Starting your child off on good nutrition with the hopes of reducing the need for dieting later in life

Childhood obesity is slowly becoming an epidemic.  Signs can start earlier than one year as children often are overfed or carry genetic tendencies to gaining weight.  Furthermore, children are a product of their environments, and usually act as they have been conditioned. The less of a weight struggle early in life, the greater chance your child will have of reducing the need for a diet later in life.

We see advertisements on the television for the next best program or weight loss clinic , but we do not see where these weight struggles first began.  If we trace back our lives to our diets as children, we can begin to unravel the present day mysteries of the weight struggles that exist. Good nutrition is essential for our children in order to keep them at a healthy weight.  Growing up at a good weight and with a nutritious diet and lifestyle will help to not only ward off weight issues, but can also help to prevent the onset of disease.

Processed foods, refined sugars, and trans fatty acids (trans fats) are the biggest culprits of weight gain today.  These foods are heated, fried, or chemically altered to taste like real food; however, they are foreign substances to our bodies.  Excess sugars from cookies, pastries, cakes, soft drinks, and cereals will raise your child’s insulin levels, forcing the body to store the excess sugar as fat.  Trans fats are polyunsaturated fats which have been hydrogenated and altered to form a solid, allowing it to stay fresher at room temperature.  Unfortunately, this process promotes excess fat storage, inflammation, and the risk of high levels of the “bad” cholesterol.

Reading food labels can help parents to sift out the good from the bad.  Trans fats are found in the ingredients section as “partially hydrogenated”.  Watch out for added sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup or just plain sugar.  The best foods for your children are those that are close to their original form.  For example, an apple pie was once a stalk of whole grain wheat, whole sugar cane, and apples.  When you add all of the extra sugars, fats, and chemicals, it can promote weight gain.

Remember, organic fats, proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are your friend.  Your children need healthy fats, such as Omega 3’s and that from olive oil and wild caught fish.  They also need healthy organic sources of protein as their body is growing new tissue and bone daily.  The fiber in whole grains helps to release blood sugar at a lower level, hence reducing the amount of insulin secreted.

Turning your child on to good nutrition can be difficult at first, but if you make it fun and rewarding they will begin to enjoy it.  Introduce new foods to them slowly, and they will begin to appreciate their flavors in time.  Get creative and ask for the help of an expert.  If your child is a newborn, begin to plan and research a healthy diet and lifestyle for your child now so you can be prepared.  And most of all, be an example to your children.  Your child will not want to eat any food that you are not eating.  Show them through your example that healthier foods equal a better lifestyle for them now and in the future.