ELIANA LAKRITZ
Clinical Dietitian
Baystate Noble Hospital
As you may have heard, the obesity epidemic has not only impacted American adults, but has also become a growing problem in American children. In fact, the Center and Disease Control and Prevention discovered that childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and has quadrupled in adolescents within the past 30 years. Acknowledging and treating childhood obesity is undoubtedly important in this growing population. However, how do you, as parents, guardians, and/or friends know where to begin tackling this complicated condition?
It is certainly important to recognize how complicated and multi-faceted obesity can be. Usually there are many contributing factors to consider, including physical activity level, food choices, and even genetics. However, it may become less complicated (and overwhelming) when you focus on what can be controlled through lifestyle modification, making deliberate changes day-by-day.
Here are three tips to help your child maintain a healthy body weight during childhood and throughout his/her life:
Break that Fast
When we think of food as energy, it makes sense to begin fueling the body from the start of the day. Eating a healthy, balanced breakfast provides nutrients to cells of the body for growth and provides energy to muscles for activity. Eating breakfast will also keep your child satiated until lunchtime, preventing any overeating that might occur otherwise.
Limit Eating Out
As a rule of thumb, is it almost always better to prepare foods at home vs. hitting the drive-thru, sitting down at restaurant, or ordering take-out/delivery. Why? There are many reasons, but we will discuss two. First, preparing foods at home puts you in better control of the added salt, fat, sugar, and overall calories that your child is consuming. Knowing is half the battle! Additionally, portion sizes have grown exponentially over the past 20 years. Consider French fries, possibly your child’s all time favorite take-out food (likely as part of a whole meal)! In the 1980’s one serving of French fries was about 210 calories, but today one serving is 610 calories! Undoubtedly, the increase in portion sizes across the board (and related calorie counts) has contributed to childhood obesity. For these reasons, cooking at home is a better method of controlling the content and portions of the foods your child is consuming.
Less Screen Time, More Active Play
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, children 6-17 years require at least 60 minutes of exercise everyday. Sound like a lot? This may be more attainable and enjoyable if you encourage your child to participate in team sports, dance classes, or other age-appropriate activities. Another way to encourage activity and promote a healthy body weight in your child is to limit screen time (this includes television, computers, phones, tablets, or other video devices) to 60 minutes per day or less. One Framingham-based study found that children who watched the most television had the greatest increase in body fat from ages 4 to 11 years.
Following these guidelines can help to control weight, prevent chronic diseases, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, improve self-esteem, and psychological well-being in your child.
If you are interested in learning more about nutrition counseling sessions with a registered dietitian at Baystate Noble Hospital, please call 413-568-2811 ex: 5671 for more information.
