Do You Think Your Child Could Be The Next Obese Person You Know?

Today’s children are becoming more and more unhealthy; statistics show that the problem is reaching epidemic proportions. Childhood obesity is costing governments billions and the price on the children’s health and mental state is even higher. It is the duty of all parents to know how to keep their kids healthy.  All over the world, an alarming number of children are now falling prey to the badly feared condition of obesity. As a result, quite early on in life, they have to deal with diseases like diabetes and conditions relating to a weak heart.
Most modern parents are hardworking busy people who just don’t have the time to cook different, freshly prepared meals every single night for their family. With the cost of living rising constantly, parents are finding they have to work longer and longer hours just to pay the bills. As a result of this, children’s diet and health is neglected, and groceries are bought with two things in mind, price and convenience. Kids are left to entertain themselves, which usually means watching TV, playing video games or the internet.
Things have to change or we will find in the not so distant future that our children will die before us. They need to get back to eating fresh fruit and vegetables, healthy proteins such as fish and chicken, and start getting more exercise and fresh air.
Smart nutrition needs to be incorporated to prevent child obesity.  Millions of children all over the world fall prey to child obesity and only because their parents are unable to monitor their diet. If you are looking for child obesity prevention, then you need to indulge your child as less as possible. Read about foods that can help in sprucing up nutritional value in your child’s body without causing it to gain more weight. In this regard, fast foods like burgers, aerated drinks and fries are best avoided. As a parent, you can always try to incorporate better food alternatives in your child’s diet.
An intelligent diet for your child would contain a lot of leafy greens. Vegetables are usually rich in vitamins and minerals and give your child the body nutrients he or she needs. Child obesity prevention is also effective when you add a lot of fruits to your child’s diet. Like with anybody else, a child’s body reacts negatively to large unbalanced meals. You can get rid of this by getting your child into the habit of taking small meals throughout the day.
The best way to get your children to eat the healthy fruit and vegetables they need is through the parents being role models and taking more responsibility into their children’s nutrition. You can create any recipe you need in minutes without spending a fortune, and you can even sneak the odd green vegetable in their pastas, eggs, sandwiches, rice, chicken and even in tasty smoothies and they will never know. Freezing smoothies and creating ice pops is also a great fun way to get them to enjoy it. The possibilities are endless.
As for the exercise, well sometimes that will take some of your precious time, but your child’s health and future is more important than anything. Childhood is the time when the body undergoes vast changes as it proceeds towards a more mature state. Building the right habits is an extremely important aspect at this stage. Thus, an exercise routine should almost be a given in your child’s life. Just nipping down to the local park to play soccer or a little bike ride is all it takes if done regularly. And sometimes, when you really just don’t have the time, you have to make your child go out and play. It may sound a little harsh, but it’s a whole lot better than playing video games for keeping them healthy and fit. Going by the popular order of the day, you don’t need to take your child to a gym. He or she can engage in rigorous sport or even take up an activity like running, cycling or swimming and keep a healthy weight. However, no matter what the routine is like, you will have to insist so that there is some consistency about it. Make sure your child does not skip this routine often. To make things seem easier for him or her, you can read up about the consistent advantages of physical activity and then share them with your child.
It is our responsibility to ensure our children grow up to be as healthy as possible. Children obesity is rising continually and it needs to be stopped. Teaching our kids how to eat and live healthy is the best way possible for them to become healthy, successful adults.
By Karla Leal
Certified Health Coach