Indian Diet plan for childhood Obesity ( Overweight child Age 10 to 15 years )

Aww!! What a cute kid. Don’t we exclaim such words when we see a chubby kid?  But are you sure if the kid is just chubby or is overweight? Is the kid growing healthily or piling up only fats?  Concerned about your child’s excess weight? Here is an Indian Diet plan for Childhood Obesity. This diet plan is suitable for any overweight child of Age 10 to 15 years.

Today, nearly 1 out of 4 children, especially teens in developed countries are overweight or obese. Here we are talking about kids between 8 to 15 years of age. The excess weight put kids at risk for developing serious health problems including emotional effect too. Other kids may tease and exclude them, leading to low self-esteem, negative body image or even depression.

Side Effects of Childhood Obesity:

• Children with obesity can be bullied and teased more than their normal-weight peers.
• They are at high risk for developing health conditions like asthma, sleep apnoea, bone problems or type 2 diabetes.
• Obese children are predisposed to high blood pressure and high cholesterol than their normal-weight peers.
• Obesity puts children at risk to develop cancer in their adulthood.

Causes of Childhood Obesity:

• Busy families eat out more frequently.
• Easy access to high-calorie fast food and junk food.
• The trend of bigger food portions in restaurants and at home.
• Consumption of excess sugar in sweetened drinks, juices, shakes, desserts, cakes, chocolates or ice cream.
• Kids spending more time watching TV, playing video games or sitting at the computer.
• Reduced physical activity.

Preteens and teens are old enough to make decisions about their own health. But your guidance still matters. Work together with your child to help him make smart choices. Involve the entire family on the right track with food, exercise, and less screen use.

Before we see the Indian Diet plan for Childhood Obesity, Let us first see some important diet tips for overweight child Age 10 to 15 years

Diet tips for Childhood Obesity; Overweight child Age 10 to 15 year :

• Include lots of fruits, vegetables.
• Follow a rainbow color plate method. Include as many colored vegetables as you can in your child’s plate throughout the day.
• Opt for whole grains over refined flours.
• Encourage eating of brown rice, quinoa, oats, broken wheat or bran fortified products.
• Restrict the use of refined flour products like cakes, muffins, naans, bakery products or excess sugar.
• Replace high fatty foods with dairy, eggs, poultry, fish, beans, soy and sprouts.
• Substitute whole fat milk and products with low-fat products
• Select low-fat smoothies over high-calorie sugary shakes or ice cream
• Eliminate soda or any aerated drinks from the diet
• Offer smaller portions in meals. Let the child ask for more. This develops a child’s sense of hunger and how much food is required.
• Experiment with herbs and spices. Use herbs and spices such as mint, cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg to add sweetness to food without the empty calories.
• Stock your fridge with healthy foods only. Keep the high-calorie foods out of reach from kids.
• Reduce the frequency of eating out. Consume home cooked food as much as possible.
• Discourage eating in front of the television, computer, or other electronic devices.

Healthy snack options for childhood obesity:

• Give fresh fruits or fruit juices instead of canned fruits or juices
• Opt for a low-fat yogurt with fruit, dry fruit or granola toppings
• Include lots of fresh vegetables in various ways in foods. Cut vegetables in different shapes or use in every recipe possible.
• You can give air-popped popcorn without butter or sprouts or a handful of roasted nuts or beans

Read –

• Diet Tips for fussy eaters
• Diet plan for toddlers 
• Indian weaning foods / Foods after stopping Breastfeed.

Tips on developing Healthy Habits in Kids

How can you help your kid develop healthy habits apart from clean eating? Before we see the Indian Diet plan for Childhood Obesity, here are some tips that will help them get away from Childhood obesity.

• Parents need to be a good role model.
• Parents must start consuming healthy foods and choose active pastimes.
• Educate your child about what it is to be healthy and how to make healthy decisions.
• Discuss the importance of physical activities and certain foods and drinks that may help them get strong and stay healthy.
• Limit exposure to screens outside of school to not more than an hour in a day.
• Involve the whole family in building healthy eating, drinking, and physical activity habits.
• Your child needs enough sleep. A minimum of 8 to 10 hours sleep will keep all the stress-related health problems at bay.

Encourage daily physical activity in your kid:

• Recognize which activity or sports your kid likes the most. Let your child choose the favorite activity and do it regularly.
• Even at home let them involve in simple indoor fun activities like jumping rope, playing catch or shooting baskets.
• Parents need to also involve themselves in the outdoor activity with the kid as and when possible.
• A minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity is necessary for the kids. They can take up to any sport, outdoor games or cycling, swimming, running or dancing.

Indian Diet plan for Childhood Obesity:

Identifying obesity in kids as early as possible help cut down these side effects. BMI for kids is calculated using weight and height considering their age, puberty and growth period. A certified healthcare professional is a right person to identify your kid as an obese or overweight kid.

Sample diet plan: (moderate carbohydrate and fat, high protein)

Breakfast: 1 glass Oats and date smoothie with strawberry fruit topping

OR  1 plate Vegetable pohe  + 1 glass milk

OR  2 Idli + 1 big bowl of vegetable Sambur + 1 tsp coconut spoon  + 1 glass milk ( After 10 mins )

Mid-morning: 1 Apple + 4 – 6 Walnut halves + 4 – 6 almonds OR 1 boiled egg

Lunch: 1 no Paneer Paratha (multigrain flour) / 2 phulka ( With medium ghee )

+ Dal or Rajma or 2 pc Chicken/ fish in tomato gravy

+ 1 cup Mix vegetable raita

Mid-afternoon: 1 cup Roasted Plain Popcorn or ½ cup Roasted Chana or 1  Boiled eggs

Snack:  4 small Rawa Appams with bell peppers and baby corn

+ Homemade Yoghurt dip (any preferred flavor)

OR  1 bowl  bhel ( made at home with lots of cucumbers, tomato, and No farsan / Namkeen)

Dinner: 1 cup Basil tomato soup

+ 2 small Soy granules and sprouts Patty or Chicken Patty

+ 1 cup Vegetable Pulao (use brown rice or quinoa) + 1 cup curd

OR   2 small Jowar / Bajra / Ragi roti

+ 1 big bowl of any green leafy vegetable

Bedtime: 1 Glass Milk

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Endnote:

The main aim in the growing phase of life is to focus on lean weight gain and healthy fat loss.  This is the age where healthy fats are required too for the development of certain organs and hormones. Detecting childhood obesity at a very early stage and adopting healthy lifestyle soon helps the kid live a healthy disease life. A few smart parenting tips mentioned in the article will be helpful to reverse the excess weight. Hope this Indian diet plan for childhood obesity ( Overweight child Age 10 to 15 years ) helps you in reversing your child’s childhood obesity.