They Are What They Eat

Obesity is on the increase, bringing with it a whole host of issues that will have a negative impact on your child’s development. Luckily, expert help is at hand. 

The numbers, like our children themselves, are getting alarmingly large.

According to a 2014 report from the National Child Measurement programme, a fifth of all reception (age) children in the UK and a third of year 6 (age) children are now either overweight or officially obese.

The odd sweet, fizzy drink or bag of crisps here and there is clearly no cause for concern, but the long-term dangers of a diet that damages your child’s health should set the alarm bells ringing.

“Obesity increases risk factors for health problems including cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk and sadly the levels are increasing,” explains clinical nutritionist and health expert Yvonne Bishop-Weston. “The paradox is that while our knowledge on how to live healthy is increasing and the availability of healthy food is better than ever, the health of our children is not reflecting this.”

The key problem is that so many children’s diets are awash with processed carbs and sugars, with many of them hidden or obscured. “Some of these are obvious, such as sweets and sweetened drinks,” says Bishop-Weston, “but fruit juices can also be an unexpected high source of sugars. And a high sugar intake puts tooth health at risk, can upset blood sugar balance generating mood swings and increasing diabetes risk. It also quickly fills small stomachs reducing the chances of children eating the foods they need to eat to be healthy and happy.”

Read the full article and discover more expert tips from Yvonne Bishop-Weston here.