Overweight Kids: Spiritual, Behavioral and Preventative Solutions

A double cheeseburger, large fries, and a chocolate shake adorn the cover of Dr. Linda Mintle's new book. Leading some more impulsive readers to make poor food choices before opening to the first page, on what was a perfect day for Frisbee golf, I took the book, a value meal, and sat down at my desk to read about obese kids. The first chapter, titled, "Is my Child Overweight?" sets a precedent for solid content that is maintained throughout the text. Using vignettes, bulleted points, question-answer, letters from concerned parents, chapter quizzes, and sections of well-written prose, Mintle writes coherently and creatively about important, though potentially complex, measures--such as calculating the Body Mass Index (BMI)--and simplifies ideas for the casual reader, without ruining the material's integrity. The Problem When introducing the issues, Mintle encourages parents who struggle with weight themselves, "Leave shame, guilt, and rejection behind--they won't move us forward."1 And she elaborates, "If you are struggling with your own weight and feel it is hypocritical to feed your child differently in the hopes of helping him grow into his weight, it's not. Now would be a good time to get help to overcome your weight issues while working on establishing a healthy eating environment for your child and family."2 Dispelling harmful myth, Mintle debunks sleazy talk shows that blame parents for their severely-obese children, as well as bias headlines such as "Three-Year-Old Dies from Obesity", which have appeared in mainline news.3 Accordingly, with many of these extreme situations there are extenuating medical conditions, and still--dying from childhood obesity is unlikely. However, childhood obesity is a problem, according to Mintle. Currently, 30% of our nations kids are overweight or at risk of being so.4 Moreover, 60% of children between the ages of 5 and 10 are already at risk for heart disease. Other risk factors of childhood obesity include asthma, diabetes, hypertension, orthopedic complications, sleep apnea, hyperlipidaemia, constipation, and polycystic ovary syndrome (in females). Mintle identifies a myriad of factors that can lead to weight problems and presents them with cohesion. They are (1) too many calorie empty foods, (2) too little movement, (3) genetics, (4) emotional eating, (5) lifestyle and community changes, (6) family patterns, (7) the school scene, (8) advertisements and media, (9) a quick-fix mentality, and (10) poor spiritual equipping. The Solution Moving from problems to solutions, Mintle suggests a set of rules to ensure body weight is not a lifelong battle for kids. The first one: no diets (in the conventional sense of the term)! Other guidelines include never becoming the "food police", making good food choices and healthy living a family affair (i.e., don't treat differently one family member who struggles with weight), and setting a personal example of moderation and balance. The book is u

I was thinking about sending my daughter to one of those weight camps and now I am not going to do it. Instead, we are trying to do the things Dr. Linda suggests. So far, it's working. My son doesn't like the limit on video games but I now realize, I'm in charge and doing what's best for him. This book got me thinking about lifestyle changes, not just weight. The wholistic approach makes more sense than faddish diets.