Blame yourself and not fast food for your child’s obesity!

A new study has found that fast food consumption may not be the major factor in the rapid increase in childhood obesity.

By: Editorial Team | | Published: January 16, 2014 5:39 pm

A new study has found that fast food consumption may not be the major factor in the rapid increase in childhood obesity. Also Read - Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: 4 reasons an eco-friendly Ganesha is good for you

The study found that fast-food consumption is simply a byproduct of a much bigger problem: poor all-day-long dietary habits that originate in children’s homes. Also Read - Know about these health benefits of air fryer

The study was produced by researchers at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. Also Read - Newborn fat: Here’s why you shouldn’t ignore it

The study’s researchers found that children’s consumption of fast food is only a small part of a much more pervasive dietary pattern that is fostered at an early age by children’s parents and caregivers.

The pattern includes few fruits and vegetables, relying instead on high amounts of processed food and sugar-sweetened beverages. These food choices also are reinforced in the meals students are offered at school.

“This is really what is driving children’s obesity,” Barry Popkin, PhD, W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of nutrition at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, whose team led the study, said. (Read: Childhood obesity linked to cancer risk?)

“Eating fast foods is just one behavior that results from those bad habits. Just because children who eat more fast food are the most likely to become obese does not prove that calories from fast foods bear the brunt of the blame,” he said.

The study is published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (Read: Childhood obesity leading to early onset of cardiovascular ailments)

Tips to tackle childhood obesity:

‘Do no force the child to gulp the food he does not like. Rather change the recipe or the way of cooking or presenting that particular food or replace it with some other ingredient to make sure he/she gets the desired nutrients,’ she adds. Dr Reshma, the editor of this site and mother of an eight-year-old also gives some handy tips. ‘A child is highly influenced by the parents. So it is up to us to inculcate healthy habits in ourselves first before we preach to kids. Exercise at home, get the kid to do it with you. Make it a fun activity by calling their friends over. Serve food in fun plates and make healthy yet interesting dishes,’ she advises. On regulating junk food, she says it can be negotiated with your child – keep it to once a week, once in two weeks, then once in a month. (Also read: 5 healthy recipes your kids will love)

An hour of physical activity in any form every day is enough to keep your child healthy. It is important is that the child enjoys what he is doing and considers it a recreation rather than forceful exercise.

Parents need to keep a constant check on their child’s height and weight. Habituate them to regular small meal pattern rather than three large meals to increase their metabolism. Avoid feeding them with excess butter, ghee and other fatty foods hoping that their child will become healthy. Inculcate the habit of eating two portions of salad and fruits every day. (Read: Inspire your child to go from fat to fit: Tips to tackle childhood obesity)

Withinputs from: ANI

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Published : January 16, 2014 5:39 pm

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