{"id":25321,"date":"2012-06-07T03:41:36","date_gmt":"2012-06-07T03:41:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=25321"},"modified":"2017-01-10T07:32:10","modified_gmt":"2017-01-10T12:32:10","slug":"fight-back-against-childhood-obesity-epidemic-aliza-beer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/fight-back-against-childhood-obesity-epidemic-aliza-beer\/","title":{"rendered":"Fight Back Against the Childhood Obesity Epidemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Childhood obesity in this country has more than tripled in the past 30 years. \u00a0Currently, 17% of American kids ages 2 \u2013 19 are obese. \u00a0One out of three kids are overweight. \u00a0An obese teenager has over a 70% greater risk of becoming an obese adult.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>These statistics are alarming to say the least. \u00a0In the past few years I have seen an increase of overweight children ages 9 \u2013 19 in my practice. \u00a0They are wonderful, bright, creative kids that have fallen prey to the American high fat, high salt, fast food diet.<\/p>\n

The good news is that we have the ability to control or alter these trends. Success is realistic and attainable, but only with strong family support. \u00a0The family as a whole must be willing to make some sacrifices and changes that will improve the health of all members of the family, both slim and overweight. \u00a0The following are some healthy habits every family could benefit from:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Dine together.<\/strong> \u00a0Children who eat dinner together with their parents at least five times a week tend to weigh less and have healthier habits.<\/li>\n
  2. Plate your children\u2019s food.<\/strong> \u00a0Growing up my mother never served dinner family-style. \u00a0She always plated our food, even the salad, and it never occurred to us to ask for seconds! \u00a0Plate everyone\u2019s food so the overweight child will not feel different.<\/li>\n
  3. Portion control when eating out.<\/strong> \u00a0Most restaurant portions are more than one person needs at one meal. \u00a0Have your children share a meal. \u00a0Avoid pastas and encourage fish, chicken, or lean meat, with veggies on the side instead of fries.<\/li>\n
  4. Out of sight, out of mind.<\/strong> \u00a0If you don\u2019t have access to it, you cannot eat it. \u00a0Minimize the junk food in the house, and \u201chide\u201d the junk you deem necessary. \u00a0Never display candies, cookies, nuts, etc., in bowls or canisters on the counter.<\/li>\n
  5. Think healthy snacks.<\/strong> \u00a0The bulk of the snacks you send to school with your kids should consist of fruits and veggies. \u00a0Pretzels, popcorn, or cereal can be used as the lone \u201cjunky\u201d snack.<\/li>\n
  6. Create a healthy school.<\/strong> \u00a0Pressure your children\u2019s schools to ban snack vending machines and high sugar drinks. \u00a0Get involved and help revamp the hot lunch menus to include fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.<\/li>\n
  7. Encourage enough sleep.<\/strong> The more you sleep the less you will eat. \u00a0Research has linked less sleep to an increase in weight in both kids and adults worldwide. \u00a0A tired child is also less physically active, therefore burning fewer calories. \u00a0Children who don\u2019t get enough sleep have higher levels of cortisol, which evidence shows stimulates appetite. \u00a0Ten hours of sleep a night are recommended for kids ages 4 through pre-teen, and 8 hours for teens.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In today\u2019s times, obesity is a major concern and can lead to a host of medical issues and illnesses. Obese children and adults have a much higher risk of heart disease, the number one killer in America. Diabetes is another example of a disease both prevalent and preventable, to some extent.<\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t view these guidelines as a family \u201cdiet,\u201d but as a change in lifestyle. \u00a0If you follow a healthy eating plan and positively alter your lifestyle, you will find that your children follow suit.<\/p>\n

    To learn more about the alarming pediatric obesity trend, read this<\/a>\u00a0at Jewish Action<\/a><\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n

    Aliza Beer<\/strong>,\u00a0M.S., R.D., is a registered dietitian with a masters degree in nutrition and has a private practice in Cedarhurst. Consultations can be done in office, or by phone\/email. Aliza can be reached at\u00a0alizabeer@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Childhood obesity in this country has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Reverse the trend in your own home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":762,"featured_media":25354,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parenting","category-physical-health"],"yoast_head":"\nFight Back Against the Childhood Obesity Epidemic - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Childhood obesity in this country has more than tripled in the past 30 years. 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