Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 16-10-2018
As the country marks National Obesity Week, the Association of Dietetics of South Africa (ADSA) has urged parents not to use food as a reward for good behaviour in their children.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has revealed that South Africa has the highest rates of obese children in the world with 13% under the age of five.
ADSA says while obesity in South Africa hasn’t really been under the spotlight, it is starting to become a burden that the country has to urgently deal with.
Spokesperson and registered dietitian Faaizah Asmal says parents are to blame for their children’s bad lifestyle eating habits.
“Children learn from adults and they model themselves of us, so they see what we are eating and they learn their eating from adults around them. It’s just not something where we need to help the children to lose weight. If we want to help out kids to become healthier, us as adults need to become healthier as well.”
Asmal says parents should refrain from keeping junk foods in the home by adopting a healthier lifestyle to tackle the circle of obesity.
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