Childhood Obesity and Nutritional Recommendations

Dear Parents,

In children with "overweight" or "obesity", it should first be checked whether the excess weight is caused by a hormonal disorder. If your child's hormonal evaluations do not detect a hormonal disorder such as an underactive thyroid gland or Cushing's syndrome that may cause excess weight, the reason for your child's being overweight is "exogenous obesity".

The causes of exogenous obesity are:

• Excess calorie intake,
• Less movement compared to the calories taken,
• Hereditary predisposition to be overweight.

Additional problems that may develop due to being overweight in the child should also be screened. These additional problems can be listed as:

• Diabetes,
• Deterioration in blood fats,
• Fatty liver,
• Hypertension,
• Curvatures in the legs due to weight load (such as X-shaped leg structure),
• Atherosclerotic changes in the heart vessels,
• Polycystic ovary disease in girls,
• Precocious puberty or delayed puberty.

As a result of the evaluation made by the physicians in terms of the problems listed in your child, it can be determined that one or more of these problems develop on the basis of hereditary characteristics, depending on being overweight. It should be noted that if he/she continues to be overweight, the risk of developing these problems will also increase.

Even if these problems are not present at the beginning, it is necessary to start obesity treatment without wasting time by evaluating whether they are detected at every check-up as overweight continues.

In the treatment of obesity, energy intake should be reduced, and the energy spent should be increased.

As it is known, it is not possible to give the child a nutrition plan, to allow the parents or siblings to eat and drink as they wish in front of the child, and to provide weight control in this environment. Similarly, when the habits of the elders to give the child junk food (biscuits, candy, chips, etc.) continue, it will not be possible to achieve weight control again. Therefore, it will be extremely important to pay attention to the suggested points. 

Recommendations for Your Child's Nutrition Program

• The personal nutrition program given to your child consists of three main meals and three intermediate meals. You must follow the nutrition list exactly.
• This personal nutrition program has been given to inform you about how much of each nutritional element (how much bread, how much meat, how much rice, etc.) to give to your child.
• If there are overweight people and/or malnutrition habits at home, it is important that they also follow the nutrition plan with the child.
• Foods should be chewed thoroughly and then swallowed. A new bite should not be taken before the bite in the mouth is finished. When a bite is taken into the mouth, a new bite should not be taken to the fork/spoon while this bite is chewed and swallowed. The number of meals should be reduced (e.g., smaller plates can be used).
• The calories of whole grain bread are not different from other bread. However, this bread should be preferred in terms of being healthy.
• Plenty of water should be drunk and ready-made fruit juices should not be consumed. Excessive consumption of freshly squeezed fruit juices at home should also be avoided. Fruit and vegetable intake should be increased in a balanced way.
• It should be ensured that your child is active at home by having him/her do the small things that he/she can do. Your child should tidy up his/her room and tie his/her own shoes.
• Studies have shown that exercising for half an hour every evening (dancing to music, sports, walking, etc.) is important for weight control. The important thing here is to do the exercise in a certain order, without interruption.
• Solid fat and butter consumption should be reduced, and olive oil should be used if possible. Meals should be cooked with less oil.
• Bulgur pilaf should be preferred instead of rice pilaf. A diet consisting of dietary products is also not recommended.
• The time spent in front of a television, tablet, and computer should not exceed 2 hours a day at most.
• Ready-made foods (such as chips, hamburgers, doner kebab, and pizza) and carbonated beverages (such as cola, and soda) should not be consumed, no junk food should be kept at home, and desserts and pastries should not be made. In particular, sugary foods (such as chocolate, sweetened tea, etc.) should not be taken on an empty stomach. It is not recommended to use sweeteners instead of sugar.