Soft drinks, fried foods, sweets and processed meats can easily make children gain too much weight. Parents can adjust step by step so kids grow up healthy.
An unbalanced diet is one of the most common reasons children become overweight or obese. Knowing which foods tend to cause weight gain helps parents build a healthier menu for their children without banning things excessively.
Sugary drinks
Fizzy soft drinks, boxed fruit juice, milk tea and energy drinks all contain a great deal of refined sugar. They give an instant burst of energy but do not make the stomach feel full, so children can easily take in many extra calories without realizing it. The excess energy from sugar is quickly turned into fat, which builds up around the belly and in the liver.
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that drinking sugary drinks regularly makes children more likely to become overweight or obese and to develop noncommunicable diseases. Sugar provides energy but almost none of the nutrients children need to grow. A single can of soft drink can contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar, roughly the maximum that should be consumed in a whole day. Because drinks do not fill them up, children still eat other foods, and the excess energy keeps building up. That is why the number of overweight and obese children in Vietnam has been rising in recent years.
Fast food and fried food
French fries, fried chicken, hamburgers and pizza contain a lot of trans fats and saturated fats. Even a small portion can have as many calories as a full, nutritious main meal, yet lacks fiber, vitamins and minerals. These foods are often seasoned with many additives to make them tasty and crispy, so children keep wanting them and can easily get "hooked".
Sweets and processed meats
Cookies, candy, cream cakes and even packaged breakfast cereals for children all have a lot of added sugar and preservatives. After eating them, blood sugar shoots up and then drops quickly, leaving children hungry again soon, always craving food and sluggish without something sweet.
Sausages, Chinese sausage (lap xuong) and cold cuts are popular with many children because they are convenient and tasty. But they are both high in unhealthy fats and very salty. High sodium makes the body retain water and disrupts metabolism, which can lead to obesity and heart disease later in life.
How parents can make changes
For children who are already overweight or obese, parents should not suddenly cut portions or put them on a strict diet, as this can harm their growth. The first thing to do is take the child to a doctor to assess their health and get advice on suitable eating and physical activity. At home, parents can stick with the following principles:
- Eat from all food groups. Growing children need enough starch, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals; do not cut out any group.
- Replace sugary drinks. Fizzy drinks, sweetened juices and boxed fruit juice bring a lot of extra calories. Give your child plain water, unsweetened fresh milk or pure juice instead.
- Add high-fiber, low-calorie foods. Cut back on ready-made foods that are high in energy but poor in nutrients. Give your child more vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains and healthy protein from fish, eggs, chicken, duck and beans.
- Change cooking methods. Fry less and stir-fry with less oil; steam, boil, pan-sear or use an air fryer instead.
- Build the habit of eating slowly. Have your child sit at the table and focus on eating, chew slowly, and turn off the TV and put away phones and games during meals. This lets the brain recognize fullness at the right time, so the child does not overeat.
Trusted clinic for childhood obesity in Ho Chi Minh City
For nearly 20 years, Ky Hoa Medical Center has cared for the health of people in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing together highly qualified doctors who are attentive at every visit. When childhood obesity needs checking, our Pediatrics doctors take time to listen, examine carefully and explain clearly so that you fully understand your child's condition, then agree together on a care and follow-up plan.
Laboratory tests is performed on site, so you can complete check-ups in one place, which makes follow-up visits easier.
The center operates under Operating License No. 00449/HCM-GPHĐ, with a list of medical techniques approved by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health (Decision 471/QĐ-SYT), and is a primary care facility contracted with Ho Chi Minh City Social Security, accepting health insurance (BHYT) visits on Saturdays as well. The practising certificates of our 24 doctors are published on our Doctors page.
If your child is gaining weight quickly or you are not sure whether their weight is right for their age, you can bring them to the Pediatrics department at Ky Hoa Medical Center, where a doctor will examine and assess them and advise on a suitable diet. Simply walk in during opening hours and take a queue number.
Ky Hoa Medical Center
Address: 266A - 268 3 Thang 2 Street, Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 6:30 - 11:30 and 13:00 - 17:00 (closed on Sunday)
Hotline: 028.3868.1097
Source: Suc Khoe & Doi Song (Health & Life) newspaper