The little big battle

If you want your child to eat right, make sure you eat right, say nutritionists

Nutritionist and weight-loss expert Dr Shikha Sharma listens in resignation as her patient, a 12-year-old overweight boy, recounts how his mother nags him to go for a run early in the morning and has suddenly put him on a crash diet. The rebellious teen is predictably furious and determined to go ahead and eat what he likes.

This is a story Sharma hears often, since 10 per cent of her patients are children. 8220;Unfortunately, the first reaction of parents with overweight children is to put them on a diet and force them to exercise,8221; explains Sharma. 8220;However, this rarely works. Weight loss in children has to be handled differently.8221;

According to a recent report, urban India is now seen as an 8216;obesogenic environment8217;, or a culture where it is normal to eat high fat food, not exercise and lead a sedentary life. Children in big cities fare the worst. A Fortis study said more than 40 per cent students in Delhi schools are fat, but weight loss experts fear the figures could go up very soon. 8220;There8217;s a McDonalds in every neighbourhood. The Internet and TV have replaced cricket and football as fun activities,8221; says Dr Seema Puri, a nutritionist from Lady Irwin College. 8220;If you want your child to lose weight, the entire family has to change its lifestyle.8221;

Weight loss in children is slower than in adults. Extreme calorie restriction is not advisable and can hamper natural growth. Instead, say nutritionists, parents could use rewards and incentives to motivate children and encourage them to watch what they eat. Sharma suggests that if the mother is home when the child comes back from school, she could inspire him by eating some fresh fruit together. 8220;Parents have to be role models. If you want your kid to eat right, you have to eat right,8221; says Sharma.

She advises against eating dinner in front of the TV, because kids get distracted, don8217;t savour the meal and tend to overeat. 8220;It8217;s important that the family gets together for dinner at the table,8221; says Sharma, while pointing out the irrefutable link between emotions and the right attitude to food.

She recalls how one of her clients came to her for treatment for her two overweight teenagers. After some intense therapy sessions, it emerged that the boys were binging because their father constantly found fault with his family and yelled in the house. 8220;Children who eat out of frustration and unhappiness are far harder to treat, we have to get to the root of the problem,8221; agrees Dr Puri.

An obesity survey found that children reported more weightgain while studying for their board examinations than in any other year. Striking the right balance between school, tuitions and games is another challenge that needs to be addressed. A survey conducted by Lady Irwin College came up another disquieting fact: that parents in Delhi don8217;t send their kids out to play in parks because they consider them unsafe. Colony roads are choked with traffic; so games the previous generation grew up playing, like kho-kho and seven tiles or pithoo, have gone completely out of fashion. 8220;Now parents send their kids for tennis lessons,8221; says Puri.

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She advocates community activity to encourage children to take up physical activity. 8220;Parents should try getting kids together at a park. If the child enjoys it, he8217;s more likely to inculcate exercise in his daily routine,8221; explains Puri. She offers a word of caution to parents of all age groups who may be concerned about their child8217;s weight. 8220;If at any age, your child8217;s height-weight ratio is more than normal, it8217;s time to analyse your nutrition habits,8221; she says.