Saving children from obesity

HERE are five tips for parents designed to help protect their children from the dangers of childhood obesity.

Pay attention to your lifestyle According to a study published by the British medical journal The Lancet in April this year, children born to obese parents, and children born to mothers who eat an unbalanced diet during pregnancy (including diet sodas) may be predisposed to obesity.

Embracing a healthier lifestyle before your child is born can help prevent the child from developing obesity later on.

Less screen-time, more sports To help children avoid becoming couch potatoes, parents should exercise themselves, spend less time in front of screens and set a good example. The goal should be to emphasise outdoor and sports activities that appeal to children.

Delay giving them sugar Nutritionists warn against the excessive consumption of sugar too early in life. Before the age of three, they recommend limiting treats to fruit puree, dairy snacks, and the occasional cookie.

Heavily processed industrial foods (pastries, chocolate bars, breads and manufactured cereals, pizzas, fruit juices, jams and spreads) should be avoided, especially if they contain fructose or glucose syrup.

Make sure they sleep enough Numerous studies have shown that lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on children’s weight, because it increases their appetite for fatty and sugary foods.

Children aged 13 to 17 should get eight to 10 hours of sleep per day, while children in the three-to-five age group need 10 to 13 hours per day.

Encourage meditation Not only do they reduce stress and anxiety, meditation and hypnosis are also effective for the treatment of addictions, and notably food addictions in young children.

In a programme that began this year at the University Hospital of Rouen, in France’s Seine-Maritime, close to 60 patients have been taught how to resist the lure of food through the use of techniques that focus their attention elsewhere. – AFPRelaxnews