When obesity strikes early on

If your children are having to battle the bulge, it's time to sit up and take serious note.

We live in a society where eating food (read junk food) is a favourite pastime for many children as well as their parents. Add to this endless hours spent in front of the television and computer and you know why obesity among school-going children is on the rise. As a matter of fact, rising levels of childhood obesity are a growing concern worldwide.

On an average, most UAE children and teenagers spend several hours each day on sedentary activity such as watching television, playing video games, chatting on the Internet or on a mobile phone, leaving them very little time for real physical activities such as jogging, swimming or participating in team sports to burn accumulated calories.

To make matters worse, while watching their favourite cartoons or television programmes, children are bombarded with tempting TV commercials from food manufacturers that persuasively tell them to go for high-fat, high-sugar snacks, meals, drinks and cereals.

Little wonder, we are raising a generation of children who're at high risk of obesity-related medical conditions.

Obesity often leads to health problems and children are no exception. Apart from increasing the risk of obesity in adulthood, childhood obesity is associated with the early development of Type II diabetes mellitus, particularly in children with a family history of the disease.

Childhood obesity is also a leading cause of paediatric hypertension and coronary heart disease.

Psychological problems such as low self-esteem are another significant consequence of obesity in children.

The question is what parents can do to prevent this problem? There's no doubt parental involvement remains the most important key in preventing/controlling obesity among children.

Diet management coupled with physical exercise is an effective strategy for treating childhood obesity. Whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, you can take steps to provide balanced meals, instil smart eating habits and encourage an active lifestyle.

Make activity times fun times

For starters, encourage your children to be physically active everyday, even if it means taking time off from your busy schedule to go for a brisk walk or play games with them. It is important that you make these exercise sessions fun times and not a punishing schedule for your children. Fortunately, most neighbourhoods in the UAE have public parks and open spaces where you can jog, play ball games or jump rope with your children. Curtail the amount of time you and your family spend in sedentary activities, such as watching television or playing video or computer games. Most paediatricians recommend parents restrict TV viewing and computer time for their children to one to two hours per day - however, older children may need additional time for learning activities.

Diet management

It is important to remember that fasting or extreme diet restriction is not advisable for children, no matter how overweight they are. Such an extreme approach will not only be psychologically stressful for your child, but it may also adversely affect the child's growth and eating patterns. Instead, carefully plan meals that are balanced and have reduced dietary fat. In general, a healthy diet includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products and moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and nuts. Foods rich in oil, cream, butter, salt and sugar should be avoided.

If your child is grossly overweight consult your family doctor or a nutrition expert. Many websites offer valuable dietary information. One such useful website is the one operated by United States Department of Agriculture (www.mypyramid.gov) that features food guidelines for people of all ages, including children. You can enter your children's age, gender and activity level and get an estimate of what and how much they should be eating.

Parents' role

Ultimately, it is parents who play a big role in shaping their children's eating habits, so be a good role model. Introduce your children to a wide variety of foods, such as grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products and lean meats. When parents show a preference for a variety of foods that are high in fibres and low in fat and sugar, children too learn to like such foods.

However, instilling good food habits in your children is not an easy task - especially for busy and harried working mothers. When you come home tired after a long day' work, it is so easy to pick up the phone and order your children's favourite chicken nuggets, pizza or burger instead of trying to make them eat their greens. Unfortunately, fast foods contain heavy loads of fats, salt and starch and all of them contribute towards obesity.

Changing to a healthier lifestyle will not happen overnight for your family, but if you are committed to tackling this issue, you can help steer your children towards a path where they will always make healthy lifestyle and dietary choices despite the peer and media pressures.

EAT RIGHT
Nipping it in the bud

- Encourage your children to eat at proper intervals and to eat slowly.

- Discourage eating meals or snacks while watching TV.

- Have regular family meals. Children are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods and more likely to eat fruits, vegetables and grains when the whole family sits together at mealtimes.

- Involve your children in planning and preparing meals - they will be more willing to eat the dishes they help fix.

- Keep mealtime pleasant and friendly - avoid arguments or lectures during meals.

- Make it easy for your children to reach for healthy snacks by keeping bowls of fruits and jars of nuts and whole-grain crackers on the dining table or kitchen counter.

- Refrigerate chunks of fresh fruits such as melon or pineapple for a healthy treat in seconds.

- Make a fruit smoothie by blending fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt with fresh or frozen fruits such as strawberries, melons, peaches or bananas.

- Stock up on frozen vegetables for quick and easy cooking in the microwave.

- Make salads temptingly colourful by adding baby carrots, red and green peppers, shredded red cabbage, or spinach leaves. Many vegetables such as broccoli or celery sticks taste great with a dip or dressing. Use a low-fat salad dressing or make a dip from low-fat yogurt.

- Choose wholegrain breads, cereals and pasta to include more fibre in your children's diet. Use whole-grain barley or lentils in vegetable soups and bulgur wheat in casserole or stir-fries.

- Popcorn, a whole grain, can be a healthy snack with little or no added salt and butter.

- Choose poultry, fish or beans as protein source.

- Buy skinless chicken parts, or take off the skin before cooking. Trim away all of the visible fat from meats and poultry before cooking. Bake, broil, grill, roast, poach, or boil meat, poultry, or fish instead of frying.

- Limit the availability of fast food and other high-fat low-nutrient snacks such as chips, chocolates, cakes and cookies - however, don't ban them totally. Instead offer them occasionally as special treats.

- Children should be encouraged to drink water when thirsty instead of reaching for sugary soft drinks or fruit juices. Include 100 per cent fruit juice or fat-free or low-fat milk as a beverage at meals. By drinking milk, children boost their intake of calcium, which is important for healthy bones.