WHILE most of us are concerned about keeping ourselves and family members protected from COVID-19 (and rightfully so), there are other dangers lurking around that can have serious health consequences. The break in routine, combined with regular snacking and a lack of physical activity can actually exacerbate an already existing problem in T&T childhood obesity and chronic lifestyle diseases among our nations youth.
Prior to the pandemic, statistics revealed that In Trinidad alone obesity rates rose from three to 11 per cent in the past ten years and that children were becoming more prone to diabetes, elevated blood pressure and elevated cholesterol at a younger age, said diabetes educator and dietician James Harper.
In addition to that, studies done in the past have shown that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among children was mostly as a result of their habits or lifestyle choices which include a lack of exercise, unhealthy diets and a sedentary lifestyle, said family practitioner Dr Visham Bhimull.
The temporary closure of fast food restaurants doesnt necessarily mean that everyone is suddenly eating healthier, rather, the natural tendency for any human being whether adult or child is to eat more than they should when they are at home, said Bhimull.
Eating food is not just a matter of taking in nutrition, its also considered a social activity. So if kids are eating unhealthy foods especially now that they are home it will obviously affect them in the long run and put them at risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, said Bhimull.
Protect your immune system
During these times, it is especially important that our immune system is functioning at its best said Bhimull who suggested that households include in their daily diet fruits, vegetables and legumes which support the immune system. As part of our Trinidadian culture, we consume meat daily but its recommended that meat should actually be included in our diet two to three times a week.
These unprecedented times give parents the opportunity to involve their children while preparing meals, so that they could teach them what is healthy as opposed to what is not, said Bhimull.
Good eats
Instilling healthy eating habits in children must begin with the parents, emphasised Harper who has spent years helping diabetics make wise decisions regarding their diet.
Kids follow by example. Its the responsibility of the parents to provide healthy options for their children. Children are visual eaters, if they see the parent eating something they will want to try it too,said Harper. Parents need to make healthy food fun - for instance children like pizza, so you can make a whole wheat pizza and grate the cheese over vegetables.
Or you can make ice popsicles using fresh fruit juice and incorporate vegetable purees in macaroni pie or with mac and cheese. There are many websites that help parents to be innovative when it comes to picky eaters.
So instead of making chocolate chip cookies, make oatmeal cookies and instead of ice cream, freeze some bananas and mix them with yoghurt as an ice cream substitute. This is also a time to instill in children that unhealthy snacks are to be enjoyed once in a while and not every day.
Exercise routine
In addition to helping a child adopt a healthier diet, exercise is crucial. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to weight gain and chronic disease.
You have to look at the logistics of ones home, a person who lives in a house with an open space may have more resources to allow their kids to move around and get in some physical activity as opposed to someone living in an apartment in Maloney.
But even if you dont have the facility or yard, something that is recommended is listening to music and dancing, there are also games children can play that can keep them physically active like hopscotch and other games that their parents may be more familiar with,said Bhimull.
Having lots of unstructured time can lead to unhealthy habits like overeating and sedentary behaviour, so its especially important that parents work with their children to install a routine, said the physician.
If your daily schedule is disorganised, you can feel a loss of control and spiral into anxiety and depression. The same applies to children, said Bhimull. Its recommended that a childs routine include a set time for getting up and going to sleep, as well as time for school work, chores and recreational activities.
By preparing meals with the help of their children, taking responsibility at home and having a routine which involves exercise, parents can use this opportunity to exchange poor lifestyle choices with good ones. This in turn can help reduce the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases among our youths.
One wonders when this is over if homemade meals may become more en vogue than buying fast food. I think that would be one of the positives to come out of this pandemic. But one would hope that it would spark a change regarding our habits and that we would choose healthy habits as opposed to unhealthy ones, said Bhimull.
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The impact of unhealthy eating - Trinidad & Tobago Express Newspapers
