Millennial At Risk Of Major Health Issues

Yes, if you don’t choose your child’s eating habit wisely now on their health is at risk

By Pema Yangtso,B.Sc Nursing, ICM Student December 14,2019

Do you know your child’s physical and mental health status?  Have you ever asked about their days in school? Now a day, children spend more time on playing with technology and conventional physical activities like outdoor playing are fading away. And eating habits are totally corrupted by the fast food industries. Due to poor diet and lack of physical activity younger generations are facing health problems. According to my experience as a professional nurse and working in the health sector for a while, Following are some of the most common health issues faced by younger generation today.

• Overweight or obese

 Overeating and eating too much fast food and junk food like burger, fries are making your body fat. Junk food contains lot of Trans fat which is difficult to lose without excessive physical activity. Children love to eat junk food are less likely to indulge in physical activities. Instead, their time is spend on mobile phones or other technologies. Children are the heart and soul of their parents, and mostly parents tend to let them eat whatever taste good. According to the Renew Bariatric Newsletter 2017, there are about 125 million obese children and adolescents in the entire world with BMI over 30.

•  Type 2 diabetes

Currently, children are more prone to have type 2 diabetes if they are overweight or obese. This is due to imbalanced eating habit and lack of physical exercise. Excessive fat in the body makes it harder for cells to respond to insulin, which in turn cause high blood sugar. And high blood sugar causes other system diseases like, heart disease, kidney problems, problems related nervous system.

• Mental health issues related to body image disturbances

 When you are overweight or obese, you are more likely to have body image disturbance, in another word, which means body shame, isolation and low self-esteem. Especially when your child is in teens, with fantasy and full of peer pressures. They face body shame and isolation, which might lead to mental health issues like depression, anxiety and worthlessness.

• Parental responsibilities to overcome the risk

➢As a parent, you are responsible for your child’s eating habits. It will be a bit difficult to change your child’s eating habits if he/she is already a junk food eater but never too late to make a change. Slowly but steadily, introduce a small change in daily diet. Provide home cooked food rather than ordering fast food.

➢ Send your child to sports club or some sports training after school, which they like instead of giving them a mobile phone or letting them watch TV.

➢ Make your child to do some housework like cleaning their room, working in the garden or even cleaning the dining table in order to burns calories.

➢ If time permits, go for an evening walk with your child and ask about their day at school.

➢Send your child to school with home cooked lunch box instead of giving them money to buying burger, or other fast food.

➢Appreciate their small changes in daily diet and encourage them to continue.

These above tips are powerful as well as easy to carry and simple to achieve. Parents are strongly advised to follow the above tips and I am sure that you can make a big different in your child’s physical and mental health status. “Health is wealth”; never compromise health with taste. Your child might have craving for some unhealthy food which body doesn’t require are not encouraged to give. The famous quote says, “You are what you eat”. So make sure to opt for a healthy food for your child’s body not for their tongue. A healthy body with a healthy mind is the best prosperity that one can own. so choose wisely.