Child Obesity- Cuteness Overload or Cause for Alarm
By Faiza Zia Khan
Newport Beach, CA
My fondest childhood memories are those where my grandma would make fresh parathas (whole wheat flat bread) with asli ghee (clarified butter) and serve it with any dish ranging from omelets to sabzi (vegetable curry) at any time of the day.
The aroma of fresh parathas with aloo kee bhujia (potato curry) makes my mouth water even as I am writing about it. Add suji halwa (gram flour dessert) and channay (chick-pea curry) to the menu, a gourmet breakfast/brunch meal for holidays and weekends is ready that was popular amongst kids and adults alike. Now this kind of meal has become somewhat of a delicacy and moved out from the casual breakfast club.
Typically, traditionally prepared South-Asian diets are rich in carbs and high on fat content but delicious nevertheless. We swim in an over- indulging ocean of deliciousness via the high saturated fat content on cheat days from morning breakfast nihari (chunky meat curry) to end of the day biryani (rice and meat pilaf) and korma (thick meat curry) diets. With adequate physical activity it all burns out and obesity is not a huge concern.
Child obesity became a real concern a few decades ago when there was no calorie count or control for kids growing up in the 80s. Increased screen time, little to no exercise, and zero outdoor activity contributed to sluggish and overweight kids. The best way to mitigate this would have been to balance the heavy calorie diet with proportionate physical activity to burn off the calories.
Back in the day chubby kids were considered healthy. I remember one of my mother’s friend would feed her child a very rich diet not for health reasons but because she wanted her soon to look “gol matol” as chubby babies look cute. I know for a fact that child grew up having to deal with severe weight issues and low self-esteem. Approximately one in three American kids and teens are obese. Obesity has tripled from 1971 to 2011 and childhood obesity is the No.1 health concern among American parents, even more alarming than drug abuse and smoking.
A recent incident prompted me to write this piece to create awareness about child obesity as there may be someone out there who will benefit by getting educated on this seriously hazardous issue. I got a phone call from a friend panicking about news she got from her family physician. Her youngest of three children was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 is the most commonly diagnosed diabetes amongst children. My friend was in tears the whole time we were on the phone stopping only to sob loudly and audibly. My heart went out to her. I had seen the thirteen-year old grow up in front of my eyes. We had a nice baby shower when my friend was pregnant. We celebrated his arrival with pride and joy and reveled in both pre- and post-baby festivities.
I always feel a close connection with babies whose moms I see going through the motions of pregnancy to child birth and onwards. I was as intensely disturbed as her. However, later on when reflecting back on where the problem may have occurred I had some vivid memories of my friend being precarious when it came to feeding this child.
Dubbed the baby of the family he was allowed excessive sugary treats, muffins and pancakes for breakfast and a diet that consisted mostly of fast food, unhealthy snacks (such as chips, cookies, chocolates, candy bars), accompanied with a severe lack of exercise. My friend either was innocently unaware of the effects this could have or this was her way of expressing love towards this child, I am not sure.
The child became over-weight and obese but it was all shrugged off under the guise of cuteness. While other kids played outside this child sat for limitless hours on his hand-held game devices or in front of the TV. His mom did not look too concerned and I did not think much of it at the time either. These are the signs we need to watch out for so I decided to list purely for informational purposes the five types of diabetes that we should be aware about in general:
Cluster 1: Also known as “severe autoimmune diabetes,” which is similar to type 1 diabetes. Usually diabetics in this cluster are relatively young when they are diagnosed, and they do not have excessive weight. They have an immune system (autoimmune) disease preventing them from producing insulin.
Cluster 2: Or “severe insulin-deficient diabetes,” similar to cluster 1. Subjects are relatively young at diagnosis and do not have excessive weight. They were also not producing much insulin. They didn’t have “autoantibodies” that indicate type 1 and subjects in this group may have a deficiency in the cells that produce insulin.
Cluster 3: Called “severe insulin-resistant diabetes,” this form occurs in people who are over-weight and have high insulin resistance, meaning their bodies were making insulin, but their cells do not respond to it.
Cluster 4: also called “mild obesity-related diabetes,” this form occurs for those who had a milder form of the disease, without as many metabolic problems as those in cluster 3, and they are obese.
Cluster 5: also known as “mild age-related diabetes,” is similar to cluster 4, but subjects are older when diagnosed. This is most common form of diabetes.
In this new age I may be preaching to the converted as a majority of us have resorted to watching our diets carefully. If we over indulge in desserts and go on a foodie binge, we lament after that and try to become healthier in the days following the fallout with our diet plans. We lament, complain, and promise to do better if we are not eating healthy. With an increased push towards health and wellness the modern breakfast of today has been replaced by low-fat granolas, cottage cheese and fresh fruit. On days the kids want to be treated such as weekends or holidays I resort to making/buying pancakes, eggs benedict, crepes, and French toast all the while telling them to hit the gym after their scrumptious treats and so should you!
(Faiza Zia Khan holds a Master’s in Journalism degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has collaborated with news media outlets including Global National and actively volunteers for several community investment projects for the Red Cross, United Way and the Breast Cancer Foundation)
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