Shedding off excess fat through proper feeding
Gemma P. Dimaano, MS, RD
Contributor
For decades we have thought that if our children were on the fat side, they would outgrow it. But that is not so. A local study among kindergarten boys in a private school has shown that overweight and obese children remained so after five years. Some even gained more weight.
Researchers agree that the longer a child remains overweight, the greater are the chances that he would become an obese adult. They also predict that they may succumb to heart attacks and stroke as early as their 20s.
What causes children to be obese?
Despite being complicated by genes and hormones, obesity is basically an energy imbalance between calorie intake and output, between food eaten and food burned. When a child eats more than what his body needs, the unburned calories are stored as fatty tissues. Consequently, body weight goes over what is right for his age, sex, and activities. If unchecked, the overweight child could go on to become an obese child.
What are the contributing factors?
Fast-food chains with their high-fat, sweet, salty meals? Soft-drink and sugary-fruit-drink manufacturers? Schools that allow calorie-dense and "nutrient-empty" foods in cafeterias and vending machines? TV networks and makers of video games that have caused children to lead sedentary lifestyles? Education policymakers who limit physical education in schools? Health professionals who do not educate parents and children about healthy lifestyle? Or parents themselves?
Interestingly, data from a new survey of parents by AC Nielsen show two thirds of parents blame themselves. After all, parents have control over eating patterns and activities of their children.
A survey in the United Kingdom reports 30 percent of mothers and 57 percent of fathers fail to recognize their children getting overweight. Some parents show no concern at all for their overweight child. The situation is true regardless of socioeconomic status.
What can parents do?
The management of child obesity includes not only the child but the family as well. Parental involvement is an integral component. Family eating and activity habits have a much stronger influence on weight than heredity.
The first step is for parents to monitor their children's weight. If they see that their child seems to be gaining weight much faster than his playmates or peers at school and his clothes don't seem to fit especially around the waistline, then it's about time they saw a pediatrician.
If the child is found to be overweight, a healthy weight goal is determined. The best goal is not to lose weight but to lower the rate of weight gain as the child grows taller and develops muscle. However, if the child is found to be obese or has health problems related to weight, a realistic weight loss is planned.
In monitoring weight gain or weight loss, the basic principle is calorie intake equals calorie output.
Stop weight gain!
Cutting down on food servings (one scoop of ice cream instead of two), sugar, fat, and oils are healthy ways to lower child's calorie intake. Keeping a daily food and activity log helps parents know what their child is eating, where his calories are coming from, and how he is burning them. When combined with regular weight monitoring, a balance can be worked out through physical activity, thereby preventing weight gain.
For example, a gain of one pound a week is equivalent to taking in 3,500 more calories. Cutting a child's diet by 500 calories a day will prevent weight gain. A dietitian can provide help in calorie counting.
Losing weight is depleting fatty stores in the body by eating less and being more active. This means the child has to take in fewer calories, or exercise to burn more calories, or do both. If a child at his steady weight reduces his eating by 250 calories a day or indulges in activities that burn 250 calories more, he could lose one-half pound in one week or two pounds in a month. Or the child could eat 125 less calories and burn 125 calories more. For example, instead of taking his usual Big Mac (560 calories) for lunch, he takes cheeseburger (320 calories). Or he eats one-third of a Big Mac (187 calories) and plays ball for 30 minutes.
Maintaining or losing weight involves full commitment from the child and the parents. It means changing lifestyle, educating themselves on healthy eating, and controlling the external environment. In addition, behavioral experts advise focusing on specific positive goals. Instead of emphasizing on losing pounds, which sounds negative, choose a specific action like drink cold refreshing water in place of soft drinks.
Lifestyle changes include eating breakfast every morning. Without breakfast, the body's metabolism slows down to conserve the food. Eating breakfast signals the body to use the food rather than store it. Fast-food intake should be cut down. A recent Harvard study showed that overweight teeners tend to eat more in fast-food chains than their lean peers.
Sit-down family dinners are highly recommended. A 2003 study showed that eating food away from home contributes to excess weight in many school-age kids. Family togetherness helps develop a positive attitude toward food, ensures that nutritious foods are served in regular intervals, and controls snacking on high-calorie foods. As nutritionists often say, the family that eats together stays healthy together.
Family meals are also best served in the kitchen or dining area, not in front of the computer or television, which prevents the child from paying attention to his feeling of fullness. Eating while playing games or doing homework makes eating an unconscious activity-which shouldn't be. Make eating an activity in itself-enjoyable and fun.
Small changes such as reducing fatty foods and sugary drinks are achievable targets at the start. "Cold turkey" is one approach found effective to eliminate sugar. Note that children have an innate preference for sweet taste. Lots of fruits, vegetables, and water are not only nutritious but are less calorie-packed and effective in " tricking" the stomach into feeling full.
Children can be taught the value of a nutritious diet. Studies show that the child who understands the meaning of calories, the burning of calories during physical activity, their relation to body fitness and health are more committed and motivated to shed off excess pounds.
Will special diets work?
Many quick-fix weight-loss programs and diets are promoted today. Are they safe for children? The popular low-carbohydrate foods and diets like Atkins, The Zone, South Beach, and LA Shape focus on good food and bad food, not on the overall eating pattern. Hence, nutritious carbohydrate-rich foods like fruits, grains, beans, pasta, leafy and starchy vegetables rich in essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and beneficial plant compounds are limited. A missed opportunity-because these are high-volume foods filling to the stomach, yet low in calories.
High-protein foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs are in. According to experts, the initial short-term weight loss is due to water and muscle loss, decreased appetite, and reduced calories. No one knows the long-term health effects of low-carbohydrate diets. No child should be deprived of an important foundation of a healthy diet.
The challenge to parents
Parents should set a good example. It is important in establishing good eating habits among their children. Many studies report that overweight or children whose parents are themselves overweight or obese, are more likely to become overweight or obese adults.
One study shows that when mothers restrict their overweight daughters' eating, the result is overeating in the absence of hunger. An overweight child needs support, acceptance, reassurance, and encouragement from parents. What children should learn is to prefer foods that, taken together in the right amounts, lead to a healthy body weight.
It must be clearly understood that obesity cannot be blamed on specific foods. There are no good or bad foods. The eating pattern over time is the main consideration. Eating a meal of fast food can be compensated by eating less at other meals or exercising so that the overall pattern in a day or two is balanced calorie intake and output.
Parents need to show patience. Change takes time. Healthy eating doesn't become a habit overnight. It takes time and effort to make it a part of daily routine. It also takes time to notice a change in a child's weight.
By showing healthy habits, talking to their children openly and without judgment and letting them know they are loved no matter what, parents begin the road to successful parenting of an overweigh or obese child.
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