Stop obesity – how to shape children’s eating habits?

With the development of civilization, the number of obese people has increased dramatically. However, the most disturbing fact is that this problem affects an increasingly young part of our society – children and youth.

How can we help children maintain a healthy body weight and stop the spread of the epidemic? We provide some tips in our last article.

Stop obesity: Rise in overweight and obesity among children

Due to technological development, our children have significantly limited physical activity. They use public transport or we drive them. Our children prefer to spend their free time in front of the TV or computer screen, rather than playing in the yard, as we did when we were still children. We also have much easier access to food – unfortunately highly processed and very high in calories.

We eat irregularly and snack between meals. Our children do the same. We must also remember that emotions, especially negative ones, have a huge impact on the development of obesity. The child may eat school stress or console himself with food when he is unhappy (for example, because he got into conflict with a classmate or was rejected by his peers).

Stop obesity: Or were they genes?

Indeed, the existence of a certain group of genes has been proven, thanks to which a person is more or less prone to obesity. Genes control various processes in the human body, including its metabolism. Therefore, the question arises whether obesity can be hereditary, since genes play such a large role in its development. In a way, yes. Numerous studies have shown that obese parents often have obese children.

However, we must remember that parents pass on to their offspring not only genes, but also certain habits and behaviors. If mom and dad eat fatty foods and spend their free time in front of the TV, their child is likely to do the same. It is important to remember that a child is not necessarily obese, despite the genetic burden. Provided, of course, that parents develop healthy eating habits and encourage physical activity.

Stop obesity: Why is my child gaining weight?

The reason is excess energy. A child consumes more calories from food than he can burn through his lifestyle. In other words, it has a positive energy balance. Whether we feel hungry is determined by the center of hunger and satiety located in our brain (especially in the hypothalamus). It is he who regulates the amount of food consumed, depending on the need for energy. Of course, many factors affect a child’s appetite – the degree of physical activity, the size of the meals consumed, their taste, availability, and even the way the food is prepared. So how do you shape your child’s eating habits?

Take care of your child’s nutrition from an early age

Remember that the younger your child is, the easier it is to teach him healthy food. If you make dietary mistakes in your child’s early years, the wrong habits will persist. No! It has been proven that the formation of dietary habits occurs at the stage of fetal life. The baby will recognize the taste of food in the mother’s belly. What a woman eats during pregnancy can further directly affect the baby’s diet.

Introduce diversity

The key to developing eating habits is when the baby switches to solid foods from the dairy diet. This is the time when the baby tries a lot of new things, and it is much easier for him to accept a previously unknown product or taste. Then it is worth focusing on variety, gradually including vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, cereals, bread or dairy products in the child’s diet.

Make sure your child eats regularly

Regular eating is one of the basic principles of healthy eating. If you don’t want to put on weight for your child, make sure you eat 4-5 small meals a day, if possible, at normal times of the day. Why is it so important? Since the body regularly receives nutrients in smaller portions than, for example, two large portions, it does not store them later in the form of adipose tissue. Also, make sure your child always has breakfast. Avoiding breakfast is associated with an increased risk of obesity.

Don’t reward with sweets

Unfortunately, giving sweets is one of the most popular forms of rewarding children. After all, sweets are relatively cheap, readily available, and we don’t have to spend too much time purchasing them. However, by offering a child a sweet treat as a reward, for example, for good behavior or a good grade at school, we force the child to treat the sweet as something special, something to earn. So, he wants them even more. In the meantime, you can reward your child in many ways – by buying a toy, allowing you to watch your favorite show on TV, suggesting going to the movies, the pool or organize a bike ride.
Of course, by completely banning the child from eating sweets, you can achieve the opposite effect. They will become something especially valuable to him, and as soon as they appear in sight, he will begin to eat them uncontrollably. Therefore, you should not completely give up sweets, but consumption should be moderate. For example, you can introduce a rule at home: “We eat only sweets on weekends,” but within reasonable limits. Of course, this rule should apply to all family members – including parents.

Stop obesity: Encourage your child to be physically active

Aside from developing good eating habits, it is very important to encourage your child to be physically active. Movement is so important to health that it has even been placed in a new food pyramid – and at the very bottom to give it special meaning. Regular physical activity will help your baby stay slim, grow faster and promote bone mineralization.

It will also prevent base defects that are so common in school-aged children. If you want your child not to be overweight and obese, try to limit his access to TV or computer (for example, 1 hour a day). However, encourage you to be physically active together – you can roller-skate, bike, play football, or go to the pool together – there are many possibilities!

Stop obesity: Be an example!

Remember that children learn about the world by observing adults. They are captured by habits and certain patterns of behavior. A child will not learn to buy healthy foods if he sees his parents eating pizza and sitting in front of the TV sometimes. If you are a parent and want your child to eat healthier foods and spend more time on physical activity, set a good example and show that you yourself are eating healthy and enjoy being active.