Our Kids Are Getting Fatter

A recent research has shown that Australian parents seem to be ignoring the expanding waistlines of their kids. The last ten years has seen a 100% increase in obesity levels among pre-schoolers, and many parents appear not to be recognising the signs which can be indicative of health problems later in life. In a study of parental attitudes to childhood obesity, 324 mothers of four year olds were interviewed.

A research team at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne, reported that only a quarter of mothers of overweight or obese children (as defined by Body Mass Index) actually rated them as such, and 70% of these mothers thought that their children weighed about the same as their classmates. Only 17% of all mothers interviewed were concerned about their children facing future overweight or obesity problems. The results mirror those reported in other western countries, indicate that the ramifications of overweight and obesity are not being absorbed by Australian parents, who appear not to notice their child’s expanding girth as being out of the ordinary due to the prevalence of overweight kids in society.

Parents who do recognise the seriousness of the issue have to address it carefully, encouraging healthy eating whilst avoiding making their children overly weight and image conscious. Children need to follow a good eating and exercising example set by parents in the home. Parents can't lead an unhealthy or sedentary lifestyle but tell their kids to do as they say and not as they do. Without adopting a more active lifestyle and a healthier eating regime, children could be setting themselves up for a future of health problems.

Do You Know How To Eat?

When people are trying to lose weight, most think about what they eat rather than how they eat. By making simple changes to the way you eat, you can avoid over-eating.

• Slow Down - Almost everyone eats too fast. It takes 20 minutes before the stomach can tell the brain it is full, yet the average meal lasts only about 10 minutes. The result is that we eat far more than we need.
• Sit at the Table - Try not to eat cookies and chips while browsing in the pantry or grabbing a snack as these calories add up. Eat every single bite of food while sitting at the table. The extra effort will scare off weak cravings and allow you to see how much you are eating.
• Small Plates - A serving of food looks small on an oversized dinner plate. By using smaller plates, your serving sizes will tend to be smaller and therefore be more accurate.
• Only Eat from a Plate - Eating from bags, shared dishes (like chip or popcorn bowls), or straight from the container hides how much we are really eating.
• Move the Serving Dishes - Do not put serving dishes on the table - it is far too easy to have a second or third scoop. Leave the serving dishes in the kitchen. You can still have seconds, you just have to get up to get them.
• Eat Often - Eat less at meals but tell yourself you can go back in a few hours for more food if you need to. Have nuts, yogurt and fruit in between breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Crave from a Plate at the Table - When you have cravings, first try to wait at least 5 minutes. If you are still craving the food, do the following: get a small plate, put a few bites of the craved item on the plate (no more than one serving, read the label), put the package away, take your plate to the table and eat your food without distraction.
• Liquid Calories - Watch the number of calories you drink, especially soft drinks, juices, and alcohol.
• Eat Better Desserts - Eat only the finest, most expensive desserts you can find and afford. You will eat less and enjoy them more.

Health Jigsaw

Benefits of Regular Exercises

Health benefits from exercising can be gained from regular moderate physical activity.  Every little bit helps. Just find 30 minutes a day can make a difference to your quality of life.

Regular moderate activity will:

• Reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and high blood pressure.
• Reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.
• Build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints.
• Promote psychological well-being.
• Improve your quality of life.

The recommendation is for adults to be moderately active for at least 30 minutes every day. If the activity is more intense, you can do it for less than 30 minutes and still receive the health benefits. The 30 minutes doesn't have to be done all at once. You can do 10 minute sessions three times a day if you prefer.

Physical inactivity may be responsible for up to 9 per cent of the total years of life lost through premature death from heart disease, colon cancer, stroke and diabetes. This makes physical inactivity an important risk factor, similar to high blood pressure and obesity.

Things to remember:

• You can improve your health and well-being by enjoying 30 minutes of moderate activity on at least 5 days a week.
• The 30 minutes can be made up of three 10 minutes sessions if 30 minutes in one go is too much at first. Any activity is better than none.
• Physical inactivity is an important risk factor in contracting lifestyle related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.

 Health Jigsaw