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Dietician Sheela Seharawat

How nutritionist can help in kids health?

Childhood obesity

Childhood obesity is a complex health issue nowadays and occurs when a child is above the normal or healthy weight in comparison to their age and height. Factors that affect excess weight gain in children comprise low-nutrient foods and beverages, eating high-calorie, not doing physical activity, watching television, or other screen devices, a certain use of medication along with sleep routines.

Childhood obesity is on the rise
Childhood obesity is one of the most severe public health challenges and is reaching epidemic levels worldwide. Overweight, as well as obesity in childhood both considered to significantly affecting children's social, physical, and emotional health, well-being, as well as self-esteem. This condition in children is linked with poor academic performance and a lower quality of life experienced by the child. Children facing Childhood obesity are likely to stay obese into adulthood also and more likely to develop no communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc., at a younger age. Thus, prevention of childhood obesity, therefore, needs high priority.

Causes of childhood obesity
Gurgaon nutritionist explains to people the fundamental cause of childhood obesity is an energy imbalance amid consumed and expended calories. Though weight problems are common in families, but it doesn’t mean that all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Children with overweight parents or siblings are more prone to childhood obesity. This obesity condition will also be linked to shared family behaviors, counting eating, and activity habits. There are many causes that lead to a global increase in childhood obesity:
Intake of energy-dense foods high in fat as well as sugars but low in minerals, vitamins, along with other healthy micronutrients.
Decrease in physical activity because of increasing urbanization, changing modes of transportation, etc.

Symptoms of childhood obesity
Childhood obesity is risky as these extra pounds take children on the path to severe health issues counting diabetes, high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol. Many obese children become obese adults, and the ones who are at more risk if one or both parents are obese. Childhood obesity is also the main factor that leads to poor self-esteem and depression. Gurgaon nutritionist advises that one of the best ways to reduce childhood obesity is to improve the eating and following exercise habits on a regular basis. Treating and preventing childhood obesity helps protect your kid’s health for now and in the future. Not all children who have extra pounds and gain weight are obese. Symptoms of childhood obesity are not recognizable as normally kids take different amounts of body fat at different stages of development; thus, people could not recognize that excess weight is linked with any health concern or not.

Treatment for childhood obesity
Many children face the problem of childhood obesity nowadays because of eating too much and bad lifestyle choices. According to Diet Clinic founder, this condition in kids can be treated effectively by dietary improvements along with the increased physical activity. To treat childhood obesity, dieticians not only focus on weight loss but also focus on helping children to adopt a more active lifestyle. Gurgaon nutritionist helps obese children by developing a customized treatment plan for them.

Tips by Diet Clinic that help in kids health
There are many tips suggested by diet clinic founder to help managing childhood obesity and to improve your kids' health:

1. Improve your child’s eating habits
If your child is obese, it is important for you to improve your child’s eating habits with the help of the best nutritionist. Though avoiding high calorie foods rich in fat, sugar, and salt is a must, but you should choose healthier options for your kids to treat childhood obesity. You should choose
Whole grains like brown rice, fruits, and veggies
Instead of meat, switch to poultry, lean meats, seafood, beans, and peas.
Avoid whole milk and choose fat-free or low-fat dairy for obese children to help them treat childhood obesity.
Avoid milkshakes for obese children and give them fruit and vegetable smoothies, which are made from low fat yogurt.
Give your children more water, low-fat milk instead of soda that contains added sugars.
Serve obese children a smaller amount of food and avoid serving them large portions.
Gurgaon nutritionist advices people to let their child eat fast food less often and choose healthier options like sliced fruits instead of French fries.
Don’t allow your children to eat while sitting in front of the television, computer, and any other electronic device.
Offer children healthy snacks ides instead of cookies and candies to treat childhood obesity. Some healthy snacks to include in your child’s diet are air-popped popcorn without butter, fruit canned in natural juices, fat-free yogurt, whole grain cereal, etc.

2. Make your child physically active
To treat childhood obesity, diet clinic experts not only advise people to change your child’s diet pattern but also try to make them physically active. As per health experts, children should be physically active for at least 60 minutes in a day. If your child is not physically active, then encourage them to start an active lifestyle. Another part of balancing calories on children with childhood obesity is to engage in an adequate amount of physical activity and to avoid too much sedentary time, which they spend in front of the TV or other electronic devices. In this children not only do physical activities with fun but will also get numerous health benefits counting:
Strengthening bones
Increasing self-esteem
Helping with weight management

By keeping kids health in mind, Diet clinic experts advise eating a healthy diet and being physically active can help children maintain a healthy weight throughout childhood. Always keep this fact in mind that the goal of treating childhood obesity is not only to reduce the rate of weight gain but also to allow them normal growth as well as development. Children should never be placed on a weight reduction diet without the consultation of Gurgaon nutritionist.