What causes obesity in children?

Many parents think that it is good for their children to be a little fat when they are young. If they see a child who is not too fat, they will think that there is something wrong with the child. As a result, the parents will feed the child all the time, which causes the child's weight to continue to increase. However, many parents do not know the harm of childhood obesity and will have many negative effects on the child's development. If you don’t quite understand, then read on to learn more.

1. The harm of childhood obesity

Childhood obesity in modern cities has developed to a very worrying level. Children who are obese in childhood are many times more likely to become obese in adulthood than normal children, and are also more likely to develop diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and diabetes than normal children. Moreover, data show that if infants and young children are 10% overweight, their hand-eye coordination and limb coordination abilities will decrease by 14.7%. This means that obesity not only has a great impact on physical health, but also on intellectual and motor development.

2. The main causes of obesity

Children are in a period of rapid growth and development. Weight loss in children cannot rely solely on controlling diet, but needs to start with changing feeding habits, correcting bad eating habits, and eating a scientific and reasonable diet.

1. Energy intake greater than consumption is the root cause of obesity

Obese children generally have a good appetite. The more they eat, the fatter they get. The fatter they get, the more serious their insulin resistance becomes. In order to lower blood sugar levels, the body will secrete more insulin, and the child will want to eat more, forming a vicious cycle. In this case, you should eat small meals frequently and divide the total energy needed for the day into 4 to 5 portions to reduce the burden on the pancreas. The reason why some children become fat is related to eating too few meals. They only eat two meals a day. Because they are very hungry during meals, they often take in more energy than they consume. This situation should also be avoided.

2. Eating too fast can easily cause obesity

Under normal circumstances, it takes 10 to 15 minutes for the brain to receive the signal that it has eaten. If you eat too fast, you may not realize that you are full, and you will eat more without realizing it. In addition, eating too fast will increase the burden on gastrointestinal digestion due to poor chewing. Therefore, children should be taught to chew their meals slowly and try to extend the meal time to about 15 minutes. At the same time, parents should cut meat dishes into small pieces and teach children to pick up vegetables with chopsticks instead of spoons in order to reduce the amount of each meal. For children who cannot cooperate in controlling their food intake, parents can put all of their meal's food on separate plates, and don't expect to eat anything else after they finish what's on the plate.

3. Drinking too much beverages is also a cause of obesity among urban children

The energy contained in a 500 ml bottle of sweet drink is equivalent to the energy provided by half a pound of rice or staple foods such as steamed buns, and carbonated drinks can accelerate bone loss. Food additives in beverages, especially aspartic acid (abnormal free state) in aspartame, are toxins that stimulate the nervous system and can cause adverse reactions including headaches, abdominal pain, visual impairment, depression, irritability and long-term fatigue. Therefore, it is important to cultivate in children the good habit of not being greedy for beverages and drinking boiled water when thirsty in daily life.

4. Forcing children to eat more can also easily cause obesity

In terms of food intake, as long as the child is full, there is no need to set a rigid limit on how much the child must eat at each meal. For children who are partial or picky eaters, we should actively teach them some nutritional knowledge so that they can understand the benefits of a balanced diet.

Tip: If necessary, you can see a professional nutritionist who can provide nutritional intake indicators and weight loss recipes that are suitable for your child's needs. Every child has a different physique and physical development, so it cannot be generalized.