What are three keys to preventing obesity
Preventing Obesity in Children, Teens, and Adults
Preventing Obesity in Children, Teens, and Adults
Facts about obesity
Obesity is a long-term (chronic) disease. It affects growing numbers of children, teens, and adults. Obesity rates among children in the U.S. have doubled since 1980. They have tripled for teens.About 19 out of 100 children ages 2 to 19 are obese.More than 7 out of 20 adults are obese.
Healthcare providers are seeing more of these obesity-related problems in children and teens:
Type 2 diabetes starting at a younger age
Heart and blood vessel disease
Obesity-related depression and social isolation
The longer a person is obese, the more they are at risk forproblems. Many chronic diseases are linked to obesity. Obesity may be hard to treat. That's why prevention is very important.
Preventing obesity in children is vital. This is because childhood obesity is more likely to last into adulthood. An obese person has a high risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Babies
Breastfedbabiesare less likely to become overweight. And the longer babies are breastfed, the less likely they are to be overweight as they grow older. But many babies fed with formula do grow up to be adults of healthy weight. If your child was not breastfed, it doesn't mean that they can't have a healthy weight. Talk with your childs healthcare provider if you have concerns.
Children and teens
Young people can become obese from poor eating habits, lack of physical activity, and not getting enough sleep.Genes can also affect a child's weight.
To help prevent obesity in children and teens:
Dont just focus on a child's weight.Work to change family eating habits and activity levels over time.
Be a role model. Parents who eat healthy foods and do physical activity set an example. A child is more likely to do the same.
Encourage physical activity. Children ages 3 to 5 should have active play each day. Children ages 6 to 17 should have at least 60 minutes of medium physical activity most days of the week. More than 60 minutes of activity may help with weight loss andkeeping a healthy weight.
Reduce screen time. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend screen time for children under the ages of 18 to 24 months. AAP recommends a 1-hour screen time limit for children ages 2 to 5. And AAP recommends an appropriate parent-monitored media use plan for older children. Do not allow screens in your child's room. Have your child stop using screens at least 1 hour before bed.
Encourage children to eat only when hungry. Tell them to eat slowly.
Don't use food as a reward. Don't keep food away from your child as a punishment.
Serve healthy foods and drinks. These include fat-free or low-fat milk, fresh fruit, and vegetables. Don't buy soft drinks or snacks that are high in sugar and fat.
Fill half of your child's plate with fruits and vegetables. Recommended serving sizes vary based on age, sex, height, weight and physical activity levels. Go to https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-plan to see your child's personalized diet recommendations.
Encourage your child to drink water instead of drinks with added sugar. These include soft drinks, sports drinks, and fruit juice drinks.
Promote good sleep with a consistent bedtime routine. Preschoolers need 11 to 13 hours of sleep per day, including naps. Children ages 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. And teens ages 13 to 18 need 8 to 10 hours.
Adults
Good eating habits and physical activity can help prevent obesity. Tips for adults include:
Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, where you eat, and how you feel before and after you eat.
Make half your plate and vegetables. Recommended serving sizes vary based on age, sex, height, weight and physical activity levels. Go to https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-plan to see your personalized diet recommendations.
Choose whole-grain foods. These include brown rice and whole-wheat bread. Don't eat foods made with refined white sugar, flour, high-fructose corn syrup,or saturated fat.
Weigh and measure food. This is so you canlearn healthyportion sizes. For instance, a 3-ounce serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards. Don't order super-sized menu items.
Learn to read food nutrition labels and use them. Keep the number of portions you are really eating in mind.
Balance your food checkbook. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. Weigh yourself each week.
Don't eat foods that are high in energy density. This means foods that have a lot of calories in small amounts. For instance, acheeseburger with friescan have as much as1,000 calories and 30 or more grams of fat. Order a grilled chicken sandwich or a plain hamburger and a small salad with low-fat dressing instead. You can avoid hundreds of calories and lower your fat intake. For dessert, have a serving of fruit, yogurt, a smallpiece of angel food cake, or a piece of dark chocolate.
Reduce portion sizes. Using a smaller plate can help you do this.
Exercise each week. Aim for at least 150 minutes of medium to intense physicalactivityper week. For instance, this can be 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. Examples of medium-intensity exercise are walking a 15-minute mile. Or weeding and hoeing a garden. Running is a more intense activity.
Build activity into your day. Look forways to get10 or 15 minutes of some type of activity during the day. Walk around the block. Walk up and down a few flights of stairs.
How to Prevent Obesity in Kids and Adults
Obesity is a common health issue that is defined by having a high percentage of body fat. A body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher is an indicator of obesity.
Over the last few decades, obesity has become a considerable health problem. In fact, its now considered to be an epidemic in the United States.
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly
Despite the rising percentages, there are plenty of ways to prevent obesity in both kids and adults. Here well explore both, as well as how far weve come in preventing obesity.
Obesity prevention begins at a young age. Its important to help young people maintain a healthy weight without focusing on the scale.
Breastfeed infants, when possible
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Feed growing children appropriate portion sizes
The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that toddlers dont require huge amounts of food. From ages 1 to 3, every inch of height should equate to roughly 40 calories of food intake.
Encourage older children to learn what various portion sizes look like.
Build early relationships with healthy foods
Encourage your child to try a variety of different fruits, vegetables, and proteins from an early age. As they grow older, they may be more likely to incorporate these healthy foods into their own diet.
Eat healthy foods as a family
Changing eating habits as a family allows children to experience healthy eating early on. This will make it easier for them to continue following good eating habits as they grow into adults.
Encourage eating slowly and only when hungry
Overeating can happen if you eat when youre not hungry. This excess fuel eventually becomes stored as body fat and can lead to obesity. Encourage your child to eat only when they feel hungry and to chew more slowly for better digestion.
Limit unhealthy foods in the household
If you bring unhealthy foods into the household, your child may be more likely to eat them. Try to stock the fridge and pantry with healthy foods, and allow less-healthy snacks as a rare treat instead.
Incorporate fun and exciting physical activity
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that kids and teens get at least
Limit your childs screen time
More time spent sitting in front of a screen means less time for physical activity and good sleep. Because exercise and sleep play a role in a healthy weight, its important to encourage those activities over computer or TV time.
Make sure everyone is getting enough sleep
Research suggests that both
Know what your child is eating outside of the home
Whether in school, with friends, or while being babysat, children have plenty of opportunities to eat unhealthy foods outside of the home. You cant always be there to monitor what they eat, but asking questions can help.
Many of these obesity prevention tips are the same for losing or maintaining a healthy weight. The bottom is line that eating a healthy diet and getting more physical activity can help prevent obesity.
Consume less bad fat and more good fat
Contrary to the belief behind the low-fat diet craze of the 90s, not all fat is bad.
Consume less processed and sugary foods
According to a
Eat more servings of vegetables and fruits
The daily recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake is five to nine servings per day for adults. Filling your plate with veggies and fruit can help keep calories reasonable and reduce the risk of overeating.
Eat plenty of dietary fiber
Studies continue to show that dietary fiber plays a role in weight maintenance. One
Focus on eating lowglycemic index foods
The glycemic index (GI) is a scale used to measure how quickly a food item will raise your blood sugar. Focusing on low-GI foods can help keep blood sugar levels steadier. Keeping your blood glucose levels steady can help with weight management.
Get the family involved in your journey
Social support isnt just for children and teens its important for adults to feel supported too. Whether cooking with family or going on walks with friends, getting people involved can help to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Engage in regular aerobic activity
Incorporating regular physical activity into your schedule is important for maintaining or losing weight, among other benefits. The
Incorporate a weight training regimen
Weight training is just as important to weight maintenance as aerobic activity. In addition to weekly aerobic activity, the WHO recommends weight training that involves all your major muscles at least two times per week.
Focus on reducing daily stress
Stress can have many effects on the body and mind. A
Learn how to food budget and meal prep
Its much easier to grocery shop for healthy foods when you have a plan. Creating a food budget and list for your shopping trips can help avoid temptations for unhealthy foods. In addition, prepping meals can allow you to have ready-to-go healthy meals.
Preventing obesity plays an important role in good health. Obesity is associated with a long list of chronic health conditions, many of which become more difficult to treat over time. These conditions include:
By focusing on obesity prevention and lifestyle changes, it may be possible to slow or prevent the development of these diseases.
Although the research on obesity prevention strategies is limited in the United States, international studies have been able to suggest some answers.
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However, a
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Preventing obesity in adults involves regular physical activity, a decrease in saturated fat intake, a decrease in sugar consumption, and an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption. In addition, family and healthcare professional involvement may help to maintain a healthy weight.
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However, only some of these methods have proven to be effective, and there are barriers to using these methods.
A healthy weight is important in maintaining good health. Taking steps to prevent obesity in your daily life is a good first step. Even small changes, such as eating more vegetables and visiting the gym a few times a week, can help to prevent obesity.
If youre interested in a more tailored approach to your diet, a dietitian or nutritionist can provide you with the tools to get started.
Additionally, meeting with a personal trainer or fitness instructor can help you find the physical activities that work best for your body.
