Never Place a Child on a Diet by Julie Stelting RN CDE You love your child from the first moment of their life. You want to provide the best for them. But do you really know all their needs? Their physical needs, emotional needs, social needs and spiritual needs? Can you find trustworthy answers to your questions?
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Never Place a Child on a Diet - Kids at Risk For Diabetes
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Never Place a Child on a Diet
by Julie Stelting RN CDE
You love your child from the firstmoment of their life. You want toprovide the best for them. But doyou really know all their needs?Their physical needs, emotionalneeds, social needs and spiritualneeds? Can you find trustworthyanswers to your questions?
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IntroductionAs a school nurse for teens for many years, I witnessed many chronic health issues which I never realizedchildren could have:
High blood pressure
Chronic knee pain and back pain
Polycystic ovary disease in girls
Prediabetes & type 2
Fatty Liver Disease in young children
While working with high school students, I realized manyof them were taking prescriptions for chronic diseasesrelated to weight problems and self esteem issues.
The CDC predicts our children will have a “shorter” livespan than their parents due to obesity.
What does that really mean? The CDC hasn’t really said.
The study of obesity related health problems gives us aclue.
As parents, to be totally healthy, you need to recognize which areas of your life are problem areas.
In young children, a balanced life means getting their physical, emotional, psychosocial and spiritual needsmet. As parents, you are expected to understand all their needs and guide them in become a healthy well-balanced adult.
Parents need to establish healthy daily habits to instill automatic responses in their children.
For example, we teach our children to brush their teeth in the morning. When they go to college, theyremember to brush their teeth every morning.
Healthy habits help us to live a healthy lifestyle.
Based on your current daily habits, what does your children’s future look like?
Just like adult weight problems, children’s weight gain can go unnoticed over many years.
Children should never be placed on a diet. There is no quick fix for weight problems.
Genetics can play a part of the problems. If you believe you are doomed by genetics, then you need to useyour genetics to motivate you to provide good guidance for your children.
Genetics is only part of a complicated problem. Your environment and lifestyle determine your future asmuch as your genetics.
If the parents have problems with weight, chances are the children will learn their food preferences andculture from their parents.
Some pediatricians do not want to address these issues. But if your instincts alert you – you better listen.
Parents can improve the future healthof their children by incorporatingbetter life skills in their daily routines.Imagine placing a 20 pound back-pack on your back every day andcarrying it around all day.
How tired would you get? Would your back hurt? Would your knees hurt? That’s what an overweight life is like,
particularly for children. Everyone forgets what normalenergy levels feels like.
There has never been as much variety of foods year around as we have today.
The wide variety of foods is a blessing and a curse. We need to teach children how to make good choices.They often automatically prefer sweets. We have a responsibility to eat a wide variety of foods.
There are many different types of diets. Children should only be placed on doctor monitored diets.
If your doctor places you on a special diet (like salt restriction) there is a good reason and you should stickto it! Remember, your life is the example they will follow.
Preparing meals at home will make huge changes in your family.
Children are often in multiple activities and families eat fast foods too often.
At the beginning of the school year, I would have 12-year-olds come to the nurse’s office with complaints ofstomach pains before lunch. They really didn’t know what hunger pains were.
We have an availability of foods that we have not had is previous generations.
When I was hungry, my mother would say to me – don’t eat that because you’ll spoil your supper. Now kidssnack all the time.
Think back on your childhood.
What has changed?
Is your life so busy that you eat out more than you eat at home?
I know I already told this story - At the beginning of the school year, I would have 12-year-olds come to thenurse’s office with complaints of stomach pains before lunch. They had not eaten breakfast.
They really didn’t know what hunger pains were.
There is a lot of proof that students who eat breakfast perform better in school.
It is important to provide a source of protein at breakfast. This could even be a high protein cereal.
Stay away from sugar-coated cereals. Those will quickly leave them feeling hungry.
Plan for your child’s breakfast. Help them get a good start to their day.
This is the reason our country is concerned about the health of Americans. This map spans a 20-yearperiod.
Note: this just shows diabetes. Uncontrolled blood sugars are also a major contributor for heart disease andstrokes and a wide variety of other complications. Diabetes is also the number one reason for blindness andlower limb amputations. And it is also a major contributor for kidney disease.
We do not have a scientifically proven statistic for children yet.
Why is this important?
Children as young as 4 years old have been diagnosis with Type 2 or adult onset diabetes.
We are seeing many of these complications from uncontrolled blood sugars happening faster in children.
Some pediatricians do not want to address these issues. But if your instincts alert you – you better listen.
Parents can improve the future health of their children!
Up to 58% of participants prevent or delay diabetes through lifestyle improvements 70% of individuals over 60 years delay diabetes diagnoses
It is difficult for adults to maintain these changes. How long do you keep your New Year’s resolutions?
How often have you lost weight on a diet only to gain it back again?
With support, parents can teach their children better choices. But unfortunately, there is no preventionprogram for children yet. Preventative health practices are being promoted with adults.
Something to consider:
CDC 13.9% of 2 to 5-year-olds are classi�ed over the 95th percentile for weight 18.4% of 6 to 11-year-olds are classi�ed as overweight 20.6% of 12 to 19-year-olds are classi�ed as overweight According to the CDC in 2009; 87% of obese adolescents remained obese as adults 39% of obese adolescents became severely obese in adulthood. (Freedman, Pediatrics 2009) BMI > 25 at 18 years old are at high risk for complications as adults
(Quig, HE, Karlberg, J. Prediction of Adult Overweight during Pediatric Years) Pediatric Research. Volume 46(6) 1999
I have seen trends in young children gaining 20pounds every year with annual increasing BodyMass Index. Parents often record their child's heightand weight. They also need to calculate their BMI.BMI calculators can be found online.
Children’s height and weight measurements arerecorded in percentiles.
Their BMI interpretation is different from adults.
As you can see, a BMI of 23 in a 10-year-old placesthem above the 95 percentile and classified asobese.
A 15-year-old with a BMI of 23 is considered average.
BMI is not a perfect system. To improve the data, youcould also include a waist circumference in yourcalculations.
Without using BMI, overweight in children is defined as =/> 85% of the average population.
Obesity is defined as =/> 95%, or 120% over normal for weigh alone.
It is important to monitor changes in BMI from year to year.
As your children grow and change their activities, their BMI can indicate the effects on their health.
For your convenience, I have included a BMI chart for girls and one for boys. You can print the chart that youneed and plot your child’s weight changes from year to year to see if they are in a good range.
Children need a balanced life which includes activity! It has been proposed that children today have toomuch screen time, whether it’s television or video games.
This graphic helps us understand that the activity requirements for children is a lot different from adults. Itstarts with walking every day. I used to walk to elementary school every school day. Do your kids get a rideto school?
3-5 times a week they need cardio exercises to build their heart and lungs. 3 times each week they need muscle building exercises
As an adult, do you feel like it is difficult to get your exercise program to fit into your life? Remember yourkids need variety of activities every day.
Overweight Children Don’t Know What Normal Energy Feels Like
Children don’t know what normal energy is for their age.
I have seen obese 13-year-olds with chronic knee pain or back pain. They don’t want to be active because itis painful. Trying to get them moving is almost impossible. This is not normal for children.
Parents don’t know what is normal either. Obesity happens very slowly in children.
Overweight children do not know what it feels like to take off that backpack of extra weight.
Children need about 10 hours of sleep. Well rested children learn better in school. To get children bettersleep, you need good parenting skills.
Here are a couple things you can do:
Computer games stimulate their brains, so playing computer games before bed interferes withtheir ability to go to sleep. If their usual nighttime activity involves screen time, add in a non-stimulating activity before bed, like reading or even coloring. Any blue lights (on cell phones or computers) also stimulate our brains. Monitor theirbedrooms for these blue lights. If they have a computer in their room, shut it down for thenight. Leave cell phones in the kitchen to charge overnight.
I have seen many middle school students using energy drinks to get through their school day. This is nothealthy!
Kids prefer to play video games rather than sleeping.
We are beginning to understand how addictive video games can be. Trying to disconnect your children is alot harder than just limiting their game time.
Here’s what you can do:
If they want to play computer games, use it as a reward for doing chores.
Allow them to earn game time from their to-do list. Make up a chore list and the “time” that they receive as areward. So they have control over how much they play, as long as they do the chores.
Parents need to teach is good coping skills. This is really individualized. Schools are not teaching this, andmany students don’t have good coping skills.
A poor coping skill is eating. We have all turned to carbohydrates for comfort. When kids learn to eat to feelbetter, they will use the same methods into adulthood.
As parents, we try hard to protect our kids. But we really need to teach them how to cope with stress.
Here are some healthy coping mechanisms you can share with your kids:
Deep breathing can help, but we need to practice it with our kids.
Take a walk, even if it’s just around the house – up and down the stairs.
Practice being grateful. Sometimes we need to remember all the good things we have.
Let go of past events. Recognize what you can’t change and don’t dwell on it.
SummaryKids need good nutrition and limited fast foods
National Eating Disorder Association reports 50% of girl 6 to 8-years-old and 33% of boys the same agethink their ideal weight is thinner than their current weigh. (First graders!)
AND 80% of them report at least one family member has been on a diet. They see what you do and hearwhat you talk about and say about your body.
By age 9-11, nearly half of all kids have been on a diet
Self Esteem problems can lead to eating disorders
Even girls who are not overweight report occasionally dieting
Fashionable diets don’t work for children – Parents need to teach better choices
Many teens have eating disorders – Anorexia and Binging or using diarrhea agents & caffeine to controltheir weight
Many Adolescent boys are trying to increase muscle mass by being on a special high protein diets
A poor body image places our children at a high risk for low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, whichcan lead to tobacco use, and drug and alcohol abuse
What do you see in your child’s future? You can make a different in their life.
I am giving away a free evaluation form to help you measure your child.
I hope you will take advantage of this free evaluation worksheet!
What can you do today?1. Evaluate your child’s risk for future health problems2. Learn and practice better parenting skills3. Ask for help, join a support group or seek a private coach
Being diagnosed with a chronic progressive disease is depressing for adults and even more so for theparents of the children knowing it could all be prevented.
Imagine for a moment what it would feel like to have a child diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Parents need to focus forward.
You have passed your genetics AND your health problems onto their children. But genetics is only half theproblem. We say genetics is like a gun. It is not dangerous until you load it.
Your lifestyle choices load the gun. As the parent, you need to teach your children to make better lifechoices.
Making sustainable lifestyle changes could be the most difficult thing you will ever do.
Many people find success by associating in an accountability group.
Parents know they can not do it alone. The often look for sources of information online.