If you are fat since childhood and don’t lose weight, you may develop enlarged fat cells! Nutritionist: Learn these 3 tips to avoid the hidden traps of obesity

Many parents often think that raising their children to be plump and fair is a symbol of blessing and health. Whether a child is fat or not is related to the content and type of diet he or she chooses! Nutritionists remind us that if you are chubby and have obesity problems when you are a child, but you do not lose weight and allow obesity to continue to develop, the number of fat cells in your body may accumulate in large quantities, increasing the chance of obesity and the risk of chronic diseases in the future!

Wasn’t being fat as a child considered fat? If there is no improvement, you may be fat from childhood to adulthood!

Nutritionist Joyce Cheng said that infancy and adolescence are the two stages when human body cells divide and proliferate most actively. Once parents find that their children are obese in the percentile chart of their children's growth curve during early childhood, and they do not adjust or change their diet appropriately, it is easy for their babies to accumulate a large amount of fat cells invisibly, making the chance of obesity in the future much higher than other children.

Whether the child has obesity, calculated by the percentile of children of the same age

How can people know whether their children have obesity problems? Nutritionist Joyce Cheng explained that children’s obesity cannot be judged by BMI (body mass index), but should be judged by “percentile calculation”. That is to say, among children of the same age, if the baby's weight exceeds 85% at home, he is considered overweight, and if it exceeds 95%, he is considered obese.

According to the results of the National Nutrition and Health Status Change Survey, although the prevalence of overweight and obesity among preschool children in Taiwan has slightly decreased in the 2013-2016 survey results compared to previous results, about 1/4 of children and adolescents in Taiwan are still overweight.

Want to keep your children away from the threat of obesity? Learn 3 tricks to avoid hidden traps

Therefore, if you want to prevent your children from suffering from obesity throughout their lives and increase the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hormonal disorders and other diseases in the future, it is very important to develop correct eating habits from an early age. Especially the diet of infants and young children aged 1 to 3 years old cannot be taken lightly.

There is no need to add additional salt to the complementary foods for children under 1 year old. In addition to not adding salt to food, you should also avoid high-sodium foods such as snacks, dips, and processed foods.

However, nutritionist Joyce Cheng also mentioned that in addition to keeping in mind the cooking principles of less frying, less salt, less sugar, and less refined starch, parents should also keep in mind the following three tips for children's diet, which will help prevent their babies from accidentally falling into the hidden trap of high-salt, high-calorie foods and increasing the chance of obesity:

Tip 1: Be careful of hidden high salt content:

Since young children have a higher sensitivity to taste, generally speaking, there is no need to add additional salt to complementary foods for children under one year old. In addition to not adding salt to food, you should also avoid high-sodium foods such as snacks, dips, and processed foods. In particular, you need to pay attention to hidden high-salt foods, such as sports drinks, white toast, jelly, etc.

Tip 2: Choose natural foods:

It is recommended that natural foods be the main ingredients! Most common boxed juices are reconstituted juices, which have lower dietary fiber content and higher sugar content than real juices. Therefore, it is recommended that parents who want their children to get the nutrients in fruits should replace boxed juice with fresh fruit puree or fruit cubes.

Dairy products such as yogurt and chocolate milk often have concerns about added sugar and cream. If children drink too much, they may increase their risk of obesity.

Tip 3: Choose calcium-supplementing drinks carefully:

In order to help their children grow taller, many parents often give their children milk or yogurt as a source of calcium. But it is worth noting that dairy products such as yogurt and chocolate milk often contain additional sugar and cream. Drinking too much can increase the risk of obesity in children. It is recommended to choose growing milk powder designed specifically for young children, as its nutrients are more suitable for the needs of young children in their development stage.

Keep a good figure and a good mood! Parent-child outdoor activities are essential

In addition to eating the right food and learning how to eat from a young age, nutritionist Joyce Cheng also mentioned that children nowadays always carry 3C products with them, which not only leads to insufficient exercise and lack of opportunities to interact with others, but also affects their vision and brain health. It is recommended that parents try to arrange more parent-child outdoor activities, such as mountain climbing, camping, picnics, and visiting historical sites.

Through personal experience, children can have a deeper impression. It can not only enhance the emotional interaction between parents and children, but moderate exercise is also more beneficial to prevent obesity. And most importantly, during the activity, the human body can be encouraged to secrete a neurotransmitter - dopamine, also known as the happy hormone, which helps children to have more stable emotions.