Emotiona Turmoil and Childhood Obesity

Countless children around the globe are currently having problems with childhood obesity. It seems that the overweight dilemma doesn't just haunt adults, but young individuals as well. The truth is that one in five children are now obese in the United States. This is an alarming fact because at a young age children now have greater risks of having serious illnesses such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma and so on.

Apart from dangerous conditions, obese kids have trouble in interacting with their society because their excessive weight often takes a toll on their self-concept. With other childrenconstantly teasing them, they tend to view themselves in an poor manner.

Parents certainly play a significant role in the welfare of obese kids . More often than not , parents think that their children will soon outgrow their weight and so they let them binge in whatever they want. It is also a common mistake that the more obese a child is the more healthier he is. This happens to those parents who deny the weight issues of their children. Unfortunately, they only came to a point of admission when their children is already facing serious health issues.

There are a lot of factors that cause childhood obesity. Although some children are obese because of their biological make-up, mostly it is because of having an inactive lifestyle and unhealthful dietary routines. However, despite the presence of these causes, it should be realized that childhood obesity can be prevented in many ways. Children now have irregular eating times, i.e. they eat whenever and wherever they want. What's even worse is that they choose sweets, greasy fast foods and frozen foods. This low-nutrient and high-calorie diet is the primary stepping stone to becoming obese.

The next factor is the dormant lives that children live. More and more children are tempted to play computer games or watch TV as a replacement for physical activities. Physical exercise is essential to children because it is their only way to burn the calories that they have taken in.

Difficult situations can lead to emotional turmoil that can lead to overweight children. Those kids who suffer from complicated situations such as a poor home environments, split up of parents or problems in school resort to eating foods which seem to take their anxiety away. These foods are more known as "comfort foods". This is bad because children have the propensity to eat more because it their only way to handle their emotions.

what is more, studies have proven that genetics can also significantly affect a child's health. When obesity runs in the child's family, he is also more likely to be obese. But this doesn't mean that it cannot be avoided.

There are preventative measures to childhood obesity. First is to educate parents and children on how a child should eat. Reducing sugar in our kids diet is a must. Many of the foods that children are eating are filled with unnecessary sugars. It's also important to drinking plenty of water. There are also great education tools available such as Build-A-Plate for kidsâ?¢ to teach kids and parents the "how, what, and why" of healthy eating. When these things are followed, childhood obesity won't have such lasting effect on society at all.

About The Author Phillip McDermott is a freelance health and nutrition writer.