Save 640,000 obese schoolchildren: Eat more fruits and vegetables to lose weight and prevent cancer

Being fat as a child is not a blessing! Studies have found that children who are obese during school have a high chance of continuing to be obese as adults. Doctors describe obesity as a time bomb that could detonate the risk of cancer and various civilization diseases at any time. Parents should pay attention to the problem of obesity in schoolchildren, help them cultivate correct dietary concepts, avoid high-calorie foods, and consume sufficient and balanced amounts of diverse high-fiber fruits and vegetables.

"Obesity" has become a global public enemy, and countries around the world have been promoting dietary policies to improve and prevent it!

I was obese as a child! The risk of developing three highs and cancer is higher than others when growing up

Zhang Jialun, deputy executive director of the Taiwan Cancer Foundation and attending physician of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Wan Fang Hospital, said that there are about 640,000 obese schoolchildren in Taiwan. According to data from the Ministry of Education's National Education Administration, the proportion of overweight and obese elementary school students has increased year by year, and the proportion of obese students has reached 30%, especially among boys, where one in three is overweight or obese.

Dr. Zhang Jialun reminds that obesity not only increases the risk of the three highs, but also increases the chance of cancer, so you must be careful. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

School-age children who are obese have a 1 in 4 to 1 in 3 chance of remaining obese as adults, while obese teenagers have a 50 to 60 percent chance of remaining obese. Obesity is not only closely related to high blood pressure, high blood lipids and high blood sugar, but more frighteningly, many studies have also confirmed that overweight children will increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer and oral cancer in adulthood.

Older school children who are overweight will increase their risk of all cancers, including colorectal cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. If adults exceed their ideal weight by 40%, men will increase their chances of cancer by 33% and women will increase their chances of cancer by 55%.

Diet to fight obesity! Don’t miss out on fruits and vegetables 579!

"Obesity" has become a global enemy, and countries around the world have adopted dietary policies or legislation to improve and prevent it! Under the guidance of the Ministry of Education and the Taipei City Government's Department of Education, the Taiwan Cancer Foundation launched the "Good Eaters - Elementary School Physical Activity Control Demonstration Project" to allow schoolchildren to become educational seeds, bringing correct and healthy dietary concepts into the family, influencing parents and implementing them, and creating a healthy school and family dietary environment.

Zhang Xinyi, a nutritionist at the Taiwan Cancer Foundation, said that children and parents should have correct nutrition knowledge and the concept of intake of six major food categories, especially vegetables and fruits, which contain vitamins, minerals and rich fiber. The daily intake should be sufficient to help children maintain a healthy body.

According to the 2013 National Nutrition and Health Changes Survey, 94.7% of elementary school children eat less than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Dr. Zhang Jialun emphasized that eating more fruits and vegetables can obtain a variety of phytochemicals, which provide the body with biological effects to fight diseases. It not only has anti-cancer effects, but can also reduce the incidence of civilization diseases including gout, cardiovascular disease, arteriosclerosis, stroke, obesity, arthritis and aging.

Child star brothers Xiao Xiaobin and Mini Bin, and twin sisters Lele and Mengmeng, responded to the Taiwan Cancer Foundation's "Foodie Boy" campaign, encouraging everyone to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

Food education starts with cooking together with your children! Understanding the nutritional value of food is the key

In addition to eating more fruits and vegetables, nutritionist Zhang Xinyi also recommends that parents cook with their children. In addition to serving as a role model, learning and discussing cooking techniques to reduce the intake of high-fat and high-calorie foods can also enhance parent-child relationships.

Vegetables and fruits contain vitamins, minerals and rich fiber. Sufficient daily intake can help children maintain a healthy body.

However, it should be noted that many parents want to educate their children to eat healthily by using "original food". They require their children to never eat snacks, only eat boiled vegetables and meat, and reduce seasoning, etc. However, they ignore the fact that eating itself is a kind of enjoyment. As a result, children have the wrong idea that "healthy food does not taste good", and they often buy "delicacies" on their own where their parents cannot see.

In this regard, nutritionist Zhang Xinyi suggested that parents should learn about natural ingredients with their children, recognize the different nutrients hidden in the colorful vegetables, understand which processed foods are harmful to health, and remind their children to avoid over-processed products.