Boot camp to curb obesity amongst children
Obesity among children is becoming rife in the country and parents need to see to it that their children are physically active and eat a healthy diet.
MBOMBELA – Obesity among children is becoming rife in the country and parents need to see to it that their children are physically active and eat a healthy diet.
“Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.
Not engaging in any physical activity and lazing in front of TV or computer for most of the day is another reason the statistics of obese people in South Africa keeps increasing,” says Sylvia Maseko, a dietician.
In an attempt to promote a healthy lifestyle among obese children in the province Maseko and other dieticians from the LSOC Slimming and Nutrition Centre together with Ligwalagwala FM, and Love Life embarked on two-week fight against childhood obesity.in the form of a boot camp.
During this boot camp obese children were educated on healthy food choices and cooking methods, exercise and on exciting career opportunities including that of dieticians, psychologists, social workers, physiotherapists, life coaches and Childline facilitators.
She added that a obesity could lead to low self-esteem and numerous chronic diseases of lifestyle.
“Children with obesity struggle to cope at school and in life generally due to the psychological effects that obesity brings,” she said.
Maseko added LSOC were also touched by the story of an 18-year-old girl who weighs 152kg and struggled even to walk a very short distances and hardly played with other children of her age at school due to her weight.
“Concerned teachers from her school brought her story up with Ligwalagwala’s Masakhane and she was then brought to us. We had put her on our electrotheraphy slimming machine and gave a diet to follow. She has lost 20kg in the past three months and now weighs about 132kg,”added Maseko. “She was coping well even at the boot camp.”
Maseko added that obesity could also lead to psychological problems in children, and hence urged parents to monitor their children’s diet timeously. he also expresses words of gratitude to the following sponsors and facilitators for making the boot camp a success story; Nutty P, Liberty Life, Sivutsa Lodge, Dr Mbongeni Ngomane, Mi-Tv and individual professionals.
Tips for a healthy eating includes:
Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products.
Include low-fat or non-fat milk or dairy products.
Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and beans for protein.
Serve reasonably-sized portions.
Encourage the family to drink lots of water.
Limit sugar-sweetened beverages.
Limit consumption of sugar and saturated fat.
Surveys done by GlaxoSmithKline and medical journal The Lancet show that nearly three quarters of South Africans are overweight and the country is ranked position three in the list of world’s most obese nations after the United States and Mexico.
