Home
>
Parenting
>
Avoid Weight Problems In Children

Avoid Weight Problems In Children

Although, not a well publicized statistic, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past two decades-15% of American children are obese according to the U.S. Obesity Task Force.

With TV commercials bombarding children's minds with 'junk food' options and fast food restaurants enticing parents to 'take a break' from tedious cooking by offering toys or a play room, staying on a healthy eating plan is difficult. In addition, playing outside is a distant thought if children are accustomed to using T.V. the computer, and a plethora of video games as fun activities. Couple this with no P.E. in school and parents have an up hill climb.

There is good news, however. Humans are born with the most important effective weight management tool-a hypothalamus, which helps to regulate the amount of food required for maintaining optimum health and weight.

The main function of the hypothalamus is homeostasis, or maintaining the body's status quo. Factors such as blood pressure, body temperature, fluid and electrolyte balance, and body weight are held to a precise value called the set-point. Although this set-point can migrate over time, from day to day it is remarkably fixed.

If you have cared for or observed infants and young children, you know that it is difficult to make them eat when they are not hungry-and it is almost impossible to deal with them when they are hungry. Toddlers in perpetual motion sometimes eat only small amounts of food, but they eat frequently enough to meet their needs, because at this juncture their natural weight management tool has not been overridden or indoctrinated with poor nutrition habits and eating practices.

You have probably noticed that during periods of rapid growth, particularly the teen years, children may be hungry all the time. When their calorie requirements decrease, they lose interest in food-thus they avoid eating more than their body needs.

The bad news is if parents have poor nutrition habits and/or use food to soothe emotional pain, or numb out pain-a.k.a. mindless eating, children will be indoctrinated with these poor habits and practices. For example, if parents or caregivers feed a baby to calm them every time they cry, the baby soon learns that eating is the only way to receive soothing for discomfort. When they are given food to keep them quiet or busy, they learn that they can distract and entertain themselves with food.

Once a child begins to sit at the table, well-intentioned parents sometimes play games and praise the child to encourage them to eat the food they think the child needs. They may say, "Good boy, you ate all your dinner!" or "What a good eater you are!" This is a wonderful time for creating positive feelings about mealtime, but this praising activity also teaches the child that when they eat, it makes mommy and daddy happy.

Some parents urge an older child to eat everything they are served by saying, "There are starving children in (insert name of country)." The child then ignores the physical discomfort of being full in order to comply with the parent's expectations and win their approval. Sometimes parent's insistence to eat certain types and amounts of food backfires, and mealtime becomes a battleground of intense power struggles.

Another well-meaning parental tactic to encourage eating is "Clean your plate or you don't get dessert." Children may realize that since their parents are bribing them to eat, the food must be "less than desirable" and that dessert is the reward for eating 'less than desirable food' and more than their body is hungry for. The result is a potential lifetime membership in the 'Clean Plate and Obese Club.'

The bottom line is that although meeting children's basic nutritional needs is critical, it is important to provide meals and snacks in a way that respects the child's hunger and fullness cues and teaches them that food is simply for fueling their body. If not, the stage is set for junk food eating habits and weight problems in the future. The keys to help your children thrive and avoid overriding their food management tool include:

? Respect your child's internal cues of hunger and satisfaction.

? Avoid junk food-Yes, I know it is difficult to be the 'junk food police.' Simply DO NOT buy junk food. In the end, you will be glad you gave your child a healthy childhood. If you are a junk food eater, you will need to 'clean' junk food out of your life to be a role model. The old adage, 'Don't do as I do, do as I say,' seldom works. Remember: Not only will you give your child a healthier life you give yourself a healthier life.

? Teach your children that some foods are healthier than others. This helps children learn to balance eating for health with eating for pleasure.

? Involve your children in shopping, meal planning and preparation. This is a great opportunity to teach them about nutrition-and they will be more likely to eat new foods if they helped choose the food and/or make it.

? Avoid forcing children to clean their plates or bribe them with dessert for finishing their meal. Use small portions and they can have seconds if they want more.

? Avoid using food as a reward. Reward desired behavior with praise, extra attention and privileges.

? Avoid using food to comfort your child. Use understanding, empathic words and hugs.

? Help your child develop interests and skills that increase their success and pleasure so they will be less likely to turn to food for fulfillment.

? Foster effective processing of feelings so as to decrease the chance that food will serve the purpose of providing a source for emotional comfort.

? Avoid imposing stringent food rules-this can lead to rebellious eating when the child is away from parental supervision.

? Eat together as a family. Mealtimes need to be a pleasant time to reconnect with one another and model healthy eating.

? Help your child build a lifetime exercise habit by reducing the amount of time your family spends in sedentary activities like TV and video games and make consistent physical activities a high priority.

? Plan fun family activities that provide everyone with exercise, enjoyment and time together.

? Be a positive, encouraging role model for your family. When your child observes you enjoying healthy foods and physical activity, they are more likely to do the same.

Prevention of weight problems and the development of lifetime healthy eating and physical activity is easier learned when the parent is a role model. Armed with these important insights, children will mange their weight instinctively throughout their lives-no matter what others around them do.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, specializes in family issues, including sexual abuse, incest and physical abuse prevention and recovery, as therapist, author, consultant, lecturer, and trainer. "If I'd Only Known? Sexual Abuse in or out of the Family: A Guide to Prevention" 15% discount direct from the publisher at http://www.gen-assist.com/book.asp Dr. Neddermeyer offers 15 minute free consultations and interviews. http://www.gen-assist.com/book.asp 480-704-0603

licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..

In The News:

Scammers create fake Evite invitations that mimic legitimate event emails, requiring users to verify senders and use antivirus software for protection.

The new Apple Watch hypertension feature passively monitors blood pressure patterns over 30 days using sensors to detect chronic high blood pressure signs.

Chrome extension spyware disguised as a free VPN service highlights security risks after it captured private browsing data from trusted sites.

New research shows how fatty acids in cooking oil can safely dissolve and recover silver from circuit boards without harmful chemicals or environmental damage.

The Fox News AI newsletter gives you information on the latest AI technology advancements, and about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Anthropic investigates alarming AI abuse case where hacker automated entire cybercrime campaign using Claude, stealing sensitive data from defense and healthcare firms.

TikTok, Meta and YouTube restrict Charlie Kirk shooting videos with age gates and warnings while X faces criticism for allowing continued circulation.

Cybercriminals use fake troubleshooting websites to trick Mac users into running terminal commands that install Shamos malware through ClickFix tactics.

San Francisco startup Fable launches Showrunner, an AI platform dubbed the 'Netflix of AI' that generates animated episodes from text descriptions with Amazon support.

Apple raised iPhone prices for some models despite receiving tariff relief from President Donald Trump, with the new lineup starting at $799 for the base model.

A two-story 3D concrete printed home in Western Australia demonstrates faster construction methods that could reshape American housing amid rising costs.

Credit scores remain important during retirement for insurance rates and housing applications, while seniors become prime targets for identity theft and financial scams.

Scammers now send unexpected packages with QR codes that redirect victims to fraudulent websites or download malicious software to steal sensitive information.

Meeting AI tools record private conversations alongside work discussions, creating privacy risks that can be managed with proper settings and awareness.

Hotel privacy concerns are valid but rare, with methods to detect hidden tech using smartphone flashlights, mirror tests and scanning apps.

Improve your Wi-Fi speed and reliability with 10 simple router optimization tips that don't require special apps or expensive subscriptions.

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

A woman named Wika announces her engagement to an AI chatbot sparking worldwide debate about virtual relationships and technology.

The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.

Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.

Protect your home network by enabling proper encryption, creating strong passwords, checking connected devices and using VPN and antivirus software.

The Navy's solar-powered Skydweller drone flew nonstop for 73 hours in Mississippi, proving renewable energy can power long-endurance military missions.

Avoid Weight Problems In Children

Parenting