Overweight Children

Incidence

• Currently 25 % of American children are overweight or obese. In the 1960s it was only 5%. Obesity rates are rising more rapidly in boys than girls.
  If current trends continue, it is estimated ½ of America’s children will be overweight by the year 2025.
• Childhood obesity is much more prevalent among families of lower socio-economic status.

What causes childhood obesity?

• Modern diets are vastly different from what they were 50 and even 10 years ago. Most children have a high level of sugar and refined carbohydrate in their diet. Sugar is added to nearly all processed foods – such as breakfast cereals, bread, sauces, soft drinks and energy drinks; and fruit juice is high in natural sugars. Most children’s snack foods are low in fat yet high in sugar or refined carbohydrate. Refined carbohydrates are foods containing white flour, as well as pasta and white rice. These foods are rapidly digested into sugar and raise blood sugar levels and insulin levels. The insulin then turns the sugar into fat – that’s why most people become over weight on a low fat high carbohydrate diet!
• In advertisements it is usually stated that children need carbohydrate for energy. That is true to some degree but the average child is nowhere near active enough to compensate for the average high carbohydrate diet. Carbohydrate not used immediately for energy is mainly stored as body fat. Anyone who carries excess body fat has ingested carbohydrate way beyond their requirement.
• High carbohydrate diets promote the development of insulin resistance. This causes abdominal weight gain, increases the risk of developing fatty liver and type 2 diabetes. The frightening fact is that some children under 10 are being diagnosed with fatty liver and type 2 diabetes. These used to be diseases of middle age – these conditions greatly shorten the lifespan of these children.
• Diets high in processed vegetable oil and omega 6 fats and deficient in beneficial omega 3 fats also promote weight gain, as well as mood disorders.
• Reduced activity levels among children also contributes to obesity – in the past children may have walked or ridden their bikes to school, whereas now they may be driven or catch public transport.

It is not uncommon to find a fatty liver problem in overweight children and I have seen fatty liver occur in children as young as 5 years of age. It is usually diagnosed on an ultrasound scan of the liver which may have been done for abdominal pain. Most parents get a big shock to discover that their young child has a fatty liver and they usually do not realize that it is serious and that something should be done to reverse it. Fatty liver in children often causes the child to be fatigued and allergy prone and makes it much harder for the weight excess to be controlled. Generally speaking fatty liver arises in children because of a combination of reasons such as –

• Lack of exercise
• Intake of excess dietary carbohydrates especially sugar, bread or processed cereals
• Intake of excess fast food such as hamburgers, fried chicken, deep fried foods and chips
• Intake of excess sweet drinks such as sodas containing sugar or aspartame
• Lack of regular protein in the diet
• Lack of fresh fruits and vegetables causing a deficiency of antioxidants

MOST parents don't think their overweight children are fat - and heavy parents are the worst judges of them all, an Australian study has found.

A survey of more than 1200 families in Melbourne Victoria, showed most people believed their kids were a normal weight, even when they were overweight or even obese. Parents of five- to six-year-olds were the worst, with 90 per cent wrongly judging wether their child was overweight. And 63 per cent of parents of overweight 10- to 12-year-olds made the same mistake. Deakin University researcher David Crawford said the findings, published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, were alarming given that many parts of the world were in the grip of an obesity epidemic.

"These are quite troubling results and suggest that current obesity prevention campaigns are not hitting the mark with parents," said Prof Crawford, head of the Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research.

"Parents are part of the front line in the battle to reverse the trend of obesity in children. It is therefore essential that they are armed with information and practical strategies that they understand and can easily build into their daily lives."

He said the results were not surprising because waistlines were expanding across the whole population, making obesity harder to recognise. "Almost one in two people are overweight now ... so it's almost more usual than unusual," Prof Crawford said.

Children were also growing quickly, making it hard to judge weight, and many parents also believed their child would grow out of it which, research showed, was not the case. Mothers in particular tended to judge a weight problem on whether their child was teased at school - a poor marker of overweight.

Important Strategies solutions

• Recognition of the problem is the first step. Research has shown that the majority of parents with overweight children do not see that the child is overweight. They may be in denial or are not sure how they should address the problem. Obesity is related to self image and self esteem for many children and must be tackled diplomatically.
• Parents need to set a good example. Parents who eat well and exercise regularly mostly have children who are slim and fit. Children follow what they see their parents do.
• Involve the child in the preparation of healthy meals and snacks and make this an enjoyable experience. Even very young children can tear up lettuce leaves and scoop avocado out if its skin. Children find it fun to make fresh juices and smoothies with real fresh fruit. Garnish the juices with pieces of fruit on the side of the glass and little umbrellas, straws and other fun things.
• Provide plenty of protein to children in meals and snacks – protein is filling – it does not raise insulin or blood sugar levels, satisfies appetite and reduces cravings for sugar.
• Limit time spent in front of the television and computer. Encourage outdoor activities such as family bike rides, walks with the dog and games in the backyard or park.
• Reward your child for consuming healthy food and exercising and educate your child about the importance of a healthy liver and immune system. Tell them that a healthy liver will make them strong and energetic.

Foods that will encourage fat burning and fat loss in children are listed below:

SALADS – made with fresh raw vegetables and fresh herbs such as mint, parsley, coriander, basil, etc and choose a natural home made dressing made with such things as apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice and cold pressed oils. Salads may be made more appealing by adding hard boiled eggs and cheese.

FRUITS – all fruits are beneficial and can be used for snacks, desserts or smoothies and even home made ice cream

VEGETABLES – all vegetables can be used, as we know that children often refuse to eat vegetables, so choose the ones that your child likes. Do not deep fry the vegetables but rather choose healthy methods of cooking them such as stir fry using cold pressed oils, steamed, mashed with some butter or cold pressed oil, or baked in the oven. Healthy oils to cook vegetables in include any cold pressed unprocessed oil such as nut and seed oils, olive oil or coconut oil.
Spreads can be used on or over the vegetables to make them more appealing, such as – tahini, hummus, avocado, tomato paste, organic butter, sugar free mayonnaise etc.

PROTEIN

Encourage your child to eat protein with every meal as this will stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin – this is vital if you want to reverse a fatty liver. Many overweight children do not eat enough protein.

Good sources of first class protein include:

Lean fresh meats such as lamb, beef, and veal can be baked, stir fried, grilled, barbecued, or made into shashliks, also known as shish kebabs (pieces of meat threaded onto a skewer with vegetable pieces)

Eggs – encourage your child to eat a lot of eggs – these can be prepared as an omelet, lightly fried in cold pressed oil, scrambled or hard-boiled etc. Eggs are very healthy – they have no effect of cholesterol levels, are an excellent source of protein and the yolks are high in the mineral sulfur. Sulfur is a very important mineral for the detoxification pathways in the liver.

Poultry – chicken, turkey, duck, etc. (organic or free range is best but not essential if you are on a tight budget). Make sure you cook the chicken well as partially cooked chicken can lead to food poisoning.

All seafood – canned and fresh is healthy; avoid smoked seafood. Legumes (beans, lentils and chickpeas) are very healthy and provide protein – they can be included in soups, stir fries or served as a side dish. Raw nuts and seeds with some raisins are an excellent low carbohydrate snack and are high in fiber.

Biodynamic yogurt – plain, unflavored and full fat yogurt is best and is a great source of protein and healthy bacteria for the intestines. Be aware that the low fat flavored yogurts are high in sugar and will elevate insulin levels so they should be avoided. If your child does not like the sour tart taste of plain yogurt, you can sweeten it with my Synd-X Slimming Whey Protein Powder and fresh fruits

Cheese – is an excellent source of protein and natural unprocessed fat. Many overweight people worry about cholesterol far too much and because of this they choose low fat foods, which are highly processed. Cholesterol in the diet is not the cause of fatty liver and dietary cholesterol has very little effect on blood cholesterol levels. The natural cholesterol found in unprocessed animal foods is healthy – children need cholesterol for brain growth and development, the manufacture of their hormones and vitamin D. You need to understand that a lot of the information you have heard in the past or even still hear today, from dieticians is wrong, and indeed if you are following this old incorrect information your child is probably not doing well. Choose unprocessed cheeses such as feta, pecorino, vintage, parmesan cheese, cottage, ricotta or any unprocessed cheese that your child enjoys. Avoid sliced cheese that is mixed with vegetable oil – read the ingredients on the label.

Protein powders - are useful to boost protein intake and the most concentrated protein comes from whey protein. Avoid protein powders sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners. My Synd-X Slimming Protein Powder is excellent for those with a weight problem or fatty liver because it is very low in carbohydrate and is sweetened with the naturally sweet herb called stevia. The Synd-X protein powder can be used to make smoothies – a slimming smoothie can be made with milk and frozen or fresh berries and children love the taste. The Synd-X Protein powder can also be used to make a delicious healthy low carbohydrate ice cream – here is what you do:

MILKS – it is good to vary the types of milk your child consumes and if your child does not like any milk, it is fine to avoid it. Healthy milks include coconut milk (canned) and unsweetened soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or dairy milk. Check the ingredients section of the milk container labels – if they contain sugar or sugar derivatives they will be too high in carbohydrates and are thus best avoided. You may be surprised to know that coconut oil and coconut milk are healthy choices for overweight people – this is because they contain shorter fats called medium chain triglycerides, which are easily burnt for energy by the body. Coconut milk is great for those children who are allergic to dairy products or those children who suffer with excess allergies and respiratory mucus.

Raw vegetable and fruit juices – these are excellent for your child’s health and are generally much lower in carbohydrate than bottled fruit juices. Of course many children hate the idea of drinking raw vegetable juice and you may have a battle on your hands to get them to drink such things as a mixture of cabbage, carrot, beetroot, red onion, spinach, red radish, ginger root, garlic and celery. One trick is to use very small amounts of these types of vegetables and add plenty of citrus, apples and pineapple to the juice. Your child may not even be able to taste the vegetables in such a juice. Raw juices are great for boosting antioxidant intake in those children who will not eat fruits or vegetables!

If you child loves cereal the best type to use is muesli made with unprocessed grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Packaged cereals are generally too high in carbohydrates. If you are allergic to gluten and want a very low carbohydrate grain free and gluten free breakfast cereal try this recipe -

• Whey protein powder such as Synd-X Slimming Protein Powder
• LSA (Linseed, Sunflower seeds, Almonds) – grind in blender
• Pumpkin seeds – grind in blender
• Sunflower seeds – grind in blender
• Some nuts such as cashews, brazils, etc – may be ground in blender for young children or those with irritable bowel syndrome or diverticulitis
• Soy flakes –can be toasted

This mixture is nice added to yogurt with fresh fruits

If your child is overweight and/or has a fatty liver you will need to avoid or minimize the following:

Sugar, honey, jam, molasses, treacle, ice cream, candies, sweet biscuits, cookies, chips, pretzels, chocolate bars, cakes, donuts, muffins, processed cereals, pastry, noodles, pasta, bread, deep fried foods, soft drinks, sweet soda drinks, margarine, hydrogenated fat and processed vegetable oil.

It is not fair to deprive an overweight child of these things all the time as all children enjoy the taste of sugar and high carbohydrate foods. The vitally important thing is to allow these types of foods occasionally as a treat – a special occasion. Do not reward good behavior with these types of foods; it’s wiser to allow these treats on the weekend and/or during holidays and parties. Otherwise children will associate good behavior with unhealthy food and this will influence their choices later in life.