It
is true that children need food to grow well. Some people even believe
that a chubby baby or toddler is a healthy one. But child care experts
say that feeding kids to get fat may not be too good for their health.
Nutritionists have raised the alarm that
many parents are giving their kids too much food, thereby exposing them
to health and social challenges.
They say by stuffing your kids lunch box
with junk, such as yoghurt drinks, chocolates, biscuits and foods that
are not suitable for their health, parents may be increasing their kids’
risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure early in
life.
It is time for a shift in attitude, says
head nutritionist at Queensland University of Technology, United States
of America, Dr. Rebecca Byrne, who is in the middle of a five-year study
into children’s eating habits.
Byrne states that overfeeding of children
is one reason why the childhood overweight and obesity rates are
climbing at an alarming rate and more young children are developing
hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases – health
conditions normally associated with the elderly.
She says, “Being a chubby baby is often
seen as healthy and something children will grow out of. But chubby
toddlers are more likely to be chubby kids, who grow into overweight
adults prone to health problems associated with being overweight. One in
four children will start school being overweight or obese.”
How do you know your child is overweight?
Consultant paediatrician, Dr. Gbenga Ogundele, says it is when your
child’s body mass index, which is a measure of body fat is high.
Ogundele adds that the quantity, quality and nature of food children eat contribute significantly to an elevated BMI.
He says, “If your child regularly eats
high-calorie foods, such as fried foods, fast food, potato chips,
cookies, cake and soda, he or she is likely to be consuming more
calories than he or she needs.
“Too much calories lead to weight gain.
Your child’s risk of Type 2 diabetes is elevated if she weighs too much.
The childhood rate of Type 2 diabetes has increased more than 10 fold
since the 1980s.”
An Oxford University study has also found
that obese and overweight children – as young as five – are showing
signs they could be at risk of heart attacks and strokes later in life.
In the research, children who were
overweight showed clinical signs of cardiovascular disease such as
higher blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels than their
normal-weight peers, as well as a thickening of the heart muscle.
The study’s authors concluded that if
these risk factors continued into adulthood, obese children could be at
30 to 40 per cent higher risk of stroke and heart disease than their
normal-weight counterparts.
Director of international research at
Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Dr . Paul Zimmet, suggests
that parents, especially mums, have a major role to play in ensuring
that their kids maintain a healthy weight by eating proper portions of
nutritious meals.
Ogundele agrees that mothers need to be
educated on the risks associated with overstuffing their children
despite the cultural love for chubby children.
“Mums are more worried that their child
is not eating enough and not gaining enough weight, so they pressure
their kids to eat more, using bribes such as dessert and treats.
“Instead of making kids eat everything on
their plate we need to praise them when they try new foods and listen
to them when they say they’ve had enough. They should also make sure
that it is nutritious meals they prepare for the family.”
Apart from the health risks, children that are obese also have problems with their self esteem and worth.
Most children tend to compare themselves
with their peers and if your child is overweight or obese, he or she can
experience self-esteem and depression issues that stem from body image.
A 2009 study published in “Pediatrics” reports that obese children can be at an increased risk of poor self-esteem.
It states, “Low self-esteem can lead to
higher rates of sadness, loneliness and nervousness. Long-term
self-esteem issues can increase your child’s risk of dangerous behaviors
such as smoking and drinking alcohol.
“Self-esteem issues are more likely to
affect your child during adolescence when body image becomes an
important part of peer interactions and feelings of self-worth.”
To ensure that children have healthy
weights, Ogundele recommends that mothers should feed them a variety of
nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk
and cheese and lean beef, pork, chicken and fish.
“Serving children these foods makes it
more difficult to overfeed them because they are more nutrient dense,
which means they fill them up and keep them full longer. Foods with
fibre and protein fuel your child’s body and help keep him/her from
getting hungry, which can encourage the habit of eating less food
overall,” he adds.
Dear parents, emphasis should be on the quality of food given and not quantity.
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