Foods that make babies fat
15 Foods to Make Baby Gain Weight – Cafe Baby®
- by Jeannie Marrugo
- Mar 10, 2022
If you need to add foods to Baby’s diet to help them in gaining weight, be sure to add these to your grocery list or to your next Café Baby order. Sometimes every extra calorie counts in their tiny bellies.
If your child needs to be on high calorie fortified infant formula or breast milk, please talk to your pediatrician first. You need to know the right recipe to prevent an excess intake of nutrients to prevent constipation and dehydration.
1. Avocado
Avocados are a sugar-free healthy choice that contributes 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat and 0.5 gram of polyunsaturated fat per 25-gram serving to Baby's diet.
2. Kidney Beans
Kidney beans are a plant-based protein, or non-heme iron source, rich in most B-vitamins, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. They also contain two that are commonly deficient in babies: folate and iron.
3. Eggs
Not only are eggs a prime source of the best-quality proteins after breast milk, but one egg contains thirteen essential minerals like copper, zinc, selenium, calcium, iron, cholesterol, fat, fatty acids, and vitamins like vitamin D, B12, E, choline and folate.
4. Bananas
Bananas are loaded with nutrients like potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, folate, niacin, and vitamin B6 and can help babies gain weight by increasing calorie density.
5. Mango
Mangoes are rich in fibres and digestive enzymes, which means Baby won't have any trouble going number two. Mangoes are very low in fat but contain lots of good calories which can help Baby gain weight.
6. Lentils
Lentils are low in sodium and saturated fat, and high in potassium, fiber, folate, and plant chemicals called polyphenols that have antioxidant activity.
7. Ground Meat
Did you know it's important to add iron- and zinc-rich foods to Baby's diet? At about six months of age, Baby starts to run out of their natural iron stores that they were born with. Ground meats are an important source of heme iron, which is more easily absorbed into the body than non-heme iron (plant-based protein).
8. Whole Milk Yogurt
The best option is plain, unsweetened, pasteurized yogurt (regular or Greek) made from whole milk and containing "live cultures.
" Yogurt made from whole milk is best for Baby because they need the calories and fat in full-fat dairy products.
9. Full-fat Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese has plenty of healthy fats and protein, plus some B vitamins, calcium, selenium, and zinc. To avoid loads of salt, look for options that are:
- Pasteurized
- Low in sodium (ideally less than 100mg sodium per serving)
- Made from whole milk
- Without added preservatives or sugars
10. Mashed Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes provide nothing but good calories, making it a healthy food option for Baby. The high amount of calories in sweet potatoes help in weight gain and physical development in children.
11. Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes might be mostly white, but that doesn’t mean they don't contain nutrients. They are are a source of fiber-rich carbs, which are one of the best sources of fuel for Baby’s brain.
12. Mashed Butternut Squash
The Omega-3 fats that are found in butternut squash are present in the form of alpha-linolenic acid, and this is what helps to reduce inflammation.
13. Peanut or Almond Butters
Nut butters can be a source of fibre, protein and healthy fats, as well as minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron and vitamin E. If you're worried about food allergies, check out our blog series about starting solids and allergies.
14. Fresh Goat Cheese
Fresh goat cheese has lots of protein and healthy fats, plus calcium, copper, iron, and vitamins A, B2, and B6—essential nutrients to power your baby’s growth. When selecting goat cheese for Baby, look for a cheese that is:
- Pasteurized
- Low sodium (less than 100mg per serving)
- Whole fat
15. Cooked Quinoa
Quinoa is a good source of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. It's also a great source of Omega 3, 6, 9 fatty acids, which are good for Baby's brain and eye development.
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Sources:
https://patient.
uwhealth.org/healthfacts/343
https://solidstarts.com/foods/kidney-beans/
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/banana-for-babies-when-to-introduce-health-benefits-and-more/#How_Much_Banana_Can_a_Baby_Eat_in_a_Day
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/mango-for-babies-health-benefits-and-recipes/#Nutrition_Facts_of_Mango
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/lentils/
https://newwaysnutrition.com/babies/meat-baby/
https://solidstarts.com/foods/cottage-cheese/
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/sweet-potato-for-baby-benefits-and-recipes/#Nutritional_Value_of_Sweet_Potato
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/butternut-squash-for-babies-health-benefits-and-recipes/#Nutritional_Value_of_Butternut_Squash
https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/baby-feeding/when-can-babies-eat-potatoes#benefits
https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/2021/04/peanut-butter-for-babies-when-to-introduce-it-and-which-type/
https://solidstarts.
com/foods/goat-cheese/
https://www.momjunction.com/articles/is-quinoa-safe-for-babies_00120055/
Best foods for weight gain in babies & toddlers (0 to 3 years)
This post has been updated with a new list of weight gaining recipes at the end of this post for toddlers – above 1 year old. Many readers have been asking for suggestions on best foods for weight gain in babies & toddlers. I have shared the tips that one can follow. If you are a new reader to this blog and have reached here looking for weight gaining foods or recipes for your little heart, please read this food chart for babies above 8 months.
I suggest following the recipes on the post as well for a good weight gain. I would also suggest to read the comments before posting your query here as similar queries may have been answered in the comment section below.
If you are looking for a food chart for baby around 6 months, you can refer this post on solids for 6 months baby.
Best foods for weight gain in babies & toddlers (0 months to 3 years)
1. Breast milk is one of the best foods for babies under 6 months to gain weight. Since mother’s milk is more nutritious than any other foods, it is good to exclusively breastfeed babies for the first 6 months.
If a baby is breast fed, mum needs to eat more nutritious foods to have enough milk supply and to increase the quality of milk.
To increase the milk supply in lactating mothers’ foods like milk, lentils (DAL), garlic, flax seeds (alasi in hindi or avise ginjalu in telugu), chickpeas (chana), almonds, whole grains, methi leaves, methi seeds, dill leaves (sabbasige soppu in kannada), fennel seeds (saunf), cumin (jeera) have been proved to be beneficial. One needs to include these in their diet moderately.
At least 2 protein rich meals and a breakfast should be included in the diet of a lactating mother. For vegetarians lentils / dal is a best protein rich food.
Chickpeas can be enjoyed by mums having babies older than 3 months. If using they need to be soaked overnight, soft cooked with turmeric and other Indian spices to prevent vata dosha.
Traditionally gond ke laddu, dry fruits ladoos and copra ladoos were eaten by lactating mothers to improve the quantity and quality of breast milk. Here are some protein rich ladoos which you can try after consulting your elders.
Gond ke laddu
Dry fruits ladoo
Copra ladoo (or dried coconut ladoo)
Here is a simple homemade powder for increasing milk supply in lactating mothers. Dry roast equal quantities of cumin and fennel seeds till they turn aromatic. Cool them and grind to powder.
Mix ½ tsp powder in ½ tsp warm ghee and consume 30 minutes before food 2 to 3 times a day. Desi ghee works best. This can be consumed for 2 weeks, followed by a break for 4 to 5 days and then repeat the cycle.
This also helps to reduce colic in breastfed babies.
A small portion of ajwain/ carom seeds can also be included.
2. There is also a wide population of women who are unable to breast fed due to medical or professional reasons, yet their babies tend to grow well in terms of height and weight. For babies who are not breast fed, Formula milk has been proved to be of great help.
If your baby is over 6 months and you intend to stop breastfeeding, then choose a good formula milk with the help of your pediatrician. Formula milk is mostly balanced and has adequate nutrition which may not be available in dairy milk.
Formula milk helps to gain good weight in most babies, but one needs to be patient in trying out what works best for your baby. Many women express that formula milk is not good and hence should choose dairy milk.
Both have their own pros and cons. In the recent years, cows raised in farms are not grass-fed and are mostly on hormones either in their feed or injected to produce more milk. So it may be more unsafe than the formula milk.
A thorough research is conducted before any formula milk is sold in the market. So as a mother, you are the right person to choose between cow’s milk vs formula milk.
For babies above 12 months, fresh dairy milk can be used. Do not use milk that comes in tetra packs for babies and toddlers.
3. Foods like potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, dal, ghee, ragi, almonds, yogurt, eggs and milk help the baby to gain weight. Please take a pediatricians’ suggestion before you start any of these foods. As always follow a 3 day test rule.
How to make mashed potato for baby ?
Always choose hard potatoes that do not have any sprouts grown over them. Sprouted or soft potatoes are not healthy to use.
Wash and peel off the skin of the potato. Cook potato in excess water either in pressure cooker or a rice cooker steam basket or in a pot. It should be soft cooked.
While it is still hot, take it to a feeding bowl and mash it to soft.
Add the potato stock that was left after cooking to make smooth puree. using a small steel glass you can easily mash it.
Add a pinch of ajwain and ghee and serve it warm. The same way you can also make mashed sweet potato for baby. Best time to serve these is for breakfast or lunch.
It can also be cooked along with rice to make a rice potato khichdi. You can find the recipe of sweet potato here (new post)
How much potato or sweet potato for baby?
7 months baby – 1 tbsp 2 to 3 times a week
8 to 10 months – 2 tbsp. 2 to 3 times a week
10 to 12 months – 3 to 4 tbsp. 2 to 3 times a week
toddlers- use your judgement . Can be served 5 times a week to daily.
Serve potato or sweet potato at least 2 to 3 times a week with little ajwain powder and ghee. Avoid when baby has tummy upset, colic or spit ups.
Moong dal and urad dal help a lot to gain weight in babies & toddlers. Urad dal is a power house of nutrients, high in calcium and protein and also EFA , essential fatty acids that help to develop the brain.
So Idli is a very healthy food for babies.
Using urad dal make idli and serve with mild rasam or dal ka pani and ghee.This can be fed daily. You can find the recipe of soft idli here and a rasam recipe for babies here.
Include dal preferably moong dal or tuvar dal in lunch or breakfast every day. Do not mix dal with yogurt or milk. Just a simple vegetable dal rice khichdi works great for babies in gaining weight.
If your baby tends to get bored, change the vegetables used in the khichdi to give a different taste. You can find the recipe of dal khichdi here
Ragi porridge also helps to gain weight, it also strengthens the bones, teeth and helps for the overall development. Here is a complete post on how to introduce ragi to babies and how to make sprouted ragi flour for babies.
Yogurt and homemade paneer are also a good choice for babies over 8 months to gain weight. Serve yogurt alone or with brown rice and white rice in equal quantities.
I always used to make one cup curd separately for both my babies since it is not recommended to serve cold yogurt from the refrigerator. Also avoid serving in the evening or night.
how much yogurt/ curd to serve for babies ?
2 tbsp homemade unsweetened yogurt/ curd can be fed to 8 to 10 months baby, 2 to 3 times a week (avoid during winters)
4 tbsp can be fed to a 10 to 12 months baby. 3 to 4 times a week (avoid during winters)
Eggs also help babies to gain weight. Prefer boiled eggs instead of scrambled eggs. There is a loss of nutrition in scrambled eggs especially the protein content.
you can find the recipe of homemade curd here.
How to feed egg to baby ?
Make a hard boiled egg. Remove the yolk and take small portion of it and mash it with a pinch of cumin powder, add very little water and mash the egg to blend it well with water. It should become a smooth paste.
how much egg for 7 months old baby ?
For a 7 months baby – Start feeding a tsp of the above said mashed egg yolk.
It can be served 2 times a week.
For 8 months baby – a tbsp and then increase the quantity.
For 10 months baby – by the end of 12 months a baby can eat the entire mashed yolk.
Include banana, papaya, apple, pear and chikoo (sapota). Serve banana at least 4 to 5 times a week. We give the small variety banana to babies. Avoid it when baby has cold and phlegm.
Serve a warm apple sauce or apple oats when the baby has cold and congestion. Banana helps to gain weight and most fruits helps to digest foods better since they contain natural digestive enzymes.
The nutrients from other foods are better absorbed by the body when a good amount of fruits are consumed (the right way).
Follow the rule, of feeding fruit alone without mixing with other foods at least once a day. Strictly do not serve fruits and milk together.
4. Ghee also helps to gain weight – How much ghee to serve for babies and toddlers ?
Start with only few drops a day when you introduce ghee to your baby.
Try using organic and grassfed or desi ghee. Desi ghee can be found in ayurvedic stores or can also be bought online.
If you notice symptoms like coughing, itchy eyes or rubbing eyes or rashes stop it. Try with a new brand or try with homemade ghee. If your baby or toddler do not like the flavour of ghee, I suggest making ghee at home.
Just add few curry leaves towards the end when you make ghee at home, it adds a good aroma.
Excess usage of ghee may suppress the baby’s appetite, so use only as needed, a mother is the best judge. I followed the following measures for my babies and no cheese or butter was given to them.
If using butter then reduce the proportionate amount of ghee from the below mentioned quantity.
7 months ½ tsp ghee divided among 2 servings – start with only a few drops of melted ghee
8 months ¾ to 1 tsp ghee divided among 2 servings
10 months 1 to 1 ¼ tsp ghee divided among 3 servings
12 months on wards 1 to 1 ½ tsp ghee divided among 3 servings
Some babies may not digest fats in ghee well especially if formula milk, cheese, or butter are already a part of the diet.
You can try with only half of the above quantity.
5. Can i use almonds / badam for my baby?
Experts advice not to introduce nuts to babies until 1 year as they may end up with severe allergies. So i would suggest waiting until your baby turns an year old especially if there is an history of allergy in your family.
However i have used almonds from 8 months for both my babies. Those who would like to try may start with almonds since these are the only kind of nuts that are slightly alkaline (apart from chestnuts).
Alkaline foods help us to keep our body healthy and energetic. Always try using soaked almonds. Soaking also increases the alkaline nature and hence digest well.
Soaking for about 5 to 6 hours also helps to peel the skin. They can be ground with little water and then used to cook baby foods like oats, ragi, rice etc.
6. Physical activity
Allow the baby to crawl freely, do not restrict your babies to prams or rocking chairs.
Being physically active helps babies feel hungry in time. They are less fussy and eat or drink well.
Burping is very important as it helps to relieve the babies from colic and they tend to drink better. Gently Burp before feeding, in between the feeds, Burp after the feed. Keep the baby in upright position for at least 15 minutes after a feed.
Foods for weight gain in toddlers (above 1 year)
Breakfast menu
Pesarattu with ghee
Idli with ghee (1:2 proportion) – use search box for idli recipe
Soft thick dosa with boiled mashed potato
Chick pea / chana soup
chana dosa (with steamed mashed carrots)
moong dal soup
carrot milkshake
oats uttapam (use carrot for topping, follow method 2)
jowar dosa: you can make uttapam with carrot topping. Jowar makes bones strong and helps to gain good weight.
ragi mudde with rasam or any soup.
paneer paratha – no stuffing, good finger food too for snack in the evening
Boiled egg – boiled eggs have more nutrition than scrambled eggs.
So try serving boiled egg with mild flavorings like pepper, cumin powder, ajwain and salt.
Suggestions from experienced mothers are welcome and highly appreciated to enhance this page.
Disclaimer: Please check with a pediatrician before you follow any of the tips or foods mentioned in this post.
My Heartfelt Thanks to all the Readers who have been consistently sharing with us their personal experiences with their babies, this has helped many new mothers to understand the baby food patterns and other food related issues.
Wishing a Wonderful Motherhood to all the MUMS
7 healthy foods that can make you fat
January 28, 2014Health
- how often do you think so? In fact, this thought may be just the delusion due to which you have not been able to get rid of extra pounds over the past few months. Fat-free yogurts and 6 other healthy foods that can make you fat.
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0 When we get carried away with diets and healthy eating in general, we forget that even vitamins in large quantities can be poisonous.
Even water, if you drink 8-10 liters of it a day (depending on your physical size), can become a deadly drink.
My fitness coach in our conversation about healthy eating once said that some people always check the fat content, for example, of dairy and sour-milk products, and when they are convinced that the fat content is 0.00%, they begin to absorb yogurt curds with rapture in any quantity. But at the same time, they forget that fat is one thing, and calories are another. The result is a vicious circle: people eat what seems to be healthy, but at the same time, they still do not fulfill their main goal - to lose weight.
And there are many such traps. Of course, if you eat a lot of cabbage, you are unlikely to gain weight (but earn stomach problems), but whole grain bread, healthy breakfast cereals, granola and other healthy foods can easily add a couple of extra pounds to you.
Breakfast cereals
I think everyone has seen the Nestle fitness cereal video.
There are a lot of such cereals on store shelves, but before you buy into the label with the word “fitness”, you need to read the composition and calorie content very carefully. If you look at the composition of simple breakfast cereals, they are mainly composed of sugar and refined carbohydrates, many of which lead to rapid weight gain.
If you eat breakfast cereals, your blood sugar and insulin levels will rise sharply. And after a few hours, when all the indicators return to normal, you will again want to have something to eat.
So, once again we remind you that you need to read the composition on the packages and pay attention not to the amount of fat, but to sugar and calories! And don't forget that calories are often listed either in servings or per 100 grams, not the whole box. So buy carefully!
Agave nectar
Often referred to as a healthy substitute for sugar or corn syrup. But, in fact, it cannot be considered a healthy product at all. If sugar contains about 50% fructose, then agave syrup contains from 70 to 90%.
Of course, fructose, found in small amounts in fruits, is useful, but replacing simple sugar with agave syrup can lead to metabolic problems and other related “charms”.
The ideal option is to give up sugar in tea and coffee. Honey will also be much better than agave syrup, just remember to add it to warm drinks (not hotter than 40 degrees Celsius) and monitor the amount, since its calorie content is 26 kcal per teaspoon.
Whole grain bread
Whole grain bread is often offered as a healthy alternative to white bread and pastries, and it's basically true. Such bread is better than from white flour, but there are nuances here too! In most cases, this is just a good marketing ploy, since these grains are still ground to such a state that bread made from this flour is absorbed by our body almost as quickly as white bread.
At least for wheat. If you want a healthier option, you need to look for bread made from a different flour (rye).
Muesli or granola
If you make a breakfast bar (granola) and muesli for breakfast from cereals, dried fruits and nuts at home, then they are probably very healthy, but quite high in calories (mind the calories!).
As for factory-made bars, they are unlikely to be as useful as advertising promises you. As in the case of breakfast cereals, you need to carefully study the composition, which probably contains not very healthy oil and quite a lot of sugar.
Fat-free yoghurt
As I said at the very beginning of the article, behind the magic word "fat-free" lies the main danger! Low-fat dairy and sour-milk products do not taste very good (those who have tried low-fat cottage cheese know how it creaks on their teeth), so manufacturers add many other “bonuses” to a low-fat product. Most often, this, of course, is a huge amount of sugar and flavorings.
So if you really want to eat yogurt, buy a regular one or make it yourself at home (yogurt makers are not that expensive, and if you have an electric oven, you can cook it in it without much difficulty). But don't buy into those cherished "0% fat" in big letters.
Mix of Nuts and Dried Fruits
Mix of Nuts and Dried Fruits is undoubtedly a really healthy food, but if you are on a diet, do not forget that this mixture is very high in calories! When you once again decide to eat a small handful of nuts, remember that in the same almonds - 609 kcal per 100 g. This means that your handful may well contain 200-300 kcal.
Fruit juices
The fact that packaged juices contain a lot of sugar has long been no secret. So let's take this as another reminder.
I would also like to remind you that some fruits are also very high in calories. For example, 100 g of a banana contains 100 kcal, grapes - 70 kcal and a lot of sucrose, the same applies to watermelon - only 36 kcal per 100 g, but a very high sugar content.
Eating fruits and berries is healthy, just remember that everything is good in moderation, otherwise you will never understand why, despite all the efforts to follow a diet and exercise in the gym, those extra pounds do not want to leave their homes.
Obesity in children - Articles for the population - Khislavichskaya district hospital
Children burdened with obesity have to endure a lot of moral and physical suffering. If this problem has not bypassed your family, we recommend that you take it thoughtfully and seriously. This article will help parents calculate if their child is overweight, understand what are the reasons for its occurrence. Let's talk about how to prevent obesity.
Many mothers and fathers admire the chubby cheeks, folds on the arms and legs of their little peanut. But the baby is growing up, and loving parents and compassionate grandmothers continue to intensively feed their beloved child with cakes, muffins, rolls, pies with various fillings and other goodies ... And now the child is gaining weight more and more, peers tease him in the kindergarten and school, calling him " kolobok”, “puffy”, “hamster”, “fat man”… A lot of moral and physical suffering has to be endured by children burdened with obesity or increased body weight. If this problem has not bypassed your family, we recommend that you take it thoughtfully and seriously. This article will help parents calculate if their child is overweight, understand what causes it, what are the potential complications. Let's talk about how to prevent obesity.
STATISTICAL DATA
Unfortunately, obesity in children is now a very common phenomenon. Statistics show that in Russia 30% of children aged 5 to 7 are already overweight and obese to varying degrees. Surveys show that only 30% of mothers make sure that their children have proper nutrition. In many families, there is an erroneous belief that a full child is a healthy child. Doctors note three critical periods (stages) when there is a particular risk and cases of obesity become more frequent: early age (from birth to 3 years), preschool age (from 5 to 7 years) and adolescence (from 12 to 16 years). ), this is an important stage of puberty and rearrangements in the body.
HOW TO CALCULATE A CHILD'S NORMAL WEIGHT
A child's body weight depends on sex, height, age, hereditary factors, diet, health status. In appearance it is difficult to tell if a child is well-fed or obese. I will give a special formula so that parents can calculate the normal weight from a year old to seven years old and decide on this issue.
To calculate, you need to multiply the number of years of the child by 2 and add 8 to the product. And then compare the resulting number with the real weight of the son or daughter. But to say for sure whether parents should worry about the weight of the child or not, only a doctor can. Doctors have many special centile tables that take into account gender, age and height. Such tables allow you to accurately determine even the degree of obesity. And there are four degrees in total. Tables and updated norms for the height and weight of children, if desired, are easy to find on the Internet.
CAUSES OF OBESITY
Obesity in children is divided into alimentary and metabolic, depending on the cause of its occurrence.
- Alimentary obesity occurs due to improper diet and sedentary (passive) lifestyle.
- Exchangeable (endocrine) obesity occurs due to the occurrence of diseases of the endocrine glands in the body - thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries (in girls).
More precise causes of overweight are identified and established by a qualified specialist after examining the child, talking with his parents and receiving data from some examinations. But the reason can be assumed based on some of the signs associated with overweight: rich in fats and carbohydrates (sweets, pastries). This is just a case of alimentary obesity.
The described symptoms and obesity can be signs of hypothyroidism, that is, insufficient thyroid function. 
Symptoms of increased pressure inside the skull indicate a brain tumor, and because of this, there are also disturbances in metabolic processes. As you can see, only additional examinations and tests can help identify the cause of obesity.
POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
Is it dangerous for children to be overweight? Yes, obesity can lead to such serious diseases that are not at all characteristic of childhood and adolescence:
- hypertension, atherosclerosis, angina pectoris, heart failure;
- sleep is disturbed - there are occasional pauses in breathing, snoring;
- fatty hepatosis, most often leading to cirrhosis of the liver, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, constipation, hemorrhoids;
- a large weight "presses" on the bone skeleton, leading to joint deformity, destruction of cartilage, pain in the knees, flat feet;
- lack of insulin leads to type II diabetes mellitus;
- such children and adolescents have few friends, they are forced to be in social isolation, experience a lack of communication, they are not understood, offended, which can lead to depression, alcoholism in their later life;
- in women who are overweight from an early age, there is a greater risk of infertility.
BASIC DIAGNOSTICS METHODS
To identify the exact causes of overweight, the doctor can give a referral for tests and examinations:
- blood test for the amount of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and other indicators that will indicate the presence or absence of liver disease, diabetes mellitus;
- analysis of urine and blood for the amount of hormones is done in cases where the doctor suspects that the child has diseases of the endocrine system;
- to exclude diseases of the pituitary gland or tumor processes, the doctor prescribes magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography, MRI and CT for short.
HOW TO PREVENT A CHILD TO BE OVERWEIGHT?
Of course, the fight against obesity is a long process, it depends on the reasons that the doctor establishes in contact with the child and his parents. In the future, it is necessary to strictly follow all the recommendations of the doctor to achieve a stable result.
The main principles of treatment include an individually selected diet, feasible physical activity, lifestyle changes, in some cases, drug treatment or surgery.
- As a rule, a nutritionist, taking into account the characteristics of the child and age, gives parents all the necessary recommendations on dietary nutrition, calculating how much fat, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals a small patient needs. Even the mother of a baby up to a year old, who is already overweight, the pediatrician will advise which cereals and infant formulas to introduce into complementary foods, and which ones should be discarded for now. From an early age, teach your chubby baby to food that has a little sugar in it. As a sweetener, it is useful to use a plant - stevia. Vegetables are welcome in the diet (zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, green beans, carrots), greens, fruits with a low content of sugars and calories (currants, blueberries, raspberries, sea buckthorn). Less often cook potatoes, flour dishes.
Pasta is sometimes allowed, but from coarse wheat varieties. In some cases, switching to a separate diet helps to reduce weight. For example, fish and a cutlet are served not with the usual mashed potatoes, but with a side dish of seasonal vegetables. Do not forget about bran, which improves digestion and eliminates unnecessary from the intestines. Try to limit overweight children in cookies, sweets, chocolate cakes, ice cream and other sweet confectionery goodies. A growing body constantly needs lean meat (veal, poultry), lean fish and cottage cheese. But sour cream and cream can be given only occasionally. Eliminate refractory fats from the diet - pork, mutton fat, margarine. All this is poorly absorbed by the body and is deposited “in reserve”. Salads are best seasoned with vegetable oils. Teach your baby to eat slowly, chewing well. When you take your time, you feel full faster. Give food to an obese child 5-6 times a day, but in small portions. Breakfast is required in the early morning, it will charge you with energy and vigor, it is more rational to eat high-calorie meals in the morning, and light food is useful in the evening.
Do not feed your child at night, it is appropriate to arrange dinner 3 hours before bedtime. - It is impossible to lose weight without physical activity. Parents should try to find activities for the child that will be interesting and useful to him. It can be swimming, aerobics, athletics, football, tennis, gymnastics or other sections. Organize a lot of outdoor games, it is even desirable that they be held outdoors - in a forest, park, outdoor stadium. Parents themselves should be an example for the child. You can run the whole family along the alley, go cycling, go to the pool, play badminton or volleyball on the banks of the river in summer, or ski in the snowy forest. It combines a lot of pleasant experiences and a set of measures to improve health.
- An overweight child really needs support and understanding from his parents. A friendly atmosphere in the family is also important. When a child has complexes about being overweight or there are symptoms of depression, it is advisable to consult a psychotherapist or a good psychologist.
Often the cause of extra pounds is psychological in nature. - Drug therapy. Many adults resort to drugs to reduce appetite and lose weight. But there is still little data on the effect of these drugs on a child's or teenage body. Therefore, doctors at the moment are trying not to prescribe serious drugs to small patients. If the cause of obesity is endocrine disorders, then diet, the use of healthy foods and medicines in the diet will help correct the functioning of the endocrine glands.
- Surgery is started if the cause of weight gain is a pituitary tumor that needs to be removed. And only in extreme cases, in which it is vital to perform surgical treatment of obesity in a child, they resort to this method. And the branch of surgery that deals with such operations is called bariatrics.
It is very important that parents understand that they should not overfeed their beloved child. Proper nutrition and active lifestyle will help to avoid obesity. Do not scold children if they still gained excess weight.
