Regular rhythms and times are important for children, who often find themselves eating out of boredom. How to organize the day and the pantry
How much influence it can have structured dayswith well-defined commitments (and supervised by adults), to reduce or avoid incorrect eating behaviors in adolescents?
The answer: a lot. This is demonstrated by an accurate meta-analysis (i.e. the review of previous scientific studies) published in theInternational Journal of Obesity of 6 January 2002. a very interesting study, which tackles the problem of obesity in young people from a new point of view, that of time management – explains Stefano Erzegovesi, head physician of the Center for Eating Disorders of the San Raffaele Turro Hospital in Milan -. The topic addressed goes far beyond the obvious reflection that often, when the days are “empty”, we eat out of boredom. Here we are talking about adolescents, people with an identity that is not yet fully structured, therefore particularly exposed, when the times of the day are badly organized, to risky behaviors, in relation to food but not only: I am thinking of smoking, the abuse of social media, video games and so on. And as for nutrition, first of all let’s take a look at our pantry: the most easily accessible food often unhealthy, snacks, chips, ice cream, sweet and savory snacks. They provide immediate but temporary relief from the moods and uncertainties that characterize this age. But, as the relief is fleeting, one continues to eat them.
Does this also involve an irregularity in meals?
Absolutely yes: snacks accompany lonely afternoons and make you arrive at the table without hunger. And instead of just regularity that boys need. Meals with well-marked times (and at least three: breakfast, lunch, dinner), eaten with the screens off, seated and possibly with the family; well-defined times for sleeping and, as the aforementioned study demonstrates, fixed commitments during the day.
Is it important that kids don’t eat alone?
The physical presence of other people – unless you are part of a group of compulsive eaters – in itself leads to eat more correctly. Conviviality means that what you eat satiates more.
Are there more suitable activities or commitments to prevent young people from behaving at risk of obesity?
All activities involving it be in company. The sports ones above all: they help to awaken the metabolism and “burn” calories, but theater, singing in a choir or playing in an orchestra are also fine.
Don’t you run the risk of exaggerating with structured times? Super busy kids who then open the fridge at night to relax?
Too much is good. All time. And you don’t have to be too rigid in terms of nutrition either. The exceptions to the rule are allowed, but on the condition that there are, in fact, “snags”, exceptions on a holiday a week.
Do teens need more calories than adults?
It is certainly true that growing organisms, such as adolescents, consume more energy. for it is difficult to quantify a general data: depends from the male or female gender, from the skeletal and muscular structure of the individual and from the physical activity performed.
Advice more properly related to nutrition?
The most recent scientific studies promote a “poor Mediterranean” food model, therefore with an even greater emphasis on vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grains. Without forgetting that at this age, bones and muscles are formed and therefore you need a good one protein intakebut unspoken must come only from meat: there are fish, eggs, cheeses and, above all, the always neglected legumes.
April 25, 2022 (change April 25, 2022 | 18:52)
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