Children learn life long eating habits from their parents. It is up to you to make sure that they eat properly. Children most often want to be like their parents. They will mimic what you do because they look up to you and expect guidance from you. The habits that you teach them today will live with them for the rest of their lives. Children who are obese will quite often turn into obese adults.

Here is a look at the reasons why:

Lack of Exercise

Children today are very spoiled as compared to those of yesterday. They often live their lives glued to the television playing video games or on the computer chatting. These are habits that we allow our children to become involved in. This leads to lack of physical activity and obesity. Children should be outside playing and running. Though this isn't possible all of the time, it should be encouraged. For better results, get outside with them.

Taking a walk or bike ride with your kids is a great way to encourage physical activity and it will carry through to their adulthood. Children who aren't discouraged from being dormant will not know the importance of physical activity when they get older. What is more, they won't care to do it. Even when adults are told something is good for them, if it wasn't practiced during their younger years, it is much harder to convince them that it is necessary.

Eating Habits

Obese children usually have very poor eating habits. Encouraging your children to eat healthy is the best way to combat obesity in them now and for the future. Make sure that your child is eating vegetables and fruits. Three meals a day is the standard for keeping the stomach full which means less snacking in between. Children who are taught very young to eat fruit for desert will prefer it as a desert when they get older.

There is nothing wrong with allowing children to have sweets sometimes. It is the amount that they eat which can be detrimental to their health. Keep sugary snacks for special occasions or limit the amount they are allowed to have each day. As they grow older, they won't crave what they have not had before. Unlimited snacking should not be allowed in any home. It should especially be removed from homes where small children live.

Lack of eating properly can cause many illnesses for your child over his/her lifetime. Diabetes, heart failure and many other physical problems can cause death. When a person is obese it is harder for him/her to breathe. Physical activity is much harder to achieve and the weight doesn't drop off in a day if you try to lose it. It is important that you discourage bad eating habits in your children now to avoid extreme problems when they get older.

Children do learn what they live. There is no doubt about that. If a child sees an obese parent, they believe this is normal. Many times children won't care that his/her weight is above a safe level. If mommy and daddy are obese, then it's okay. That doesn't mean that it will happen that way, but it happens quite frequently. Those parents that don't know the true risks of an obese child don't discourage bad eating habits and that is when the child is in danger of life long obesity. This can be very deadly for your child. Take the time now to teach your children about the right way to eat and encourage a lot of physical activity. The consequences of not doing it just aren't worth it.

Learn more about this author, Dawn Hawkins.
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