Did you know that it’s typical for children to gain weight as they grow? Extra infrequent pounds are essential to support growth and development. How do you know when weight gain is appropriate and when you ought be concerned about a child’s weight gain? When should a youngster lose weight?
Childhood obesity is a growing trouble in America and in Europe. When a child is considerably above normal weight for their height, the child might be obese and approaching serious health issues.
Children can confront the same health problems that obese grownups confront such as diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension (high blood pressure). Parents can fight back by making sure your children eat a diet that is wholesome and that they stay physically active each day. Your youngster’s pediatrician can give you guidelines for physical exercise. They can also refer you to a certified dietitian or nutritionist that can help you design a healthy diet for your child’s age.
If your youngster is overweight and needs weight loss help, you might want to know what caused your youngster to have this problem. There are many causes for excess weight gain including genetic and hormonal causes; consumng too much and not getting enough exercise. Eating and exercise habits or lan there of are by far the more common causes for childhood weight problems. But a small proportion of children may have certain diseases that add to the problems. These include Cushing’s syndrome or Prader-Willi syndrome.
Is your child in danger of having a weight issue that requires him or her to be working on losing weight?
Risk factors for childhood obesity are many and include a diet that comprises of fast foods, baked goods, vending machine snacks, high-fat foods and processed foods. These food items are readily available and, in the fast-paced world of today, children often choose items that are tasty, quick and easy. Unfortunately, foods that are sold in vending machines or at fast-food chains normally contain a high calorie count to go along with that convenience and good taste.
Other risk factors are inactivity, genetics, psychological factors and family factors. Children who have overweight family members may be genetically predisposed to put on excess weight as they grow, especially if family factors are unhealthy. Family factors would be those that result from family routines. These will include eating in front of the TV, eating lots of salty, fatty or sweet foods, having a lot of take-out or fast-food meals because parents work and it’s easier to pick-up a meal than to cook it. Psychological risk factors would be those that are connected to kids not being able to cope with emotional problems, stress or boredom and use food to compensate.
To get more information on how to prevent childhood obesity, visit Dave Owen’s site “Facts About Childhood Obesity”. You will find many ways to help your child loose weight and gain self-esteem.