It’s such an important topic -- nobody wants to body shame their child or make them feel bad, right?
Kelsey-Seybold pediatrician Dr. Lekshmi Daram said the topic of kids, junk food and weight gain comes up a lot in her office. The CDC says 20% of U.S. children and teens carry excess weight, and it’s having an impact on overall health.
“Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol -- that is not just adult issues anymore,” she said. “There are plenty of children. We start seeing Type 2 Diabetes and high cholesterol in children as young as 9 and 10.”
So how do you get your child to start eating better without shaming them? Dr. Daram said this can’t be an individual goal. The whole family has to be on board to make changes together.
“It can just be ‘Johnny can’t have Oreo’s but everyone else can, right?’ It’s not fair,” she said. “Healthy eating, and exercising are important for every member of the family regardless of size. So focus more on what can we do as a family to support each other.”
A parent’s word choice is also important.
A study published this month in the Journal of Pediatrics asked kids aged 10-17 about body weight, and which words parents use that can be jarring or hurtful.
Words such as “overweight”, “fat” and “extremely obese -- all elicited the most negative emotions. More than a third of the children reported feelings of embarrassment, shame, and sadness.
“When kids hear those words, they kind of turn off,” Dr. Daram said. “They’re like ‘I don’t wanna talk about this.’ Words that children prefer to hear from their parents were things like ‘healthy weight,’ ‘normal weight’ rather than a number on the scale.”
And parents -- be mindful of your own negative self-talk. If mom and dad talk badly about their own bodies, that can leave a lasting impression about self-worth and weight.
“Trying not to say ‘oh, over Thanksgiving I ate so much and I put on so much weight, I don’t look good in this anymore’ -- just being cognizant of what you’re saying in front of your child...They are little sponges and they take that energy in,” Dr. Daram said.
Dr. Daram said it’s key to make small attainable goals for the whole family to eat better and move more. You can find tips on the American Academy of Pediatrics website here.