Childhood Obesity: How to Prevent Excess Weight Gain in Kids? Expert Reveals

The major causes of childhood obesity are lifestyle factors, such as insufficient exercise and a diet high in calories. However, it’s possible that hormonal and genetic influences as well.

Childhood Obesity: Children and adolescents are affected by a significant medical disease known as childhood obesity. It’s especially concerning because childhood obesity frequently sets kids up for health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, which were formerly thought to be the domain of adults. Additionally, sadness and low self-esteem in children can result from obesity. Nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee says, “It all begins with too little activity and too much food. Genetic and hormonal factors also have a role. But diet and exercise can trump genes so there is always a way out!”

Improving your family’s food and activity habits is one of the greatest ways to combat kid obesity. Obesity in children may be treated and prevented, which helps safeguard both your child’s present and future health.

HOW TO PREVENT CHILDHOOD OBESITY?

1. Start Young: Inculcate good eating habits in your children. Talk to them every day. Make it fun and guide them daily. They may not listen immediately but the advice sticks to their fresh young mouldable minds and they do begin to practise what you taught them in childhood. So start young as good eating habits are created at a young age.
2. Watch Your Own Eating Habits: Secondly, parents should watch their own eating habits. Parents who don’t eat vegetables, need to check the food they give to their children right from a young age. You need to guide your children to do some form of physical activity for 30-40 mins right from a young age. Take pains to present vegetables, salads, and pulses in a fun way.
3. Health is More Than Just Body Weight: It is important to emphasise to your child that health is much more than just body weight. Achieving ideal body weight, body composition and metabolic fitness are truly what is significant in staying healthy.

Additionally, make sure your child has well-child exams from the doctor at least once every year.