My sister and brother-in-law came to visit us this week, and on the plane, they were seated next to a teenaged boy who was so fat that he spilled out of his seat. They thought he was about 13 years old, and my brother-in-law noticed that he drank regular soda and snacked continuously on the flight over from Chicago. When we were kids, I don't remember many overweight classmates at all. Within a span of just one generation, it seems that American children have piled on the calories and put on the weight. I'm seeing more and more patients who are overweight, and these children are at risk for future health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes.
In an effort to offer some concrete advice to overweight patients and their parents, I ask if portion control is an issue. In today's society, it almost always is. We are blessed and cursed that in this country, we have too much relatively cheap food. People from other countries of the world would be astounded by the bounty of food available in the local Stop 'n' Shop. I always ask if a child drinks a lot of soda and juice, sources of unnecessary calories for so many kids. The amount of snacks that we give our children is also out of control although I feel hypocritical when I discuss snacking, being an inveterate nosher myself. Lots of today's kids, my own included, have become accustomed to snacking every two hours, instead of saving their appetites for three healthy meals a day. Bedtime snacks too should be banned. Brush your child's teeth after dinner, I advise, and then only allow water after dinnertime. And last but not least, I try to stress the importance of exercise, especially for this generation of kids who loves Nintendo, cable and computer time. All of this is, of course, such easy advice to give but often so difficult to implement and enforce.
No comments:
Post a Comment