Maintaining a Well
Balanced Diet from Childhood to Adulthood
By the end of this lesson you will:
Understand
2 health consequences of obesity
Know
at least 3 causes of obesity
Describe
3 healthy eating tips
List
2 benefits of physical activity
First name
Last name
Birthday of name entered above
This lesson is intended to make parents
aware of the risks of obesity. Obesity is a major health
concern due to the dramatic increases in the prevalence of obesity among
children and adolescence. This occurrence is causing an increase in other
diseases that can be prevented in children. Please note that fat intake
should not be limited in children under 2 years.
Activity 1:
1.) Do you think your child might be overweight?
Ask the WIC staff if you're interested in
your child's weight status.
2.) What are you currently doing now to
promote healthy eating in your family?
Why is it necessary for you to be at a
healthy weight?
One important reason is to prevent against diseases.
Consequences:
Increases Chance of Heart Disease:
One mile of blood vessels are
added for every pound gained. What happens whenever you add
more blood vessels or think about what happens when you extend a
garden hose. Do you have to turn the water up to get the same
flow you did with the shorter hose? Think of your heart as
that faucet. It has to turn up the pressure and work harder to
get the blood to go farther. The increased work load could
eventually lead to:
Cardio Myopathy: enlarged
heart
Congestive Heart Failure:
term
used to describe any condition in which the heart is unable to
adequately pump blood throughout the body and/or unable to
prevent blood from "backing up" into the lungs. These
conditions cause symptoms such as shortness of breath (dyspnea),
fatigue, weakness, and swelling (edema) of the legs and
sometimes the abdomen.
Heart Attack: (also
called a myocardial infarction) is the death of part of the
heart muscle due to its sudden loss of blood supply.
Hypertension: high
blood pressure...Blood
pressure results from two forces. One is created by the heart as
it pumps blood into the arteries and through the circulatory
system. The other is the force of the arteries as they resist
the blood flow.
Hyperlipidemia:
high
cholesterol/high triglycerides (fat)... High cholesterol is a
serious health risk because it can lead to coronary heart
disease.
Osteo/Arthritis
Do you pick your children up
often? Do you carry them around for very long? Why do
you usually set your children down? Does your back start to
ache? Do your knees and ankles become stiff. Increased
weight can cause the same problems except we can't set it down when
we get tired, stiff or sore. The bones and joints therefore
have to take the extra stress leading to:
Arthritis: a
medical condition affecting a joint or joints, causing pain,
swelling, and stiffness
Joint Problems
Cancer
Why does increased fat both in
our diet and on our bodies lead to increased cancer risks?
Toxins or carcinogen (cancer causing agents) are stored in
fat. That means that we each carry a certain amount of these
toxins all the time. When we eat a lot of fat or even have
excess body fat, we increase the chances of cancer. Obesity
also increases hormone levels that could influence the development
of cancer. Adipose tissue is a major site of estrogen
synthesis; estrogen has been implicated in the development of cancers in the female reproductive
system. These cancers account for half of all cancers in
women.
Diabetes
Diabetes is three times more
likely to develop in an overweight person. Most of the weight
may be what is called central, that is around the abdomen
area. Central body fat cells are larger and more insulin
resistant. Central body fat and insulin resistant cells increase
the risk of developing NIDDM (non insulin diabetes mellitus or type
2).
There has been a dramatic
increase of NIDDM (Type 2 diabetes) in children as young as ten.
Listed below are some other health
consequences of obesity:
Stroke: stoppage
of the blood flow to the brain
Gallbladder Disease
Sleep apnea: a
temporary cessation of breathing that happens to some people while they are
sleeping
Respiratory Problems
Endometrial, Breast, Prostate, and
Colon Cancer
Activity 2:
Check
the following heath consequences of obesity:
Type II Diabetes
Heart Disease
Lyme Disease
Cancer
Chickpox
What Causes
Obesity?
There are many causes of
obesity. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical
activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these
factors.
JUICE
Studies have shown
that an increase in the amount of juice children drink can be linked to
the increase in childhood obesity.
The fruit juice
you receive from WIC can provide your child with good nutrients such as
vitamin C, but an excessive amount of juice can cause problems. If
a child drinks more than 12 ounces of fruit juice a day they may be at
risk for the following:
Obesity
Children who drink more than 12 ounces of fruit juice a day are
getting too many calories from non nutrient dense foods. These
children are at risk of obesity. If a child is drinking an
excessive amount of juice they are also getting an excessive amount
of calories. This juice may make them feel full and lead them
to refuse nutrient dense foods essential for growth and development.
Look for ways
to reduce the fat in your or your child's diet. Try to cut
down on the visits to fast food restaurants by making it a treat and
having it no more than once a week. Cut back on fatty ingredients in a
recipe. Replace high fat with low fat...read the labels, look
for another brand or variety that doesn't have fat listed as one of
the first three ingredients. If the recipe says optional try
to add extra flavor with spices or herbs.
Substitute
whole milk with skim milk or low-fat milk. **Children under 2
should drink 2-3 8oz. glasses of whole milk/day.
Increase the
number of serving of vegetables and fruits to at least 5 a
day. Click here is visit our
"5 a Day" Website.
Decrease
portion sizes. Give second serving to the child only if
they're asked for. Never force a child to finish what is one
the plate.
Drink more
water instead of sugar drinks and sodas.
Eat cereals
low in sugar such as Cheerios, Corn Flakes and Kix
Activity 3:
1. Name the three most
common causes of obesity:
1.
2.
3.
2. Your
child should not drink more than how many ounces of 100% Fruit Juice a day?
24 ounces
12 ounces
36 ounces
3.
Name two changes you will make to lower your fat or sugar consumption :
1.
2.
4.
Click the box with the healthier snack choice :
plain popcorn
jellybeans
chocolate mousse pie
kiwi
low fat blueberry muffins
cookies
Tips for Reducing Fat
and Cholesterol in your Diet:
Choose lean cut
meat, fish, and poultry. Trim off all visible fat. Animal
fat is saturated fat and should be limited.
Avoid deep-fried
foods or limit them
Cook by baking,
broiling, poaching, steaming, or microwaving
Switch to skim or
1% milk. (If 2 years or older)
Try salad
dressings that are labeled nonfat or reduced calories
Use low fat or
nonfat mayonnaise
Read labels and
avoid products that contain coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa
butter. These are saturated fats.
Why is Physical
Activity Important to Energy Balance?
Physical activity
on most, if not all, days of the week is beneficial for people of all
ages. All you need is 30 minutes a day at least five days a
week! This can include playing chase in the yard with your family
or dancing to music before dinner.
Regular activity decreases
appetite, gives a general sense of well being, decreases blood pressure,
improves glucose metabolism and insulin reaction, improves cholesterol
and is overall heart healthy!
Physical activity
can help relieve stress, improve your sleep, clear your head, give you
more energy, and boost self-confidence by improving your strength,
stamina, and sense of control.
Activity 4:
1. Name at least 2 physical activities you can enjoy with your family:
1.
2.
2. Name 2 benefits of regular activity:
1.
2.
Tips for Fostering a
Positive Body Image
Child or
Adolescent
Parents
Look in the mirror and focus on your positive features, not
the negative ones.
Demonstrate healthy eating behaviors, and avoid extreme
eating behaviors.
Say something nice to your friends about how they look.
Focus on non-appearance-related traits when discussing
yourself and others.
Think about your positive traits that are not related to
appearance.
Praise your child or adolescent for academic and other
successes.
Read magazines with a critical eye, and find out what
photographers and computer graphic designers do to make models look the
way they do.
Analyze media messages with your child or adolescent.
If you are overweight and want to lose weight, be realistic
in your expectations and aim for gradual change.
Demonstrate that you love your child or adolescent
regardless of what he or she weighs.
Realize that everyone has a unique size and shape.
If your child or adolescent is overweight, don't criticize
her appearance - offer support instead.
If you have questions about your size or weight, ask a
health professional.
Share with a health professional any concerns you have about
your child's eating behaviors and body images
This table
was developed by Bright Futures in Practice: Nutrition, National
Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health.
Which WIC Office do you go to?
Bullhead City
Kingman
Lake Havasu City
Where
are you taking today's lesson?
You
have completed the lesson on "Balancing Energy".If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail one of our
nutritionists.We’ll be
glad to answer any of your questions.
Heart
Disease, Type II Diabetes (NIDDM), and Cancer are consequences of obesity.
Activity
3:
1. The
most common causes of obesity are genetic factors, lack of physical
activity, &/or unhealthy eating patterns
2. 12 oz. of fruit juice is all a child should consume in one day.
3. Decrease servings of fruit juice to 12 oz./day, change to 2% milk in
children older than 2 years of age, increase fruits and vegetables, drink
more water, decrease cereals high in sugar & gradually switch to low
sugar cereals such as Cheerios, Corn flakes, and Kix.
4. Popcorn is healthier, unless you add butter and salt.
Kiwi is healthier, remember eat '5 a day'
Blueberry muffins is usually healthier, practice
reading the food labels. Look for fat and sugar.
Activity
4:
1.
Playing chase in back yard, swimming, taking walks or hikes, etc.
2. Reduces stress, sleep better, boost self confidence
*
If you have an extra minute, please fill out our survey on the WIC home page
(where you chose this class) so we can better serve you. Thanks.
