Child obesity is considered a major problem of our contemporary society. It is becoming common for children and teenagers to develop health problems, such as type II diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, which usually appears in adulthood. Childhood obesity is due to the influence of various factors such as heredity, family and social circle influences and last but not least the psychology of the child.
Children have a 50% chance of becoming obese if one of the parents is obese while the chances are increased if both parents are obese. Obesity can also be influenced by the fact that when a child lives in an environment unsuitable for outdoor games it is natural to find some forms of entertainment that promote physical inactivity such as television, computers, video games, etc. Accumulation of unwanted weight in children is also linked to the replacement of certain emotions with food. Many parents tend to reward their children with food.  Usually, a child is given sweets or is rewarded with a meal in a fast food restaurant when it performs well in a school project with the result of linking food with positive feelings.  Eventually food becomes an action related to positive emotions and later in adulthood overeating subconsciously sooths them when they are struggling to overcome a stressful situation or a negative emotion.

Childhood obesity can be treated with a proper diet, exercise and emotional support.  Overweight children should not be encouraged to follow grueling diets as this might influence their natural and biological growth in a negative manner.  It is a real challenge to stabilize a child’s weight in harmony with their increasing height during growth. In some severe cases of obesity weight loss should not exceed the amount of 2.2-4.4 pounds per month. With the help of an expert, a child should follow a balanced diet containing a combination of all food groups.

Scientific researches suggest that when a nutritionally balanced breakfast becomes a part of a child’s routine, children have less chances of becoming overweight. Children should also consume two main meals and two snacks that are nutritionally rich such as yogurt with fruit. Soft drinks or concentrated fruit juices should be replaced with fresh juices and water. Vegetables should always be a part of a main meal and when parents are accustomed to consuming vegetables children will eventually imitate them. Parents should also discover which vegetables are more likeable to their children and present them in an attractive way. Children over the age of 2-3 years can consume dairy products reduced in fat (semi-skimmed) as they contain the exact same vitamins as the full fat ones.

The combination of a balanced diet with physical exercise such as cycling, swimming or team sports guarantees a child’s good physical condition and a body weight that is close to their ideal.

In addition to promoting a balanced diet and exercise, parents should provide emotional support to their children. When a child is overweight parents should approach it in a diplomatic way and explain in a polite but yet comprehensive manner why the child has to pay attention to its nutritional intake and offer some examples.  When speaking to children in need of a diet change, parents should avoid adjectives such as “fat” or “obese”.

Food should never be associated with emotion thus rewarding or punishing a child should not be supported with food.  For example, many parents promise to reward their children with ice cream if they do well in their school exams or threaten them not to give ice cream if they do not eat their vegetables first. Ice cream in this case is used as a reward (positive emotion) and vegetables as something oppressive (negative emotion).

Parents have to realize that children imitate them in general and food consumption is not an exception. When parents follow a well balanced diet then children will follow and learn how to adopt a healthy way of eating.

In conclusion, one can say that children that follow a well balanced diet combined with exercise and adequate emotional support will have a healthy and natural growth and will maintain their ideal weight for their height.

Yiannis Kerimis MSc RD

Clinical Dietitian

Properly storing foods helps to maintain quality and prevent foodborne illness. Storing foods for shorter rather than longer periods of time at proper temperatures and away from light will improve quality, taste and safety. Follow these basic rules for safe foods storage:

• Store leftovers in airtight, shallow containers (two inches deep or less).
• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours of cooking.
• Use or freeze packaged items by the “sell-by” or “use-by” date.
• Set your refrigerator temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and your freezer below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Use a refrigerator thermometer to ensure food is stored at proper temperatures.

Freezing is a smart storage option to extend the shelf life of perishable foods beyond expiration dates. But whether you are freezing or refrigerating, one basic rule applies: When in doubt, throw it out!

Eggs and Milk

• Store eggs in the original packaging in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Do not use the pre-made egg cups in the door where they are susceptible to warmer air from opening and closing the door.
• Do not keep raw eggs for more than three weeks in the refrigerator. Hard-boiled eggs can last a week in the refrigerator in or out of the shell.
• Do not store milk in the refrigerator door where it is susceptible to warmer air from opening and closing the door.
• Discard all milk after the container has been opened one week, regardless of the “sell-by” date.

Produce

• Promptly store produce that needs refrigeration. Fresh, whole produce such as bananas and potatoes don’t need refrigeration.
• Refrigerate fresh produce within two hours of peeling or cutting.
• Throw away cut produce left at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Discard cooked vegetables after three to four days.

Meat and Poultry

• Store meat in the coldest part of the refrigerator or in the refrigerator’s meat bin.
• Place raw meat, poultry and seafood on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so juices don’t drip onto other foods.
• Use fresh, raw meat stored in the refrigerator within three to four days of purchase.
• Use deli meat within four days of purchase.
• Throw away ground meat, sausage and organ meat after two days.
• Use or freeze poultry products by the “sell-by” date. Frozen poultry can be kept for nine months to a year in a freezer set below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Eat or freeze cooked meat within three to four days.

Seafood

• Refrigerate or freeze seafood immediately after purchasing.
• Store fresh, pasteurized or smoked seafood products in a refrigerator set at 32 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wrap fresh seafood in cellophane or place in air-tight containers.
• Store frozen seafood in a freezer until ready to use. Keep it in the original moisture and vapor-proof packages.
• Use packaged, frozen seafood before the expiration date. If an expiration date has passed, don’t consume the product; throw it away.

Canned Goods

• Store canned or jarred goods in cool, dry settings.
• Consume the oldest products in your pantry first.

www.eatright.org

Omega –3 fatty acids belong to the category of the fats which are not produced by the human body and as a result they should be added in the diet. There are 3 kinds of fatty acids, decahexaonic acid (DHA), the eicosipentanoic acid(EPA) and finally the linoleic acid(ALA). Main sources of the omega-3 fatty acids  are  fish oils and fatty fish such as scambi ,salmon, kippers, fresh tuna and sardines. Vegetarian sources of omega-3 are linseeds, sea wheat, walnuts, soya products, and green leaf vegetables such as kale and spinach

Scientific evidence supports that the omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on the physical and brain health.

Omega-3 helps to reduce the cardiovascular disease due to their  antihypertensive properties, the regulation of cardiac arrhythmias, the reduction of thrombotic episodes due to the antiplatelet properties and their ability to reduce the inflammation of the arteries. Finally diet reach in fatty acids reduces the blood levels of the harmful lipids such as cholesterol(LDL) and triglycerides however they increase the beneficial cholesterol(HDL)

Except of the benefits on the heart  the omega -3 lipids have a positive effect on the regulation of glucose by reducing the cellular insulin resistance which is beneficial for the diabetes sufferers. Osteoarthritis sufferers can be helped with the use of omega -3 fatty acids because they reduce the inflammation in the joints.  Additionally fatty acids can reduce  osteoporosis and they can prevent the development of certain cancers such as prostate cancer and small bowel cancer.

Certain studies support that the use of omega-3 enhances the memory and they are particularly beneficial for the improvement of mood and reduces depression because of the omega-3 they are absorbed in the membranes of our nervous cells as they make them more flexible and elastic. Pregnant women whom take omega-3 during pregnancy have less chances of developing depression during pregnancy.

Generally, we must increase the omega-3 because they give us a lot of positive advantages to our body such as protection from heart disease, better regulation of our glucose in  our blood, reduction of oesteroporosis and less chances of depression etc. Taking these in mind, it is an advantage to consume 2-3 portions of fish a week, to add salad with green leafed vegetables and linseed and to eat walnuts but with caution. In connection with fish and seafood we must prefer the ones that grow naturally in the sea and not in fishponds because they have more omega-3 due to the food they eat.

Yiannis Kerimis MSc RD

Clinical Dietitian