We live in a society that is committed to excessive consumption. People think that the food that appears in the ads is healthy but in reality they are not. Also, with the current lifestyle, sedentary lifestyle is promoted, and this is very harmful to health. If poor diet and sedentary lifestyle are combined, in addition to having negative consequences, it also has a very harmful consequence for both children and adults: obesity.
You may have noticed that your child’s weight is increasing, and you are worried (and your doctor too) about this. If so, you will have to take measures as soon as possible since being overweight or obese can have a very negative effect on your child and the family in general. Parents have the responsibility to ensure the good health of their children and weight, also has to do. How to get it?
Do not label or judge your child
The first thing to keep in mind is that if your child is overweight it is not his fault. He (or she) does not know what a healthy diet is or what to do to maintain an age-appropriate weight to be in good health. This responsibility is yours. Eating habits learn from you and eat, what you put on the table.
Never tell them ‘you’re fat’ or ‘you have to lose weight’, because you would only be hurting their self-esteem and they don’t need that. He needs you to motivate him to have a healthier life and to eat better, through your guidance and above all, your example.
Reduce downtime
Children when they spend time of inactivity is mainly because of the time they are in front of any type of screen. In many family homes, screen time has become the substitute for much-needed activity for children. When this happens and the screens are ‘a babysitter’ for the children while the parents do other things, they do not move enough.
Research shows that children who spend more than four hours a day in front of a screen are twice as likely to be overweight. In addition, adolescents can lose sleep because they use the mobile while in bed … all this can be related to mood swings, anxiety, depression and poor cognitive functioning.
The key is to find the balance between screen time and other activities. It establishes rules and limits for the use of technologies and that after 9 p.m. all telephones (including the parents’) are turned off.
Play more
Active play helps maintain children’s cognitive abilities, which will help them maintain a healthy weight and learn social skills. Follow these tips to boost playtime:
- Make physical exercisefun with classic games like hide and seek or hopscotch.
- Instead of giving away video games, give them some rackets or a basketball.
- Schedule time for physical activity each day, such as family walks.
- Enhance the variety of physical activities, you can also enroll your children in after-school classes of their interest.
Good eating habits always
Healthy eating habits for children help establish a balanced diet for life, being you the best example. You will have to constantly expose your children to a varied and healthy diet.
If you have doubts about what a healthy diet should be like in your family and what the main dishes would be each day, go to your nutritionist or dietitian to give you the guidelines you need to improve the health of your family. In addition, if you see it necessary, go to your pediatrician to assess the health status of your child.
