Appearance demands often make you intend to improve body shape. Now, you need to be vigilant because this can also happen to your child. As a result of associations with peers who have slim bodies, children tend to think of going on a diet. So, can a child diet like an adult? Check out the full review below.
Children tend to be more sensitive to hunger
Health problems that have sprung up at the age of the child are overweight. However, if this weight gain occurs in puberty, you do not need to worry because this is a normal thing to do. Because, changes in the body (coupled with exercise) will help reduce the child's weight to get the ideal body shape.
According to Jean Antonello, an author of Naturally Thin Kids: How to Protect Your Kids from Obesity and Eating Disorders for Life is due to the child's body having a higher hunger sensitivity compared to adulthood. The more children are left hungry with high levels of hunger sensitivity, the slower the metabolic process in the body.
So, can you go on a diet?
Actually, children do not need to go on a diet that limits calories or certain types of food. Especially if the child has body weight in the normal category. Because the children are still in the phase of growth and development so that children need healthy food to keep their bodies growing properly.
Dietary efforts carried out too early risk the child's growth from stagnating. A study shows that diet children can experience physical and emotional problems that last into adulthood. In fact, if left unchecked, your child can be at high risk of eating disorders that can be carried up to them as adults, such as anorexia nervosa or being picky eater (picky food).
For cases of being overweight in children, if not treated immediately it can cause health problems. However, if forced to go on a diet can actually cause new health problems. Children will experience a higher appetite surge so they cannot control it. As a result, the risk of obesity is even greater.
Not with a strict diet, but with the application of a healthy lifestyle
The main solution is in your hands as a parent. According to Lara Field, a child nutritionist from the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital in the United States, the most effective way for children is to change the eating and way of thinking of family members as a whole.
Parents must be able to provide examples of the application of a healthy lifestyle for children. Not only focused on reducing the child's weight, but also to maintain the quality of his health in the future.
Well, if your child is overweight and is recommended to lose weight by a doctor, then you can do the following effective methods:
1. Keep snacks from children
Whether it's snacks, fast food, or high-fat and salt products, all must be kept out of reach of children. Serve a combination of several types of healthy foods and involve your child to prepare his own food. For example, a bowl of cereal with berries on top, whole wheat bread with jam, low-fat yogurt with fruit or vegetables, or bananas. This is useful to add a positive attraction to healthy food for your child.
2. Invite your child to actively move
The more movement, the more fat is burned in the child's body. Choose the activity or type of sport that is your child's favorite on weekends. For example swimming, playing soccer, or just helping to clean the house. This activity is very good for reducing monotonous activities that are often carried out by children, such as watching TV or playing games.
3. Don't forbid children to eat
Let children learn to control their own food while still getting direction from you. This aims to prevent children from 'striking' eating if they are too driven about food.
Teach children to get to know healthy foods that contain nutrients and make sure that they taste good too. You can also demonstrate it by eating the food in front of the child to be more convincing.
4. Avoid the habit of eating in front of the TV or while playing gadgets
Eating while watching TV or playing gadgets makes children not focus on eating. As a result, children unconsciously eat more because they don't feel full. So, teach your child to eat at the dining table without a television or cellphone so that children can eat slowly so that the brain can receive full signals when the food runs out.