Tips to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight
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OVERWEIGHT Being overweight is proven to put children at risk for serious health problems throughout their lives. Diabetes, heart disease, and asthma are conditions associated with overweight and obesity. In this context, childhood obesity also has an emotional cost that can lead to low self-esteem and a negative body image. These psychological problems even lead to depression.
NUTRITION INSTEAD OF DIET
Proper nutrition is not about putting children on a diet. Therefore, it is a preventive health measure to help them eat a healthy diet that favors their physical and mental development. One of the basic rules for healthy infant feeding is the correct supply line provided by parents. In this sense, they are responsible for controlling the sources of food. Therefore, parents decide what type of food is available at home and when it is served. Young children will eat whatever is in the pantry and refrigerator. Nutrition habits are associated with food sources available to the child.
Avoid Pressure to Eat
Let your children finish eating when they satisfy their appetite. Many parents believe in the “empty plate” maxim, but this approach does not help children know when they have had enough. If a child learns to recognize fullness and react accordingly, they are less likely to eat more than they should.
MILD HEADACHE Although frequent consumption of sweets is not beneficial to health, it is not wrong to eat sweets from time to time. However, avoid making dessert the most valuable dish of any meal. When dessert becomes the reward for having eaten well, it is normal for children to want the treat more than the food.
SUGAR EFFECT Some experts have shown strong affective relationships caused by the diverse feelings and emotions that arise through sugar consumption, such as pleasure or guilt. It is not advisable to use food to reward children or show affection. This practice can generate in children a need to use it as a mechanism to face stress or other negative emotions.
For further information, call your trusted professionals on Pineville pediatrics or your Ballantyne Pediatrician.
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