Tips To Fighting Childhood Obesity
76We all know that obesity is literally a growing problem in America. But did you know that one in three of our children are overweight, and one in six is considered obese? Not only did this number shock me, it scared me. As parents we have the ultimate responsibility to ensure our Children grow up healthy,so I decided to write a Hub to give you ideas on how to keep your children out of the one third.
Food Pyramid
Encourage Better Eating habits
Eating habits can have a massive affect on your child's body. Eating habits such as eating high calorie food while playing on the computer, or just plain eating when they are not hungry can vastly increase the odds of your children becoming overweight. But how can you curb your child's bad habits?
One of the easiest ways to encourage healthier eating is to keep fresh fruit accessible for snack time. Sometimes children will want to eat something while they are watching a morning cartoon, even though they are not hungry. If we give in to their demand of sweet, or salty food we are only adding to their waste line. Offer the child an apple, banana, or even a bowl of mixed fruit. If your child is truly hungry they will eat the healthier snack.
Soda can be a big contributor to the waste line. Lets take for example a mountain dew, with 170 calories per can. If you allow your child to drink just 1 can a day that can add up to over 17 pounds of calories throughout the course of the year. Not to mention that each can has 46g of sugar. Sweet drinks can be hard to give up, so try moving your children over to a drink such as lemonade. With only 70 calories and 15g of sugar it makes a much better alternative.
Fast food can be a killer, but sometimes it is the only option we have. When dining out encourage your child to eat smaller portions as this may be the only way to avoid a massive overload of fat and needless calories. For instance, at McDonald's, instead of eating that juicy double cheeseburger, encourage them to go for the single, or even a grilled chicken sandwich. I know it can be hard to tell your children they do not need it, but they will thank you for it in the long run.
Encourage Activity
When children are young they are full of energy, and want to run everywhere. Where as we the parents are trying to get them to sit still for just one minute. As the children get older they discover things that bring them enjoyment more than running around. They discover Television, Video games, Computers, and Cell phones. As parents it is our responsibility to ensure that these new enjoyments don't stop our once active children.
I would urge you to answer yes anytime your child asks you to go outside and play. This will not only help your child be active, but help you as well. Showing support for the active child encourages that child to remain active. Take your children to the park or, if that is not an option, take them on a walk. This can be a good time to bond with your child while encouraging movement.
As our children get older activities start to become a bigger part of life. Encourage your children to take part in all the activities schools have to offer. Boy scouts, Girl scouts, little league, youth soccer, and youth football are some examples of activities your child can partake in. Activities will not only keep your child physically active, but they can make sure your child is mentally engaged as well.
Teenagers can be the hardest group to keep motivated, as they know best. But this is also the group with the most potential to stay active. With the myriad of activities available to high school students now your teen should be able to find something that keeps them entertained and active. Encourage your teen to join the soccer team, play in the band, or even be on the Debate team, as all of these activities are far more productive than sitting in front of the television.
Set Limits
To help curb your child's appetite for cartoons, music videos, or reality TV, set limits to how much they can watch. Sit down with your child and let them be part of the process Of course they are going to say it is not fair, but you are the parent. Set a time limit and stick to it. Let them know they can watch it all at once, or it can be split up into segments. Stick to your guns about the rule, because as children they will push the boundary to see how far it bends.
Sometimes our children will talk for hours on the phone, or at least text for hours. Encourage your children to set down the phone and walk down the street and talk to the person they are texting. That little walk every day will add up over the course of a year. If your child refuses to quit texting simply put a block on it through your cell phone provider. I am sure by the end of the month your teen will be more willing to compromise.
Computer and console video games can be really fun, but as a parent we must limit the time our children sit in front of the gaming stations. As with the TV set a limit to the amount of time your child is allowed to play each day and stick to it. Eventually your child will follow these limits without you having to enforce them.
Conclusion
Encouraging better eating habits, more activities, and setting limits for our children can greatly reduce the numbers affected by childhood obesity. As a parent it is our job to give our children every opportunity to succeed in life. Let this be a start on a long road of healthy living for your children.
For ideas on how to help your already overweight teen try the following two hubs:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Weightlifing-A-beginners-guide
http://hubpages.com/hub/Burn-off-your-Belly-Fat-with-these-Five-Excercises
Good information in your article..
Thanks.
Myawn and Edenvaleshoppes thank you very much. myawn I hope your grandchildrens parents are as energetic as you in getting their kids out. It is by far the best way to combat childhood obesity.
good information!!!!!!!!!!
Other articles of interest
- Three Steps You Must Follow To Avoid Childhood Obesity by Nana
Childhood obesity has now become a worldwide problem. More and more children these days are suffering the same symptoms and diseases that were once only seen in adults; heart disease, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, to name just a few. Obesity is becoming one of the serious problems day by day all over the world. Obesity is termed as increase in the body weight of an individual due to excessive accumulation of fats. Where do all the little needles point to when they get hungry? You're the one they look to, when they are young, to buy, prepare, and serve the food they eat. This is when good or bad habits are developed. You set the rules and govern the amount of food and type of food that comes into the house. To battle childhood obesity there are three steps you must follow.1.Eating dinner at the table more than 5 times a week .2.Sleep at least 10.5 hours a night.3.Watch less than 2 hours of TV a day.It's that simple? In a study conducted by Sarah Anderson, Ph.D, and assistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University, 8,550 4 year old from around the United States followed these three steps and were found to be 40 percent less likely to become obese than children that did none of these things.When you sit down to dinner, as a family, without TV, you can regulate what your children eat , the proportions and the proper amounts. If they are sitting in front of the TV, how are you going to know if they ate their broccoli or the dog ate it? In some families the parents are working two jobs or odd hours and the only time they can see the kids is if they let them stay up late. If they stay up late that means less sleep, more treats and TV. Bad, BAD and more BAD. 10.5 hours a night gives kids the rest they need to be energetic and active the next day. You can't pay attention in school if you stay up late. We have all heard the evils of TV all our lives but what does that have to do with being obese? If you are sitting around watching TV you are most likely, if you 're a kid, not doing any type of exercise. You are probably snacking and your probably staying up late. All together now bad, BAD and more BAD! Less than 2 hours a day of TV is recommended by this study. That gives a kid time to come home from school, play outside, come in and do homework, eat dinner Then see some TV before getting the 10.5 hours sleep they need. It's all about education. You get what you need and then you'll be able to give what they need! Visit:http://affiliatemoneyathome.com/weightloss/
- Childhood Obesity - Is It Out Of Control? by Gary J Kidd
Nearly 15% of all children in the USA are officially Obese. That is also true for teenagers and that percentage is getting higher each year. The last three decades has seen a huge increase in these figures. What makes it all the more frightening, is that it is not getting better. Over 25 Million children in the USA are overweight or in danger of being so. Childhood obesity is rising and it is now the biggest pediatric problem in the USA with up to 30% of adolescent children suffering from it. So who is to blame for this crisis? well, to be honest, the parents are most at fault but alongside that we need support centers and programs put in place to help. Children who have obese parents are 75% more likely to become obese themselves, which means we need to help the parents now to prevent this from getting out of hand. Helping people eat more healthily and control their weight is important in helping to reduce the childhood obesity problem. It is not just in the USA of course. This is becoming a worldwide problem with Australia having one of the highest childhood obesity problems. It is a national issue and not just restricted to rural and suburban areas. Schools must also take action as nearly half of the children in school eat school meals. They must be given healthy great tasting food instead of what fits the budget for financial reasons. Too many schools are driven by financial costs instead of realizing that if they fed their children healthy food, it would in fact save them money in the long run. It is important to understand the cost to the American tax payer is estimated to be between $150 to $200 Billion dollars a year with time lost at work, hospital costs, medications etc. The fatter people get the more it costs the country in lost production and ultimately the lifestyle of the people and the economy itself. Chronic diseases are associated with obesity like high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes etc. The cost of treating these disease puts more and more pressure on the health system and the overall cost to the nation is huge! Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic and soon it will be out of control completely. We need to not just educate these people but the whole nation as a whole. Action needs to be taken now before it really is too late. About the Author Gary J Kidd offers a Free Weight Loss Report from his website 10 Day Slim Down Challenge. He also offers help and advice for anyone trying to lose weight but not able to succeed. Visit his website for a Free Report or see his other articles here for more great tips and tricks to help you lose weight naturally.
- Why Should You Loose Weight
Why should you loose weight? Many children know that they are obese or at least overweight. But what they fail to realise is the effect that this can have on them in later life. When you are a child you body produces fat cells in order to store the level of fat that you have in your body. When you are a child the number of these cells can increase or decrease. The lower the number of cells you have the easier it is to loose weight. The problem comes when you are obese as a child and continue to be obese as an adult. This is a problem as it means that you will find it a lot harder to loose weight as an adult. This is due to the fact that the fat cells tell your body the level of fat that they need to store and it is therefore much harder to consume lower amounts of fat than you are used to. If you loose the weight as a child your body will loose some of these fat cells and it therefore becomes a lot easier to keep the fat off. Michael Adams
myawn 2 years ago
Nicely written and informative. I have three granchildren two a little overweight I encourage them to go outside a do activities.