Archive for the ‘Child Obesity’ Category
Friday, June 4th, 2010
While it may seem obvious that banning trans fats would make foods healthier, I did not think it would be so. I feared that food manufacturers would simply switch to another type of fat that was just as unhealthy as the trans fats. In fact, I have warned many a patient, “If it looks unhealthy, chances are it is unhealthy regardless of what the packaging claims.” And while I still stand by that advice, it seems as if some (but not all!) food manufacturers have found a healthier type of fat.
All fats are not equal; different types of fat affect your body differently. Some fats (saturated fats and trans fats) increase your ‘bad’ cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. Other fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats) actually lower cholesterol and decrease the likelihood of heart disease.
Trans fats are the worst types of fats. These fats increase LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol), increase total cholesterol and lower HDL (‘good’ cholesterol), causing a particularly increased risk of heart attack and stroke. They are not found in nature; rather they are artificially made in laboratories. Liquid oils are put through a chemical process to make them solid at room temperature. Trans fats greatly increase the shelf life of a product and are extremely inexpensive to produce. They are found in shortening, margarine, and most commercially prepared baked goods. Most fried foods are deep fried in trans fats.
A group from Harvard looked at 83 foods that had been reformulated since 2006, when the government required food labels to list the amount of trans fat in packaged products. At that time, food producers scrambled to find a cheap replacement. The mission was to find a fat that was inexpensive yet still tasted good and had a pleasing texture.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, from Harvard, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest looked at the current fat content of both packaged foods and restaurant offerings. Researchers used information from the FDA databases, nutrition labels, and industry brochures. According to a letter published in a recent New England Journal of Medicine, nearly all of the foods were free or mostly free of trans fat and many companies did not increase their saturated fat content when they cut out the trans fats. 65 percent of supermarket products and 90 percent of restaurant fare contained saturated fat levels that were lower, unchanged or only slightly higher than before.
According to the study, a large order of McDonald’s French fries had a favorable makeover. Trans fat dropped from 7 1/4 grams to zero; saturated fat went from 5 1/2 grams to 3 1/2 grams. Gorton’s Crunchy Golden Fish Sticks also did well. Trans fat went from 3 grams per serving to zero; saturated fat unchanged at 4 grams. Entenmann’s Rich Frosted Donut, however, is an example of a company removing trans fat without increasing the healthiness of the food! While trans fat dropped from 5 grams to zero, saturated fat more than doubled from 5 grams to 13 grams.
Entenmann’s Rich Frosted Donut is just one example. “Just because trans fat is gone from gluttonous foods doesn’t mean they’re healthy”, said Dr. David Heber, who heads the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. “Trans fat or not, a doughnut is still a doughnut. Even Homer Simpson will back me up on that,” said Heber, who had no connection with the research.
So it seems as if my advice still holds. Do not eat something without knowing what is in it. Make sure you check nutrition labels and limit your intake of trans fat and saturated fat. And, finally, remember my sage advice: If it looks unhealthy, it probably is unhealthy. Pick something else!
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Tags: child nutrition, Child Obesity, fat child, fat children, fat kids, healthy fats, obese child, obese children, obese kids, overweight child, overweight children, overweight kids, saturated fat, trans fat ban, trans fats, unhealthy fats
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Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
I just read about an interesting new study on Medical News Online. The study was performed at Kansas State University and evaluated what children think about other kids with “undesirable characteristics, such as being overweight or aggressive.” The researches also looked at how children treat kids with these attributes.
Obviously, as a child obesity doctor, I was very interested to hear what they had to say. Past studies have shown that children are prejudiced against overweight kids. In fact, prior studies have determined that kids would rather be friends with children with physical handicaps (such as using a wheelchair or missing a limb) than with an overweight child.
But now, one out of every three kids in our country is overweight or obese. Unfortunately, there is no longer anything unusual about an overweight child. Does this change how overweight children are perceived by their peers?
No. It seems that it doesn’t matter that so many kids are now overweight. Overweight children are still discriminated against by their peers.
A major finding of this study was that children discriminate against kids with undesirable characteristics that they believe their peers have the ability to control. For example, they disliked kids with aggressive behavior and overweight children because they felt that these children are responsible for the characteristic and should be able to change it. They did not, however, look down on children with severe illnesses, such as chronic asthma. They felt that the asthmatic child could not help being asthmatic and they didn’t hold it against him.
Not only did the kids say they disliked the aggressive and obese students, they also said that they were more likely to pick on them. Boys tended to respond more negatively to kids with undesirable characteristics than girls. The study was done on third-graders and sixth-graders. Each child filled out a questionnaire with descriptions of hypothetical peers such as a poor student, a nonathletic student, an obese student, an aggressive student, a shy student, an asthmatic student, and a student with ADHD. The aggressive student was the most unappealing, followed closely by the obese student. The kids were most sympathetic towards the asthmatic student.
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Tags: bullying, child bullying, child diet, Child Obesity, child weight gain, diet, discrimination, exercise, fat discrimination, mothers, obese baby, obese child, obese toddler, obesity, overweight child, overweight mother, overweight parent, overweight toddler, overweight woman, parenting, picked on, weight discrimination, weight gain, weight loss
Posted in Child Obesity | 3 Comments »
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Last week, there was an article in the NY Times about Meme Roth and her fight with her children’s school concerning school birthday parties and cupcakes.
What sets her off is the junk food served on special occasions: the cupcakes that come out for every birthday, the doughnuts her children were once given in gym, the sugary “Fun-Dip” packets that some parent provided the whole class on Valentine’s Day.
“I thought I was sending my kid to P.S. 9, not Chuck E. Cheese,” Ms. Roth, a trim, impassioned 40-year-old from Atlanta, said in an interview. “Is there or is there not an obesity and diabetes epidemic in this country?”
Although I agree with Ms. Roth’s concern, the article outlines the outlandish strategies and infantile behaviour she uses to get her point across. For the complete article, click here.
Those who know me understand that this is my pet issue. I have seen too many children crying because they are trying to eat healthy but are surrounded by so many temptations. In my opinion, schools should be a safe haven. So I drafted a letter to the NY Times and surprising, it was printed in Saturday’s paper! Here is my article below:
TAKING SIDES
IN THE
CUPCAKE WARS
Published: June 19, 2009
Esther Pearl Watson
Re “Mother’s Fight Against Junk Food Puts a School on Edge,” by Susan Dominus (Big City column, June 16):
As a pediatrician and a child weight loss specialist, I am conflicted about this article. MeMe Roth, the mother “driven mad” by junk food, may not use the best tactics, but her point is right. We are in the midst of a child obesity epidemic. One out of every three children in our country is either overweight or obese. Our schools should be a safe haven for our children.
I have overweight children crying in my office on a daily basis because they are trying to eat well but are confronted with temptations at school. I do believe in all foods in moderation. But our children have plenty of exposure to unhealthy foods outside of school.
In a typical classroom of 26 children, there are up to 26 days of birthday cupcakes to contend with. Then you add in celebrations for holidays, and many classes have a party every week. There are many healthy birthday options, and we can use them to celebrate our children’s birthdays without sacrificing their health.
Joanna Dolgoff
New York, June 16, 2009
I am interested in hearing your thoughts about cupcakes and school birthday parties. I know I am in the minority. I agree that it is perfectly fine for a child to have a cupcake every now and then. The problem is that it becomes more than now and then. Each child’s birthday usually results in two cupcakes- one at the school party and one at the out-0f-school party. Not to mention all the junk food that is thrown at our kids from everywhere else. Is it really necessary to add another temptation? Can’t we celebrate a birthday without eating unhealthy fare?
Next week: my suggestions for healthy birthday celebrations.
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Tags: child diet, Child Obesity, child weight gain, cupcake war, cupcake wars, diet, exercise, MeMe Roth, mothers, obese baby, obese child, obese toddler, obesity, overweight child, overweight mother, overweight parent, overweight toddler, overweight woman, parenting, school birthday, school cupcakes, school parties, weight gain, weight loss
Posted in Child Obesity, nutrition | 8 Comments »
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
Advertisers work hard to earn their money. They can take any food and make it sound nutritious. Very few laws protect the consumer from advertisers’ half-truths. It is up to us to learn how to tell what it a valid claim and what is just hype. How can you wade through the misleading information to find the truth? Easy… just look at the nutrition label and the ingredient list! The nutrition label and the ingredient list have all the information that you need to determine whether a food is healthy.
Last night was a perfect example. My kids and I were at my girlfriend’s house for dinner. She was telling me about this healthy snack she had found for her daughter. “And the best part is that she loves it!” my friend raved. She then showed me a package of Sunmaid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins. “They are raisins covered in yogurt so she’s getting fruit and milk.”
Here is how Sunmaid describes this product:
Sun-Maid starts with only the best, 100% natural raisins from sunny California. Then we cover them with a creamy, vanilla yogurt coating to create our delicious, convenient Sun-Maid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins.
They are the perfect high-energy snack food for people who are on-the-go. They also help you meet the 5-to-9 daily fruit and vegetable servings recommended by nutrition experts. Packed into the zip-close bag, Sun-Maid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins are easy to use in your party mix or cookie recipes or to pass around as a snack.
Sounds healthy, right? Then I looked at the nutrition label.
1 small package (about 25 pieces) of this “healthy snack” has 120 calories, 4.5 grams of fat and 4 GRAMS OF SATURATED FAT.
That is a ton of saturated fat (the bad fat). I particularly dislike the claim that they help you meet your fruit and vegetable servings.
Looking further down the label, I noticed that the product contains 2% RDA Vitamin C, 0% RDA Vitamin A, and 4%RDA Calcium.
I certainly would not consider this a serving of fruit or vegetables. And despite the “yogurt” covering the raisins, there is very little calcium. I decided to inspect it further and turned to the ingredient list.
Ingredients:
Natural California Raisins, Yogurt Coating (Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated palm kernel Oil, Nonfat Milk Powder, Nonfat Yogurt Powder, Whey, Titanium Dioxide, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Confectioners Glaze, Corn Syrup, Dextrin, and Maltodextrin.
It seems that the raisins are not covered in yogurt but in a “yogurt coating” made mostly of sugar and partially hydrogenated oil (which is a trans fat- the WORST type of fat you can have). So while the raisins may be natural, the yogurt coating certainly isn’t.
Needless to say, my friend was dismayed to learn that this healthy snack was in no way healthy. “I should have looked more closely,” she said. I replied, “I bet raisinets are healthier than these yogurt raisins.” For fun, we went online to look.
The same serving size of raisinets has about the same calories (raisinets 118, yogurt raisins 120), slightly more fat (raisinets 4.8 grams, yogurt raisins 4.5 grams) but SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SATURATED FAT (raisinets 3.1 grams, yogurt raisins 4 grams).
The ingredient list for raisinets:
Milk Chocolate (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, vanillin – an artificial flavor, natural flavor), Raisins, Sugar, Tapioca Dextrin, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Confectioner’s Glaze.
Instead of an artifiical yogurt coating, at least raisinets are made with real milk chocolate. Now, I am not saying raisinets are good for you. But at least when you are giving your children raisinets to eat, you aren’t fooled into thinking they are healthy. Shame on Sunmaid for misleading parents into thinking their yogurt raisins are healthy.
This is a great example of how you can’t trust a product’s claims and must turn to the nutrition label for the truth. Don’t let yourself be misled! Always get the facts before serving a new food to your children!
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Tags: child, children, diet, healthy, healthy snacks, moms, nutrition, nutrition labels, parenting, parents, snacks, weight loss
Posted in Weight Loss Study, weight loss | 12 Comments »
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Improving your child’s diet does not have to be an arduous task. Little changes add up to big nutritional gains. Here are 10 quick and easy steps to makeover your child’s diet and prevent weight gain.
1. Don’t allow junk food in the house.
If it isn’t in the house, your kids can’t eat it. Or at least they will have a more difficult time getting their hands on it. Your first line of defense starts at the grocery store. Leave your kids at home when you are grocery shopping, if possible. Make a list before you leave your house and stick to it. Don’t get distracted by the tempting treats in the market. Buy healthy snacks to keep at home and save the junk for when you are out and can’t avoid it.
2. Don’t let your kids drink their calories.
Many children lose weight simply by giving up sugary beverages. Parents greatly underestimate the number of calories and grams of sugar in what their kids are drinking. Did you know that one can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar? You would never knowingly give your child that much sugar to drink! And juice is not much better. I think of juice as sugar water. Children do not need to drink juice for its vitamin C. They get plenty of vitamin C from other sources. Think about it. When was the last time you met somebody with scurvy? Replace these sugary drinks with water, Crystal Light, or flavored seltzers.
3. Bigger is not better.
These days, even kid-sized servings are humongous. Most children in my weight loss practice have gained weight from eating too much healthy food, not from eating all junky foods. Remember, all food (even healthy ones) have calories and if you eat too many calories, you will gain weight. Be sure to serve your children appropriate portions of their meal. At a restaurant, share entrees or ask your waiter to pack part of your child’s portion away before he starts to eat it. We all know how difficult food is to resist when it is sitting in front of you!
4. Everything in moderation.
Tell a child (or an adult) that she can’t eat something and that is all she will want to eat. No food should be off limits. Banning foods leads to uncontrollable cravings. Instead, practice moderation. It is okay to eat ice cream as long as you save it for special occasions and limit it to an appropriate serving size.
5. Don’t promote the ‘clean plate club’.
The best thing you can teach your children is to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Do not push your kids to eat more than they need, even if you think they have not eaten enough. Our understanding of a proper portion size for a child is overinflated. Push your child to eat the amount you think they need and they will eventually get used to eating that much. And then who wins?
6. Go back to nature.
Processed foods, while more convenient, tend to contain more calories than more natural foods. Whenever possible, stick to foods in their purest forms. Fruits, vegetables, meats and grains should make up the bulk of your child’s diet. Save the fast foods and processed foods for occasional treats.
7. Promote fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
Kids need the calcium in dairy to help their bones grow normally. But regular dairy products are very unhealthy because they contain so much saturated fat. Try to avoid full-fat dairy products. Instead, give your kids low-fat or fat-free cheese, yogurt and milk.
8. Nuts are a healthy snack.
Nuts are a great snack for children over the age of three who do not have any allergies. Nuts contain lots of protein, fiber and good fats that will keep your child full for hours. Children enjoy many different types of nuts, like pistachios, peanuts and almonds. Peanut butter is also healthy! Just be sure to stick to an appropriate portion size and make sure somebody is watching your younger child eat nuts as they can be a choking hazard if eaten too quickly.
9. If it’s fried, don’t eat it.
Teach your kids that fried foods are unhealthy and try to stay away from them whenever possible. In a restaurant, ask them to grill or bake your food instead of frying it. A great way to prevent cravings for fried food is to serve a healthier version at home. When my kids want fried chicken and french fries, I serve them chicken that has been breaded and then baked in the oven with potatoes that have been baked to a crisp. They love it and it satisfies their cravings for fried.
10. Incorporate movement into your child’s daily activities
While vigorous exercise is important, any increase in your child’s movement is helpful. Encourage family walks and bike rides. Grab a ball and play some basketball. When going to a store, pick the worst spot so you have to walk further to get to your destination. Ban elevators; take the stairs instead.
Incorporating these ten easy steps into your routine will greatly improve your child’s diet and your child’s health. Sometimes the smallest changes lead to the greatest gains.
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Tags: child diet, child healthy diet, Child Obesity, child weight gain, diet, healthy diet, nutrition, obese, obese baby, obese child, obese toddler, obesity, overweight child, overweight toddler, parenting, weight gain
Posted in Child Obesity | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Feeling good starts from the inside out! Positive thinking is essential to feeling GREAT! There are several activities we suggest to help you get to know and appreciate YOURSELF.
Taking a personal inventory is the first activity. Set aside 30 minutes of quiet time where you will not be disturbed. Start by making a list of all the qualities you like about yourself. For example, I like the fact that I am a caring person and love animals. Sometimes it is hard to identify the things that we like about ourselves but underneath and inside all of us are special characteristics that make us UNIQUE. Do you like reading or painting? Or do you enjoy playing with friends or playing catch with your family? Whatever you come up with on your list is right because it is about YOU and all your wonderful self.
The second exercise is called “mirror, mirror” and it requires you spend some time alone with a mirror. The goal of this activity is to work on loving and appreciating your body. Our bodies our incredible machines and each one of our bodies is different; there are no two alike. Begin to think about what you like about your body. Do you like your eyes? Or perhaps your long legs? What about the freckles on your nose? Think about how your body helps you throughout your day. If you like your legs, do they help you score the goal at soccer practice? What about your hands? Do they help you paint the beautiful drawing in art class? “Mirror, mirror” is a chance to appreciate YOU and to begin to internalize that there is NOT one right way to look but many ways to love ourselves.
The last activity is called “Healthy Goals.” This activity asks you to identify the things you want to work on. Perhaps you want to take better care of your health and exercise more or maybe you want to clean up your room on the weekends. Maybe you want to spend more time on homework or help your family around the house.
Taking time to explore and look at ourselves is essential to living a healthy life. We are all special and unique and each one of us has attributes that make us, INDIVIDUAL. If you have ever looked at the rain or snow you will notice all the drops or flakes are different. Our bodies and personalities are different too! ACCCEPTANCE of who we are as people and what our body looks like is part of learning to FEEL GOOD from the inside out. We encourage you to love yourself for the special person you are, unique and wonderful. Look back at your personal inventory to remind yourself that you are ONE OF A KIND and there is no one else LIKE YOU!!!!!!!!!
BIOGRAPHY:
Jessica Aronson, LCSW-R, ACSW and Karen Robbins, LCSW, MS are both Psychotherapists in NYC specializing in the treatment of addictions, eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. Jessica and Karen are actively involved with the National Eating Disorder Association and work with patients individually and in groups to treat patients.
Jessica received her Masters in Social Work from the Hunter College School of Social Work and holds a Post Masters in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from the American Institute of Psychoanalysis and a Post Masters in Relational Psychoanalysis from the Stephen Mitchell Center.
Karen graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Social Work and has a Post Masters from the American Institute of Psychoanalysis.
Karen and Jessica founded Passages (www.jkpassages.com) over five years ago and strongly believe that emotional well being and health can be attained through the therapeutic process.
Feeling good starts from the inside out! Positive thinking is essential to feeling GREAT! There are several activities we suggest to help you get to know and appreciate YOURSELF.
Taking a personal inventory is the first activity. Set aside 30 minutes of quiet time where you will not be disturbed. Start by making a list of all the qualities you like about yourself. For example, I like the fact that I am a caring person and love animals. Sometimes it is hard to identify the things that we like about ourselves but underneath and inside all of us are special characteristics that make us UNIQUE. Do you like reading or painting? Or do you enjoy playing with friends or playing catch with your family? Whatever you come up with on your list is right because it is about YOU and all your wonderful self.
The second exercise is called “mirror, mirror” and it requires you spend some time alone with a mirror. The goal of this activity is to work on loving and appreciating your body. Our bodies our incredible machines and each one of our bodies is different; there are no two alike. Begin to think about what you like about your body. Do you like your eyes? Or perhaps your long legs? What about the freckles on your nose? Think about how your body helps you throughout your day. If you like your legs, do they help you score the goal at soccer practice? What about your hands? Do they help you paint the beautiful drawing in art class? “Mirror, mirror” is a chance to appreciate YOU and to begin to internalize that there is NOT one right way to look but many ways to love ourselves.
The last activity is called “Healthy Goals.” This activity asks you to identify the things you want to work on. Perhaps you want to take better care of your health and exercise more or maybe you want to clean up your room on the weekends. Maybe you want to spend more time on homework or help your family around the house.
Taking time to explore and look at ourselves is essential to living a healthy life. We are all special and unique and each one of us has attributes that make us, INDIVIDUAL. If you have ever looked at the rain or snow you will notice all the drops or flakes are different. Our bodies and personalities are different too! ACCCEPTANCE of who we are as people and what our body looks like is part of learning to FEEL GOOD from the inside out. We encourage you to love yourself for the special person you are, unique and wonderful. Look back at your personal inventory to remind yourself that you are ONE OF A KIND and there is no one else LIKE YOU!!!!!!!!!
BIOGRAPHY:
Jessica Aronson, LCSW-R, ACSW and Karen Robbins, LCSW, MS are both Psychotherapists in NYC specializing in the treatment of addictions, eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. Jessica and Karen are actively involved with the National Eating Disorder Association and work with patients individually and in groups to treat patients.
Jessica received her Masters in Social Work from the Hunter College School of Social Work and holds a Post Masters in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from the American Institute of Psychoanalysis and a Post Masters in Relational Psychoanalysis from the Stephen Mitchell Center.
Karen graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Social Work and has a Post Masters from the American Institute of Psychoanalysis.
Karen and Jessica founded Passages (www.jkpassages.com) over five years ago and strongly believe that emotional well being and health can be attained through the therapeutic process.
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Posted in Weight Loss Study, weight loss | 1 Comment »
Monday, May 18th, 2009
My fondest childhood memories involve running around in my backyard without a care in the world. My brother and I would make up silly games like ‘King of the Jungle’ and have contests over who could spin around in circles for longer. There is something invaluable about having free time in nature.
Sadly, our children are missing this experience. The little time they have outdoors is spent in soccer practice and other organized sports. Even worse, many children in our country don’t have access to the outdoors at all. Kids these days spend most of their free time watching TV and playing video games. Why play tennis outside when you can play Wii Fit tennis from the comfort of your living room? Kids today don’t know what they are missing.
Unstructured outdoor play is very important for kids. The “No Child Left Inside” movement gained momentum after the release of “Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder,” a 2005 book by Richard Louv. In the book, Louv explains that exposure to and participation in nature is crucial to healthy mental and physical development.
Children learn to understand their world through unstructured play. And some studies indicate that exposure to nature helps children with ADHD by increasing attention span.
Outdoor play is also associated with lower obesity rates. Kids burn more energy when left alone in nature than in most other settings. Interestingly, the rise in obesity has coincided with a dramatic increase in participation among American children in organized sports, Louv wrote. This makes sense. During soccer practice, there are times when the kids sit still while the coach shows them a drill. Then they get up and take turns practicing it. A large amount of time is spent watching and waiting. And organized sports are time-limited. When the hour is up, practice is over.
There is a big difference between organized sports and music lessons and unstructured play, Louv writes. Not that there’s anything wrong with soccer practice or swimming lessons, but they aren’t a replacement for the wandering, running, climbing and exploring play that comes naturally to children.
One reason our children spend more time indoors? Outside no longer seems safe. Parents don’t let their kids play outside unsupervised due to fears of kidnapping. I myself am guilty of these fears. My mom would let us play in our backyard while she worked inside the house. I am too nervous for that! So my children can only play outside when someone is watching them.
The facts, however, don’t support the growing fears. In reality, there were half as many child abductions in 2007 than in 1970, and most of those were perpetrated not by strangers, but by people who knew the child. We need to get over these fears or at least make it a priority to spend time watching our child run around outside.
What can parents do to encourage their kids to play outside? Spend time outside themselves! Let your children see you enjoying nature. And spend time as a family outdoors. Go for a walk in a park or have a picnic dinner in your backyard. My family loves to go for hikes in the woods or at the local botanical gardens. Most Sundays, we pick a spot and walk, run or bike around. Not only are we all getting physical activity but we are bonding at the same time. Nothing brings us closer than a day spent together in nature.
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Tags: outdoors nature play sports child children kid kids obesity
Posted in Child Obesity | 3 Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
A new study suggests that there may be a link between child obesity and allergies. The findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, indicate that controlling your child’s weight may prevent her risk of developing allergies.
The researchers analyzed data on 4,000 children and young adults ages 2 to19 from a new national dataset designed to obtain information about allergies and asthma. Obese children and teens in the study were significantly more likely to have an allergy to something, especially a food allergy. Obese children were 26 percent more likely to have allergies than normal-weight children. The increased risk of food allergies was even higher. The rate of food allergies was 59 percent higher in obese children.
While the study found a link between obesity and allergies, it did not necessary prove that obesity CAUSES allergies. More research is needed to make that determination.
“Given that the prevalence of both obesity and allergic disease has increased among children over the last several decades, it is important to understand and, if possible, prevent these epidemics,” said Cynthia M. Visness, Ph.D., lead author on the paper and a scientist at Rho Federal Systems Division, Inc. in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Hopefully this new study will give parents of obese children an additional reason to start their kids on a weight loss program.
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Tags: allergies, child, children, diet, nutrition, obesity, overweight, parenting, parents, weight loss, wellness
Posted in Weight Loss Study | 9 Comments »
Friday, April 17th, 2009
The psychological effects of being an overweight child are severe. Overweight children tend to suffer from low self-esteem, depression and loneliness. These children also face discrimination beginning at a very young age and are more likely to become suicidal.
Obesity and Self-Identity/Depression
Children get a sense of their own identity by monitoring how others perceive them. A child’s self-esteem is greatly influenced by how others respond to them. Since our culture looks down on the overweight, overweight kids tend to develop a low sense of self-esteem.
Depression is also common in overweight children. These kids often feel insecure and inferior to others. While some obese kids become ‘the life of the party’ to compensate, others become reclusive. An overweight child’s social life may suffer if she is uncomfortable interacting with other kids.
Overweight children and teens who are depressed tend to remain depressed throughout adulthood. Being overweight affects every aspect of one’s life. Overweight adults tend to have fewer years of advanced education, lower family income, higher poverty rates and lower marriage rates compared to non-obese adults.
Obesity and Discrimination
Children understand that being overweight is socially undesirable from a very young age. In studies, young children shown pictures of overweight kids describe the children in the pictures as ‘lazy’ and state that they would not want to be friends with them. These children would rather be friends with somebody with a visible handicap (i.e. missing an extremity) than with somebody who is overweight. Interestingly, even overweight children show the same bias in these studies! They themselves state that they do not want to be friends with the kids in the overweight pictures.
The situation only gets worse as the child grows up. Overweight teens are often teased, ridiculed and shunned, leading to social isolation and depression. In addition, chronic obesity often leads to an increase in high-risk behaviors and oppositional-defiant disorders, since the overweight youngster must work harder than others to fit in with the social crowd.
Even teachers tend to discriminate against overweight children. These kids are more likely to be labeled as ‘immature’ or ‘disruptive’ when they are behaving normally for their age because they often look older and are therefore held to the standards set for older children.
The obese individual encounters discrimination all over. It is not uncommon for an obese person to get disapproving stares from others. Discrimination against the obese is so rampant that normal-weight individuals will often let an obese person know that he or she is taking up more space than he or she should. In most cases, the effects of these incidents make an obese person feel more self-conscious and depressed than ever.
Studies show that overweight individuals are less likely to be hired for a job than normal-weight individuals. Wages of the overweight, particularly overweight women, are much lower than wages of normal-weight workers. Some overweight individuals are even denied health insurance due to their weight!
It is not just a child’s medical health that suffers from obesity. The psychological effects of being overweight are just as devastating. For all of these reasons, it is crucial to address a child’s weight issue as soon as possible!
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Posted in Adult Weight Loss, Child Obesity, weight loss | 10 Comments »
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