So far so good, if it weren’t for the concept of ‘eating well’ that lasted for many years. This statement often referred to quantity, not quality. The child consumed a lot of carbohydrates, fat and glucose, but received praise for the challenges he faced.
Since childhood obesity became an issue around the world, and particularly in Brazil, it has become clear that it is necessary to put an asterisk on what we call eating well. Between filling up on heavier foods or diversifying your plate with fruits and vegetables, even if you leave room for something more caloric, which is closer to ideal?
It is clear that you know the answer, as do the studies on the topic. The Childhood Health Observatory, produced by Fiocruz and the University of Medicine of Petrópolis (Unifase) reveals that the number of overweight and obese children and adolescents in Brazil increased in 2022. In the age group up to 5 years of age, It has been confirmed that one in 10 children are overweight. Among teenagers, aged 10 to 18, the scale is above ideal in one in every three people.
The pandemic period was also not good for children’s nutrition. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of overweight children increased by 6.08%, according to the Observatory. Among teenagers, growth represented a jump of 17.2%. It is possible to assume that these cases are directly related to the increase in anxiety and domestic behavior itself: more time spent at home culminated in the need to eat something extra to distract oneself.
Contrary to heavy numbers for children’s health, science already knows that healthy eating has important impacts on physical, cognitive and even emotional development among children. This helps to explain why the need for nutrients is so accelerated in the first years of life, demanding appropriate consumption of vitamins, minerals, proteins and healthy fats.
Eating well, which we discussed previously, therefore consists of eliminating these deficiencies. There are specific foods for each item of child development. From the formation of neural circuits that will support cognitive and emotional development, through those that will help in the formation of bones and muscles, supporting physical growth, and those that will help in the functioning of internal organs.
Encouraging healthy eating from an early age means offering children resources to reduce the risk of suffering from obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases in the future. The sooner an individual assimilates a diet that suits their body, the better they learn the importance of these foods and learn to enjoy flavors and textures that may provoke certain resistance at first. But it should be noted that eating is a daily exercise, and that constant practice can lead to what is considered ideal.
* Dr. Celso di Lascio is a doctor at You Saúde.
For more information about childhood obesity click here…
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