Obesity is a popular topic these days. Studies show that children who became obese 
by age 8 were more severely obese as adults. The statistics are worrying:
The number of overweight children aged 6-11 years has doubled in the past 20 years
The number of overweight adolescents aged 12-19 has more than tripled.
In 2009, only 22.3% of high school students eat fruits and vegetables five or more times daily (when fried potatoes and potato chips are excluded) in a 7 day period.
Research suggests that not having breakfast can affect children's intellectual. We don’t need research to remind us that hunger and food insufficiency in children can cause poor behavioral and academic functioning.
What are the home remedies?
Medications and surgeries are typically not recommended for children because it can be contained with proper and healthy diet. And reading the statistics, the concept of teaching kids while cooking makes so much sense. Dont you think? There is so much heartaches and anguish that can be prevented with practicing simple home remedies!
Healthy eating
Parents are the ones who buy the food, cook the food and decide where the food is eaten. Decide what to eat together –plan and cook together.
When buying groceries, choose fruits and vegetables. Avoid buying too much cookies, crackers and prepared meals, are high in sugar and fat. Always have healthy snacks available.
Never use food as a reward or punishment. Aren't we so guilty of this?
Limit sweetened beverages, including those containing fruit juice. These drinks provide little nutritional value in exchange for their high calories. They also can make your child feel too full to eat healthier foods.
Sit down together for family meals. Discourage eating in front of a screen, such as a television, computer or video game. My kids tend to do this – it can quite difficult to get them to the table. I remove the plug! Or the father shows a stern look.
Limit the number of times you eat out, especially at fast-food restaurants. Many of the menu options are high in fat and calories.
A critical part of weight loss, especially for children, is physical activity. My husband and I got my kids to walk with us at least during the weekends. At first there was a lot of fretting and grunting but they are enjoying it so much now that they look forward to the outings.
Find activities your child likes to do and take part. Don’t forget to vary the activities. For instance, if your child is artistically inclined, go on a nature hike to collect leaves and rocks that your child can use to make a collage. If you child like toys like mine, make them walk all over the mall with you! You will get a good work out too!
If you like more information, there is a lot of useful information on these two websites.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
Happy Cooking and Teaching!
Teaching kids while cooking is a great idea.They may learn about the good and bad of foods.
ReplyDeletethe best way to educate kids about a healthy eating is let them join in cooking.
ReplyDelete