I consider myself lucky to have been born in a generation which has a practical approach towards everything in life. This is a kind of change that is helping them grow with the growing country.
I also feel lucky about one thing and that is, in my generation the influence of western foods has been very less, it was there but not as much as the current generation has. The current generation almost feels starved without the junk food.
Lot of thought went in before we indulged in junk food. I would seldom go out for a meal. Most often it would be home cooked meal for me. And, am I glad to say that these habits have kept me on the healthier side. Junk food in moderation during occasions and fresh home-made food always helps one maintain a healthier lifestyle.
But, for today’s kids it’s more of eating out –junk food than it is about eating fresh home cooked food. In my career as a nutritionist I have encountered several cases of childhood obesity and teenage obesity, juvenile diabetes and blood pressure among kids. It is a very unpleasant feeling when you come across children with these ailments. Today, it seems to be a normal thing with every other teenager having some or the other health issues such as bad eyesight, dental problems, hormonal imbalance, etc etc.
One of the main reasons for this unhealthy condition among the current generation is easy availability of unhealthy processed foods for kids now, than it was several years ago. One of the faults is also that parents do not keep a check on what the kids are eating. Most parents allow their child to indulge in any kind of junk food available in the market. The other aspect that leads to health issues among children today is that most are couch potatoes –they are glued to the TV, Video games, Tabs, Mobiles, and seldom go out and indulge in physical activities. This certainly was not a situation a decade back.
It’s these indulgences that lead a child to be obese and parents need to focus more on making their child healthy. Start with first giving your kids processed and junk food only on occasions and not as a reward for every other thing they do. Certain limitation needs to be adhered to. You need to explain to the kids why these foods are unhealthy.
Next important thing be, is exercise. As parents make sure that your kid is indulging himself at least for an hour in physical activities, exactly the way you did when you were a kid. I remember playing out, the moment I reached home from school and during holidays and vacations. It used to become difficult for our parents to actually keep us at home.
Thirdly, keep their indulgence in gadgets minimal. They would be better off playing a sport. Remember the kids who are into sports, dance or any kind of physical activity hardly gain weight when they grow up, even if they do gain weight, getting back in shape is very easy for them as their body is used to physical activities.
Today’s kids are smart and once you tell them what is right and what is not they understand. In fact, most ape one another and do what the other is doing. If parents do teach their kid good eating habits in all probability they might as well try and teach their friends too. Finally, it’s a trend that they all follow.
To avoid teenage or childhood obesity and help your child take to a healthy food habit follow the above mentioned three steps and believe me your child will be in good shape and health.
