Childhood obesity is one of the major public health challenges faced by India today. Over 14.4 million children aged between 5 – 19 years are found to be overweight and these facts have made healthy weight management in children more crucial than ever before.
Obese children are at a higher risk of developing health issues like hypertension, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, and triglycerides, etc.
Some of the best preschools in Bangalore are enthusiastically working on the issues and trying to put forward measures and suggest guidelines that parents can take up to help their children maintain a healthy weight.
Tips to Maintain a Healthy Weight in Children
One of the most crucial parts of maintaining a healthy weight is the food diet. A strict balance should be maintained between the calories they consume from food and beverages and the calories they burn through physical activities. As a parent or caregiver, the goal is to reduce the rate of weight gain in obese and overweight children by ensuring a proper balance between calories consumed and calories burnt to facilitate normal growth and development.
❖ Developing Healthy Eating Habits
● Include plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products in the diet
● Reduce sugar intake both in food and beverages
● Encourage drinking of adequate water
● Include low-fat dairy products like yoghurt or cheese in the diet
❖ Staying Active
As a parent, it’s your responsibility to help your children stay active. Children aged 3 to 5 years should be encouraged to indulge in activities that keep them physically active throughout the day. However, kids between 5 to 19 years of age, should be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day. Playschools in Bangalore and parents at home can include aerobics and other bone-strengthening activities to the children’s daily schedule.
❖ Reducing Sedentary Time
Do you have kids who watch the TV while they eat? Or play video games or browse the web for hours? It’s high time that you put a check on these habits to help ensure both the physical and mental wellbeing of your children. Talk to the teachers at the nursery schools in Bangalore, where your kids are enrolled, to find out how they can help.
❖ Getting Adequate Sleep
Inadequate sleep makes us eat more and often makes us very lazy to indulge in any sort of physical activity. Thus, we need to ensure that kids are getting adequate sleep. You could also talk to the faculty at your kid’s Kindergarten in Bangalore, to find out if they can help.
Maintaining a healthy weight in children should be the primary focus of parents, caregivers, and all the leading daycare centres in Bangalore. We can and should help children develop and maintain a healthy weight and overall lifestyle.
