[헬스S] My child gets extraordinarily fat in winter, why?

As winter approaches, when physical activity is limited and exercise is reduced, interest in childhood obesity is increasing. This is because the number of children who eat three meals a day at home has increased as the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) overlaps.

If your child is obese as a child, it is most likely that there is a problem with eating habits. However, as it is in the growth phase, unconditional dietary restrictions are not good for growth. First of all, you should stop eating spicy and salty foods. Among the sweet taste, fructose is the most dangerous. Fructose high-fructose makes you eat more because it makes you feel less full. If your child has a habit of drinking sweet drinks such as carbonated drinks every day, the first thing to do is to break them.

High-calorie fast food, instant food, food that contains a lot of oil in the cooking process, and processed food should all be avoided for weight management. In the refrigerator, it is better to put away all ready-to-eat food that can be eaten immediately after reheating it in the microwave, and only store ingredients that can only be eaten after cooking.

At the table, you should focus on your meal without looking at the TV or smartphone. Leptin, which makes you feel full, is secreted 15 minutes after you start eating on time, so if you eat quickly without chewing well, you will eat more. Therefore, chew slowly and firmly and eat for at least 20 minutes. Using a smaller bowl can also help.

Late at night, ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone, is secreted the most, making it more difficult to control appetite, making it easy to overeat. In addition, nutrients consumed at night are not consumed as energy, but are stored in the body. After dinner, avoid eating late at night and go to bed at a set time.

Proper exercise is also required. For obesity management, it is best to do aerobic exercise at low intensity 3 to 5 times a week. Exercising with high intensity for a short period of time causes muscle pain and fatigue, and rather stimulates appetite. Therefore, it is good to find a light exercise that the child can enjoy and continue for a long time so that he can do it on his own.

Park Ji-soo, director of Hamsoah Oriental Medicine Clinic Cheongju Bokdae Branch, said, “Since the number of fat cells increases mainly until puberty, if obesity persists, even if you lose weight afterward, the number of fat cells that have already increased does not decrease, making you easily gain weight.” Parents are seriously aware of their children’s obesity, and children who are overweight or currently obese should pay more attention to diet and exercise in winter when activity levels are low.”