How to tackle childhood obesity

By Amanda Ursell

On holiday in Italy this summer what struck me the most wasn’t the over-sized handbags and under-sized bikinis on the beach, but the size of the children.

While piccola toned mammas promenaded along the sand it was striking just how many weighty children, both young and older, were struggling along behind.

In just one generation traditionally ‘slimmer’ nations such as Italy appear to be catching up with our statistics (one in three children under 15 in the UK is now overweight or obese). Excess snacks and sugar-loaded drinks between albeit homemade (and delicious) meals are some of the main culprits.

These unnecessary calories play a major role in our childhood weight issues in the UK, but we can also factor in over-sized portions at mealtimes, a reliance on takeaways and ready meals and a tendency for parents to reward, cajole, bribe and comfort offspring with treats.

So what can we do, when the food environment and social climate of child-led parenting is everywhere we look?

We can encourage the food industry to maintain its current push to reduce sugar, shrink serving sizes and market healthy choices more positively.

But the bottom line is that as parents and carers we have to take control of the what, when, where and how much we feed our children. We need to set examples of good eating habits ourselves, we need to learn to say ‘no’ and face the tantrums that come with initial refusal to further fuel the over-indulgence line.

This isn’t easy, but then breaking any entrenched behaviour isn’t easy, whether it’s giving up smoking, giving up a friendship that has turned bad or giving up an inactive lifestyle.

As a life coach friend of mine once told me: ‘People can either change their lives and feed their kids better, Amanda… or not.’

Once you own up to and embrace the consequences of the ‘or not’ option, which include being complicit in setting your children up for furred arteries, early onset of type 2 diabetes, fallen foot arches, potentially poor self-esteem in teenage years and adulthood, raised blood pressure and increased risk of stroke, then the short-term aggro and hassle attached to taking action and being the ‘baddie’ for a few months pales into insignificance.

I’m strict with my children. I tried being reasonable, allowing dinner in front of the telly one day a week, having biscuits in the house believing they’d know when enough was enough, taking them shopping with me thinking they wouldn’t try to bludgeon me into falling for the special offer on family-size chocolate bars, but it didn’t work.

They’re kids and I’m the adult and now I behave like one. I plan meals, try to cook them myself (or when there isn’t much time ‘assemble’ them - hummus, pitta, chopped carrots and so on), and I insist on sitting at the table, regardless of what they are doing in the minutes before mealtimes.

They often kick off, they often say I’m mean, they often probably wish I wasn’t so flipping strict, but if I’m not in charge of what my children eat now and don’t try to introduce them to a variety of meals, give them vegetables, feed them fruit and insist on trying things quite a few times before declaring they don’t like them… then who will?

Combine this approach with being active whenever we can and, at the moment at least, I can say my kids are on the right side of the weight line.

Who knows how they’ll live their lives when they’re older? They may decide to feast on burgers and chips for ever, but that will be their decision and by that time hopefully memories of home will prevail and they’ll remember that I did at least try to do my bit and that sometimes mums do know best.

Break the diet cycle

Diet is a four-letter word that often spells failure. In the November issue of Healthy Food Guide, our experts explain how you can lose weight for good by breaking free of the vicious cycle of deprivation and disappointment caused by fad diets.

Successful weight loss is all about creating healthy relationships with food and your body. We asked nutritionist Zoe Wilson for her top tips for healthy eating…

1 It’s OK to have an ‘imperfect’ meal or snack

You eat three meals a day, seven days a week – so if one or two of these meals aren’t great, it’s no big deal!

2 Before you eat ask yourself, ‘Am I actually hungry?’

That’s the grumbling, empty tummy hungry — not the ‘I don’t want to sit at my desk anymore’ hungry. If you’re not really hungry, is there something else you could do? Maybe you could step outside for some fresh air or make that phone call you’ve been putting off for a while.

3 Turn off the TV, computer or phone to enjoy food
By eating with distractions such as these you won’t register you’ve had your meal or snack, leaving you wanting more when you don’t need it. Take time out and sit at a table so you can concentrate on what you’re eating.

4 Have what you really want

There’s no point in choosing a yogurt or piece of fruit if you really want a piece of chocolate — you’ll feel cheated! Have that piece of chocolate (but not the whole bar) and savour every moment of it.

5 Take note of the ‘sigh moment’
There comes a point, when eating a meal, when our stomach says it’s full – we will often pause and take a deep breath. But many of us miss this cue because there’s still food on our plate. Be mindful of this cue, then put down your knife and fork.

6 Eat slowly!

Try to take at least 20 minutes to eat your meal. This gives your stomach enough time to tell your brain it’s full. Put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls, cut your food into smaller pieces and focus on tasting your food.

7 Don’t deprive yourself in social settings

Food is at the centre of many social occasions, and it’s fine to join in. But if you’re not hungry, don’t feel pressured to go to the buffet table or to take that canapé. And in restaurants, order a starter instead of a main or share something with a friend.

8 Leave the table satisfied but not full

There’s a difference between not feeling hungry anymore and feeling stuffed to the brim. Listen to your stomach as you eat and try to finish on a hunger scale of about 7/10 — with 0/10 being starving and 10/10 being full-to-bursting.

9 Pretend you’re a critic

Think about the flavour and texture of each mouthful, and assess how appealing the meal is to your eye. By appreciating the elements of your food you will feel more satisfied.

10 Use smaller crockery and glassware

This makes a smaller portion look bigger, helping you eat less but still feel satisfied. Replace dinner plates with starter-sized plates, and swap 500ml wine glasses with 250ml glasses. 

For more advice on breaking the diet cycle, check out the November issue of Healthy Food Guide magazine.

Take a stand against extreme diets

By Melanie Leyshon

 

As you'd imagine, being the editor of Healthy Food Guide magazine, I check the daily newspapers for health breakthroughs. And there's no shortage of stories – some based on reliable scientific evidence, others rely on more flimsy statistics. 

Putting aside the well-researched advances in overcoming cancer, finding a cure for Alzheimer’s, etc, at this time of year, when the beach beckons, many health sections become obsessed with diets – and extreme diets. Yet, despite the growth of the dieting genre – juicing, fasting, no carbs, feeding tubes – we continue to upsize as a nation.

When we read about a diet that promises you'll lose 7lb in a week, it can be tempting to give it a go. 

I’ve taken shortcuts myself. There was the miserable, stinky week of the Cabbage Soup Diet (dire daily doses of soup, fruit and a hellish day of 5 bananas that left me too weak to think), then there was the anxiety-inducing South Beach Diet (I was so shaky after day 6, I made straight for the sandwich shop for a cheese bap).

Now I eat in moderation or semi-moderation and factor in exercise to offset the excess. I’m no Jessica Ennis, but even I’ve found a mix of running, cycling and yoga works. It's helped me maintain a healthy weight and BMI, which my recent NHS Health Check confirmed.

Health professionals, such as British Dietetic Association (BDA) registered dietitians, know it’s not necessary to go to such extremes to lose weight. Doing so can mess with your metabolism and compromise your health, as you may miss out on vital nutrients. What’s more it’s almost impossible to stick to restrictive diets that cut out food groups, or expect you to exist on under 1,400 calories a day - so any weight loss achieved is short lived.

That’s why at Healthy Food Guide magazine we decided to launch our mission to Fight the Fads: Make Every Meal Healthier, which has gained the backing of the BDA, Diabetes UK and the British Nutrition Foundation.

Our aim is to encourage both women and men to eat healthily every day instead of resorting to extreme, yo-yo dieting. Healthy Food Guide magazine is the only dedicated food magazine with a panel of health and diet professionals (qualified dietitians, not self-styled nutrition therapists), registered fitness experts and fully-trained recipe consultants. They bring their expert know-how to our fully referenced features – we don’t print facts that can’t be substantiated.

In our September issue (which comes out tomorrow), our nutrition consultant, registered dietitian Juliette Kellow, has put together a visual guide to portion sizes (no scales required) that will help you reduce your calorie intake without missing out on any of your favourite foods. We also have 46 taste-tested and nutritionist approved recipes, including slimmed down versions of your favourites, such as steak and chips and chicken kiev – that are full of flavour, but easy on your waistline. Plus, we’ve investigated the claims surrounding cancer and diet, to bring you the latest scientifically supported advice about what to eat to help reduce your risk. 

Pick up your copy of Healthy Food Guide magazine in larger supermarkets, Boots, WH Smiths or M&S; download a digital edition or purchase a subscription.