and test scores, opt for a brown bag lunch. A 2009 study published in Preventing Chronic Disease found that adolescents who usually brought their lunch from home 5 days per week “ate fast food on fewer occasions, consumed fewer servings of soda, fried potatoes and high-sugar foods, and ate more fruits and vegetables compared with adolescents who never brought their lunch to school.”
Plan, shop for and prepare meals with your son or daughter. Let your child become part of the decision making. Allow her to choose her own healthy foods to incorporate into her school lunches. This will get her excited about eating healthy foods she already loves. She may be willing to try some new foods, too.
Looking for a few healthy packed lunch suggestions? Try an almond butter and banana sandwich on Ezekiel bread, egg salad wrapped in a sprouted grain tortilla or organic, nitrate-free lunch meat on brown rice or Ezekiel bread. For snacks, try an antioxidant trail mix, hummus with carrot sticks or guacamole with sliced bell peppers. I bet these fresh, homemade lunches will be much more satisfying for your child.
3. Get Involved at School
You stay on top of what your child is learning at school. You ask him what he learned that day, help him with his homework and communicate with his teacher about his progress. Doesn’t it make sense to ask your child about what he ate that day? What food was offered and did he like it? Did it make him feel energetic afterwards or groggy?
Your child spends a majority of his day at school, with his teachers and the school staff. At school, he is learning behaviors, including how and what to eat. If you’re practicing healthy eating at home, but processed foods are served every day at school, then your child receives mixed signals. Until healthy school lunches are the norm, you need to be an advocate for your child. Get involved at school and fight for healthy lunches.
Plus, school is a great place for your child to learn about healthy foods, what they can do for his body and mind, and why certain foods make you feel good while others make you feel lousy. Studies show that in the fight against childhood obesity, a multidisciplinary approach in schools that involves the children’s family, too, is the most feasible and effective approach. Teachers and parents are the best role models. Together, they can more easily guide the children to become healthier.
4. Cook Meals at Home
Eating more meals away from home puts children at a greater risk of becoming obese. This is especially true if they are eating high-calorie fast or processed foods that parents turn to on busy days. Research shows that families spend about 40 percent of their food dollars on food away from home. At these establishments, often children are served portions that are too large and too high in calories.
To help your child lose or maintain his weight, prepare most meals at home. Also, eat together as a family as often as possible. Cook meals for your family using high protein foods, healthy fats and anti-inflammatory foodslike leafy green vegetables and fruits packed with antioxidants.
5. Limit TV Time
When your child is in front of the TV, he’s probably sitting or lying down, doing very little or no physical activity. Sometimes, parents let their children watch TV for hours without prompting them to go outside, run around, play a game or get creative. Not only does too much TV time mean too little exercise and too much time being sedentary, it also means that your child is being exposed to advertisements that are promoting the exact foods that are contributing to our childhood obesity epidemic.
A study conducted by the American Public Health Association found that across North and South America, Western Europe, Asia and Australia, children are exposed to high volumes of television advertising for unhealthy foods with little nutritional value and too many calories. Researchers found that among the food commercials, 54–87 percent were for unhealthy foods. Also, most of these commercials involved persuasive marketing techniques. For example, using popular promotional characters that appeal to children.
6. Make Time for Physical Activity
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17 should engage in at least 60 minutes of exercise every day. The CDC encourages young people to exercise regularly to decrease the likelihood of developing childhood obesity, reduce stress and anxiety levels, promote mental health, and build strong bones and muscles.
These benefits of exercise will boost your child’s self esteem and help him to reach his weight loss goals. Young people should spend one or more hours running around, playing sports and engaging in other types of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities every day. Here are some great ways that your child can become more active:
- playing sports like soccer, basketball and tennis
- swimming
- running
- hiking
- brisk walking
- dancing
- jumping
- skipping
- bike riding
- skateboarding
- rollerblading
- practicing gymnastics
- practicing karate
- doing yoga
- doing push-ups and pull-ups
- climbing a tree
- playing on a jungle gym
7. Be Supportive and Show by Example
Obese children and adolescents experience stress and anxiety over their weight and how their parents, siblings and peers perceive them. Addressing the psychological issues related to obesity is just as important as changing a child’s diet. Never put your child down about his or her weight.
Source: https://bit.ly/2L02leX
Source: https://bit.ly/2L02leX
