Consult a professional if your child is overweight

 Consult a professional if your child is overweight

Is it right to put your child who may or may not be not ''technically'' overweight on a diet! because you think so...example just because his/her tummy isn't perfectly flat.

If you want to help her/him self-esteem, let her know how beautiful she is just the way she is. I think giving her healthy choices for her food and encouraging a healthy amount of exercise is fine, but please don't restrict her healthy fat or calories according to what you think is right! In my opinion, you will do far more damage than good if you encourage her to do this.

Also since many of the clients want fast results they constantly ask me "Can medication help my child lose weight?"

None of the new medicines to treat obesity are approved for children or adolescents to use. They may affect your child’s growth and development, and the risk of dangerous complications is far greater than any benefit they might have.

By far the best approach is helping your whole family—including your child—change their behavior. Obesity is not just your child’s problem. It is a problem that the whole family must be involved in solving. Your child lives within your family environment.

Obesity develops over time and cannot be solved overnight. Remember that this is not an emergency. Do not expect dramatic change. That is unrealistic.

The best way to have a healthy weight is prevention. Be sure your family has healthy habits from the beginning, and prevent yourself and your children from becoming overweight. It is much easier to maintain a healthy weight than it is to lose weight.

A diet for an overweight or obese kid needs to be planned intelligently wherein his or her growth needs aren't compromised. Please do not force your diet plans on them
Mrs Shilpa Mittal Nutritionist and Diet Consultant Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

How do kids become obese or overweight?

How do kids become obese or overweight?

Obesity is caused by complex interactions between genes, environment and behavior habits.

Many studies have shown that there is not a big difference in the amount of food eaten and physical activity between obese and non-obese kids. But probably small differences in eating and activity over time really add up and lead to weight gain.

Following pointers may be of help 

Eating patterm -Obese children do tend to eat larger portions or higher calorie foods, like high-fat foods. 

Physical activity and inactivity - Many studies have shown that kids who spend more time watching television and playing video games are at higher risk of becoming overweight.

Obese parents - Kids in families with obese parents tend to be obese themselves.  If one parent is obese or overweight, their teen has an 80% chance of being overweight.  This is probably because of a combination of genetics and family behavior and habits. 

Other factors - Very rarely, obesity is caused by an underlying medical condition.  Illnesses that can cause obesity include endocrine problems and some genetic syndromes.  Your doctor will probably be able to rule out an underlying medical problem by a physical exam, medical history or sometimes lab tests may be needed.

It's not about weight. It's about the present and future health problems that come with extra weight.

If we don't act now, today, this month, this year, we could raise the first generation of kids that live shorter, sicker lives than their parents.

Don't sit back and relax work for it today.

Mrs Shilpa Mittal Nutritionist and Diet Consultant Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Are you fostering childhood obesity......

Are you fostering childhood obesity......

Let’s take this into consideration the next time you…
1.Offer your child a second, third, or fourth slice of cake.
2.Allow them to play video or mobile games for hours or watch TV for hours.
3.Demand your child to study all weekend long, without any physical exercise.
4.Encourage eating out atleast once a week as you can't do without it?
5.Weekend outings for you mean visit to mall or to park or playground....
6.Do you carry some junk like waffers, vada, samosa home while returning from work...
7.Is your way of rewarding your kid involve food always like cakes, chocolate etc 
8.Do you keep lot of packaged food at home? 
9.Dinner time means TV time 
10.What else are we doing wrong? What else can we do to ensure our child’s health?

Together, let’s…Quit Childhood Obesity

Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Obesity As a Disease

Obesity As a Disease

Recently the American Medical Association announced that it was changing the designation of obesity from a 'disorder' to a 'disease.' While the two labels sound similar, they actually mean very different things to health care providers, insurance companies, and to members of the obese community.

At first glance, it’s a minor story, hardly worth mentioning, but in reality the AMA’s move is a symptom of a disease that is seriously troubling our society.

Obesity in children has tripled in the past two decades. Experts have warned that kids today may be the first generation in history to live shorter lives than their parents. Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex health issue.

Obesity is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes which impact millions of people. Even if an obese person does not currently display any other health problems, we know that obesity significantly increases the risk for other serious health complications down the road, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems and some forms of cancer. Addressing obesity before these complications arise will prevent future patient suffering.

I know whether obesity is a disease or an epidemic the general population will remain unaffected. But this rapidly rising obesity rates have led to a decrease in health and wellness and an increase in costs for treating obesity-related illnesses. We have to take steps to improve the health of our nation.

 “There is no magic bullet — no medicine — for obesity. The way out of obesity is to eat right and healthy and to move your body.”

Childhood obesity consequences

Childhood obesity consequences

Obesity among children and adolescents is emerging as a serious health burden. It’s a time bomb waiting to explode once these children become adults, making obesity one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century.

Childhood obesity is associated with a number of health problems such as hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and impaired glucose tolerance that were once confined to adults are now being diagnosed to children.

Likelihood of obese adolescent girls to suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a syndrome of variable combinations of menstrual irregularity, acne with obesity and insulin resistance.

Childhood obesity is associated with significant other morbidities including gallstone, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, early puberty or menarche, eating disorders, skin infections, orthopedic disorders, asthma and other respiratory disorders.

To ensure that kids grow up fit and slim, parents need to be committed to building their health. We can't collude with our children when it comes to choosing between getting through the daily pile of homework that brings them close to scoring 99 per cent in their finals instead of spending an hour playing badminton in the park outside with them.

Please do think and act now

Is their a difference in obesity beginning in childhood and adulthood

Is their a difference in obesity beginning in childhood and adulthood.

Nowadays with multiple foods easily available, children and also adults hardly like to eat home food. The dietary habits have shifted from eating fruits, vegetables, whole grain preparation, milk and products to caloric dense (either loaded with fat or sugar) highly processed foods and drinks which just have calories and very less nutrition in proportion to the same.

The fat cell theory is one of the mechanisms that explain obesity in children due to overfeeding in early years of life. The fat cells are distributed throughout the body. The depot expands either by increasing the size of fat cell or by increasing their number. According to the theory the percentage of body fat is determined by the number of fat cells which is either influenced by genetic inheritance or eating habits.

The size of fat cells gradually increases if the energy balance is positive. If the energy or caloric intake continues to be high, cell number begins to increase. Once fat cells increase their number seems to be fixed and they cannot be lost even if weight is lost. In general, cells proliferate most rapidly from birth to 2 years of age and during the late childhood and puberty.

During childhood, chronic overfeeding leads to increased number of these fat cells. Fat cells once formed cannot be decreased. In the long run if positive energy balance (you take in more calories than you expend) continues, fat cells would keep increasing in size further leading to obesity in adulthood as well. Thus, good eating habits during childhood are of great importance.

This is the difference in  from obesity beginning in adulthood and childhood.  In adulthood, obesity begins due to increase in the fat cell size and in childhood the number of fat cells also increase.

So please pay attention to what your kids eat, they may not understand now but  will definitely thank you in future for developing healthy eating habits.

National Childhood Obesity Week -7th -13 july 2014

       National Childhood Obesity Week

7th -13 july 2014

Our children are getting fatter with every passing year. Around 2 per cent of urban Indian kids are obese, 8-10 per cent of them are overweight, and the numbers are only growing.

Lets give a thought to this.......Child Obesity in India on the Rise

Obesity in children has tripled in the past two decades. The rate of development of mind and body in children decreases with junk food due to the empty calories it provides. A regular pizza provides about 800-1000 calories whereas a burger provides you with around 500 calories.

Pizza’s & Burgers  and junk food joints have become a hot spot for children now a days to fill their tiny stomach’s. Well, pizza’s & the burgers taste nice and exciting but are unable to provide the nutrition that is required for healthy living.

Researchers also warn that children who are fed with junk food have lower IQ than their counterparts who ate nutritious food.  Junk food decrease the efficiency which is important for children. Heart related diseases are growing with obesity and weight gain is normal for people on a junk food diet.

We need to come out of this general misconception esp in India that the obese child is a healthy child and the so called “ baby fat” will vanish as the child grows. 

Once the habit is developed for junk food, it gets very difficult to get rid of the addiction. To ensure that kids do not make this unhealthy lifestyle a permanent part of their life one should start inculcating good nutritional habits from the beginning. Ensuring enough physical activities is an equally important aspect of every child’s growth. In case you need professional assistance to get you started on a healthier lifestyle for your family contact us now before it is too late.