NEW DELHI: In most urban families, where both parents are working, packing lunchboxes for children is fast falling into disuse. A recent survey by the Diabetes Foundation of India shows that 40% of children skip breakfast and 21.58% do not carry lunchboxes to school.
Doctors warn that this is a dangerous trend as it encourages children to binge on unhealthy snacks from the canteen. ''If a child doesn't have breakfast, he is likely to be more hungry during recess and eat more. And if they do not carry tiffin box to school, eating junk food at the canteen remains the only option,'' said Dr Anoop Misra, director and HoD, diabetes and metabolic diseases, Fortis Healthcare, who conducted the survey.
Once a child is diagnosed with obesity, parents, say doctors, put a blanket ban on junk food and enroll their children in sports classes. But what after that, ask doctors, as the big fat truth about obesity is that it cannot be controlled by cutting down on junk food alone.
''When it comes to food, children are extremely choosy and a complete ban on junk food would just make things difficult for parents. All you can do is moderate its intake. Fix a day when you take them out and buy them burgers, pizzas or anything of their choice. This way parents get an upper hand in planning the kid's meal for the rest of the week,'' said Dr Rachna Singh, lifestyle management expert, Artemis Healthcare Institute.
Doctors also tell parents to avoid fried food at home. ''We have seen a lot of cases in which parents have banned junk food, but what they serve at home is equally dangerous, especially those huge spoonfuls of ghee. One needs to keep a close tab on the child's eating pattern and get his/her health checked for blood pressure, lipid profile and blood sugar at least once a year. These are markers of serious complications which can occur due to obesity,'' said Dr Anju Virmani, senior consultant paediatric endocrinologist, Max Healthcare. Experts say that the body mass index (BMI) is an important parameter in diagnosing obesity. Parents should keep checking the BMI and immediately con tnd HOD paediatrics, Rockland Hospital.
According to a survey by Delhi Diabetes Research Centre, nearly 18% of children in the age group of 10-14 years are overweight, of which 6% are obese. And a sedentary lifestyle, complemented by high-calorie food intake, is just adding to the numbers. ''With kids it is important to get creative and have a healthy yet interesting dish everyday. Parents should strictly avoid fried food and instead serve food like sprouts, roti rolls with vegetables stuffed inside. They should also see to it that the child is not deprived of essential vitamins and micronutrients otherwise the child may have to suffer from various deficiencies. A balanced diet has to be maintained,'' added Dr Bagai.
Alarmed by growing obesity among children, some schools in the Capital have decided not to serve junk food at the canteen. ''We do not usually serve soft drinks or junk food at our canteen. But once in a week, this is allowed,'' said Usha Ram, principal, Laxman Public School.
risha.chitlangia@timesgroup.com
Doctors warn that this is a dangerous trend as it encourages children to binge on unhealthy snacks from the canteen. ''If a child doesn't have breakfast, he is likely to be more hungry during recess and eat more. And if they do not carry tiffin box to school, eating junk food at the canteen remains the only option,'' said Dr Anoop Misra, director and HoD, diabetes and metabolic diseases, Fortis Healthcare, who conducted the survey.
Once a child is diagnosed with obesity, parents, say doctors, put a blanket ban on junk food and enroll their children in sports classes. But what after that, ask doctors, as the big fat truth about obesity is that it cannot be controlled by cutting down on junk food alone.
''When it comes to food, children are extremely choosy and a complete ban on junk food would just make things difficult for parents. All you can do is moderate its intake. Fix a day when you take them out and buy them burgers, pizzas or anything of their choice. This way parents get an upper hand in planning the kid's meal for the rest of the week,'' said Dr Rachna Singh, lifestyle management expert, Artemis Healthcare Institute.
Doctors also tell parents to avoid fried food at home. ''We have seen a lot of cases in which parents have banned junk food, but what they serve at home is equally dangerous, especially those huge spoonfuls of ghee. One needs to keep a close tab on the child's eating pattern and get his/her health checked for blood pressure, lipid profile and blood sugar at least once a year. These are markers of serious complications which can occur due to obesity,'' said Dr Anju Virmani, senior consultant paediatric endocrinologist, Max Healthcare. Experts say that the body mass index (BMI) is an important parameter in diagnosing obesity. Parents should keep checking the BMI and immediately con tnd HOD paediatrics, Rockland Hospital.
According to a survey by Delhi Diabetes Research Centre, nearly 18% of children in the age group of 10-14 years are overweight, of which 6% are obese. And a sedentary lifestyle, complemented by high-calorie food intake, is just adding to the numbers. ''With kids it is important to get creative and have a healthy yet interesting dish everyday. Parents should strictly avoid fried food and instead serve food like sprouts, roti rolls with vegetables stuffed inside. They should also see to it that the child is not deprived of essential vitamins and micronutrients otherwise the child may have to suffer from various deficiencies. A balanced diet has to be maintained,'' added Dr Bagai.
Alarmed by growing obesity among children, some schools in the Capital have decided not to serve junk food at the canteen. ''We do not usually serve soft drinks or junk food at our canteen. But once in a week, this is allowed,'' said Usha Ram, principal, Laxman Public School.
risha.chitlangia@timesgroup.com
1 comment:
Wow! Its great to see that even India has started programs on Diabetes Management as they have conducted survey and they found that most children's in India doesn't have their breakfast which can lead to Diabetes and obese them. Thanks for giving such an interesting information.
Post a Comment