8 causes of childhood obesity
Nutritionists have concluded that the causes of obesity are rooted in childhood. It is from there that people carry the habit of eating wrong throughout their lives. And so that in the future you do not have to look for effective diets for weight loss, it is necessary to learn the correct nutritional culture from a young age.
Fast food, chips and high-calorie chocolate bars are the standard “food basket” of most children today. The younger generation follows the example of parents who most often eat “on the run” and are overweight at the same time. In order to protect their children from the problem of obesity, which is already affecting many families, it is necessary to change the culture of food. 8 factors that are prerequisites for childhood obesity will help to see the difficult situation from the outside .
Obesity factor number 1: conditional weight standards
Parents constantly make sure that their child is not hungry. If the weight does not reach the standard indicators, the feeding process begins. Parents can be understood: they want the child to grow and develop fully, not to get sick. But the fear of underfeeding often degenerates into systematic overfeeding. The child at first denies, resists, and then gets used to eating when he no longer wants to.
But the standards for weight are very conditional. All children develop in different ways. And those who initially met the accepted standards sometimes grow frail, and those who lag behind in weight eventually turn into sturdy ones.
Obesity Factor # 2: Insidious Feeding
Systematic feeding during childhood stretches the stomach. The child also develops the wrong eating habits, which lead to excessive appetite in adulthood. Therefore, convincing the baby to eat “one more spoon for dad,” think how he would not have to resort to forced fasting in the future. And not only because of the desire to look slimmer, but more because of changes in metabolism, the secretion of digestive enzymes, the state of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system.
Obesity Factor # 3: Demotivating Sweets
Adults often treat children to sweets, chocolates, and cakes as rewards for good behavior. It is logical that the child perceives these unhealthy and high-calorie foods as a reward and strives to deserve it in every possible way.
And in adulthood, the children’s habit of sweets takes on a different shade – they are seized by stress. The more cause for concern, the higher the threat of obesity. Offer healthier foods to motivate your child, such as fresh and healthy fruits.
Obesity Factor # 4: The Habit of Homemade Sweets
“Home-made is tastier,” almost all grandmothers and mothers are sure. And in confirmation of these words, they treat grandchildren and children with rich pies. The taste of homemade baked goods is remembered for a lifetime, and even the memory of it can make you want to try again and again the calorie-rich pie, which is deposited in extra folds at the waist.
Obesity factor # 5: holiday overeating
The Russian tradition of preparing an abundant feast for all holidays is ineradicable. Children get used to this type of food. Growing up, they are unlikely to start thinking about a moderate and healthy diet, when tables are laden with salads with mayonnaise, fried foods, smoked meats and fatty meats.
Obesity Factor # 6: A Negative Example of a Sandwich Diet
Children always imitate adults in their habits. And if a tradition has taken root in the family to eat on the run, to intercept sandwiches instead of healthy soups and cereals, in the future the problem of excess weight will find another new victim.
Obesity Factor # 7: Dangerous Chocolate Addiction
In families where parents are sweet tooth, there is always an abundance of sweets and chocolates. At first, these sweets attract the child out of curiosity, then he assesses their taste and, following an example from adults, begins to unconsciously eat high-calorie and unhealthy foods. To protect the child from the “chocolate captivity”, parents need to keep sweets in inaccessible places and not provoke children’s curiosity.
Obesity Factor # 8: Unhealthy Leisure Bites with Junk Food
After work, many parents tend to spend time in front of the TV or computer. And by tradition, they eat something mechanically. Children copy the behavior of adults and, instead of active recreation, also spend time watching cartoons or a computer monitor with a packet of chips or popcorn.
An incentive for change
Perhaps the fact that in childhood, adolescence and even adolescence, the calories consumed are successfully burned due to increased physical activity will help to revise the food culture in the family. But with age, it becomes less and less, and calories begin to be treacherously processed into spare fat. In women, it is deposited on the waist, hips and legs, in men – on the abdomen and back of the neck.
According to RAMS specialists, over the past five years, the number of overweight
children in Russia has increased by almost 20%. The main reason for childhood obesity is the decline in the culture of nutrition in the family and society.
The incentive to see your children healthy, energetic and cheerful will help to break the vicious cycle of unhealthy eating. And the more families that prefer a correct lifestyle, the healthier the new generation will be.