Obesity in Children - How To Prevent It

Preventing Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is becoming a problem in America.

Obesity in children makes their risk of developing diabetes and heart disease even higher.

Junk food is often marketed to children in the form of sugary cereals and soft drinks.

Even if you don’t buy junk food for your child, this food is often found in schools.

Thankfully, there are ways to prevent childhood obesity.

Take your child to see a pediatrician if you think that your child is overweight. The doctor can calculate your child’s body mass index to determine if your child is overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. Early identification of the children who are at risk allows pediatricians to prescribe a course of action.

Promote healthy eating habits for the entire family. Replace fatty foods like chips and cookies with nutritious alternatives like fruits and vegetables. Include low-fat dairy products and whole grain foods. This teaches the child how to eat healthy and make good food choices outside of the home. Avoid using food as a reward. There are better ways to celebrate good behavior than using candy or other sweets as a reward.

Encourage your child to play outside. Unstructured playtime is a good way to get your child engaged in physical activity. Consider going outside and playing with your child. Participating in activities with your child makes it an enjoyable experience rather than a chore that they try to avoid. Be sure to explore different activities until you find one that your child enjoys. It is a good idea to limit television, computer, and video game time to two hours a day.  Time spent on these activities could be better used engaging in physical activities.

Get involved with the school system to ensure that the school is offering good food choices. Insist that the school offer healthy choices to children in the cafeteria as well as in vending machines. Also, talk to the principal about offering more physical education options. This benefits not only your child, but all of the other children in the school as well.

Be sure to make getting healthy a family affair. Your child’s self-image might be damaged even more if they are the only being deprived of the foods they have come to love. In this way, you will help your entire family to adopt a healthy lifestyle that will benefit them for a long time.