No Supersizing this year!
By Diana Zuckerman
My kids’ new school binders and backpacks remind me that September is the time for a fresh start. There is a lot we can’t control in the world around us, but as we look at our kids we’re reminded of how important it is that we try. And as we look at the supersizing of America’s children, we know that we need to do something about that. And this is a great time of year to do it.
It’s getting increasingly obvious that many children are truly getting too big for their britches. For some reason, it seems more noticeable when it is someone else’s child. Research shows that 4 out of 5 parents of very overweight children don’t think their children are even slightly heavy. And when we don’t see it, we are less likely to do anything about it.
But most children know if they are fat -- if only because other children will tell them so. A study of young children in California found that obese kids were the unhappiest kids -- with a quality of life comparable to children with cancer who were undergoing chemotherapy. It is tragic that children with cancer suffer so much -- we should make sure that healthy children don’t gain so much weight that their lives are similarly difficult.
It’s not just that being overweight makes kids unhappy. What used to be called "adult-onset diabetes" has become a national epidemic among children. A diagnosis of diabetes doesn’t scare parents the way some other diseases do, but it can cause a lifetime of serious health problems, and a shorter life.
In reading the latest research, I’ve found some simple suggestions for helping everyone in the family -- kids and adults -- stay a healthy weight or get back to a healthy weight.
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Cut back on regular soft drinks -- sodas and sugared fruit drinks. It’s just common sense to avoid supersized drinks no matter who sells them, but even moderate size drinks can add up to undesirable flab. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that drinking one or more soft drink each day was linked to weight gains of 10 pounds a year, compared to those who drank only one per week. It seems that these drinks don’t fill us up the way food does, no matter how many calories they are.
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Don’t eat or drink while watching TV. Studies show it’s a bad habit that is common among overweight children (and adults). This is what happens: when you eat you want to watch TV and when you watch TV you will want to eat. Break the cycle! Don’t allow eating while watching TV. If it’s hard to go "cold turkey" in your house then just allow eating during certain programs or only allow healthy foods that you want to encourage, like milk or fresh fruit. Cut back gradually if you need to, but sometimes clear rules are easier to enforce than more flexible ones.
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Walk. In the community where I live, parents drive their kids almost everywhere, or push them in strollers when the kids are old enough to walk on their own. I’ve seen strollers advertised for kids up to 70 lbs! That might be faster, more convenient, or better exercise for parents, but let’s face it -- kids that size should be walking on their own unless they have a physical disability. It’s good for kids to let them walk or ride their bikes to school or to visit friends if it is safe and close enough. It’s a great form of exercise, it fosters kids’ sense of confidence and independence, saves money on gas, and can even give parents more time to do other things.
Diana Zuckerman is president of the National Research Center for Women & Families in Washington, DC.
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