Dieting- How Young Is Too Young
Childhood obesity is on the rise and many of the children will go on to be obese adults with early onset of non-communicable diseases.
Medical experts and pediatricians are calling on parents to seek medical intervention for children that are obese. This means early intervention.
Nutrition experts are also saying that dieting in childhood can lead to physical problems that may be difficult to reverse. Experts say the use of the word dieting for weight control in children may be not a good thing because the physical and emotional consequences are to risky.
I prefer to use the term healthy eating when talking about weight control because dieting can convey a different message to those who are overweight.
For children the word dieting may mean restricting certain foods, eating less even missing meals.
How then can childhood obesity be prevented without dieting. I prefer not to use the word dieting, replacing it with healthy eating
Children and teenagers must be encouraged to keep physically active while maintaining proper nutrition. This means,healthy eating and physical activity must be included in their daily routine.
There are four food groups for healthy eating and there are recommended daily intake for children and teenagers.
Parents can follow the nutritional guidelines and the recommendations focusing on the nutritional value rather than on a weight loss diet
In this article the author identifies the health problems that are associated with dieting in childhood.
