Weight Loss

It is no secret that obesity is now affecting our youth in epidemic proportions. Everywhere you turn there are news reports, talk shows, and magazine articles discussing the growing numbers of overweight and obese children worldwide. North America and Europe are leading the pack in overweight children with the numbers continuing to rise. For example, in Canada, the latest statistics are:

35% of boys are overweight
29% of girls are overweight
17% of boys are obese
15% of girls are obese

In addition to an increasing number of overweight and obese children, obesity related disease processes, once only seen in older generations such as Type II diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, are beginning to appear in our youth. Overweight and obese children also experience psychological consequences in addition to physical ones. According to a recent study, obese children and adolescents are over five times more likely to have a poorer health-related quality of life (QOL) than healthy children are. In fact, the findings of this study revealed overweight and obese children rated their quality of life similar to children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

What can I do?

In order to effect change, childhood obesity needs to be addressed on many levels including the medical and natural health care world, school systems, and government. The key to fighting childhood obesity begins with early prevention strategies that include:

Prepare for the snack attack. Children love “grab and go” snacks. Stock your kitchen with healthy “grabbable” food items such as veggies and dip, berries, yogurt, low fat cheese and apples, healthy trail mix, baked nachos and salsa, homemade popsicles, and air-popped popcorn.

Eliminate sugary pop and juices. The average can of soda pop and/or sugary juice contains approximately 9-11 teaspoons of sugar. Save pop for a very occasional “out of the house” drink and avoid purchasing fruit drinks labeled as “punches” or “cocktails”. Also, check the label for sugar content. If one of the first ingredients listed on the label is sugar, glucose, or high fructose corn syrup, it is most likely too high in sugar. Stick to 100% fruit juices watered down, or bottles of water, to hydrate your child properly without packing in excess calories.

Keep them moving! The average child spends 25 hours per week playing video games, surfing the net, and watching TV. This massive amount of sedentary behavior leaves little time or room for physical activity. Briefly, it is prudent to have your children participate in a minimum of 1 hour physical activity daily. Whether it is joining a community center, participating in team sports, swimming lessons, or bike riding as a family, start by committing the entire family to exercise.

Eat a healthy breakfast. A recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that skipping meals and eating less frequently result in weight gain. Skipping breakfast was linked with a greater chance of obesity. People who skipped breakfast were over four times more likely to be obese than those who ate breakfast daily.

Do not put your child on a calorie-restricted diet. Children do not respond well to a calorie-restricted diet. Many times children sneak food from their parents as a rebellion to the negative pressures of a diet, or because they are just plain old hungry! The best approach for prevention and effective weight loss is to load a child’s diet with the “good stuff”, and get rid of the “bad stuff”. For example, a child’s diet should be filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken, fish, whole grain bread, cereals and pasta, nuts, seeds and low fat dairy products. Keep processed and refined floury items, fast food, and sugar laden products to a minimum, and limited to an occasional treat such as a birthday party or a holiday.

We must come together to help protect our children from the health and social consequences that comes with being overweight or obese. By implementing the steps above on an all at once, or on a one by one basis, we can slowly turn the epidemic of obesity into fit, lean, and healthy children for life.

Dr. Joey Shulman’s (D.C. RNCP) latest book The Last 15 – A Weight Loss Breakthrough is a national best seller. For more information on your free weight loss assessment at the Shulman weight loss clinic, please visit www.drjoey.com

References

1. M. Yunsheng. “Association between Eating Patterns and Obesity in a Free-living US Adult Population.” The American Journal of Epidemiology. 2003; 158:85-92.
2. Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 289, No. 14:1813-1819