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A healthy baby is a chubby baby? Obesity in children is an increasingly observed phenomenon. Unfortunately, grandparents often have a significant share in overfeeding their grandchildren, not knowing that overweight and obesity are very dangerous to children’s health in the case of children. This misunderstood love can have serious health consequences in adulthood.
Until now, in many families there is a misconception that a healthy child is an obese child. This theory is often believed by grandparents, they make sure that the children are “not hungry”, they give them treats, even when their parents are not seeing. And thus they make nutritional mistakes.
Bad reward
First, babies are often overfed. Their grandparents offer them food too often, tugging at a treat every now and then. In addition, they prepare homemade treats for children, usually high-calorie products – cakes and other baked goods.
Often times, the portions of food prepared for baby food are too large. It is also a mistake of the grandparents to force the child to eat the entire dish, even though the grandson does not want to eat it all and leaves the meal unfinished. This is a mistake because it disrupts the baby’s natural appetite control.
Grandparents also often offer food as a form of reward or gift, and usually sweets reappear in this role.
Sometimes, out of comfort or laziness, children do not prepare lunch for school, but give money to buy it in the school cafeteria. Unfortunately, children usually buy chips, donuts, bars instead of sandwiches. Also popular among children are sweetened, carbonated drinks, drunk in excess and on any occasion.
Overweight and obesity of children is fostered by the fact that eating meals is becoming a form of spending free time. The little ones are offered trips to places where they eat pizza, burgers or fries. In this way, from an early age, instead of eating a healthy dinner, grandchildren are increasingly used to fattening and unhealthy fast food meals. Their consumption is additionally encouraged by the fact that toys or contests are attached to meals.
Plump adults
This irresponsible behavior of us adults can cost children a lot. One of the effects of being overweight is too rapid growth and premature puberty. Another is sleep disorders – incl. night apnea and, consequently, malaise, problems with concentration, and finally – problems with learning. In addition, many obese children have low self-esteem, and even depressive states, the more so because they are exposed to the taunts of their peers.
Obesity and overweight in children is often accompanied by hypertension and type II diabetes, which requires a restrictive diet and (after several years of treatment) taking insulin, which is uncomfortable to inject several times a day. Obesity can also lead to flat feet and gallstone disease in children. Overweight children may have problems with the functioning of the thyroid gland and the nervous system and – due to the build up of excessive amounts of cholesterol in the body, a condition that usually occurs later in life – the work of the circulatory system. Unfortunately – chubby children often grow into plump adults, which means an increased risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
dr inż. Dorota Czerwińska, Department of Human Nutrition, Warsaw University of Life Sciences
Source: Domowe Kuracje, Let’s live longer