Download 5 Steps To Help Prevent Childhood Obesity

5 steps to help prevent childhood obesity
By Dr. Joey Shulman
Easy ways to encourage your child to choose a healthy lifestyle.
It is no secret that obesity is now affecting our youth in epidemic proportions. Everywhere you turn there are
news reports, talk shows and magazine articles discussing the growing numbers of overweight and obese
children worldwide. North America and Europe are leading the pack with the number of overweight children
continuing to rise. For example, in Canada, the latest statistics are:
• 35 per cent of boys are overweight
• 29 per cent of girls are overweight
• 17 per cent of boys are obese
• 15 per cent of girls are obese
In addition to an increasing number of overweight and obese children, obesity related disease processes once
only seen in older generations -- such as Type II diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure -- are beginning
to appear in our youth. Overweight and obese children also experience psychological consequences in addition
to physical ones. According to a recent study, obese children and adolescents are more than five times more
likely to have a poorer health-related quality of life (QOL) than healthy children. In fact, the findings of this
study revealed that overweight and obese children rated their quality of life as similar to children undergoing
chemotherapy for cancer.
What can I do?
In order to effect change, childhood obesity needs to be addressed on many levels including the medical and
natural health care world, school systems, and government. The keys to fighting childhood obesity begin with
early prevention strategies that include:
Prepare for the snack attack. Children love “grab and go” snacks. Stock your kitchen with healthy
“grabbable” food items such as veggies and dip; berries; yogurt; low fat cheese and apples; healthy trail mix;
baked nachos and salsa; homemade Popsicles and air popped popcorn.
Eliminate sugary pop and juices. The average can of pop and or sugary juice contains approximately 9-11
teaspoons of sugar. Save pop for a very occasional “out of the house” drink and avoid purchasing fruit drinks
labeled as “punches” or “cocktails”. Also, check the label for sugar content. If one of the first ingredients listed
on the label is sugar, glucose or high fructose corn syrup, it is likely too high in sugar. Stick to 100 per cent fruit
juices watered down or bottles of water to properly hydrate your child without packing on excess calories.
Keep them moving! The average child spends 25 hours per week playing video games, surfing the net and
watching TV. The massive amount of sedentary behavior has left little time or room for physical activity. In a
nutshell, it is prudent to have your children participate in 1 hour of physical activity daily. Whether it is joining
a community center, team sports, bike riding as a family or swimming lessons -- start by committing the entire
family to exercise.
Eat a healthy breakfast. A recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that
skipping meals and eating less frequently result in weight gain. Skipping breakfast was linked with a greater
chance of obesity. People who skipped breakfast were more than four times more likely to be obese than those
who ate breakfast daily.
Do NOT put your child on a calorie-restricted diet. Children do not respond well to a calorie-restricted diet.
Often times children sneak food from their parents as a sort of rebellion to the negative pressures of a diet or
because they are just plain hungry! The best approach for prevention and effective weight loss is to load a
child's diet with the “good stuff” and get rid of the “bad stuff”. For example, a child's diet should be filled with
fresh fruits, vegetable, eggs, chicken, fish, whole grain bread, cereal and pasta, nuts, seeds and low fat dairy
products. Processed and refined floury items, fast food, and sugar-laden products should be kept to a minimum,
and saved for an occasional treat such as birthday parties or holidays.
We must come together to help protect our children from the health and social consequences that comes with
being overweight or obese. By implementing the steps above on an all-at-once or one-by-one basis, we can
slowly turn the epidemic of obesity into fit and lean, healthy kids for life.