National Nutrition Month is a campaign that focuses on the importance of helping children and teens make healthy food choices and develop sound eating and physical activity habits. Estimates of the number of overweight children range from a low of 13% to a high of 30%, having doubled since the early 1970s. This means that approximately 6 million children could be at-risk for current and future self-esteem and health problems. On the other side of the weight issue, an estimated 7 million girls and 1 million boys have an eating disorder. The age of onset of these potentially life threatening disorders is getting lower, with children as young as seven being diagnosed.
Weight is determined by a variety of factors: genetics, environment, activity, and emotions. With respect to the psychology of eating problems, some of the same feelings can both result from and lead tounhealthy eating behaviors. For example, it is unclear if such feelings as loneliness, sadness, anger, anxiety, lack of control, worthlessness, low self-esteem, or disordered body image are the cause or the effect of eating
problems. When dealing with children and weight issues, avoid calling attention to the child’s weight. Nagging is unsuccessful when you’re trying to change behavior. To a child, pressure to lose weight can feel like a crushing criticism and ultimately backfire. Praising and encouraging children in other areas will go farther with respect to improving their self-esteem.
The risk of weight problems varies with the age of the child. For example, only 20% of the overweight 4 to 5 year-olds go on to be overweight adults. Therefore, it may not be necessary to worry about or make big changes at a young age, but it will be useful to get a doctor’s advice. Parents must also pay attention to the warning signs of both overweight/obesity and of eating disorders.
Parents should pay attention to their child’s cues when they indicate they have eaten enough or when they are still hungry—differentiating real cues from stalling or playing. Don’t dwell on the picky eater. Food preference takes time to develop. Make an effort to include children in meal choicesand preparation to encourage a child’s exposure to variety. This is one of the purposes of a well-roundedschool lunch program. We try to introduce children to a variety of foods and preparation styles.
Eating right doesn’t have to be complicated. A healthy eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy and includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and nuts. A healthy eating plan is also low in saturated fats, transfats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars. Makecalories count by thinking nutrient-rich rather than “good” or “bad” foods. Most food choices should be packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients—and lower in calories. Be aware of portion sizes, even low-calorie foods can add up when portions are larger than you need.
Balancing physical activity and a healthful diet is your best recipe for managing weight and promoting overall health and fitness. Set a goal to be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day. Get the family involved in the healthy lifestyle. Parents can be the best role models by eating a variety of healthy foods and promoting the regular exercise as a family.
As you may recall, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to lose 50 pounds. I’m making progress, although not as fast as I had intended. I’ve lost about 16pounds and last week I got into a pair of trousers that I haven’t worn in about a year and a half. I have started exercising, but, again, not as frequently as I should. Shirley is helping me with the meal choices and I must say I am not as hungry as I thought I would be. Now that the weather is more spring-like I can envision more exercise on a more regular basis. It’s about changing a lifestyle, not dieting.
