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Children
are gaining weight:
K-STATE NUTRITION EXPERT OFFERS ADVICE TO PARENTS
MANHATTAN
-- Greasy burgers and French fries, video games and lack of exercise
are just a few reasons for the increasing number of overweight children.
Recent studies show that children are more overweight today than
children 20 years ago.
A Kansas
State University expert on child nutrition says that children of
the '90s have poor eating habits, watch more television and are
less physically active.
"Children
are exercising a lot less," says Paula Peters. "They are less active
in school with less physical education being offered, plus when
they come home from school they may be sitting down in front of
the television.
"We
know that kids are watching more television than they used to, or
playing video games rather than going outside to play, which could
be the result of a lot of things," Peters added.
Many
kids are at home alone after school, and many parents don't want
their kids outside playing for safety reasons, so they sit in front
of the TV instead, said Peters. It's society in general that is
causing a lot of problems with our exercise, as well as our eating
habits.
"If
you look at data from 20 years ago, a lot of us are eating a little
bit better than we did 20 years ago, even children," said Peters.
"The amount of fat in our diets has gone down in the last 20 years,
and the number of calories we're eating is probably not too much
different than it was 20 years ago.
"But
yet on the whole, we are becoming more and more overweight," Peters
added. So we have to really think about what we might be doing that
is causing us to be heavier."
According
to Peters, parents influence what children eat, and they will eat
what the parents eat even though a lot of parents think that the
children don't pay attention to what they do and what they tell
them to do.
Peters
encourages healthy eating habits for the entire family, but she
offers advice to parents who are concerned about their children
being overweight:
* Parents
should check with the family physician to make sure that their child
really is overweight because people sometimes forget that humans
come in all shapes and sizes, and we can look at a child and what
looks overweight to us, may not be.
* We
really don't want to put children on weight loss diets. Kids are
growing very rapidly and if we limit the amount of energy, the amount
of calories they take in, we could be limiting the amount of nutrients
that they can get. And they need the nutrients to grow properly.
* Children
need to trust their own body signals of hunger. When a parent limits
food and a child is made to go hungry, they may become preoccupied
with food. When food is available, they may overeat out of fear
of going hungry again. Encourage children to eat until satisfied
and then stop.
* If
the child is overweight, teach them healthy eating habits. Rather
than restricting the amount of calories they take in, or restricting
a food group or a favorite food, it's better to help them develop
some sound eating habits with a balanced diet.
* Families
don't eat together often and they tend to snack constantly. We don't
need to cut out snacks completely but have scheduled times when
the snacks will be available, and then have some healthy foods for
the children to choose from at those times. Parents should establish
regular meals and snacks for the whole family.
* Exercise
is also very important. Try spending more time playing with your
child. This could include bike riding, walking, jumping rope or
participating in an organized sport.
* It's
really important to be careful what we say to children with regard
to weight. Children can interpret a negative comment from a parent
to mean the parent doesn't really love them, or doesn't accept them
for how they look. It is important for their self-esteem to feel
loved and accepted for who they are, not how they look.
"By
following these guidelines and explaining to children that people
are different and not everyone will be thin, we will promote healthy
eating and exercise habits," said Peters. "This will go a long way
toward decreasing the risk for overweight."
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For
questions, contact Paula Peters at 785-532-1666.
May
1997
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