Contents:
- Medical Video: Preventing Childhood Obesity – Eating Better, Moving More
- When are children said to be obese?
- What happens if the child is left to eat carelessly?
- The diet of obese children that needs to be applied
- Recommended diet
- A diet that needs to be avoided
- Can a child be obese on a diet?
Medical Video: Preventing Childhood Obesity – Eating Better, Moving More
If the child is in the category of obesity, the sign that you need to change your child's lifestyle. Because, obesity increases the risk of children being exposed to various health problems such as diabetes to heart disease. In order for children to stay healthy, you can no longer come from serving food. The diet of obese children needs to be truly maintained so that their weight does not continue to grow. You don't need to be confused, I will explain the diet of obese children that should be applied starting from children diagnosed with obesity.
When are children said to be obese?
Before applying dietary changes, you need to know in advance the limits of obesity in school-age children. You can use the three classifications used from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2000, the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) 2006, or the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006.
I will give an example of how to determine obesity nutritional status using a curve from CDC 2000 with the following formula:
Actual body weight divided by ideal body weight based on height multiplied by 100 percent
(Actual BB / BB is ideal x 100%)
- If the result is 110-120 percent, the child is in the category overweight (overweight).
- If the results are more than 120 percent, then the child is categorized as obese.
This method is indeed quite complicated and requires precision. Because, to determine the ideal BB itself, special calculations need to be done. Therefore, you should ask for help from a pediatrician or clinical nutrition doctor to evaluate it.
What happens if the child is left to eat carelessly?
You cannot underestimate the effects that occur if obese children continue to eat carelessly. Many risks to health problems that can attack your baby, such as:
- Increased blood pressure and cholesterol that interfere with the function of the heart and blood vessels.
- Impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and diabetes.
- Airway obstruction during sleep (obstructive sleep apnea) and asthma.
- Disorders of joints and muscles.
- Fatty liver, gallstones, and diseasegastroesophageal reflux (GERD).
- Skin problems such as being prone to fungal infections and excessive acne.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
- Psychological disorders such as withdrawing from the surrounding environment, anxiety problems, to depression.
The diet of obese children that needs to be applied
To apply the diet for obese children, I divided it into two categories, which are recommended and need to be avoided. Here are the details.
Recommended diet
The diet that should be applied to obese children is as follows:
- Balanced calorie intake according to children's needs. Consult the clinic nutritionist to get the right dose.
- Eat regularly, which is three large meals and two snacks a day.
- Implement healthy and nutrient-rich diets such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grain products that are varied every day.
- Applying drinking water habits are always given between the schedule of large meals and snacks.
- Consume low fat protein from various sources.
- Eating low or fat free dairy products.
A diet that needs to be avoided
Not only applying a recommended diet, you also need to look at what should be avoided, namely:
- Foods high in saturated fat and trans fat.
- Fast food (junk food) and instant food.
- Foods and beverages high in calories and sugar.
- Packaging drinks and soda.
Can a child be obese on a diet?
Diet for obese children may be done provided that it is under the supervision of a doctor. Basically there are three things that need to be considered in the diet of obese children. First, applying the right diet, second giving proper physical activity, and thirdly changing children's behavior by making parents as role models. The aim is to prevent weight gain by maintaining optimal growth and development.
Diet can be done by still providing scheduled meals, with details of three large meals and two snacks. However, the difference is the selection of foods that are lower in calories and healthier.
In order for diet therapy in obese children to succeed, the child must be supported by the people closest to him. So that the diet is not only done by the child but also involves parents, family members, friends, and also teachers in the school to achieve success. So, parents don't just tell children who eat healthy food or exercise but the whole family also applies it.
