Dads to blame for fat kids

I remember my dad , coaxing me to eat that extra helping of spinach."Remember Popeye ? See how strong he was ? Didn't he eat spinach ? Don't you want to be strong ?"

"But Dad , " I used to say " Popeye eats spinach from a can"

"Well," Dad would say  " where he lives , they don't get fresh spinach ....so He is forced to eat canned spinach "

Dad would convince me.

We are a family of Lacto-vegetarians.We  consume diary products , but nothing non-vegetarian.

 It was dad , who insisted right from childhood , the following of healthy practices of eating.

Even to this day , our  family eats more fruit and vegetables than rice and processed food like bread.No pizzas , no burgers , no colas , no cakes ...and yes , No Regrets for restricting ourselves.

Dad and mom , both inculcated in me a very healthy attitude towards eating.I hate sweet stuff and oily food and love fresh fruits and raw vegetables.My vices are chocolate and cheese , which I indulge in very rarely and prudently.

Whats more , Research points a finger at the dad for obesity in kids.

Fat children are more likely to have their father to blame for their weight problem than their mother, a new study shows.

Research by Australian child health experts has revealed that fathers who are disengaged or do not set clear limits for their kids are more likely to have heavier children.

Dads who did lay down boundaries generally had children with a lower body mass index (BMI), the study of almost 5,000 youngsters found.

Surprisingly, a mother's parenting behaviour or style apparently had no impact on whether a child was overweight or obese, according to research by Murdoch Children's Research Institute and The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.

Hospital specialist Professor Melissa Wake said the large study was the first to suggest that men could be at the front line in preventing early childhood obesity.

"Mothers are often blamed for their children's obesity, but this study suggests that for more effective prevention perhaps we should focus on the whole family," Prof Wake said.

The results also showed that 40 per cent of these young mothers and more than 60 per cent of the young fathers were themselves overweight or obese.

The research, to be presented at a paediatrics conference in Toronto this week, compared the BMIs of four- and five-year-olds with their parents' parenting styles.

The specialists said it was vital to study early parenting because home life often established patterns for life-long obesity.

Earlier research had shown that childhood obesity was highly stable during the primary school years, right from school entry, Prof Wake said.

"For instance, the BMI of a prep grade child has an 85 per cent correlation with their BMI three years later," she said.

"Obese school children are very likely to become obese adults."

Childhood obesity is growing at an alarming rate in Australia, with more than 20 per cent of preschool children either overweight or obese.

Extra weight is a precursor to serious childhood and adult diseases like asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

 

SO , Thanks Dad .