When do we have to start monitoring child overweight
The childhood obesity it is a problem that is increasingly going on because of the expansion of excessively sugary beverages, processed products and a rhythm of life that tends more and more to a sedentary lifestyle.
For these reasons more and more experts advise that the overweight in children from younger ages. In this way it will be possible to fight against childhood obesity since its inception and avoid the health problems derived from excess fat. Many affirm that it must be from the six years when it must begin to check the weight of the minors.
More aggressive therapies against childhood overweight
According to him United States Preventive Services Working Group, children should undergo screening to assess if they are overweight after six years of age. In this way, professionals will be able to initiate appropriate treatments to counteract obesity in these cases. At this point many American nutritionists bet more aggressive therapies aimed at changing the behavior of these patients.
That is, make them adopt routines that make them abandon sedentary lifestyle and to take a more balanced diet away from foods with added sugars and saturated fats. These should be applied rigidly and without allowing deviations since the intention is tackle the problem from its early stages and not wait until it goes to more in the future. It is also easier to get a child to accept these behaviors than a teenager who has years and years of sedentary lifestyle and bad diets.
But this body does not forget about obesity inadolescents and pre-teens. According to these experts, these overweight patients should also undergo behavioral therapies where parents should also participate. The mission is the same: to instill a lifestyle with sport and a balanced diet. In this case the participation of parents is key since they must learn how to avoid tempting foods at home and encourage their children to continue with this treatment.
How to fight from home against childhood overweight
Parents should not wait for the diagnosis of a case of overweight to change the habits of their children's lives. If you work from the beginning you will avoid obesity problems in the future. These are some of the points that from home can be applied in this prevention:
1. Planned and balanced feeding where excessive amounts of sandwiches, soft drinks, sweets, etc. are avoided. and increase the supply of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, pulses and cereals.
2. Do regular physical exercise. Walking or practicing a sport with friends or family is the best way to instill physical activity.
3. Respect meal times. Foods with excessive fat and sugars should be avoided between meals because consuming them has two drawbacks: they provide many calories and few nutrients and remove the desire to eat much more nutritious food.
4. Importance of dairy products. The importance of these foods for bones is important to ensure all the calcium they need.
5. Precaution with fast food since it fattens a lot and feeds little.
6. Eat slowly and without distractions such as television, video games, smartphones, etc. More than two hours in front of the television favor obesity.
7. Eat in moderation and in a variety of ways so that in the diet there is a little of everything and not much of one.
8. That the whole family participate in the practice of good habits food A healthy diet is healthy for all of them, whether or not they are overweight.
Damián Montero
