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Obesity in children:tips take action now Posted by: therapyonthewharf on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 08:49 AM CST, 2129 Reads 
Latest studies conducted by the International Obesity Taskforce revealed that almost 2 million school-aged children in the UK are overweight, of which over 700,000 were clinically obese. These findings reported that 25% of girls and 20% of boys are overweight. These alarming findings reveal the toll of couch-potato living and junk foods diets. These children are at risk from diabetes, heart problems (raised cholesterol and/or high blood pressure), and liver failure. The future health prognosis looks bleak, if we don’t make changes, and encourage sensible eating habits and a healthier lifestyle, we could end up facing a serious national health crisis within the next 10-20 years. We are not as active as we once were, fewer children play in the street, playing fields are scarcer meaning fewer children regularly participate in a sport, levels of physical activity within schools appears to be falling; PE does not feature as prominently as it once did. Instead, many children spend more than 4 hours a day in front of the TV or playing computer games on a weekday, rising to more then 10 hours at the weekend. A recent study by Harvard University into eating and drinking habits of children, showed that consumption of sweets, fizzy drinks, snacks and fast foods increases with each additional hour spent in front of the TV. One way to ensure this doesn’t happen to your child is to follow some basic rules: 1. Never allow your child to skip meals, 2. Make mealtimes a family occasion, for all to sit down and eat together. 3. Encourage your whole family to breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper 4. Bring in the 5- a- day rule for Fruit and Vegetables 5. Children need foods from each of the five food groups: a) grains, b) protein (meat or other protein) c) dairy products as well as d) fruit e) vegetables 6. Portions sizes should be reasonable 7. The old adage you “eat with you eyes first” is important, introduce a plate with a variety of colours, is far more appealing than foods which all appear to be the same – more fresh foods give you that colour appeal 8. Encourage your child to eat Slowly- put fork down your between mouthfuls, chew your food properly, this sends the appropriate signals to your brain and you can assess if you are still hungry, and when you are full 9. Encourage your child to drink water at regular intervals 10. When your child feels hungry, encourage your child to take a drink of water first, if after 15-20 minutes they’re still hungry then offer food. Our bodies are made to live longer without food than without water. 11. Never use food as reward or a bribe with children 12. If your child does not like a certain food, don’t force them to eat it. 13. Don’t always finish a meal with a dessert, as your child will learn to expect it. Desserts should only feature now and again 14. Shop to prevent temptation, don’t buy sugary or fatty snacks, or reduce the amount you buy and slowly cutting them out altogether, keep healthier snacks in the fridge and cupboards 15. Remove all distractions when eating- no TV, and not at the same time as doing homework, 16. If your child likes a particularly “naughty food” then allow them to have it on the odd occasion If your child is overweight, tackling this requires patience, love and support for your child: 1. Don’t set expectations too high 2. Never fall for “Easy weight loss” diets/ fads they don’t work 3. Never mention the word “Diet” 4. Do cut down/eliminate sugar intake as much as possible. (Including fizzy drinks, squash etc) 5. Do cut down/ eliminate fried foods 6. Remember the poor eating habits have built up over a period of time, you need to be patient when adopting a healthier diet, some things will come easily, others will require more work 7. Long term weight loss should be carried out gradually, with short term, achievable goals. Reward and encourage you child when the short term goals are met 8. Encourage you child to participate in food preparation, it is both informative and enjoyable and encourages healthier eating. 9. Don’t forget, just because your child doesn’t touch a particular food on first introduction, he/she may come to like it, so, preserve when trying out new healthier alternatives 10. Involve the whole family in a fun physical activity. Ensure it is something your child enjoys, it may not necessarily be a sport it could be some other active pastime. 11. Children need approximately 60 minutes physical activity each day, not necessarily taken in one go, but ensure the whole 60 minutes are taken daily. 12. Walk your child to school, or if they are old enough, ensure they get up in time to walk to school themselves. 13. Restrict how much TV/ Computer game time is allowed and stick to that rule. 14. Don’t forget advertisers target children with unrealistic ideals- Footballers and Popstars promoting fizzy drinks / fatty snacks, etc! Encourage your child to question these images. 15. Be a positive role model for your child 16. Ensure your child gets plenty of sleep 17. Encourage your child to brush their teeth after every meal. Often people chew gum or mints following a meal (sugar intake), by brushing your teeth, it’s a signal informing you the meal is over and that there is no need for those mints 18. Emotional support for your child is key, as often an overweight child is excluded from activities due to weight issues, or may even be embarrassed about his/her weight. © 2006 Zahida Parveen, Registered Practitioner. www.therapyonthewharf.co.uk. She runs Heart & Sole Therapy natural healthcare practice addressing and managing health issues for individual, family and corporate health. She has been featured in a number of health related magazines, and websites. How To Drop Weight and Become Healthier Using These 7 Simple Everyday Life Tips? Posted by: monty on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 02:35 PM CST, 3627 Reads
These days more and more people are getting intellectual instead of physical jobs. Sitting in the office chairs all-day long has become a norm for many of us. Stress, busyness and rush make us forget about regular food and stuff our stomachs with cheeseburgers and sodas, which don’t do anything good for our bodies. Minor Emergencies and the FLU! Posted by: webmaster on Saturday, May 21, 2005 - 08:54 AM CST, 3784 Reads 
Have you ever wondered what to do for small emergencies? Everyone knows what to do for the large ones, which is call 911. Here are some helpful pieces of advice on other less life threatening emergencies i.e., minor ailments or health concerns. Everyone is concerned about the nationwide shortage of flu vaccine. Since they are not available to everyone, there are some simple, common sense recommendations on what to do if one becomes sick with symptoms mimicking the flu. Erectile Dysfunction Options - What's Up with New Meds Posted by: webmaster on Saturday, May 21, 2005 - 08:43 AM CST, 5581 Reads 
Viagra or Levitra or Cialis? Which one of those new products should I use? The first one on the market for years was Viagra. After several profitable years competitors developed newer, but similar versions with less side effects and supposedly more effectiveness. Due to the newness of the products, this remains to be proven. Most couples have faced or will face the problem of erectile dysfunction at some point in their relationship. Erectile dysfunction is explained as the inability to develop and sustain a penile erection. (That is the penis does not harden and expand when sexually aroused or is unable to keep that hardness.) Therefore, satisfaction is not reached. Trendy Diets Posted by: webmaster on Saturday, May 21, 2005 - 08:23 AM CST, 3514 Reads
This article is written due to recent attention in our local newspaper which stated "more healthcare dollars are spent on treating obesity than on diseases associated with tobacco addiction". In other words, they are coming for your Twinkies. America watch out. It will no longer be acceptable to eat fast food, or remain overweight. America is about to embark on a weight management emphasis which will prove highly controversial. A plethora of issues, providing education and access to safe sex, awareness of tobacco addiction, dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, once at the forefront of public health, are about to be eclipsed by rising public awareness of obesity related health issues. The current awareness of rising costs and debilitating illness with associated lost work time will create an unfriendly climate for those who are overweight and the purveyors of products which assist the obese to stay that way. Thin will be in like never before. For the good of the public health drunk drivers are off the road, tobacco smoking is as popular as leprosy and new frontiers are needed for conquering. |
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