Diet for children? Tips for healthy eating
More and more children and adolescents eat incorrectly, move too little and are therefore overweight. It is well known that obesity is harmful to health, but how useful are diets for children? Can the weight be permanently reduced?
More and more children are suffering from obesity
Due to poor nutrition and too little exercise, obesity in children has increased sharply in recent years. Studies have shown that one in five children and one in three adolescents is already struggling with obesity at an early age. Lack of exercise andfast foodare part of children’s everyday lives today. Many children do not know how to eat healthily and how important daily exercise is for a healthy organism.
A “normal” diet is only frustrating for children
Forcing children to diet only creates frustration. The conditions are particularly difficult if the child eats a lot outside, for example in a school canteen orkindergarten. Then, as a parent, you usually have very bad cards to positively influence the eating behavior of the child.
Parents should try to raise their child’s health awareness of freshfruits, vegetablesand fillingwhole grains. If time permits, you should prepare a delicious packed lunch for your child for school. In any case, wholemeal bread should be used for school sandwiches, as its degree of satiety is higher. Parents can also give their children vegetables and fruit in bite-sized portions. Then it can eat them during the breaks.
A short-term diet for children never makes sense. As soon as the diet is stopped, the yo-yo effect sets in and then the child may gain even more weight than it has lost before. Therefore, parents should change the diet permanently and eliminate fast food, sweets and other calorie bombs from the diet.
Parents are role models for child nutrition!
Parents should show their child how to cook healthily. Ideally, they prepare meals together with their children and use plenty of fresh vegetables. They can show their offspring how delicious a salad can taste and the fruit as a dessert can also be a substitute for chocolate.
It’s also important to show your child that daily exercise is important. Ideal are shared bike rides or walks with the family. For shorter distances, the car should usually be dispensed with. In the department store you can also take the stairs, not only if the elevator is broken.
Get professional help
Many parents are overwhelmed with the overweight of their children. If you don’t know what to do yourself and the pediatrician has no advice, a nutritionist or child psychologist may be able to help reduce the child’s weight. With it, the whole family can learn to change their eating habits in order to reduce the weight of the child again.
In no case should parents leave their child alone with the excess weight. It will be overwhelmed and probably already has enough to struggle with the constant teasing of its classmates. Now it’s up to the parents! They need to introduce their child to tasty alternatives for a healthier lifestyle and motivate them. Because both for the soul and for the body of the child, the constant burden of obesity is difficult to cope with and can lead to serious health diseases and long-term damage.