Obesity in Kids Is an Epidemic Problem. Here are 6 Healthy Eating Tips for Parents

Available for Interviews: Dr. Franchell Hamilton

Dr. Franchell Hamilton, MD, FACS, FASMBS, FOMA is the Founder of NeuroSwitch™ Weight Loss. Dr. Hamiltion is also the author of the latest book, Curiosity Is the Best Weight Loss Medicine: Observations From a Bariatric Surgeon. 

What Dr. Hamilton can say in an Interview on
Obesity & Kids:

    • During the pandemic, the national rate of obesity among kids ages 2 to 19 increased to 22.4% in 2020, up from 19.3% in 2019.
    • In the U.S., childhood obesity alone is estimated to cost $14 billion annually in direct health expenses.
    • This is caused by eating more processed foods and less physical activity, as well as socioeconomic differences.
    • Bariatric surgery is becoming more prevalent and a standard in the pediatric population.
    • Better nutrition and increased physical activity with parental support remain a must.
    • https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/data/cdc.gov

6 Healthy Eating Habits for Children

    1. Get kids involved in meal planning or preparation. Have them cook with you and try to cook and eat at home most of the time. I have kids ranging from 4-college, and they help me cook at times, and they help fix their lunches. Even my 4-year-old helps decide on his lunch, and he understands he has to have fruit, but he can also have a treat—it is all about balance. I have them eat their fruit first, along with the other lunch; then, they can have a small treat like fruit snacks or a piece of chocolate. Have them cook their other favorite desserts, like brownies or cookies, so their diets are not overly restrictive and encourage balance.
    2. Overly restrictive diets or shaming kids and teens for eating “too much” can harm them. It affects their psyche. They automatically will feel different, like they are not like their friends, and blame themselves as though something is wrong with them. This thought process can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem into adulthood, and obesity.
    3. Regular mealtimes with the family can benefit kids and teens. Regular meals and even snack times help regulate their hunger control centers and ensure that kids are not overeating by snacking throughout the day or eating too little by waiting and only having one meal. Doing this with family helps kids feel great because everyone is doing it and can help with family bonding.
    4. Offer greater independence. Have them choose their snacks, and as they get older, have them make their own lunches while always keeping healthy options in the house—that way, they choose which healthy option they want, giving them a greater feeling of independence.
    5. What parents can do if they notice their kids seem to want to eat when bored or feeling sad. Help them find healthier ways to cope. It is a great learning opportunity to help them identify why they are sad or bored and find other things they can do. It is much better to identify this as a kid or teen rather than adulthood when treating it is much more difficult.
    6. Consider gardening! Encourage them to help plant and pick the vegetables, making it a fun activity while learning.

Kids understand at an early age, so try to ask questions to first understand their eating habits before addressing them. Ask if they are truly hungry when eating, overeating, or bored. If boredom is the culprit, help them find other activities to occupy themselves. If they say they are hungry, provide them with fuller, healthier options and let them know that if they want to eat more, they can choose from grapes or apples, for example, but let them choose. Do not give junk food as an option when they start having poor eating habits, only healthier options. Be sure you incorporate as much play time, i.e., exercise, as you can, and be sure they are not overeating on junk and just playing video games or watching TV. It is okay to tell them why you are concerned and give them these options as long as they communicate at their age level. If they ask why they have to eat so many vegetables, tell them it is because you want them to be strong and healthy and only want the best for them. Do not make it about weight but more about health and how that is such an important asset to have in life.

 

Interview: Dr. Franchell Hamilton

Dr. Hamilton is a Triads Award-Winning, Board Certified Surgeon who gave up operating on the stomach to operating on the mind to treat chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. She is the author of three books, Transformation is a Mindset: The Journey to Changing Your Input and Your World and And the Best Diet Is . . . ,  and her most recent, Curiosity Is the Best Weight Loss Medicine: Observations From a Bariatric Surgeon. Through her master class, Dr. Hamilton is passionate about educating other providers around the world on what she discovered in her practice.

Dr. Hamilton is passionate about helping to change the lives of those she meets through practicing medicine and consulting. As a once-practicing bariatric surgeon, Dr. Hamilton has firsthand experience addressing the challenges and pain points of patients being treated for cardiometabolic diseases. She founded NeuroSwitch™ Weight Loss. Dr. Hamilton’s weight loss (better health) system reaches communities where they are and has changed the practice of medicine. In addressing the neuroscience behind weight regain, Dr. Hamilton was able to provide better a treatment plan for each patient that addresses their disease and the root cause and methods to prevent it from recurring.

She also trains other providers using the NeuroSwitch program and how to implement it in their practice. She uses her book, Transformation is a Mind-Set: The Journey to Changing Your Input and Your World, as a guide to help thousands struggling with unhealthy strongholds in their life find the root of the problem. In her book, she teaches how to change the brain and overcome.

Dr. Hamilton is also a podcast host on Your Health Transformed, which discusses various popular and innovative health topics to challenge our current way of thinking about medicine.

Book cover

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