Childhood Obesity–The Problem Starts at Home
These days you can’t pick up a newspaper or listen to the news without hearing about the obesity epidemic. Worse yet, hearing about the childhood obesity epidemic. Year after year we have seen the waist lines of America expanding and now our children are suffering too. Children are dealing with adult diseases including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Type II Diabetes (once called Adult Onset Diabetes!). Whether you have children or not, we can all take measures to protect ourselves and our future generations from the obesity epidemic.
Children are vulnerable, both emotionally and physically. It is unfair to have them start dieting and calorie counting before they even hit puberty. Their self-esteem is already suffering if they are overweight or obese, so it is not the right time to admonish them for their weight problem. So, how do we help them get healthy?
The answer is more simple than you think. Start with yourself. Set the example. I know, three simple words and yet they really are daunting. How do we become the example of healthy living for our children? Start slowly. Introduce some new fruits or vegetables into your diet. Eat dinner together as a family. Go for a walk or a bike ride instead of watching television together. It doesn’t really matter where you start, you just need to do something. The children will learn by watching.
Children will learn to love new foods as they become more familiar. They will eat what you eat, so teach them to enjoy a healthy snacks such as fruit or yogurt. Avoid fast food restaurants, but make healthier versions of their favorites at home instead. Eating should be fun and pleasurable for children and adults alike. Once you are weened off of all the excess sugars, salt, and fat you will be surprised at how wonderful your food will taste. Grocery shop and cook together as family. You can teach them how to find healthy food and how to prepare it.
Include activity into your family life. Keep activities fun, the family will learn to enjoy exercise this way. It doesn’t have to be a sport or a gym to burn calories. Go for a walk or hike, kayak, ice skate, roller blade, garden, swim, bike. Just pick an activity or two that you enjoy and do them often. Create fun adventures as a family that you will all look forward to. You will all become healthier and happier together.
My final words of advice is to be patient, with yourself and with your children. You will make progress, but you might have set backs. It’s okay for the progress to be slow, as long as you are moving forward. Remember the small lifestyle changes that you make today will add up to a healthy life for both you and your children.