Obesity is the term which signifies having too much of body weight than what is required to lead a healthy life. It has turned to be a major problem faced by many people around the globe. In kids, the ratio is said to be higher because of the unhealthy lifestyle. Most kids today are addicted to TV, smartphones, video games and other electronic gadgets. This has cut down their physical activity time owing to which their bodies fail to burn excess of calories.

To maintain a healthy body weight, it is vital that the calories are balanced. As parents, you will have to balance the calories your kid eats and drinks with the calories he uses via physical activity and normal growth.

How obesity affects your child’s health?
Obesity has severe effects on your child’s growth and development. Obese kids stay less active and their body organs also suffer from malfunctioning. It increases the threat for grave health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high BP, and high cholesterol — which once were considered solely adult diseases. Obese kids become prone to low self-esteem that arises from being teased, or rejected by peers.

Preventing Obesity
In order to prevent obesity in kids, you will have to take the whole-family approach. It goes as practicing what you preach attitude. Encourage healthy eating and exercise. Also, avoid making the following mistakes:
 

• Never reward your child’s good behavior or try to prevent him from doing something with sweets or food treats. 
• If kids are content, never force them to continue eating. Tell them that they must eat as per their hunger. Force eating can lead to eating disorders; it’s also a reason for increased obesity in kids.
• Never rate any food as bad or completely remove all sweets and snacks from your child’s diet. This can make your child to rebel and he may turn to overeating the forbidden foods outside home, which can cause obesity.
  
   

Recommendations by Age
Birth to age 1

Researches say that breastfeeding can help in preventing excessive weight gain as the baby grows older. Health experts are still working to figure out what makes mother’s milk so effective in controlling weight gain. However, they reason that breast milk gives babies the cue of being full and thus keep them away from taking in excess of milk.

Ages 1 to 5

This is the age when your child is introduced to food. Therefore, it would be great if you can give it a healthy start. Develop healthy eating habits and make your child eats variety of healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits. The eating habits kids learn at this stage remain with them in the growing years too.

Ages 6 to 12

Encourage your child to be physically active. It can be done by planning an exercise routine for everyday. You can enroll them to any sport class, or take them out for morning or evening walks. You can even make them do some light form of exercises at home like playing around with ball, skating, skipping or cycling.

Ages 13 to 18

Teens are quite fond of fast food, but try to guide them toward better choices like vegetable sandwiches, salads, sprout wraps etc. Teach them how to cook healthy meals and snacks at home. Teens also need to be active on a daily basis and a consistent exercise routine is a must for them too.

Note: You must make an effort that other than healthy eating, your child stays active too. Cut down his TV, computer, and video game time. Provide a variety of healthy foods and at least five servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. Limit the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Eating healthy and exercising regularly are the key ways of keeping obesity away. Make healthy living a part of your family’s culture!