Today 8 out of 10 kids are overweight, and the reason behind increasing weight for most of these kids is an unhealthy lifestyle, while others have a health condition, slowing down their metabolism. It is a cause for concern because an unhealthy lifestyle is not just responsible for obesity in kids. It can cause other physical and mental health issues in children. If you are wondering what this unhealthy lifestyle can lead to in kids, have a look below.
Obesity
This one is obvious. During the pandemic, we have seen kids sitting around, eating junk food, and not doing enough physical activity. This sedentary lifestyle is the reason for childhood obesity in kids who shouldn’t be putting on weight. Increased weight in kids can lead to multiple diseases, like heart problems, high blood pressure, and even type 2 diabetes.
The solution: Get your kids to become more active. Make sure they go out to play with other kids instead of playing just indoor games. Limit their processed food and increase their intake of vegetables and fruits.
Vulnerable immune system
An unhealthy lifestyle that includes not being physically active or eating unhealthy foods can also lead to a vulnerable immune system. When your body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, the immune system suffers. In addition, as a child is still growing, their immune system is still developing, and leading an unhealthy lifestyle means a weakened immune system.
A weakened immune system attracts many illnesses as kids become prone to seasonal flu and cold. Also, it can invite other diseases and infections.
The solution: Ensure they get their daily dose of nutrients from multiple fruits and vegetables. Moreover, to develop their immune system, kids should be active. Also, ensure they sleep well.
Weakened eyesight
During the pandemic, kids were taking classes from school, which increased their screen time. Parents didn’t like it, but there wasn’t a choice. However, letting your children watch TV or spend too much time on their phones is a choice. We see even kids aged 4-6 have cell phones or watch too many TV cartoons. Exposure to so much light strains their eyes, making them weak and leading to myopia in children. Research says that parents who have myopia pass it on to their children. However, these days even kids with no history of myopia are getting glasses, and an unhealthy lifestyle which includes excess exposure to light and eating food with no nutrients is the cause of increasing cases of myopia in children.
The solution: Limit their screen time. Ensure kids don’t wake up or sleep watching TV or iPad. Lastly, increase their intake of vitamin A.
Causes issues with learning and memory
A child is still in the development phase. If a child’s diet includes too much junk (full of sugar and sodium), they can have issues with their memory and learning. Research says that when an individual eats excess processed food, it causes inflammation in their hippocampus area. It leads to issues with memory, and their brain becomes foggy on details.
Moreover, sugar and fat in processed food also suppress BDNF activity, a brain peptide responsible for learning. Thus, your kid’s brain development will slow down, affecting their education.
The solution: Limit processed food and educate them about healthy eating habits. It will make them love all foods, which is necessary.
Increased stress, depression, and anxiety
A lifestyle that revolves around processed food or being indoors most of the time can lead to isolation. It can cause stress in even kids. If this continues, depression and anxiety can embrace your child and can make their childhood a traumatic experience.
The solution: Take them in nature, let them socialize and make friends. Make sure they tell you things that affect their mental health. If something is affecting their mental health, their lifestyle will suffer too. It’s a full circle, so making sure they are mentally fit is necessary too.
Lastly, parents need to change their lifestyle too. When children see their parents eating in front of a TV, they will copy. Thus, lead by example! Ensure you do physical exercise every day and eat healthy so your child can learn from you. Ensuring a healthier lifestyle will help them lead a happy childhood and happier adulthood.
