Obesity in Childhood

                                            

 
Ellen J. Barrier

Published Author/ Marketing Skills/ Medical Professional Musician/ Product Consultant/ Performing Arts/ Recording Artist/ Songwriter/ Spirituality Counselor/ Creative Writing & Public Speaking.  

What's Really Causing the Childhood Obesity Epidemic?
                                                                                                                 

There are preventative measures that parents can take to prevent childhood obesity. Three things that can be watched closely are, diet, exercise and scheduling. These things should begin when the child is brought home from the hospital. The one thing to keep in mind is every time the baby cries, he or she is not hungry.

 Overfeeding is not healthy.  Sticking to a schedule is very important in the early years of childhood, because it prevents snacking in between meals in later years that can lead to overeating. Most family’s meals are Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Preventive measures to take to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Diet:  

Bread

Cereal

Fruit

Milk & Dairy  

Meat (lean meat, poultry, fish)

Vegetables (dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, dry beans, peas, and other nutritionals such as corn and potatoes) Teaching a child to eat in small portions is very important. If they want more after eating the smaller portion, they should be able to have more. Overeating and too many snacks between meals are problems to avoid. A few healthy snacks between meals should be allowed if the child is hungry.

Exercise:

From crib to adult years exercise is very important. When babies are placed on a quilt on the floor, they can move around easier, and have closer contact with the parents and family. This aids in crawling and walking a lot sooner. There are many things parents can do to help their children get the proper exercise they need.

Bicycling

Dancing

Gymnastics

Hockey

Jogging

Jumping rope

Playing balls

Soccer

Swinging

Swimming

Tennis

Tricycle

Walking

Scheduling:

Having a set time for each meal is very important, it prevent snacking before meals that can prevent eating the most important food. If a child is not hungry during the meal because they are filled from snacks, they aren’t going to eat, or if they are encouraged to eat, this will add extra calories and will lead to weight gain.  And it sends a message to the brain to eat, even though the child isn’t hungry, that is carried through teenage years and into adult years.

 How we prepare meals and scheduling are examples we set for our children.  Keeping a cookie jar and candy in the house was never something I have done. It was not a traditional thing in my childhood. As parents, we pass much of our cultural traditions to our children. We have to be careful to determine what is good and what is not. I have shared with you the things that have worked for my family and myself, that prevented obesity in our childhood and in our adult years.

By:  Ellen J. Barrier
Published Author/ Medical Professional

Books on Childhood Obesity

Overweight: What Kids Say:
What's Really Causing the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
By Robert A. Pretlow MD

Book Store:  http://astore.amazon.com/books-247-20/detail/1450534392

Barrier's Health and Fitness Website: http://barriershealthandfitness.com/