Avoiding the childhood obesity epidemic
Healthy meals and snacks and lots of exercise should help
A recent study carried out by the Cyprus Dietetic Association showed that 1 in 10 children in Cyprus are obese. This figure is similar to the number of obese children in the United States and one of the higher figures in the whole of Europe. Furthermore, this research shows that a child with one obese parent has a 40 per cent chance of becoming obese and an 80 per cent chance if both parents are obese. Is this something that we should be concerned about? Definitely.
Children who are obese are targets for a variety of problems including high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and other chronic diseases, low-self esteem, psychological problems and bullying.
The bad news is that there are many factors that contribute to childhood obesity. The good news, however, is that as parents, educators and members of society, plenty can be done to prevent our children from becoming obese.
Factors that influence children’s eating
l Children don’t usually choose food because their parents have told them that it is “good for their health”, they will choose a food because of how it tastes, and because eating those foods make them feel good.
l Family influences. Children look to their parents as role models. If a child’s parents have bad eating habits such as not eating breakfast and do not exercise then the child will take this as being normal. These bad habits will continue in the child as he or she grows older.
l Schools. Many schools do not have nutrition education programmes, nor do most of them serve healthy foods in their canteens, thus not giving the children healthy options to choose from.
l The media. We are constantly being bombarded with media messages from well-known international fast food chains. What happened to the good old days in Cyprus when the only type of “fast food” available was souvlakia in a pitta? Advertisements, TV shows, celebrities constantly send out messages to children who are easily influenced.
Below are some guidelines to help you and your family make the correct choices.
Breakfast, breakfast, breakfast! It cannot be stressed enough how important breakfast is to a growing child. I have observed over and over again, that children are not eating breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal, for YOU and your children. If you eat breakfast then your children are almost twice as likely to eat breakfast. Breakfast should be a nutritious meal to help get your child through a tough busy day at school.
Healthy snacks. Parents are buying the wrong snacks for their children. Teach them from you young about healthy snacks. Here are some ideas that you could try:
– cut up raw vegetables with crackers and a dip such as tsatziki.
– Fruit with yogurt, and a glass of milk
– Brown-bread sandwich with peanut butter and honey, or ham and cheese
– Homemade muffins and milk
– Crackers and cheese
– Dried fruit and nuts with yogurt
–
You could even enlist your child to help prepare their own snack, thus allowing them to play an active roll in their healthy eating. This can also be done during meal preparation for the whole family. For older children, you could ask them to help you do the grocery shopping.
Many children are choosing the wrong snacks from school canteens. Foods offered include chocolates, sweets, and, most of all, pastries for example sausage or cheese pies. These are not good snacks, and parents should teach children to avoid these and bring snacks to school such as the ones offered above instead.
Your children should be eating foods from all the four food groups:
In order for your child’s diet to be healthy and well balanced it needs to include all four food groups. Your child can choose from a variety of grain products such as cereals, breads (both should be whole-grain), rice, pastas, crackers, etc. These foods are important sources of fibre and vitamins and minerals for your child.
Their diet should also include fruits and vegetables. Try to limit fruit juices and choose whole fruits instead. A child does not have to eat every single type of vegetable there is, try and pick out the veggies they enjoy the most and serve those most often. Milk products are extremely important for your child’s bone and teeth development. Milk products include milk, yogurt and cheese. You need not choose low-fat options. Proteins in the form of meat, chicken, fish, beans, eggs, peanut butter are also important for the growth and development of your child.
Limit sugary foods as these tend to make children feel sluggish and unable to concentrate in class. Do not eliminate fat from your child’s diet, but choose lower fat options, as fat is an important energy source. Try to avoid serving “low-fat” foods to your child, just choose the right fats. For example avoid serving fried foods, and use margarine, butter and mayonnaise sparingly.
Keep in mind that you need not completely eliminate junk food and chocolates from your child’s diet. Rather encourage your child to eat them once in a while for example at birthday parties, and choose healthier snacks most of the time. If you teach your child that these foods are forbidden, they will want them even more.
Never use food as a reward for your child. Try a hug or a star instead.
Along with instilling healthy eating habits in our children, habits that will stay with them for a lifetime, we must also instil healthy exercise habits!
A Canadian study on the exercise habits of children showed that 52 per cent of boys and 64 per cent of girls are considered inactive. These figures are cause for great concern. Physical activity is so important for promoting growth and development in our children, for building self-esteem and self-image, it builds concentration and learning skills, encourages positive friendships, and is important for reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight.
Lastly, many parents wonder if their child should be taking a multivitamin. If a child is eating well, according to what has been discussed above, a multivitamin is not necessary. It is more important that a child receive vitamins and minerals from actual food sources. Furthermore taking vitamins “just in case” may cause the child to abandon healthy eating habits because he is getting his vitamins “anyway”. Excessive use of vitamins is not only an unnecessary cost, it may also cause more harm than good to your child.
As parents, a lot can be done to promote healthy eating and physical activity in their children’s lives, which in turn help to curb the obesity epidemic.
Parents can provide healthy meals and snacks, encourage their children to eat healthily and to do physical activity, educate their children about healthy eating and healthy foods, get their child involved in meal planning and preparation, observe closely what their child is eating, encourage their child to join sports teams, encourage their child to go outside and play, limit computer and TV time and most of all set a good example.
Alexia Stephanou, RD is a Clinical Dietician at the IASI Medical Centre Tel: 22 441300 or 99 884155
