Tips for Fussy Eaters

Establishing good eating habits in our children is challenging however very important so that they get the right ‘fuel’ to grow and develop properly.

The behaviour of refusing new food tastes and textures is very common in children. Children often need frequent and repeated exposures to a new food before accepting it.

Who’s responsibility is it? “Obesity”

Who’s responsibility is it?
The childhood obesity epidemic is being tackled from a variety of angles from the individual level all the way to public policy. There are educational programs targeted at parents and children, state governments have implemented guidelines for canteens to follow regarding what food and beverages are sold in the canteen, food companies are trying to scale back their advertising to children and some food companies are even reformulating products to make them healthier.

Complications of Childhood Obesity

The complications of childhood obesity go far beyond physical appearance. Childhood obesity brings an increased likelihood of:
* Psychosocial difficulties such as depression and decreased socialisation. Overweight or obese children can be bullied in school, which can contribute to low self-esteem and lack of confidence.
* Hyperlipidemia-increased fat in the blood, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.
* Hypertension-high blood pressure.
* Hyperinsulinemia, which is an increased level of insulin (a hormone) in the blood, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes.

What is Obesity?

Obesity: What is it?
Overweight and obesity are states of the body that exist when people are carrying more weight than they should for their height. Health professionals will often use growth charts to track a child’s weight and height, noting what percentile the child is falling within. Children who fall within the 85th to 95th percentiles for weight are considered to be overweight while children falling above the 95th percentile for weight are considered to be obese.

What is obesity?

Overweight and obesity is a condition where a person has excessive total body fat and can cause health problems.

To measure whether someone is obese or not, the test can be done with the scale of body mass index or body mass index (BMI). BMI is a simple index that measures the ratio of weight and height in meters squared (kg/m2) adults.