Thursday, 2 October 2014

Taking Control Of Childhood Obesity

By Bryan Smith


Today, it's not just adults who are obese. The number of obese children keeps going up year after year. Childhood obesity is an alarming problem and many parents are understandably worried and wanting to know how they can prevent their kids from becoming obese. If you have a child that seems to be overweight, your first step is to consult with his or her pediatrician. Aside from this, however, there are many steps you can take to encourage healthier habits in your kids. We're going to talk about a few of these things here.

If your child is not very active, try to find an activity that he or she will enjoy. Although children can benefit from participating in sports, admittedly not all children will find sports a good fit for them.

If they are overweight, they may not be coordinated or athletic enough for traditional sports. This doesn't mean, however, that there aren't activities that would be appropriate for them. Check out what your child's school has to offer in terms of extra-curricular activities. You may want to check out activities that are given locally as well. Swimming and martial arts are just a few after-school activities your child might enjoy. Make sure you encourage your child if he or she expresses even the slightest interest in something that will get him or her active. When it comes to weight issues, it's best that you follow the pediatrician's recommendations. A doctor will be able to tell whether your child's weight gain is normal or not. After all, it's quite normal for children to gain weight, so if you put your child on a restrictive diet without a doctor's go ahead, you may be unknowingly impeding your child's natural growth. Be aware that the rate at which children go varies, so don't think right away that your child has a weight problem if he or she appears to be gaining a little weight. Talk to a doctor first and get expert advice before putting your child on a diet, as his or her weight gain could just be a natural part of his or her development.

For so many years, it has been believed that milk is healthy and should therefore be part of every person's diet. Today, there are differing opinions with regards to milk and dairy products. Milk and other milk-based products (e.g., ice cream, cheese) aren't healthy for overweight or obese kids.

Even when it's not good for them anymore to drink milk, children will continue to do so because they have been trained to think that drinking milk is a good thing. Take care that your child doesn't drink chocolate milk either, as it's even more packed with calories. A low-calorie option is low-fat yogurt, which is an excellent calcium and protein source. You don't have to remove milk from children's diets completely, but you should make sure they aren't getting more than they need.

A very serious problem, childhood obesity is something that parents should be concerned about. They need to know the causes of obesity in children, as well as what they can do to make sure their children don't become obese. Parents whose children are overweight or obese should talk to a doctor and come up with a plan on how they can help their children lose weight. Use the tips we've mentioned to get your child to the weight that's right for him or her.




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