Child Obesity and Preventive Measures

It is extremely difficult to remove obesity from the body once it gets established. And therefore, it is advisable to take proper care of all those children who are becoming obese from their very childhood. Mothers of such children should keep complete information regarding balanced diet and should take care to ensure that their children develop the right habits of eating and living.

Here, in this article we will discuss upon the root factor of fat deposit in the body and how we can restrict it to the normal level. In the human body, fat is present in the form of an independent tissue called adipose tissue. This tissue contains a large number of fat cells.

During the first year of a child’s life, the number of fat cells has a tendency to increase. After the age of one year, there is no appreciable change in the number of fat cells. The size of individual fat cells, however, may increase or decrease, depending upon the nature of energy imbalance. Thus, if a child is excessively fat during the first year of his life, the number of fat cells increases rapidly. Later on, fat gets accumulated in these cells and obesity ensues.

So the question arises, how to put check on the diet of your child. It is not desirable to impose a big cut on obese children’s diet. In this regard, the treatment of child obesity differs from that of the adults. It is unnecessary to make any efforts to actually reduce child’s weight. It is enough to devise a diet plan that ensures prevention of weight gain. As the child grows, he gradually moves towards his ideal weight. It is also necessary to insure that during his dietary regimen, he gets an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals.

Preventive measures against child obesity

The two most important things you have to do in order to prevent your child from being obese are –

1. Plan a diet for your child that contains low carbohydrate, medium fat and high protein food. Exclude carbohydrate foods like cake, ice creams, chocolate, jam, sugar, sweets, etc.

2. Encourage him to participate in sports and other physical activities. This will help him in shedding extra fat from the body.

Hazards of childhood obesity

Child obesity creates many hazards and disadvantages for children. Some of them are as below –

1. Obese children easily fall a victim to diseases of respiratory system.

2. Besides this, the long term dangers include increased serum insulin levels and increased serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

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