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By
Dr. Joseph Mercola
with Rachael Droege
Childhood obesity has joined the ranks of Alzheimer’s, autism,
adult obesity and diabetes. Why? It has now reached epidemic proportions
in America with numbers rising over 6 percent since 1974. In 2002,
about 15.6 percent of U.S. children between 12 and 19 were obese
and the numbers show no signs of slowing. A
report released in March 2004 even found that obesity is the
single most widespread health problem facing U.S. children.
Surprisingly, many parents don’t realize when their child
is overweight or obese, largely, researchers say, because we are
all so accustomed to seeing overweight children that we don’t
recognize the problem. Rather than being in denial, one-third of
mothers and over half of the fathers in a study thought their obese
child was a normal weight.
Health Risks of Overweight Children
This is a major concern because being overweight or obese puts
the child at risk of a number of illnesses later in life including
diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, infertility and depression.
Children as young as 7 years can have metabolic changes that signal
the beginning of diabetes if they are overweight. And if a parent
doesn’t recognize that there’s a problem then it’s
unlikely the child will lose weight and avoid future health issues.
Being overweight or obese can also have a huge emotional and psychological
toll on children. They may be teased or left out because their peers
seem them as different and don’t fully accept them, and these
negative experiences can leave lasting emotional scars and may cause
your child to have poor self-esteem even as an adult.
What Causes Child Obesity?
- Child obesity has only a few major causes:
- Inactivity (watching television and playing video games rather
than playing outside to get exercise)
- Drinking soda and juice instead of water
- Eating sugar, bread, cereal and other grains
Often these unhealthy habits are learned behaviors that children
pick up from their family. Children will mimic the behaviors that
they see regularly, especially when they’re young, so having
a positive attitude about nutritious food, activity and body image
are essential to having a healthy child.
How to Help Your Child Reach a Healthy
Weight
Children can easily cut down on the amount of sugar they eat by
eliminating soda and
juice and only drinking water. This alone can have a drastic affect,
as for every soft drink or sugar-sweetened beverage a child drinks
each day, their obesity risk jumps 60 percent. Meanwhile, most children’s
cereals are mostly sugar and can easily be traded for more healthy
options.
It’s certainly important for parents to encourage their children
to eat healthy, nutritious foods,
but this does not mean that the children should be on a low-calorie
diet or not allowed to eat when they are hungry. Children need calories
and nutrients to grow and develop, just make sure they are from
healthy foods, and not primarily from junk foods and processed foods.
Exercise is also extremely
important. Overweight and obese children will need at least 30 minutes
of exercise a day, and major studies have shown that 60 minutes
a day is actually best. Any activity that gets your child up and
away from the television set or video game is a good idea. At first
you can try walking with your child, and then gradually increase
the intensity to include activities such as jogging and using an
elliptical machine.
Also try to think of creative ideas that you can enjoy as a family
such as hiking, bike riding, swimming, even flying a kite.
What Not to Do
There are several things that parents should avoid doing if their
child is overweight or obese. These include:
- Not allowing the child to eat when hungry
- Making jokes about their weight, even if no harm is intended
- Comparing them to thinner children
- Making them eat different food than the rest of the family
- Putting them down about their weight or eating habits
- Using food as a reward or punishment
Related Articles:
How to Prevent,
or Reverse, Childhood Obesity
Parents
Tend to Overlook Their Child's Obesity
Why Are so Many Toddlers
Obese?
Childhood Obesity
Becoming Rampant
Epidemic of Children
are Getting Adult Diabetes
What Simple Step Can You
Take to Lower Obesity in Your Child?
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