With 300,000 children in Ireland
being obese, experts say it’s time for parents to start tackling the problem
head on. Phoebe Doyle gets the facts about the fat and seeks solutions.
More
worrying even than the number of children obese in Ireland right now, is
perhaps the fact that this number is rising… and fast. In fact, it’s estimated
that around 10,000 more children become obese, in Ireland alone, each year.
What the World Health Organisation (WHO) refer to as an ‘international
epidemic’ has certainly hit our shores big time. Around 22% of Irish girls and
19% of Irish boys are either overweight or obese.
Time for Change
At least
it’s not gone un-noticed. Schools are now more readily encouraging healthy
lunches to be brought in, with some having rules about how many
snack/treat-based foods are allowed. The Irish Government announced last year
that they’re in discussions about restricting the number of fast food outlets
near to schools.
What’s more,
those of you who’ve dined in hotels recently may have noticed a disclaimer on
the kid’s menu saying that they’ve signed up to a healthy eating initiative,
launched by the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF). This is a pledge of
commitment to providing food with less salt, more vegetables and less fried
food.
Why are our kids getting fatter?
Personal
Trainer Scott Marsh says there’s really no simple answer to this one: “One of
the many factors is that children (and adults too) are getting more and more
sedentary each year; some blame technology, some even blame the recession.”
Speak to
most adults and they’ll recall childhoods packed with climbing trees, playing
sport and running around in the streets. Scott notes: “Yet today’s children and
adolescents spend most of their days cooped up in front of the latest console
re-enacting a life of activity they could be having. The reasons behind why
kids are spending more time indoors are varied, but with the press reporting on
how dangerous the streets are getting day by day and with technology providing
a stimulation at the touch of a button, it’s no surprise that many are veering
clear of traditional activity and play.”
As well as
social reasons there is, of course, the hot topic; nutrition. “Our food
quality is getting worse by the decade, which certainly doesn’t help matters. But
a more pressing issue is the lack of time that everybody has”, says Scott,
adding: “Parents are too busy and too stressed to cook appropriately for their
kids anymore. We must remember that children are greatly influenced by their
parents. If their parents don’t have time to look after themselves by eating a
healthy balanced diet as well as taking part in regular activity, where are the
children supposed to learn such essential habits?”
Another
pressing, and depressing, issue is the stress that many children are increasingly
placed under. Scott’s seen the effect of this time and time again: “It’s not
uncommon for children to develop binge-type eating from the stress put on them
to achieve throughout their school life, and now with the added concern of
financial strains many families are in right now. The stress is on for kids in
Ireland today and one way of seemingly dealing with such pressure is by turning
to food.”
It’s clearly time we
took action…
Get Moving
The level of physical activity our children do can
have an enormous impact on their weight, as well as their overall well-being.
Our angst about them going out these days, coupled with the amount of
technology we have on offer, sees our kids adopting ‘staring at a screen’ as
the default position.
Scott says to try and exercise with your children: “Show them the benefits of working hard and
praise them for doing well. Find an activity the whole family will enjoy.
Remember you’re their most prominent role model.”
“Set them physical challenges and goals. Things that
will stimulate their mind and that they will need to work towards to achieve.”
For younger children this might be to run, or skip a bit further, for older
ones you might start improving on sprint times – make it fun!
“Let your children try new sports”, says Scott, who
firmly believes there’s a sport for everyone. So if they aren’t into the usual
football or rugby, seek out what’s going on at the local leisure centre or gym
for young people.
Food, Glorious Food
The solution
doesn’t stop with exercise; it needs to be in partnership with diet. National
statistics show that a whopping 40% of children have excessive levels of fat
intake through their food consumption. What’s more over 60% don’t get enough
fibre.
But those of
us with children know that getting them to eat healthily, it ain’t always easy!
Food labelling and advertising is mightily persuasive and, while the government
are set to review the rules on this, that which is aimed at kids can be hugely
powerful.
Scott says
it’s time to get back to basics, using fresh ingredients, cooking from scratch
and cooking with the kids: “Getting them involved in making their own food
serves to get them interested in produce and also, you’ll find, they’re much
more likely to eat something if they’ve made it themselves.”
The key is
making healthy eating fun: Think fruit kebabs (pieces of fresh fruit on kebab
sticks), think fresh veg sticks with dips, like hummus or guacamole. Think
homemade pizzas stacked with veggies.
“It’s all
about becoming a healthier, more food-savvy, family together. It’s about
helping them realise just how good healthy food can make us feel. Without
concentrating on their weight, without laying on stress and pressure (which can
lead to binge eating), this well-thought-out approach can really impact the
whole family”, says Scott.
Final thoughts…
With almost
1 in 4 children now overweight in Ireland, there’s really only one conclusion:
We need to make changes now. Obesity can lead to so many problems in later
life, diabetes and heart disease to name just two.
Fortunately,
it’s not all doom and gloom. Healthy eating and getting fit can be enormously
enjoyable and, done together, can be a fabulous family bonding endeavour.
Ditch the
Junk: Have healthy snacks as your weapon!
DITCH the crisps. SWAP for dried apple rings.
DITCH the biscuits. SWAP for flavoured rice cakes.
DITCH the fries. SWAP for sweet potato home-made wedges.
DITCH the sweets. SWAP for raisins and dried apricots.
DITCH the ice-cream. SWAP for frozen yoghurt.
Upping exercise is easy…
ü Always opt for stairs not lifts when
in hotels or stores.
ü Play with them; what child can resist
an offer of a game of football?!
ü Give them options; have lots of
equipment, from hula hoops to hockey sticks.
ü Instead of driving everywhere, could
they walk, scoot or cycle?
ü Limit TV and computer games.
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