Striving For A Happy Childhood
Hello,
We are in Obesity Awareness Month.
There is pandemic of childhood obesity; 1 in every 5 tween is obese.
Most often obese children continue to be so through teens.
It is a cause of tremendous worry, as obesity leads to many chronic illnesses, psychosocial upheaval and compromised learning ability in children.
Here are a few articles that throw more light on the subject.
The article of the month: Drinking Water, the Forgotten Health Drink,
highlights the benefits of drinking water; it helps fighting obesity!
Enjoy it!
Table of Contents
Articles
Drinking Water, the Forgotten Health Drink
Avoid Health Drinks for Child Health
Child Health News
Flu Vaccine: Recommendations for 2012-13
Metabolic syndrome Associated With Childhood Obesity Weakens Children’s Learning Ability.
Pearls From The Forums
Teenage Obesity Leaves Lifelong Scars.
Avocado Chutney: Recipe, Food Value of Avocado & Possible Allergies
Important Links and Need to Know Information
Like the zine, "Child Health Chat"?
Please do your friends and me a big favor.
"Pay it forward."
Was this copy forwarded to you?
Subscribe for your own absolutely FREE monthly copy here.
Thanks a bunch!!!
Articles
Drinking Water, the Forgotten Health Drink
Drinking water is an essential nutrient for child health
Water is a natural content of our body which attributes to our living status. It gives suppleness to our body as compared to the desiccated form. Even the hardest tissue of the body, bone has fluid.
Water content of human body changes with age; 75 percent of body weight in newborns, which reduces to 60 percent at 1 year and is maintained at that level until puberty. Adult female and male body has 50 percent and 60 percent of water respectively.
Water maintains flow in the body systems
There is widespread flow of fluids in our body as nutrients have to reach tissues and metabolic garbage has to be cleared. Without enough water the blood will not flow through tiny capillaries to supply nutrients to each cell.
Drinking water adequately and at regular intervals creates water exchange cycles that wash off the undesirable constituents from our body.
Drinking water can help fight obesity
Water is the energy drink that does not cause weight gain and prevents obesity: The cells get rejuvenated with new nutrients reaching them, their water is refreshed, toxins generated in the normal process of metabolism washed out and cells' turgidity maintained.
Consequently, the feeling of fatigue is minimized and muscular movements are energized – all with zero calorie intake and no adjuvant.
Gives radiant look without makeup
The turgid cells, toned muscles and efficient blood circulation makes the skin glow. To a large extent it can even minimize acne formation and wrinkling of skin.
Drinking water helps maintain normal body functions
Digestion:
All digestive juices are in fluid form and need enough water for their formation. Moreover, the nutrients that the body wants to retain can be taken in only along with some water.
Hormone functions:
Efficient hormone function is hindered with low water intake. Hormones are secreted in fluid form and are circulated to their target organs through blood.
Kidneys:
Each kidney consists of one million units of filtration, the nephrons, along with their own bunch of specialized capillaries, the glomerulus. Here the waste products that blood carries from all over the body are filtered out as urine.
Urine cannot be formed without adequate water in the body. Therefore it is essential to drink water intermittently throughout waking hours for optimal excretion of unwanted chemicals and toxins.
Urine passage of 5 to 8 times a day is also essential to prevent stone formation and to wash off the germs that are regularly generated in urinary tract, thereby preventing urinary tract infection.
Stools:
The water content of stools vary, but one thing is certain that with deficient water intake the quantity of water in the fecal matter reduces. As a result the stools become hard and children suffer from constipation along with its many other consequences.
Water plays a major role in body heat regulation
Insulator effect of water in our body prevents sudden fluctuation of our body temperature with fluctuations in the atmospheric temperature.
As a shock absorber and lubricant
There is a coating of fluid around every organ of the body. This absorbs shocks generated by the movements of the nearby organs and prevents friction between two functioning organs; for example heart and lungs.
The brain inside the skull is surrounded by thin layer of cerebral fluid. During jerky movements this fluid absorbs the hard skull's impact on the soft brain tissue; for example dancing to vehicle accident.
Shock absorber and lubricant effects can easily be appreciated by the fact that baby in mother’s womb is surrounded by about a liter of amniotic fluid.
How is drinking water different from drinking other health drinks, alcohol and beverages?
• Water is natural; has no adjuvant or calories.
• Alcohol and drinks with excessive sugar and salts can lead to excessive urine formation leading to dehydration.
• Caffeine in most of the beverages that are commonly marketed is addictive and has many unhealthy consequences.
What is the normal daily requirement of drinking water?
100 ml / kg for first 10 kg. of body weight.
50 ml / kg for next 10 kg. of body weight.
20 ml / kg. for each additional kg. of body weight
This roughly amounts to 2000 ml per day for a well grown teenager at 18 years of age. At least half of the daily requirement (1000 to 1250 ml equals to 5-6 glasses) should be taken as plain drinking water.
Approximately one-eighth of it (250 ml.) goes with normal daily diet. The remaining can be taken as beverages (3 medium size cups a day).
More than 3 cups of beverages or milk (in case of toddlers) can lead to subclinical dehydration; usually experienced as fatigue, irritability and diminished ability to concentrate.
If a teenager wishes to indulge in alcoholic beverages, then it should be above the volume of normal daily requirement of drinking water.
Avoid Health Drinks for Child Health
Health drinks are being marketed to boost energy, endurance and performance. Are they healthy for children? Caffeine is the key ingredient in most of them.
Read to know.
News on Child Health
Flu Vaccine
On September 10, 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics published its recommendations for use of seasonal influenza vaccine to prevent Flu in children.
Read the details.
Childhood Metabolic Syndrome
The study proves that any metabolic dysfunction can jeopardize brain growth, development and function. The commonest cause of non diabetic metabolic syndrome in children today is metabolic dysfunction associated with childhood obesity.
Click to read the full article.
Pearls From The Forums
Teenage Obesity Leaves Lifelong Scars.
Obesity is one of the scourges of teenage. Teenage obesity should be taken a lot more seriously than it is at present for the lifelong scars it leaves.
Obese teenagers find it more difficult to cope with the ups and downs of teenage development because of the obesity.
Click here to read the article.
Avocado Chutney: Recipe, Food Value & Allergies of Avocado
Avocado’s rich food values have given a general misconception of it being fattening. Wonder why we have kept it away from children; maybe only because of the taste or paucity of recepies for children? However, watch for allergic reactions to avocado
Click to know more.
Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you.
Just reply to this zine and tell me what you think!
Important Links and Need to Know Information
Create your own webpage.- It is free. - No registration. No Fees.
Guest post submissions.
Portal for submissions of high quality articles by the professionals on any topic related to child health.
Your child’s development diary.
Create a web page for your child. Record developmental milestones. Post pictures.
Forums that you can use.
Free forum for your child health concerns.
Askdoc.
Newborn Care
is a port for friendly and focused discussion, where both, parents and professionals are welcomed to participate.
Contribute. Your contributions are precious.
Child health news.
Parenting tips.
Recipes for children
Teenage Issues
Voice your opinion
School readiness.
Improvement in prevailing child health care systems.
Family book-shelf.
Books for children
- recommend good story books for children – your childhood favorites
Authors, introduce your own books here
- specifically on child health, child psychology, child nutrition and parenting.
Readers’ recommendations
of books on child health, child psychology, child nutrition and parenting or any other topic related to children's health issues.
Follow us on -
Facebook
Linked In
Twitter
Blog
Have Comments on what you just read?
Any ideas to share?
Post your feedback? I'd love to hear from you.
Just click here and tell me what you think!
I will be back soon with the next issue of "Child Health Chat".
Together let us help teenagers fight obesity!
With best regards,
 |
