Childhood obesity is an extremely important problem, until recently, the fact that a child was plump was seen socially as a symbol of health, so much so that mothers of children who were not ‘plump’ suffered and were criticized, even considered bad mothers.
With advances in scientific knowledge, this vision has changed, it has changed, now we are aware that childhood obesity is no longer health, present or future, nor is it a sign that the child’s family has more or less resources to feed the child or that it is still receiving the care and care it needs. But can it be difficult to get children to reach the right weight?What can we do about it?
- “If we could give each individual the right amount of food and exercise.
- Neither financially nor excessively.
- We would have found the safest path to health.
- -Hypocrates-.
We are all aware of the health problems associated with being overweight, childhood is not exempt from the dangers that can arise from a high body mass index, in this sense diseases such as type II diabetes or high cholesterol levels may occur.
“The foods you eat may be the most potent form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. Ann Wigmore
But when it comes to the negative consequences of this physical condition, the emotional and psychological problems associated with childhood obesity are rarely mentioned. Overweight children may have low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction.
We cannot forget that, socially, overweight people are seen as people who do not deserve success or popularity, and this is also passed on to children, so anxiety and depression disorders can occur in children, among others. can lead our little ones to end eating disorders in the future.
As we already know, diet is the basis for a child to be obese or not, but it is also necessary to take into account the influence of other psychological factors and lifestyle habits so that our children have a healthy weight.
In this sense, it is necessary to take into account that many people use food to relieve emotional discomfort, that is, they eat more and, in addition, less healthy foods when they feel negative emotions, if it becomes a habit, fall into a vicious circle.
To better understand: the child eats because he feels bad and the negative emotions disappear momentarily, but in doing so, will the discomfort get fat and come back?Are you stuffing with food?
In addition to using food as a mechanism of emotional regulation, other everyday habits also influence, in this sense, it will be harmful for children to eat alone, abuse unhealthy foods, do without breakfast or get little sleep. spend many hours watching TV and exercising or not.
So what can we do at home to prevent childhood obesity in our little ones?The first thing to do is to establish a series of rules to follow at home that promote a healthy lifestyle. For example, you should eat five meals a day, as well as dairy products, cereals, and fruits for breakfast every day.
“Have breakfast like a king, have lunch like a prince and dine like a commoner. “Adelle Davis.
In addition, at least lunch or dinner should be arranged with all family members at the table, it is very important that parents and children consume all kinds of food available at each meal, we should not forget that the example that parents give is very important, so they must serve as a role model for their children.
When it comes to food, we should try not to use it as a means to reduce the child’s boredom or emotional discomfort, to avoid entering the vicious circle we have already talked about. Similarly, the consumption of? Damn it, it must be limited. It is also important to set a time limit for falling asleep, so that children sleep at least 10 hours.
Now we will talk about the use of new technologies. To avoid a sedentary lifestyle, it is necessary to limit the leisure time of children to two hours a day, in this sense it is very important to do a physical activity every day, such as walking, going to play in the park or in the playground, or even playing a sport?We will provide healthy weights and lifestyles for our little ones!
Images courtesy of Kelly Sikkema, Annie Spratt and Caroline Hernandez