Fighting Child Obesity: Expert Suggests To Ban Second Helpings Among Children

Obesity expert Dr. Clare Llewellyn of the University College London found out banning second helpings can help curb the problem of obesity among children. She urged parents to stop giving their kids second helpings when eating to avoid weight problems.

Contrary to the popular, weight experts said obese children do not eat more junk food and do not eat as often as the other kids. In fact, children with weight problems eat only 12 calories more than children with normal weight during mealtimes.

Llewellyn said large meal portions could be the reason why some children have become too fat. She cautioned parents from giving their kids second helpings since they are probably full and do not need the extra food. Parents should also take not children should get three meals and two snacks every day.

One of the possible solutions to the problem of child obesity was presented by Llewellyn during a conference at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, according to Daily Mail. Her lecture focused on why giving second helpings to children can be bad for their health.

There are children who are not able to regulate their food consumption and they just eat whatever is placed on their plates even if they are already full. Overweight children are not eating too much but they eat a little bit more and this builds up leading to obesity.

A third of Britain's children are overweight and this puts them at risk for obesity when they become adults. In the United States, one out of three kids is obese and eight problems among children have alarmingly increased in the past 30 years, as per HelpGuide.

It's already a given fact that obesity can lead to serious consequences on one's health in the form of heart disease, diabetes and asthma. It can also lead to poor self-esteem among children.

In other related reports, the Children's Obesity Clinic's Treatment protocol was introduced by Northeastern Denmark pediatrician Jens Christian Holm to help obese children adjust their lifestyle. Around 70 percent of the 1,950 patients who followed the protocol were able to maintain their normal weight, according to Forbes.

Holm said that obesity is a chronic disease just like asthma. The proper way to address it is to maintain weight rather than be obsessed with weight loss.

Do you agree that second helpings play an important role in children's obesity? Share your thoughts below.