Snacks leads to growth in obese

Hyderabad: Over nourishment in the form of high energy dense foods is becoming a major concern in urban India where the incidence of obese and overweight children is high. The National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau stated that in the united AP, the incidence of childhood obesity was as high as 23 per cent.

Carbohydrates, fats, and sugars present in chocolates, jellies and jams and also hidden sugars have to be controlled. Nutritionist Sunitha Prelatha says that childhood obesity is due to consumption of high fat and high calorie food and an absence of physical activity. “The lack of physical activity is emerging as one of the major reasons, apart from junk foods. One should move to healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and animal sources.”

Home-cooked food is also important. Many children have food in school where the portion size is not controlled and that leads to bulkiness in children, says Ms Prelatha. “Many obese children are nutrient deficient or malnutrient, which is another emerging challenge."

It is important for dieticians and parents to maintain a chart of what the child eats and accordingly make changes.