We live in a society that equates chubbiness to being cute and healthy. Russel, the little fat boy scout from Pixar’s animation Up looks adorable right? However, The World Health Organization sites Childhood Obesity as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Overweight and obese children have a high risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular diseases like heart diseases and stroke and other non-communicable diseases like cancer at a younger age.
The most common causes of childhood obesity are increased energy intake from food consumption and decreased physical activity. The good news is, these can be prevented through correct nutrition education and lifestyle modification involving the entire family and caregivers.
For 10 years, I have worked with parents and guardians in managing children’s weight and eating habits. Hopefully, my experience and observations will be helpful in motivating families to practice healthy eating habits and prevent childhood obesity.
1. Skip the drama during meal times.
Forcing a child to eat something he doesn’t like and scolding him on the table will only lead to food aversion, frustration and anxiety. Meal times should be fun and not traumatic. It is best to introduce a new dish one at a time.
It may take several tries in a span of several days before a child takes his first bite. Once he starts accepting the new dish or food, you can start introducing a new one.
It will also be a big help if the parents or guardian set an example by eating the food too. You can’t expect your kid to eat vegetables if you don’t eat them yourself.
2. Serve smaller portions.
We can teach kids how to observe portion control instead of forcing them to clean their plateful of food. Allow some independence by letting them choose what they like and how much they like. Bear in mind that kids have smaller tummies than adults and naturally cannot consume serving portions adults are used to.
3. Add some fun and creativity.
Serve food in creative ways like cutting fruits into shapes by using cookie cutters. Color plates by serving colorful foods. Here’s an example of a colorful and nutrient rich menu: pumpkin soup, rice, fish fillet, carrot sticks with ranch dressing and some grapes. You can also prepare a colorful snack by serving milk, peanut butter and jelly sandwich with banana slices.
I am impressed with moms who come up with a lot of fun and creative ideas on preparing bento boxes for their kids’ lunch and snack.
4. Practice the art of compromise.
A child cannot adapt to a healthy eating lifestyle overnight especially when he is used to high sugar and fatty foods like sweets, chips, processed meats and the like. Instead of removing “bad foods” from their diet, reduce portions and add healthier choices like milk, cheese, fruits, 100% fruit juices, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat and fish.
I remember my 9 year client who eats six hotdogs in one sitting. I asked his mom to give him three hotdogs sliced into pieces to make it appear plenty. My little client was so happy thinking that he has a lot of tiny hotdog pieces even though we reduced the portion serving by half.
5. Encourage Physical Activity.
Watching television and playing video games are not bad but spending too much time doing sedentary activities can lead to obesity. Allow kids to play sports and do other activities like dancing in a safe and child friendly environment for at least one hour every day. Interactive video games can also make them burn more calories in the comforts of your home.
Spending time with your kids a couple of times a week engaging in these types of activities will not only make your family healthy but will create a fulfilling bonding experience.
Introducing healthy lifestyle to kids is challenging but not impossible. Start them young and live healthy ever after.
