When more is less…
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In the face of parental angst, some teenagers, particularly girls, think skipping meals and eating less frequently is a surefire way to gain svelte figures and keep off unwanted kilos.
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- When more is less…
In the face of parental angst, some teenagers, particularly girls, think skipping meals and eating less frequently is a surefire way to gain svelte figures and keep off unwanted kilos.
But young people might be interested to know, (and parents relieved to hear), that according to the results of a recent US study, eating fewer times a day could be a contributing factor to increased body mass index (BMI) in teenagers.
The longitudinal research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involved more than two thousand girls between the ages of 9-10 years old and again at 19-20 years old.
There is a need for more research into the supposed link between eating frequency and obesity, but even in isolation the US findings are thought provoking, particularly for parents concerned with their children’s eating habits and body issues.
Eating healthy, smaller portions of food, more often, rather than three (or less) larger meals a day, is a well-trodden route to maintaining a healthy weight. Yet such logical thinking is often lost on teenagers – particularly those battling weight problems and with a predisposition to skip meals.
Although teenagers may choose to ignore their well-intentioned parents educated opinions on diet and lifestyle, even the most headstrong child may find it difficult to argue with academic findings. So it’s probably a matter of watching this space and in the meantime, discouraging erratic eating habits in kids – as best you can.
Do your children enjoy eating more than three times a day or do your kids tend to stick to three (or less) meals in a day? Do you agree eating more can help to maintain a healthy body weight?
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