Why Is My Child Getting Fat?
by Ronni Litz Julien
Andy is a 6th grader, 12 years old. His dad travels
excessively for his job, often spending a month out of the
country. Andy has put on a tremendous amount of weight
this year. Part of the problem is that Andy and Dad have a
favorite homecoming celebration, dinner at a steak restaurant.
The restaurant's specialties are French fries topped with
cheese, wonderful warm rolls and butter, and of course, the
"Brownie Thunder" dessert with ice cream and hot fudge.
Their homecoming dinner, a ritual for several years, includes
all of these dishes, a steak and soda, too.
Today, Andy weighs 192 pounds. A perfect
example of how the American adult and childhood obesity problem
has evolved. With this crisis at epidemic proportions,
physicians and pediatricians are beginning to resort to gastric
bypass surgery and weight loss medications, even for teenagers.
I have seen many children placed on the Atkins diet or other
inappropriate "diets" to remedy their chubbiness.
The statistics are devastating for parents:
9 million children in the United States are obese or overweight;
four-year-olds are being sent to their school clinics out of
breath due to their weight; recurring illnesses from being
overweight: diabetes, cancer, asthma, high cholesterol,
bone/joint problems, strokes, disordered sleep -- problems we
thought only occurred in adulthood are showing up in scores of
children.
During our family vacation to Walt Disney
World, I was flabbergasted watching the obese youngster out of
breath walking from one attraction to the next; an
overweight teenager who couldn't fit into the seat on one of the
rides; the stout families who strolled along the theme
park, each carrying a fat-laden snack or a sugary stick of
cotton candy.
As a nutritionist, a mom, and someone who has
struggled with her own weight issues for many years, I have seen
first-hand how critical it is to the well-being and upbringing
of our children to teach them how to eat. You think this
comes with instinct and common sense? I am convinced it is
not an issue to be taken for granted.
We must understand that there is a right and
wrong way to teach our children to eat and make food decisions.
It is not to teach a "diet", but to teach them a way of
life. It appears late for many grown-ups to "re-learn" or
"change many of our unhealthy habits", evidenced by 85-90% of
adults who lose weight (especially fad dieting) gain it back
within a year. So why are our children getting fatter?
I bet these concepts won't surprise you:
More television and computers, less outdoor activities, more
snacking, less physical education, eating due to boredom or
stress...
How do we prevent this epidemic of major
medical significance?
- Make the teaching of good eating habits a
positive experience between you and your children.
- Teach the healthier habits right away, when
they are old enough to eat -- that means moderation, never
deprivation.
- Trust your judgment, you know healthy from
unhealthy; if not, it is easy to find out...
- Be armed with a set of rules and be
consistent. They may change with the child's life cycle,
but stick with them.
- BE THE ROLE MODEL. If I do not want
my children to order the French fires in a restaurant, I will
not order them myself.
- Grasp the "happy medium". Find the
fine line where you say enough, and not too much. That
"line" is crucial for the success of healthy eating habits.
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