For more and more children, being overweight makes life difficult. Genetics, nutrition, sedentary lifestyle — what is the trigger? Tips for parents so that the problem of child weight does not become a life problem.
Being overweight is one of the “achievements” of developed countries. Thus, in France over the past 20 years, the number of obese children has tripled and is 16% in the age group from 5 to 12 years. In the US, there are even more – 20%*. Russia “lags behind” America by almost two decades: according to the Endocrinological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, 8,5% of “urban” children are obese in our country, in the USA such figures were observed in the early 80s.
The abundance of confectionery temptations and endless advertising of high-calorie snacks, chips and chocolate bars, hours spent in front of the computer and TV leave their mark on us: children from infancy grow up in an environment conducive to weight gain. How to recognize the warning signs and “get around” the unhealthy trend?
Strong or fat?
Scientists attribute the «epidemic» of childhood obesity to improper — too high-calorie — nutrition and prolonged immobility in front of a computer and TV (that is, with the same reasons as in adults). WHO experts never tire of reminding us that not fats and cholesterol, but an excessive amount of sugar in ready-made products, which are imposed by advertising, is the main cause of obesity.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR EATING HABITS AND REVIEW YOUR DIET… FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
“An excess of only 50 kcal per day (and this is only a third of a small can of cola, a handful of chips or 25 g of ice cream) leads to an increase in body weight by 2,25 kg per year,” says Valentina Peterkova, director of the Institute of Pediatric Endocrinology of the Endocrinological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. . “Obesity is a disease, such a diagnosis is presented in the international classification of diseases,” explains Ekaterina Alexandrova, an endocrinologist. — However, there is still an intermediate state between normal weight and obesity — overweight. This condition cannot yet be called a disease in the full sense of the word, but it is no longer the norm.
Serious endocrine causes of obesity in children are quite rare, the frequency of such cases has remained constant over the past decades. According to Ekaterina Alexandrova, before obesity developed mainly after 30–40 years, and today there are already a lot of overweight children even at 8–12 years old. This means that those diseases that used to form by the age of 50-60 will form in today’s children at the age of 25-30, for example, type 2 diabetes mellitus. Not to mention hypertension, changes in the lipid spectrum of the blood.
“Most likely, this generation will be covered by a wave of early strokes and heart attacks — at 35–45 years old,” says Ekaterina Aleksandrova. “In addition, obesity naturally leads to atherosclerosis of the brain, in which memory is reduced and other disorders develop that were previously considered senile ailments.” It sounds rather pessimistic, but compared to the West, our country still has a few years of head start: by recognizing a predisposition to obesity, we can help our children avoid it.
Gene weight
If there is a fat man among the parents, grandparents of the child, then the child may inherit a predisposition to be overweight. If both parents are obese, the risk is higher. Statistics show that in every second complete child, one of the parents has disorders of fat metabolism, and in a third, both parents suffer from excess body weight, and children most often “copy” their mother.
“Genetically, we are all different,” says Ekaterina Aleksandrova. — One person can «put off» 100 g of fat for 1000 kcal eaten, and the other — nothing. Even eating the same food, children of the same age and height but with different genetics will gain weight differently.”
According to pediatrician Mikhail Budarin, the first year of life is extremely important — after all, it is at this time that the number of fat cells is laid, which will be constant in a person all his life. And excess weight is only the result of an increase in their size.
At 5-6 years of age and during puberty, children are also at risk of becoming overweight, especially if there is a predisposition to this. “Overweight contributes to the formation of an inferiority complex in a child. As a rule, if such teenagers subsequently arrange their personal lives, they find partners of their “weight category” and the corresponding lifestyle. The combination of genes for overweight people leads to the appearance of offspring that are even more prone to obesity, ”adds Ekaterina Aleksandrova.
What can be opposed to the «weight of genes»? First of all, care about the food habits of the family. For example, you should pay attention to the fact that the child constantly chews something between breakfast, lunch and dinner, understand the reasons for this and establish a regimen that, without restricting or forcing the child, will protect him from possible weight gain.
Recognize Responsibility
As a rule, almost all obese children eat much more than their slender peers, although they claim the opposite. Often, children (like adults) continuously chew something without realizing it, if they feel anxiety, self-doubt, lack of attention from loved ones. Some, by demonstrating their appetite, soothe their anxious mothers; others identify with their father and eat «like daddy» by devouring adult portions.
Food can also serve as a means to fill loneliness, drive away boredom, or mask depression. Sometimes mothers and grandmothers feed their children in order to prolong (in their own eyes, of course) infancy — the “sweetest” age of a child. It is with him that round cheeks, thick legs, chubby arms and a tummy are associated. The baby is growing, and many mothers unconsciously «benefit» from his obesity: he is less mobile and more in control because of this. It is worth giving him something to chew on — and you can safely go about your business. Overweight child is a family problem as a whole. And most likely, you will have to go to a psychologist together.
Life
So, first you have to find out what comes first: metabolic disorders or psychological problems. The endocrinologist will first of all exclude the presence of diseases that are accompanied by overweight, and then develop a diet and recommend what to change in your lifestyle. The diet should be approached especially carefully. The fact is that children are more difficult than adults to tolerate food restrictions. “Seryozha can have chips and ice cream, but I can’t?” For a child, this will seem like discrimination or punishment.
Often, children jump on those foods that they are forbidden to eat at home as soon as they go out the door. Therefore, a strict ban on some products brings not so much benefit as harm. But it is worth reviewing the child’s diet and changing it in favor of non-caloric foods. However, everyone will have to adhere to a kind of discipline — from a grandmother who loves to pamper her grandson with pies, to a dad who is not indifferent to beer with crackers and chips.
The diet must be supplemented by physical activity. Passive sitting at the TV or computer should be minimized, and the point is not only that during this activity energy costs drop to zero: every 15 minutes an advertisement for nuts, bars, soda and other food appears on the TV screen …
A CHILD WILL DO IT IF THEY FEEL LOVED AND ACCEPTED AS IS
“It’s hard for a fat man to run and jump, the best sport for him is swimming,” says Ekaterina Aleksandrova. — But it is swimming, and not just splashing in the water — classes with a coach at least twice a week. Try to get the child to do exercises in the morning, ride a bike in the summer, play more any ball games, climb the stairs on foot.
Even if the energy expenditure is not too high, the health benefits will be tangible: the body will become more fit, it will be easier to wear. Together with the child, parents will have to spend more time in the fresh air. Bicycle rides, pool trips and rollerblading are ideal.
Pleasure Resources
This tactic will only succeed if adults accept the child for who he is. If parents perceive obesity as a vice, the child alone will not overcome it. “A full child is not to blame for being like that. He should have no doubts that he is loved, recalls the psychoanalyst Alexander Pavlov. “On the other hand, you can’t enter into a family collusion without noticing the problem.”
Food is the most important source of pleasure for a child (as well as for adults!); it should not become a cause of conflict. Discovering other pleasures from life with your child — active, full of love, discoveries and impressions — is the best prevention of weight problems.