The holidays are full of ice cream, meals with a little lack of control, rare hours and drinks full of carbohydrates and in many cases with too much sugar.
The holidays, so a priori, it seems that they do not help much to avoid or reduce childhood obesity, although following simple guidelines and not letting ourselves be carried by the flow of advertising of food products related to summer, we could implement some eating habits healthier and later, maybe we could keep them for the rest of the year.
Summer is to eat it and to fight against childhood obesity, on vacation we have time to move and eat better. That infant feeding is not uncontrolled in summer, we bring 9 keys to prevent childhood obesity.
There are two fundamental pillars to try to avoid childhood obesity and even, they are the only two ways to overcome it: Food and physical exercise.
AdvertisingAnd those two pillars fundamental in this case do not depend on the subject, that is, are not under the control of the child or should not be although we know that many, too many times the child has the last word on what is put on the table and on what and how much exercise he performs. It shouldn't be that way, but sometimes we know that it is.
Prevent obesity also in summer
Children will have health problems in the future due to their excess weight in childhood and even from an early age they show signs of heart disease and other diseases derived from being overweight.
Since physical problems to social and even economic problems, It is known that an adult with obesity, throughout his life will have to invest around € 13,000 more in medical expenses than an average weight individual.
As fathers and mothers we have to take responsibility for the healthy eating of our children and to be able to be without it translating into bitterness in the existence of each other.
As we also have to be responsible so that sedentary lifestyle does not take up all their time, that they move, that physical activity is part of their routines and of their life to achieve a healthy and much happier life together.
Nine keys to healthier eating in summer
In addition to varying our diet we can consider some changes in our customs when sitting at the table, simple but effective changes and changes in which we adults are directly involved.
The first is fundamental: We are his example in everything and in food and in physical activity as well. If they see us eat healthy, if they see us move, they will be encouraged to do so, to do it with us, to participate in family, to share
Food requires a time and a habit but not everyone eats at the same time. Maybe some of the family members eat more slowly, maybe the little ones take a little longer, maybe we could adapt the others to them, chewing more slowly, occasionally releasing the fork or spoon, dialoguing with the rest of the family.
Family meals are not invited to television, We do not eat with television, it does not organize our dialogues, nor our times, nor what we put on the plate. When we eat we turn off the TV, for our health.
We don't invite outside stress to meals either, the problems, especially the problems of adults, do not enter the table because it does not allow us to listen, chat and know the problems of our children. Meals with our children have to encourage healthy habits and if we need to change our own habits we will have to do it, for their own good and for ours, for the health of the whole family.
It's not that we are rigid until exhaustion but help and a lot of organizing the frequency of meals to avoid pecking at the wrong time, to avoid this uncontrolled consumption that brings us closer to obesity than would be desirable.
We could seriously consider that the rations served with what we believe our children should eat and ourselves arrive at the table We avoid temptation and help our children appreciate their own sense of satiety. It is a covert way to control the child's food intake a bit.
Nothing better to eat and even more right now in summer, that the cool water As a drink in our glasses. A jug in the middle of the table is essential for proper hydration also while eating.
We adults, we are the ones who really have to decide which foods enter the house and which do not, those that are part of our daily diet, those that we consume sporadically, those that we have to reduce gradually (such as added sugar, for example) and those that we may have to take out of our kitchen and our table permanently .
Not only eating, doing activities with our children will help us communicate more and better. Play, have fun together, do activities that help us acquire healthy habits And not just food.
There are only nine guidelines that we can start up during the summer holidays. Nine guidelines that later, when the holidays pass, we can try to maintain during the rest of the year, after all, we are talking about our health, that of our family, can you think of something more important?
Photos | iStockPhoto
In Babies and more | Why less resources greater risk of childhood obesity? | Intervention on parents to prevent childhood obesity is effective ... but better not need it | Obesity and sedentary lifestyle, two allies against the health of our children and we do little to avoid it
