Does your child overeat?

The parents often say, “My child does not eat enough.” This is a common concern among parents over their child’s daily intake.

Nowadays there is a new concern among the parents that their children eat too much.

Some of the parents are helpless to control their children’s overeating.

But, this has not been created overnight. Most of the time, parents do not care much about what their children actually want. They do not bother whether the children are hungry or not, or whether their previous meal has been digested properly before starting on the next meal.

This kind of bullying creates an imbalance in the hunger stimulation and satiety in the brain of the child. Children who face such forceful feeding at an early age are prone to the overeating.

On the other hand, some parents think if their children do not eat a lot, they will not be able to study well and will fail to compete with others. This kind of habit and over-feeding leads them to overeat later on.

Health risks of overeating

Overeating causes obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and polycystic ovary cancer for women and hormonal problems.

What to do?

: Parents should understand that a healthy child and an overweight child are two different things. Appetite is a natural process. If they feel hungry, they will eat on their own.

: Overeating and overweight-both are harmful to the children.

: Parents should teach children how to eat on their own and encourage them to do so.

: Children should play and run around. They should be given two breaks while eating.

: Sometimes children eat much to overcome a sense of loneliness and anxiety. Parents should take care of this.

*Professor, Department of Pediatrics, BIRDEM General Hospital