There has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States over the past 20 years. This is a fact according to the CDC. Unfortunately, awareness does not always lead to healthy solutions. Instead, it has issued in a new wave of fat phobia that is putting infants at risk.
Scary effects of a study
Harvard came out with a study that claimed that babies who gain weight quickly during their first few months of life are more likely to become obese later in life. This unfortunate declaration by Dr. Elsie Taveras could lead to dangerous behaviors in parents and physicians alike. Restricting an infant's feedings could just as likely "cause" obesity, due to developing poor eating patterns.
All children are different
My children are all taller than their cousins. As infants, they all fell in the 90th percentile for height and weight from the get-go. My third child was especially big. He was born with large hands and feet and grew into a chubby infant even though he was mainly breastfed for the first nine months of his life. Comments were often made about how much he could eat and he was constantly compared to his tiny cousins. Thirteen years later he is tall, strong and not the least bit overweight. How is this possible? According to so many voices, I should have put him on a diet to avoid obesity. Instead I let him eat and he grew into a healthy young man.
Warped common sense can lead to brain damage
The obsession with thinness and extreme fat phobia has completely warped common sense. Restricting a baby's diet puts that infant at risk of not developing properly. Their brain, muscles and bones are dependent on good nutrition. Not only will their development suffer, restricting an infant's food actually has the opposite affect on obesitiy. Babies are born with an internal mechanism that lets them know when they are full. If well-meaning adults try to take control, the child will lose the ability to gauge for themselves.
Make sweeping changes in your own behavior
If you are worried that your pudgy infant will have weight issues because of family history, then the key is to change behaviors that involve the whole family, not simply projecting your fears on a helpless infant. Serve healthy meals, reduce consumption of processed foods and make exercise a natural part of your day to day life. Parents have a lot of power, I hope more use their power to advocate for their child, not succumb to fat phobia.
More by Sylvie Branch:
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