Teenagers take note. Checking your unhealthy eating habits and behavior is advance may cut risk of obesity later in life. According to a latest study, these pre-emptive measures can go a long way to keep obesity and related health problems at bay. Junk food in combination of unhealthy, sedantry lifestyle ups the risk of obesity in adulthood, claimed a new study.
The researchers said, that instead on only focusing on food habits, parents teachers and physicians must inculcate the value of healthy behavior in adolescents. The study found that the calorie intake among adolescents has not changed, but habits such as exercising, smoking, drug use and alcohol consumption have increased over time.
"Adolescents with obesity often maintain their weight status into adulthood, increasing their risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure," said Rachel Laxer, doctoral student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
"Public health practitioners should be targeting clusters of risky behaviours using a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach," Laxer added.
The study was published in Plos One. For the study, the research scientists included included school students between 13 to 17 years of age, in grades nine and ten.
They then slotted them in groups according to their reported behavior. The teenagers were classified as typical high school athletes, inactive high screen-users ("screenagers"), moderately active substance users, or health conscious.
The findings revealed that although the four groups saw similar increases to their weight status over the years that they were followed, students in the health-conscious group had the healthiest body weight at the beginning of the study. "Intervening and modifying unhealthy behaviours earlier might have a greater impact than during adolescence. Health promotion strategies targeting higher risk youth as they enter secondary school might be the best way to prevent or delay the onset of obesity, and might have better public health outcomes over the longer term," Laxer said.
Steps You Must Take If You're Overweight Or Obese
From children to adults, obesity sees no age and can affect anybody. Re-organising your kitchen, swapping the fat-laden unhealthy junk with nutrient-dense food is the best gift you can give to yourself.
Consultant Nutritionist Dr. Rupali Dutta gives out a few pointers that are a must to follow for a perfect obesity diet.
1. Swap refined carb sources for whole grains. A whole grain is a grain of any cereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. A whole grain manages to retain all the nutrients that are processed in the refining. Stock up on whole grains like bajra, ragi, maize and jowar and use them often. Try red, black and brown rice instead of white rice .You can use these whole grains for breakfast porridges.
2. Just like grains, whole dals are also a better bet than the washed dals. Rajma, and chana dals are some of the healthiest dals you can fill up your shelves with. You can cook them, have them in sprouts or in soups.
3. Avoid red meat and opt for lean meat like chicken and salmon. Adding protein with every meal could prove to be a game changer for anyone trying to lose weight.
4. Load up on seasonal vegetables. They provide both soluble and insoluble fibres in addition to vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
5. Stay away from trans fats as they are one of the biggest culprits of growing instances of obesity globally. Fast food, instant food, fried junk, cookies, pasta, burger and noodles- these trans-fats are spread all across us.
(With Inputs IANS)