To prevent childhood obesity, instead of putting them on a diet, we can point them to the right direction by teaching them to eat healthy. Eating healthy foods will not only help prevent obesity, it can also help reduce the risk of diseases that go with eating junk or unhealthy foods. There are a number of diets that work well with adults, but that doesn’t mean that it will work on children. You can’t expect kids to know stuff like protein, or carbohydrates, or calories. If it is edible and tastes good, they eat it. That is why training a kid to eat healthy foods while he’s still young is essential in preventing childhood obesity.

Before worrying about what kind of diet you want to follow, think about your children’s health and the lifestyle that you wish for them to follow. You can begin by finding out which foods are good for you and your kids, and which are not. One thing you need to remember is that the closer a food is to its natural condition; the better it is for your health. Foods such as fresh fruits and berries are awesome as they will satisfy your craving for sweets.

Steaming green, orange, and yellow veggies will help retain its nutritional value as these types of vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals. However, you need to be careful with the sauces that go with salads, because they may be high in calories and fats that are bad for you. We all know that some kids hate to eat foods such as green veggies; the key is to feed it to them at a young age as some vegetables will take some getting used to.

When it comes to pasta or any baked goods, you should go for whole grains. Kids love sugary snacks, but you shouldn’t spoil them with it. As much as possible, you must teach your kids to avoid eating too many sweets. Healthy foods can include lean meats and, of course, fish. Ocean fish are packed with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are often lacking in our daily consumption. So try serving it to your children two to three times a week. Finally, keep in mind that steaming or baking is way healthier than frying.

As the number of obese children keeps on growing, many scientists are now looking at the two aspects of childhood obesity effects, namely the physical and the mental aspects. Children who suffer from obesity may encounter the same physical effects as obese adults. Like any overweight adult, obese kids may also be at risk of heart diseases, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancer. Take note that diseases such as these have no prejudices.

The childhood obesity effects previously mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot that could go wrong in an obese kid’s body. One condition that overweight children are at risk of is coronary heart disease. Keep in mind that heart diseases have no discriminations. It does not matter if you’re black, white, or brown, young or old, male or female. The fact is obesity is a serious risk factor for heart diseases.

The mental aspect of childhood obesity effects can be as serious as the physical aspect of it. An obese kid can suffer from serious psychological problems. A study has shown that some obese children think very little with regards to their quality of life. They presented scores as low as kids suffering from cancer. Obese kids are showing signs of low self-esteem. We all know that some serious mental illnesses are rooted in low self-esteem. This is one of the serious childhood obesity effects.

It is believed that the quality of life is composed of physical well-being, mental well-being, and social well-being. Our quality of life is measured by those three aspects. When you do something to tip the scales and disturb the balance of those three aspects, your quality of life could significantly decrease.

Social biases and low self-esteem are the two main aspects that may have the most effect, psychologically, on obese children as well as adults. Social indifference could result in less or no friends at all. This results in loneliness, which can be a huge factor in having low self-esteem. The isolation and the discrimination that an obese kid endures in school or at home will have great effects on his mental health as he grows up.

These kinds of childhood obesity effects pose a great threat on the next generation of children, if we do not do something about the problem of childhood obesity.

1. Income Levels
2. Geographic locale (inner-city vs suburbs)
3. Education of parents
4. Social norms
5. Lack of health care

These are just some of the causes of childhood obesity.  If you’d like to learn more about childhood obesity causes and effects, please click here.

I really would like for you to watch the below video.  It’s a little over five minutes long, but it does a great job of showcasing the differences between Latino children and other ethnicities.  Hopefully this will help to spread teh word about childhood obesity and bring more attention to the matter.

[youtube width="500" height="375"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnfZvxXlTIc[/youtube]