[LifeStyle] Why You Shouldn't Force Children To Keep Eating When They Are Full

[#Steeven.™]

Food is the basis of everything, it is our gasoline, but also our medicine. The way in which we feed ourselves since we are children, configures and lays the nutritional foundations of our adult life, especially because the organism of children is in full development, and therefore, they need to receive healthy nutrition from the beginning. beginning. And it is that, from the World Health Organization, experts point to childhood overweight and obesity as one of the most serious Public Health challenges of this century. The health agency explains that this trend has increased at an alarming rate, already in 2016 it was estimated that the number of overweight children under five years of age exceeded 41 million worldwide.

And now, a latest study published a few days ago in the Journal of the American Heart Association (AHA) and conducted by experts from the American Heart Association, suggests that letting children choose the amounts of food it can prevent them from becoming obese in adulthood. Undoubtedly, some somewhat controversial conclusions given the alleged inability of the little ones to know the specific nutritional needs they need. And, in addition, and as the report adds, the difficulty of being aware of when they are full due to being influenced during the meal by the constant wishes and demands of their parents or guardians, a problem that can negatively influence the child.

In this regard, the expert in nutrition and dietetics and nutritional coach Beatriz de Haro, @beatrice_venice, ensures that the environment in which children grow and develop can promote the onset of overweight, obesity and other associated pathologies that can seriously compromise their Health. "Children imitate the behavior of their parents so it would be ideal for them to promote the practice of healthy habits starting with diet," she explains. "For example," she continues, "basing the home diet on fresh products such as vegetables,. fruit, meat, fish, dairy products, whole grains and pasta, nuts and limiting as much as possible the intake of all those processed products rich in sugars and fats ”, she adds.

 

Eat until you are full, but without authoritarianism
AHA experts warn that authoritarianism in food makes children more likely to eat when they are not hungry and to eat less healthy foods. "An authoritative eating environment does not allow a child to develop positive decision-making skills, it can reduce their sense of control, and cause them to eat foods that are likely to be higher in calories, which increases the risk of being overweight and obese," they detail. For her part, Beatriz de Haro reinforces the idea: “Children of younger ages, unlike adults, do not have such a strong emotional bond with food, so they have a superior capacity to feel when the body is in them. sending signals that they are already satiated and should stop eating. In the body, there is a neuroendocrine regulation of hunger, satiety and maintenance of energy balance. "" If a child states that he cannot eat more, it is probably because he is full and you have already met your needs. Pushing you to keep eating can lead to overeating, overweight and obesity, "he adds.

 

Healthy eating from the start
The expert indicates that children prefer highly palatable foods –quality of being pleasant to the palate– and rich in sugars and fats because they are more palatable. "Including natural products, avoiding additives that increase palatability from more recent ages, will encourage children to make healthier choices as they grow older, since their palate has not been previously modified," she tells us. “Although everyone has their own food preferences, they are curious about everything that happens around them, so they try to imitate the practices of those who serve as models. For this reason, if they observe the elderly eating certain foods, their interest will increase to try them and discover if they are really to their liking ”, she concludes.

Other research, published in the Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome, on the main factors related to diet that affect childhood obesity concluded that "children ingest excessively high energy foods such as pizza, fast food, discretionary food, soft drinks, beverages sugary and ice cream ". And regarding the dietary pattern, she determined: "The established westernized patterns have a high content of saturated fatty acids, are dense in energy and poor in micronutrients." And that the eating habits and dietary behaviors of children indicate that "many eat while watching TV or other screens, skip breakfast or eat at all hours and very often." Regarding the positive nutritional factors, these experts concluded that a good intake of vitamins C and D, polysaccharides (fiber) without starch, calcium, folic acid, and iron was reflected. But while the intake of whole grains is adequate, "a low daily consumption of milk, fruits, vegetables and fish is perceived."

How should it be eaten? These experts mention the so-called traffic light diet which consists of foods divided into three categories: green (foods low in energy and rich in nutrients), yellow (foods of moderate energy) and red (foods rich in energy and low in nutrients). And they emphasize the importance of family meals, eating together, portion control and regular meals.

The National Health Service (NHS), for its part, recommends five basic, but essential guidelines to help our children achieve a healthy weight, these are: be a good role model, encourage at least 60 minutes of physical activity every days, keeping child-size portions, healthy food and drink, and less screen time and more sleep.