5 Ways for Parents To prevent Obesity In Children

Childhood obesity in not a parent ego issue but is actually a serious medical condition. Most people write it off as a parent’s attempt to better their image by making their child better looking but it is far from that. As kids, we are all drawn towards junk food like fries, burgers and sodas. Also, candy contributes to obesity but on some occasions like Halloween and Christmas, it is a part of the celebration.

Here are some points that would help you control the weight problems of your kids –

1.Watch The Weight Gain – This is the easiest and the most ignored solution for obesity issues. Most obesity problems are not complicated at all and you can control these problems by merely watching what goes in. Simply keep a tab on the diet of your child but don’t under nourish them. There are certain diet requirements based on height and age and you should follow them when you watch their food intake.

2. Encourage Regular Eating – It is best that you fix regular eating timetables and even join your kids when they are eating. As per the government health recommendations, there must be 3 meals and additional snacks per day of a healthy person. Hence, your child shouldn’t be going without food for more than 3-4 hours. If you join them during their meals, it would add more regularity to their timetable.

3. Inculcate Healthy Eating Habits Early – Healthy dietary choices not only prevent obesity but they also cancel out other health issues in a person’s life. But it is much more difficult to break someone out of an unhealthy eating habit than it is to incorporate it from an early age. Add fruits and vegetables in their diet plans when they are in preschool and you will notice that such kids stay away from fatty foods when they grow up.

4. Don’t Be Restrictive – It is okay to control their intake and monitor it up to a certain extent but you must try and not come across as some tyrannical food control freak. These are probably the best years of your kids in terms of digestion and you don’t want to be too much of a spoil sport. Another thing about being overly restrictive is that children tend to do the opposite of what you tell them to do. This means that if you keep them away from junk food, they will gravitate towards it and you don’t want that.

5. Join Them In Moderate and Healthy Eating – Your kids learn from your habits and even imitate your choices. The best thing is to join them and eat moderately in front of them so as to set an example. If you are gorging on burgers yourself and asking them not to, it creates double standards and makes them angry. So, when you ask them to eat their salad, do the same and things would be much easier.

Don’t be too strict while introducing the regimen. Be easy on the kids, they are children, after all. Be polite and give them a free treat occasionally to encourage them.


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