New Year, New Diet, but what about Children’s Health

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - At the beginning of January, a lot of people are thinking about New Year’s resolutions, and a lot of those New Year’s resolutions are centered around food choices and weight.

Dr. Cara Hamilton of Black Hills Pediatrics, reminds parents that a child has a healthy weight that’s very important for them as well.

“A chubby toddler might be kind of cute and honestly have very few health consequences of being overweight,” Hamilton said. “However, a lot of times a chubby toddler turns into a chubby preschooler who turns into a chubby elementary school. There are consequences of having an increased weight for long periods of time.”

Children can develop insulin resistance, which ultimately can lead to type two diabetes, according to the doctor.

“They can develop cholesterol problems. They can develop blood pressure issues and even self-esteem problems, which can ultimately lead to depression and an eating disorders. It’s really important that you are helping your kid early on, watching their weight, and oftentimes, it can help help you and the rest of your family as well,” Hamilton explained.

Hamilton added that children don’t always need full-blown diets ... “where we’re cutting out major food categories but, again, limiting and making limitations over time of those simple carbs like sweets and candies and cakes and cookies. But also those more complex carbs are more of a problem for Americans as well. So pastas and greens and other wheat products should be really tempered with vegetables.

“Increasing activity is super important,” Hamilton said, and of course, in order to do that, sometimes we need to limit screens a great deal.”

If you have questions about your child’s weight or health, make sure you discuss the issues with your primary physician.

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