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Overweight or baby fat?

As long as a baby receives breast milk or formula to replace it, we cannot talk about obesity, if excess weight does appear, there is some genetic disease behind it - emphasizes Krisztina Somogyi, dietician at the Duna Medical Center. Obesity can develop when, instead of mother's milk and formula, the child switches to food eaten by adults. This can typically be done for the period between one and two years of age, but after the second year of life, almost all children eat the food eaten by the family. From birth, we can follow the development of the BMI value based on tables, which reference value should correspond to the height and weight growth of the child according to the given age and gender. The deviation from this can be expressed as a percentage, on the basis of which it can be determined how much the deviation is compared to the average, whether in weight or height. It is worth regularly calculating the BMI value, because if this value rises above 75%, the child already belongs to the endangered category. A value above 90% means overweight, and above 97% we classify children as obese.

Can sugar do everything?

A sedentary lifestyle is at least as harmful as excessive sugar consumption. Watching a lot of fairy tales, playing computer games and eating improperly can also be blamed for obesity. Malnutrition is often caused by a lack of time. Especially when there is no time to cook at home, to select the ingredients of the food eaten, so fast restaurants or ready-made meals come to the fore. Adding sugary drinks, sweets and various snacks to the diet will make the problem even worse.

The problem with sugars is not only that we consume more of them than we would get rid of daily. Since they are quickly absorbed, the body also reacts quickly to them. After the insulin reaction, the blood sugar level drops quickly - and although it only returns to the normal color - this drop triggers a feeling of hunger in the brain, so it encourages you to eat again.

Is example everything?

Parents make the biggest mistake if they don't set a good example. If they themselves eat healthily, and make the experience of cooking and eating together into everyday life, they can prevent trouble. It is important that the parent and the family reveal the reasons and habits that led to overweight and obesity. The first step is to divert the child's attention from excessive eating, and think about which foods and drinks do not serve the child's healthy development. What is not at home, the child cannot take it out of the fridge or off the shelf - we can already think of this when shopping.

Krisztina Somogyi emphasized that we should take time to prepare for the change. Don't force us, be patient. Change or introduce just one thing at a time. It is also important to keep in mind that in the case of children, weight loss does not take place in the same way as in adults, since it is a developing organism. The main goal is to stop weight gain, in addition to increasing the child's height.

Tips, tricks, practices from the specialist

• Let's set personalized goals! Whether it's a desired dress in a smaller size or easier movement.
• Let's use applications! Children learn easily, and they adapt to the world of applications willingly and skillfully. They easily use calorie counting programs.
• Contact a dietitian to create a personalized sample diet! During the personal consultation, the child's favorite foods and habits can be learned, which contribute to the creation of the ideal list.
• Let's find a hobby for our child, a game that he likes to play, that he finds joy in, so that it distracts him from the fact that he is hungry.
• Do not sit down in front of the TV until you have finished your meal. After all, at this time, our brain does not remember how much we ate, so it will not be able to signal in time that we have had enough for a long time.