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The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services says about 12.5 million children and teens ages 2
to 19 are overweight or obese, and the number has increased
dramatically in recent decades, according to government health
officials. Experts say excess body fat has been linked to a wide
variety of ailments, from diabetes to heart disease and high
blood pressure. One of
the most important ways to curb excess body weight is to choose
healthy options. You are what you eat, and for parents, your
children and teens will more than likely eat what you eat. That
means no fast food or junk food in the house, period.
“It is completely unrealistic
to expect that your teenager is going to not eat junk food if
junk food is present in the house,” Fancher said. “It’s just
going to create a battlefield for them and create tension.”
With today’s busy and hectic
lifestyles, it can be difficult to even find the time for the
entire family to gather around the dinner table. But a meal at
home can be a healthier meal than purchased fast food. Starting
small, with even one family meal per week, can be an important
step on the path to very positive and big changes, says Fancher.
One of the most overlooked
meals is breakfast. Skipping this first meal of the day can have
a significant impact on your child’s nutrition for the rest of
the day.
“We want to start the day off
with a nice solid foundation,” Fancher says. “It’s going to help
kids focus more, to do better in school, and often have fewer
behavioral issues.” Skipping breakfast can cause some
children to effectively starve themselves all day, only to then
follow it up with a huge dinner at the end of the day, when all
those calories are least needed, Fancher added.
The importance of maintaining a
healthy weight is critical for your child’s health, and getting
the message through while they are still young can have major
implications later on. Fancher says children who start
adolescence already overweight or obese have a greatly reduced
chance of being able to maintain a normal bodyweight as they
mature into adulthood.
It’s all too easy these days
for kids to spend hours on the computer or texting on a cell
phone. Parents should realize they won’t be able to stop these
activities altogether, but they can help reduce the amount of
time. The first step is to track their children’s usage of
computers and cell phones and see just how much time they are
spending inactive. From there, parents will be empowered to set
boundaries and help their children balance sedentary activities
with active ones, while giving children a say in the decision.
“If they are overweight, let
them choose the activities that can get them out of the house
and out of their rooms, out of their computer chairs,” says
Fancher. “Tell them, ‘You have to choose something to help you
be active. But you can choose what that activity is.’”
“I think that it’s going to
help contribute to their health, and so for the long term,
you’ll create a more peaceful, mindful person who can handle
things better and be healthier,” Fancher said.
There’s no denying the power peer pressure can place on
children. Something Fancher says she can’t emphasize enough is
the importance of getting their group involved and finding ways
to get their friends to be supportive. For example, if there’s
going to be a slumber party at the house, have healthy snacks
available instead of junk food.
“Peer pressure is such a big
thing, so it can be much easier for kids to lose weight, but
you’ve got to get them invested and really get their friends
invested in it. Once they get physically active and stop eating
junk food, that can produce amazing results. Amazing results.” |
