are not as “healthy”
as the American children—meaning that they are underweight.
But the reality of the situation is that the childhood obesity epidemic
in the United States is actually even more common in the South Asian
community.
South Asians in the United States have a four times
higher risk of developing heart disease compared to the general
population, and are twice as likely to develop diabetes in their
lifetime compared to the rest of the world. This means that one
in six South Asians living in South Asia are likely to develop diabetes.
When a South Asian grows up in the United States, the risk of diabetes
becomes twice as high. These facts alone are scary enough to mandate
action. Poverty, hunger and lack of easy transportation actually
have been “protective” for South Asians in their homelands. But
when we immigrate to the United States, there is an abundance of
food, and increased comfort means a more sedentary lifestyle.
How can we as parents take appropriate actions to promote good health in our children? The first step is for parents to recognize that the nutritional problem for our children is no longer inadequate calories, but improper eating habits.
What is the correct age to start educating them in healthy behavior?
Children know how much to eat from birth. Breast feeding will prevent
overfeeding. One of the first things weight-loss programs for adults
do is to teach them to listen to their satiety or hunger signals.
In other words, we have to undo the years of “finish what’s
on your plate” training or “eat what you can because
there are others starving in the world” philosophy. A child’s
eating habits are formed by two to three years of age. Our job as
parents is to teach them to listen to that “I am no longer
hungry” signal, to eat the proper foods and to maintain an
active lifestyle.
Between the ages of two and four, your child will most likely start to say “Yuck!” to certain foods. When your child won’t eat well, there are healthy solutions. Be patient. Remember that children will learn to eat almost any food, but it can take several years.
Follow some simple guidelines for a healthy diet:
1. Parents should be in control of what food their child eats.
Encourage your child to participate in meal-planning by asking them
to choose from healthy foods that you offer.
2. Do not allow children to skip meals. Start with having a healthy breakfast.
3. Parents should set an example of healthy eating habits for children to follow.
4. Make mealtimes enjoyable. Avoid picking on your child. Rather,
make sure to applaud even the smallest of successes.
5. Allow your child to decide how much to eat. This will also promote
self-control in the future.
Parents should not buy junk food or soft drinks for daily consumption. Replace those items with fresh fruit, vegetables, water and juices that are ready to eat. For example, wash and cut apples, carrots, cucumbers and celery in a single serving size and store in zip-lock bags or plastic containers. Keep a bowl on the kitchen counter with fresh berries or grapes.
Sometimes parents may go a bit overboard and give their children diet soda or sugar free cookies. This is not correct either, because there is still on-going research about the effect of artificial sweeteners on neurological development. The correct interpretation for avoiding sweets is that natural sweetness (like in raisins, fruit or dates) is good, but processed sugary foods are not. Carbonation in soft drinks can actually have a negative effect on the processing of calcium by the body. That means that consumption of carbonated drinks will not allow teeth and bones to be as strong as they could be.
A common myth is that children need fat to grow. This is true for neurological growth, but only until a child is about two years old. After that, there is no need to give additional fat, like more ghee (butter) in their rice, dal (lentils), toast or roti (flat bread).
In addition to eating right, a healthy child needs activity. While
having dinner, parents generally ask about the academic activity
of their child’s day. Make it a point to check on their daily
physical activities. Try to break the table-to-television habit
by going on a family walk or playing at the park after dinner. When
you go for a family walk, make it fun by singing silly songs or
playing games like “I Spy” or Follow the Leader. When
socializing with other families, rather than having a meal, pick
an activity to do together. Avoid putting in a video and letting
the kids sit around. When planning family vacations, try to plan
trips that involve action as well as observation. Some suggestions
include visiting a dude ranch, biking or swimming.
As parents we must practice what we preach. Set an example by following the rules you set for your children, and help them to follow suit!
|
