We were pleased that Allison Foster contacted the folks behind KidCompanions Special Needs Blog to offer a guest post on a very important topic: child obesity! Recently I read an article that claimed that child obesity is a form of child abuse if the child does not have a medical condition that causes a child to gain wait or is taking medication with weight gain as a side effect.
Kids and teens who are obese are likely to be obese as adults. Some of the health problems that plague over weight adults are now seen in our youth. Some obese children experience immediate health consequences and others are on the road to weight-related health problems in adulthood.
Child obesity is not only a factor in poor physical health but obese children are often the targets of social discrimination. Often this causes low self-esteem which in turn results in academic and social problems. Thank you Allison Foster for your great advice!
Ways to Ensure Your Child’s Obesity by Allison Foster
The United States has a severe eating disorder. Although some areas are trying to promote a healthier way to live, it should be more apparent to parents to raising children how to eat. It’s all too easy to drive up to the window and place an order after a hard day of work, but the lasting effects can be detrimental to your child’s development if this is a common occurrence.
1. Snacks – Let your child pick any sugary snack they wish. After all, you don’t want to put up with them throwing a fit in the store, right? – Cookies and cakes are OK as an uncommon treat, but when you start adding them every night to dinner time, it is doing nothing more than promoting an unhealthy habit as continued sugar usage can become a deadly obsession in the form of diabetes. Do you want to condemn your child to that lifestyle?
2. Vegetables – Few children like eating their vegetables, so why serve them? Don’t waste your money buying something that will just sit in the cupboard for a year without anyone giving a second look at them. – There are many ways to prepare vegetables that will entice a child to eat them. For the most part, raw vegetables dipped in a light ranch dressing could make for a great snack.
3. Pile it On – You went through the trouble of cooking all of that food, so pile it on the plate. A growing child needs to eat, right? – Portion sizes are a common problem in today’s society. Prepared meals don’t need to cover every square inch of your plate. Cooking less food can help and there is nothing wrong with leftovers. They can make a decent lunch later that week provided you eat the leftovers before they begin crawling away on their own.
4. Technology – You spent a great deal of money on that 42-inch LCD for the family to 
use. At least they’re watching educational television. – Educational television shows are good, but if there is little physical activity throughout the day, the child could begin turning those proteins into fats. Children were entertained without the use of game consoles for several millennia. They can survive an hour or two outside and away from their digital forms of entertainment each day.
5. Fast Food – Dollar menu items are nearly as cheap as cooking for the family, so why not take the work out of dinner time? – There are very few places that you can eat at that provide a balance of nutrition in the form of fast food. Processed foods and greases consumed on a regular basis are very bad for our bodies. Don’t let laziness spell doom for your child’s future eating habits.
While organic foods are as pure as you can make them, you don’t need to subscribe to the idea in order to eat healthier. You children will take their cues from you and you must lead by example if you want them to stave off obesity. By practicing good eating habits yourself, you are promoting the lifestyle to your children who will follow suit. As children really don’t know any better, it is your job to be the parent and protect them from a life of diabetes, heart disease, mental instabilities, and cruelty from others.
Author Byline:
Blogging was a natural progression for Allison Foster once she graduated from college, as it allowed her to combine her two passions: writing and children. She has enjoyed furthering her writing career with www.nannyclassifieds.com. She can be in touch through e-mail allison.nannyclassifieds@gmail.com
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