Introducing Good Habits
Last week I put together some worrying statistics regarding childhood obesity. This week is all about introducing good habits from an early age which will decrease the risk of obesity and chronic disease in later life.
1. Good habits start in the womb. It is essential that a mother-to-be eats healthily and maintains a healthy weight, taking exercise throughout the pregnancy. Eating for two is definitely not required. A recommended extra 350 calories is actually very little – half a sandwich for example – and if you significantly reduce your activity levels, the requirement will be even less.
2. Research has shown that breast feeding for the first two years, and especially exclusive breast feeding for the first six months, can protect children from obesity, diabetes, allergies and some childhood cancers. It teaches babies to eat what they need and listen to their bodies right from the start.
3. Rapid weight gain in early childhood, particularly after the age of two, increases the chances of chronic disease later in life. Such weight gain in infants who were low birth weight also puts these children at risk. Maintaining a healthy weight gain is vital.
4. Taste is a learned sense: infants need to be introduced to as many different healthy foods as possible. They may reject a particular kind of food up to 15 times before accepting it, so it’s worth persevering to avoid turning them into fussy eaters.
5. Making young children finish everything on their plates, using foods as treats or witholding as punishment are practices that will interfere with their ability to recognise when they are hungry, when they have eaten enough and can lead to a dislike of nutritious foods.
6. If parents have healthy eating habits and families sit and eat together, this will have a very positive effect on a child’s diet and weight into adulthood.
7. A healthy, balanced diet is essential whilst children are growing. A baby’s weight will increase by 300 per cent in the first year! Growth spurts and plateaus need to be accounted for.
8. Babies should be encouraged to be physically active even before they crawl.
Pre-school children need three hours of activity a day and we should all be doing some form of exercise for at least an hour a day. Sedentary behaviours need to be limited and family activities are fun and an ideal way to reinforce an active lifestyle into adulthood.
