Now that school has started, the idea of cooking a healthy breakfast and dinner, for many parents, is taking the way back seat to tight schedules, after-school activities and homework. But before you reach for the Pop-Tarts, hot pockets and frozen pizza, chew on this: LSU research reports that Louisiana has the sixth-highest rate of childhood obesity in the country – other surveys place the state third!
Recent data from 2023 indicates that 35.6% of Louisiana youth ages 10-17 are overweight or obese and 70 percent of them will likely have obesity as adults.
The Legacy We Leave
One of the greatest legacies we can leave our children is to instill the importance of good health, which includes good eating habits. Helping your child learn now what their body needs to stay healthy can help avoid chronic and even deadly diseases into adulthood.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control shows that obesity can affect bone health, reproduction, heart disease and certain cancers. It influences the quality of sleep, increases blood pressure, can create gallbladder problems, affect reproduction and cause a fatty liver.
Causes and Risks
- Genetics
- Learned behaviors
- Hormone disorders
- Socio-economic environment
- Lack of available health care
- Most often, an imbalance of a healthy diet and physical activity
Ways to Help Your Child
- Stop being a short-order cook; offer the same meal for everyone.
- Provide healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. For healthful recipes, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov
- Offer choices. Ask “Which would you like, broccoli and cheese or sweet potato fries?” Don’t ask it in a way that the answer is yes or no.
- Offer one new food with something your child likes. Offer new foods at the beginning of a meal, when your child is hungrier.
- Don’t lecture or force your child to eat.
- Cut back on sweets. If you do give sweets – but not as a reward – use small plates, cute tiny bags (from Dollar Store) or bite-size portions, to encourage portion control. Use non-food items as rewards.
- Give water or lightly sweetened homemade lemonade, instead of sugary sodas. NOTE: Juices can contain a good amount of sugar too.
- Always have fruit in the refrigerator. Offer a sampling platter of some fruit to see which your child prefers. Have fun with a melon ball scoop or cookie cutters making them fun shapes.
- Teach your kids to select items in the grocery store with lower amounts of sugar. Show them how to read the nutrition list.
- Get creative. Allow your child to make their own healthy snacks with dried fruits and cereals, oats, and peanut butter.
- Don’t give in to the candy your child may ask for on display in the check-out aisle of the grocery store.
- Be a role model. Snack healthy and eat what you prepare for the kids.
- Exercise- the other important factor to a healthy weight. The 2008 US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that children ages 6 to 17 years should have at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Walk or ride bikes as a family. Maybe play badminton or hide and seek. Have your child walk the family dog for a small allowance.
Greaux Healthy
Greaux Healthy is a public service initiative initiated by Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in partnership with the State of Louisiana, focused on preventing and treating childhood obesity in the state. The program’s goal is to meet families where they are in life and health and empower them, as well as educators, healthcare professionals, and communities with accessible products, tools and resources.
Hitting the Road
In an effort to spread knowledge about childhood obesity across the state, the program offers the Healthy Moves bus equipped with medical equipment to give children a free exam to determine whether they are overweight or obese. (The difference between overweight and obese is determined by measuring body mass index, depending on age and gender.)
Also, in an effort to find the root cause of obesity in Louisiana, Pennington asks for children to participate in an ongoing study.
For more information, go to GreauxHealthy.org.
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