How Do I Fight Childhood Obesity?

There are many different ways to fight childhood obesity, but the most basic methods are to cook more healthy food for children and encourage them to participate in exercise. Reducing the amount of salt, sugar, and saturated fats in your child’s diet, ensuring he eats the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, and working fish into his meals are all good ways to fight childhood obesity. This can be done by learning how to cook new dishes, and substituting sugary snacks with healthier alternatives such as trail mix.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem throughout the United States, as well as in some parts of Europe. The term "obese" refers to being drastically above the recommended body mass index (BMI). BMI calculation takes into account the proportional amount of fat in one's body, rather than simply being about weight. Obesity can cause many medical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, which are very serious in nature.

With the various possible negative consequences of obesity, leaning how to efficiently fight childhood obesity is very important. Improving your child’s diet is the simplest way to fight obesity. Many children snack on sugary or fatty foods and frequently eat take-out meals and fast food. While these types of foods can serve well as an occasional treat, a diet composed primarily of them is likely to lead to serious weight problems.

Cooking meals from raw ingredients is a good way to improve a child’s diet, as many pre-made meals are high in salt and fat. Cooking fresh meals gives parents the opportunity to incorporate vegetables and regulate the amount of salt that goes into the meal. As for snacks, trail mixes can be healthy and simple to make; just combine a handful of nuts, a handful of dried fruits, some cereal flakes, and mix it all together.

The other major way to fight childhood obesity is by encouraging exercise. Dancing is a particularly easy way to get children to exercise. Unlike other forms of exercise such as running, dancing seems less laborious, and children may be more interested in getting involved. The popularity of dancing-related films and television programs may encourage children to become interested as well. Interest in this and any other sports should be encouraged, and children should be enrolled in regular classes.