With school canteens serving a variety of colas and junk food, children are falling prey to lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity at an early age. DNA talks to parents and experts to find whether a possible solution exists.
In two years’ time, from kindergarten to Std II, seven-year-old Vignesh Mohile’s association with the alphabet has undergone a drastic change. Even before the chubby little boy has learnt to communicate in English, his vocabulary already consists of words like enchilada, spaghetti, alfredo, tiramisu —- which his parents often fail to pronounce and that sound like Greek to his grandmother.
Vignesh’s mother finds it difficult to convince Vignesh to carry a home-cooked meal of simple chapati-bhaji in his school tiffin. “I’ve tried options like sprouted bhel or sandwiches on alternate days. But the aroma of Italian and Mexican food which his friends bring in their dabbas, coupled with items like pav bhaji and samosas sold in their school canteen appears far more attractive,” says an exasperated Sucheta.
She says that all her efforts to convince Vignesh to eat healthy falls flat the moment the recess bell rings. “Vignesh and his friends sit in a group and have lunch. It’s but natural that he gets tempted to eat what his friends are eating.”
A similar yet slightly different case is that of Mohan and Lalita Kumar, parents of 14-year-old Nishita. The Std IX student eats in her canteen everyday, despite carrying two dabbas. Mohan, who works as a manager in a bank in Girgaon, says that Nishita’s school canteen is flooded with every chips and cola brand available in India.
Her mother, Lalita, says that though Nishita takes roti-sabzi in one dabba and fruits or biscuits in the other, she complains that two dabbas are insufficient, and unfailingly ends up eating a burger or a plate of noodles. “She doesn’t want to carry a third dabba as it will increase the weight of her bag. If this eating out was not enough, there is hardly any outdoor activity that she can indulge in, especially now that she will go to class X,” says Lalita, explaining that all Nishita does after coming from school is either study or chat on the computer.
just 70 to 80 minutes of PT in an entire week is insufficient for growing children. “The result of all this is weight gain. Over the past year and half, she has put on so much weight that we fear it may lead to obesity,” says Lalita.
Like many other mothers, Sucheta and Lalita believe that it’s pure addiction to junk food that is harming their children. Eating fast food once in a while is fine, say the mothers. “But children often don’t have the capacity to limit intake,” says Lalita.
once children are familiar with the taste of junk, they tend to eat it regularly and slowly get addicted, to the extent that they can’t do without it even for a day. “Addiction is what I’m worried about.”
several schools in Mumbai give food coupons and serve vadas and samosas. “After eating junk, the child feels hungry very soon and starts feeling restless and distracted.”
Dr.Vinod Methil, consultant diabetologist at Sweet clinics, says that type II diabetes, which was till lately seen in adults, is now increasingly seen in children because of lifestyle factors.Diabetologists in Vashi
“The main cause of type II diabetes is central obesity — big stomach and insulin resistance. This develops from unhealthy eating,” says Dr Methil, explaining that she has seen children as young at 6-7 years developing type II diabetes.
Dr Methil adds, “When a child complains of excessive thirst, tends to eat more, etc. an examination shows that his sugar levels are high. It is shocking to see such young children having diabetes and obesity.”
In two years’ time, from kindergarten to Std II, seven-year-old Vignesh Mohile’s association with the alphabet has undergone a drastic change. Even before the chubby little boy has learnt to communicate in English, his vocabulary already consists of words like enchilada, spaghetti, alfredo, tiramisu —- which his parents often fail to pronounce and that sound like Greek to his grandmother.
Vignesh’s mother finds it difficult to convince Vignesh to carry a home-cooked meal of simple chapati-bhaji in his school tiffin. “I’ve tried options like sprouted bhel or sandwiches on alternate days. But the aroma of Italian and Mexican food which his friends bring in their dabbas, coupled with items like pav bhaji and samosas sold in their school canteen appears far more attractive,” says an exasperated Sucheta.
She says that all her efforts to convince Vignesh to eat healthy falls flat the moment the recess bell rings. “Vignesh and his friends sit in a group and have lunch. It’s but natural that he gets tempted to eat what his friends are eating.”
A similar yet slightly different case is that of Mohan and Lalita Kumar, parents of 14-year-old Nishita. The Std IX student eats in her canteen everyday, despite carrying two dabbas. Mohan, who works as a manager in a bank in Girgaon, says that Nishita’s school canteen is flooded with every chips and cola brand available in India.
Her mother, Lalita, says that though Nishita takes roti-sabzi in one dabba and fruits or biscuits in the other, she complains that two dabbas are insufficient, and unfailingly ends up eating a burger or a plate of noodles. “She doesn’t want to carry a third dabba as it will increase the weight of her bag. If this eating out was not enough, there is hardly any outdoor activity that she can indulge in, especially now that she will go to class X,” says Lalita, explaining that all Nishita does after coming from school is either study or chat on the computer.
just 70 to 80 minutes of PT in an entire week is insufficient for growing children. “The result of all this is weight gain. Over the past year and half, she has put on so much weight that we fear it may lead to obesity,” says Lalita.
Like many other mothers, Sucheta and Lalita believe that it’s pure addiction to junk food that is harming their children. Eating fast food once in a while is fine, say the mothers. “But children often don’t have the capacity to limit intake,” says Lalita.
once children are familiar with the taste of junk, they tend to eat it regularly and slowly get addicted, to the extent that they can’t do without it even for a day. “Addiction is what I’m worried about.”
several schools in Mumbai give food coupons and serve vadas and samosas. “After eating junk, the child feels hungry very soon and starts feeling restless and distracted.”
Dr.Vinod Methil, consultant diabetologist at Sweet clinics, says that type II diabetes, which was till lately seen in adults, is now increasingly seen in children because of lifestyle factors.Diabetologists in Vashi
“The main cause of type II diabetes is central obesity — big stomach and insulin resistance. This develops from unhealthy eating,” says Dr Methil, explaining that she has seen children as young at 6-7 years developing type II diabetes.
Dr Methil adds, “When a child complains of excessive thirst, tends to eat more, etc. an examination shows that his sugar levels are high. It is shocking to see such young children having diabetes and obesity.”
No comments:
Post a Comment