Causes of Childhood Obesity and Your Child

The causes of childhood obesity is the same as the causes of adult obesity.

Children usually become overweight because of several reasons.

The most common reasons that children become overweight include:

• Genetics
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Poor Diet and
• Binge eating.

One of the causes of childhood obesity is genetics.

Being overweight may run in the family.

A child's parents, relatives, brothers, or sisters will more than likely be overweight.

A child with one obese parent will run a 40% risk of obesity, whereas a child with two obese parents will run double the risk of being obese.

A sedentary lifestyle plays a major role in childhood obesity.

Your child may not be getting enough physical activity.

Maybe your child is spending too much time:

• Watching TV
• Playing video games or
• Sitting at the computer too long.

Did you know that a child with a TV in their bedroom is 30% more likely to have a BMI greater than the 85th percentile?

It's true!

Also, children between ages of 6 and 11 years spent as much time watching TV as they do attending school, an average of 26 hours per week.

The prevention of weight gain is the key because once a child is overweight or obese, it will take more effort and dedication to increase their activity than it does in a normal weight child.

A poor diet is definitely one of the major causes of childhood obesity.

Regularly eating and drinking high fat and high sugar foods will cause children to consume too many calories.

Some examples of high fat or high sugar foods include:

• Hamburgers
• French fries
• Potato chips
• Chocolate bars
• Soda and
• Sweetened drinks.

Does this sound like a normal American childhood diet?

You bet it does!

If your child is going to eat fast food that only allow them to eat half of the meal.

Also, give them fruits and vegetables and foods with less empty calories for the other half of the meal.

This will go a long way in helping your child overcome their weight issues.

Finally, binge eating is among the other causes of childhood obesity.

Did you know that the internal cues of hunger and fullness can be extinguished early on in a child's life and can be replaced with external cues?

Yes, it's true!

That is why it is so important to teach your children proper nutrition as early on as possible.

However, usually the opposite is true.

We allow our children to eat what ever they want and as much as they want to eat.

We encourage them to "clean their plates" in order to avoid leftovers or wasted food.

All of this is done with good intentions.

None of us would ever want to lead our children into obesity.

Because of this, I will ask you, as a parent, to make two promises to yourself right now:

• Do not encourage your child to eat beyond their fullness to avoid leftovers or wasted food.
• Do not promote a "clean plate policy".

This will go a long way in helping your child starting right now.

You can help your child change their habits and destroy the major causes of childhood obesity.

It is ultimately up to you. <>Will you make the difference in your child's life?

• Give your child three meals and only one or two snacks per day.
• Offer your child a variety of foods like:
Whole Grains

Vegetables

Fruits

Low-fat dairy foods

Lean meat and

Beans.

• Do not force your child to eat all the food on their plate.

These small changes by you will make a big difference in the cause of childhood obesity and your child's life.

Go ahead and start right now.